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[WRC] Rally Monte Carlo: Loeb wins! Sainz 3rd, McRae 4th.

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#1 ·
70th Rally of Monte Carlo
http://www.acm.mc/rallye/
Round 1 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
17 - 20 January 2002

- Unofficial Final Results
- Championship Standings
- Stage Winners
- Leading Retirements
- FIA Press Release
- Subscription Details
__________________________________________________________________

UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS

OUTRIGHT

1 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 3:58:44,8
2 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 3:59:30,7
3 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 4:00:46,4
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 4:01:28,7
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:01:38,1
6 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 4:02:00,3
7 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 4:02:50,8
8 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 4:03:47,1
9 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 4:05:06,4
10 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC 4:06:13,1

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

1 Duval Ford Puma 4:25:06,2
2 Caldani Peugeot 206 XS 4:29:21,1
3 Feghali Ford Puma 4:32:16,8
4 Carlsson Ford Puma 4:32:30,3
5 Doppelreiter Peugeot 206 XS 4:34:54,0
__________________________________________________________________

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Loeb (F) 10
Makinen (FIN) 6
Sainz (E) 4
C.McRae (GB) 3
Gronholm (FIN) 2
Solberg (N) 1

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Subaru 12
Ford 10
Peugeot 4

FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 1 of 6 rounds):
Duval (B) 10
Caldani (I) 6
Feghali (RL) 4
Carlsson (S) 3
Doppelreiter (A) 2
Schelle (D) 1

__________________________________________________________________

STAGE WINNERS

SS12 - Solberg, SS13 - Loeb, SS14 - Makinen, SS15 - Solberg

SS6 - Solberg, SS7 - Loeb, SS8 - Makinen, SS9 - Makinen,
SS10 - Loeb, SS11 - Makinen

SS1 - Sainz, SS2 - cancelled, SS3 - Solberg,
SS4 - Loeb, SS5 - Loeb
__________________________________________________________________

LEADING RETIREMENTS

SS7 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC Accident
SS8 Kresta Skoda Octavia WRC Accident

SS4 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC Accident
SS3 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Accident
SS1 Auriol Peugeot 206 WRC Engine failure
SS1 Bugalski Citroen Xsara WRC Engine failure
SS1 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC Engine failure
__________________________________________________________________

Extract from Official FIA Press Release
http://www.fia.com

Sunday, 20 January 2002

Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb and navigator Daniel Elena sprayed
the victory champagne on the opening round of the 2002 FIA World
Rally Championship, the Rallye Monte Carlo. But their celebrations
could be short-lived, since they will depend on the result of
Citroen's appeal against a two-minute penalty for changing tyres
in the wrong service area. Depending on the result of the FIA Court
of Appeal, victory - and the resulting ten points in the drivers'
world championship - could yet be handed to Subaru driver Tommi
Mäkinen, who finished second on the timesheets.

Loeb's penalty - incurred at yesterday's final 12-minute service
- overshadowed today's action, which took place in clear but cold
conditions. Mäkinen backed off by early afternoon, believing that
the penalty will stand and that he will thus be promoted to first
place. Behind the leading pair, Carlos Sainz finished third for
Ford, while his team-mate Colin McRae inched ahead of Peugeot driver
Marcus Grönholm to claim fourth.

CITROEN

Technical: The Xsara WRC of Sebastien Loeb has run without major
technical problems today.

Sporting: Sebastien Loeb started today's final four stages with a
lead of nearly half a minute over Tommi Mäkinen, but he also knew
that he had been penalised two minutes after his Citroen service
crew broke the regulations by mistakenly changing tyres in yesterday
evening's short service. The matter is now under appeal, but Loeb
maintained his pace anyway to stay ahead of Mäkinen and - for the
time being at least - claim his first ever win at World Rally
Championship level.

Quotes: Sebastien Loeb said: "It's an incredible feeling. I don't
really know what to say. It was very difficult against Tommi - I
had to push very hard all the time. But in my mind I have won this
rally. I don't care what happens with the penalty now - in the eyes
of the drivers and the spectators the fight is won on the stages,
and we won that fight."

Citroen Sport Team Principal Guy Frequelin said: "We made a mistake
- I accept responsibility for that. But in my view it was a minor
mistake. I am happy for Citroen, for Sebastien and for Daniel."

SUBARU

Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg
have run without problems today, although Solberg in particular
struggled to get any heat into his tyres on this morning's second
stage.

Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen pinched a few seconds from Sebastien Loeb on
this morning's first stage but then backed off, believing that the
Frenchman's two-minute penalty will be applied and that he will duly
be promoted to first overall. His team-mate Petter Solberg didn't
relax until the final corner, though - the young Norwegian was
fastest on three of today's four stages as he consolidated his sixth
position and by the finish, he was less than half a minute adrift
of 2000 world champion Marcus Grönholm.

Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "At the moment it's not a good feeling.
We were all prepared this morning to make it difficult for Sebastien
- we knew the conditions would be perfect for us and our Pirelli
tyres. But then we heard that we didn't need to push any more so
we backed off. At the end of the rally they told us that there were
no time penalties. It's a big disappointment at the moment. The
whole thing is out of my hands - we have to wait and see what's
going on."

Petter Solberg said: "I must say I've been quite pleased with my
driving here. This morning's first stage was good but the second
was really hard - I struggled to get any heat into my tyres. I've
also noticed lots of places where I've had too much ice marked in my
pacenotes and been too cautious as a result. I know I can come back
next year and win this rally."

Subaru World Rally Team Sporting Director George Donaldson said:
"I have every confidence in the stewards and the FIA. I believe
that the original decision that was posted on the official noticeboard
was a sound one, and the FIA Court of Appeal has a very good record
of supporting sound decisions."

FORD

Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae and
Markko Martin have been reliable today.

Sporting: Carlos Sainz charged on all four of today's stages, for
two reasons. The Spaniard was hoping to build a cushion over fourth
placed Marcus Grönholm - a goal that he achieved. But he was also
aiming to close to within two minutes of leader Sebastien Loeb, in
case Citroen's appeal against the Frenchman's two-minute penalty
is unsuccessful. He came close, but by the finish the Spaniard was
2m 01.6s behind his young rival. Colin McRae was another to push
hard today, as he tried to pass 2000 world champion Marcus Grönholm
and recover to fourth after his engine problems yesterday evening.
The Scot managed to pass the Finn with a stage to spare, and he
consolidated his position on the last test to score three points on
a rally he openly dislikes. Markko Martin, meanwhile, lost time
this morning when he picked too soft a tyre compound. The Estonian
still complied with his team's instructions to finish, though - he
claimed 12th.

Quotes: Colin McRae said: "Obviously it's good to get some points
on the opening round of the championship, but I'm also a little
disappointed. Third place was looking quite possible until our
problems last night (McRae had an engine misfire on the day's last
stage) and although the difference is only a point, it could decide
a lot by the end of the season. Today we tried to get past Marcus
(Grönholm) and we managed that with a stage to go."

Carlos Sainz said: "We're quite happy. At the beginning of the rally
we were worried about the French cars because it looked like it was
going to be dry and we remember how we suffered on the asphalt last
year. But the cars have gone well, the tyres have worked well and
we've scored some good points for the team. It's a good start."

PEUGEOT

Technical: The 206 WRCs of Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Gilles
Panizzi have run without major problems today.

Sporting: Marcus Grönholm started today's stages knowing that he'd
have to fight off a charging Colin McRae if he wanted to hold onto
his overnight fourth position. He started badly, ceding more than
15s to his rival in the first pair of stages. Grönholm opted for a
safe tyre choice

Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "In the end, I was possibly a bit
cautious on my tyre choice. I thought it would be slightly damper
so I went for a softer compound, but the roads had dried out quite
a lot and the car was moving around because of the tyres. I'm not
so disappointed, though - Peugeot really wanted to finish this rally
this year and even though we can see we have some work to do, we've
at least scored a couple of points."

Richard Burns said: "It would have been nice to get a couple of points
but it's not a disaster. A disaster would have been retiring on the
first day and not learning anything. Instead, we've learnt a hell of
a lot and the good thing is that all three of the drivers here have
been able to point at what needs to be done."

Gilles Panizzi said: "I don't understand why but even though the car
and tyre choice have been better today, I still haven't been able
to do the fastest times. I haven't been able to do that all rally,
in fact. I think we need to work on a few things on the car on asphalt."

MITSUBISHI

Technical: The Lancer Evolution WRCs of Alister McRae and Francois
Delecour have been reliable today, although the Frenchman was not
entirely satisfied with his centre differential settings.

Sporting: Francois Delecour and Alister McRae both started today's
stages with little to really gain apart from extra mileage and more
knowledge of their Lancer WRC's settings. So they concentrated on
that, experimenting again with dampers and differentials. Delecour
remained unsure of whether his centre differential was locking enough,
but he still kept his Lancer in a relatively lonely ninth position.
McRae - still annoyed at himself after last night's accident -
finished in 14th.

Quotes: Francois Delecour said: "It's been okay today but we do need
to work on this car's handling on the bumpier roads. The engine is
good and the car itself feels very strong, but we could do with going
to Corsica quite soon to find some better settings for the bumps."

Alister McRae said: "It's been a difficult rally. Monte Carlo's not
really a nice place to learn a new car, and I'm still disappointed
to have gone off last night. But we've got a lot of directions to go
in with the car now, and a lot of work to do. There's not a lot of
time before Corsica but I'm hopeful we can do some more testing work
on asphalt before then. And I think we'll be closer to the pace in
Sweden anyway."

SKODA

Technical: Kenneth Eriksson's and Toni Gardemeister's Octavias have
not hit any significant mechanical problems today.

Sporting: Toni Gardemeister consolidated his overnight 10th place
today, bringing his Octavia to the finish on his first drive for the
Czech manufacturer. Kenneth Eriksson believed that his suspension was
too hard for this morning's opening pair of stages but the Swede was
generally satisfied to finish 13th after a long break from asphalt
rallying.

Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "I'm quite pleased to finish in the
top ten on my first drive for the team. We had a few problems - we
lost some power when I flattened the exhaust yesterday - but generally
it's gone well. We're still learning more about the car in the changing
conditions but it's quite a promising start. I'm looking forward to
Sweden now."

Kenneth Eriksson said: "I think our suspension was maybe a bit too
stiff this morning. The car felt quite good on the dry roads but as
soon as there was a bit of damp, it seemed to be very slippery. I
actually felt that I was driving well but at the end of the stages,
the times weren't so good. Perhaps that's down to just a general
lack of traction. It hasn't been a bad event for us, although it would
have been nice to get into the top ten. Our car has been pretty
reliable, with only the little gearbox problem on the first day to
worry us. And I'm quite out-of-practice rallying on asphalt, too -
you have to have a good feeling for the surface if you're going to be
quick and committed here in Monte Carlo."

OTHER ENTRIES

Ford Puma driver Francois Duval has scored a comfortable victory in
the opening round of the FIA World Junior Rally Championship. The
Belgian and his navigator Jean-Marc Fortin grabbed the top spot
yesterday evening when leader Gianluigi Galli crashed his Fiat, and
the pair consolidated their advantage during today's tests to win
the 1600cc, front-wheel drive category by more than four minutes.

Italian Nicola Caldani brought his Peugeot 206 home to claim second
place points, ahead of Lebanese driver Roger Feghali.
 
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#2 ·
That's good. Ford off to an allright start. I say makinen is going to be a forced to be reckoned with this year, as well as richard burns and marcus gronholm, whcih will be especially touhg to beat for the manufacurers title if both drivers are consistant.
 
#3 ·
Cobra said:
That's good. Ford off to an allright start. I say makinen is going to be a forced to be reckoned with this year, as well as richard burns and marcus gronholm, whcih will be especially touhg to beat for the manufacurers title if both drivers are consistant.
Richard, in my opinion, will struggle this year because he has to learn a whole new car. Also French culture within the organisation won't really suit him that well. But yes, Makinnen (and teammate Petter Solberg) are the team to beat and if any team can do it, Ford certainly can (hope they do!)
 
#5 ·
rallyman said:


Richard, in my opinion, will struggle this year because he has to learn a whole new car. Also French culture within the organisation won't really suit him that well. But yes, Makinnen (and teammate Petter Solberg) are the team to beat and if any team can do it, Ford certainly can (hope they do!)
Maybe Richards will strubble this year, but I say peugeot will be in the hunt for the manufacurers titles. Makinien is in the same boat as Ricjards though, he has to get used to a new car too, but I guess the only difference is he's not a pom in a french team! I admit though that Subaru will probably be the team to beat this year for the WRC title, but I really hope ford can bring home the bacon!
 
#6 ·
Hey,

I think its interesting the Makinen backed off assuming the penalties would remain. Doesnt he remember Australia a few years ago, the jumping of the start, the removal of his own penalty overnight?

Teehee

Go Crash McRae!!

L8a,
Prud
 
#7 ·
Prud said:
I think its interesting the Makinen backed off assuming the penalties would remain. Doesnt he remember Australia a few years ago, the jumping of the start, the removal of his own penalty overnight?
Makinnen was interviewed after the rally and said that the team told him not to push and not take the risk of getting into trouble. He added that even without the penalty and being ordered not to back off, he could have passed Loeb anyway because Pirelli tyres seemed to be working better than the Michelin tyres).

And yes, I still believe that Peugeot are still are formidable team with, in my opinion, easily the most impressive team (Gronholm, Rovenpera, Burns and Pannizi). This is certainly going to be one of the most evenly contensted WRC seasons and it should come down to the wire (as it did last season). But, of course, I'm hoping Ford can bring the Focus home and McRae for driver's championship!
 
#10 ·
Yeah that's right mcrae dun shit the first 3 rounds and then he won the next 3 rounds after that and I got to cokcy and presumed we would win the manufacurers and WRC title hads down. This is a good start though by ford and Mcrae, if he can just keep it consistant anf those race wins up till the end fo the year we got a pretty good chance.
 
#11 ·
The real telling point is the performance of the Ford when it comes to dry tarmac rallies (ie. San Remo and Corsica!) That's where Peugeot killed Ford last season. If Ford can at least pick up some points there, all should be well at the end of the season!!! :s3
 
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