Marcus Gronholm emerged victorious in a tough Rally Argentina where just 39 cars were left from the original field of 78 competitors as the final day of competition began yesterday.
Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg put in another excellent performance and set a string of consistently fast times. He ended the event in fifth position, securing five Manufacturers? points for Subaru and four in the Drivers? championship.
After gathering some useful set-up information on Saturday?s stages, the team withdrew Tommi Makinen?s car from the event yesterday after an incident on Leg one dropped him more than 13 minutes behind the leaders, losing any realistic chance of Drivers? points.
In other Subaru news, Toshi Arai won the FIA Production WRC class after dominating the event in his Impreza. He won by a margin of more than two minutes.
Following Saturday?s schedule amendments, Leg 3 comprised 105.49 competitive kilometres and five stages. The first two (carried over from Leg two) were run west of the Sierra Chica Mountains, while the remaining three were run close to the Le Cumbre service park.
Conditions remained dry and sunny. Temperatures started at 12ºC, rising to 22ºC by the afternoon. Stages were largely dry and very dusty, with numerous water splashes.
Stage Reports
SS21 0830hrs Capilla del Monte - San Marcos Sierra 2 (20.02km)
Fastest time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 16:49.2
Anguish for Ford on the first stage on the final Leg. The repeated Capilla del Monte test, which yesterday destroyed Loeb?s hopes of scoring his first Argentine finish, saw overnight leader Markko Martin?s event come to a devastating end when the engine of his Focus lost all oil pressure 11.4km in. He had been leading the event by 15.2 seconds. In another blow for the team, Francois Duval?s Focus lost fourth, fifth and sixth gear six kilometres from the start, costing the Belgian over 40 seconds. The route, used last year as SS1, followed the edge of a lake for 2.5 km, before ending with a narrow descent towards San Marcos Sierra. Gronholm was fastest, and moved into the overall top spot, while Burns was second and Subaru driver Petter Solberg, third.
SS22 0908hrs San Marcos Sierra - Cuchi Corral 2 (22.57km)
Fastest time: Sainz (Citroen) 13:04.6
With clouds of thick dust and a rutted surface making driving conditions difficult through the 22.57km test, Carlos Sainz was fastest, Gronholm second and Burns third. At the finish just 4.1 seconds separated Sainz and Burns in overall second and third, and with both lying less than 25 seconds off Gronholm?s overall top spot, the rally looked set for a nail-biting finale. Well cushioned in overall fifth, and using the stage miles to prepare settings for the next round of the WRC in Greece, Petter Solberg was fourth fastest. Duval continued to be dogged by gear-box problems and, after also losing third gear in his Focus, contested the stage with second and first only. After SS22, crews returned to the service point in Le Cumbre.
SS23 1032hrs La Falda - Villa Giardino 2 (9.37km)
Fastest time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 6:24.4
The first of the Leg?s original three stages gave Burns the opportunity to up the pressure on Sainz in the battle for overall second, and he finished fourth fastest to maintain a margin of just 4.7 seconds between the two. Gronholm was again fastest, and notched up his tenth stage win of the event and 34th of the season. There were more problems for Ford. Despite replacing the gearbox and part of the exhaust system of Duval?s Focus in the preceding service, costing
