Martin wins as Loeb takes title Subaru's Petter Solberg relinquishes title
October 19, 2004
Ford's Markko Martin won the French Tour de Corse rally overnight, while second place for Sebastien Loeb was enough to secure the 2004 World Rally Championship Drivers' title and the 2004 WRC Manufacturers' title for Citroen.
After a difficult event for the Subaru World Rally Team, Petter Solberg and Mikko Hirvonen crossed the finish line in fifth and tenth place respectively.
Although both Impreza WRCs ran without fault all weekend, and both drivers collected Championship points, the result was disappointing following three consecutive rally wins for Subaru.
Forty-six drivers left Ajaccio parc ferme at 0720hrs. Two of those had re-started after retiring on a previous Leg.
The shortest of the event, Leg three included four stages (two repeated) south of Ajaccio and a competitive distance of 112.10km. Stages were separated by a 20-minute service.
After overnight heavy rain, skies were overcast all day. Temperatures were 11°C in the morning, rising to 19°C by the afternoon. Stages were a mixture of damp and dry asphalt.
Following overnight torrential rain, conditions on the first stage of the final leg were damp, but drying as crews made the first pass through the 24km test from Coti Chiavari. Negotiating the stage's initial narrow, twisty climb, it's wide, fast mid-section and final series of hairpin bends, Subaru's Petter Solberg was fastest in his Impreza to take his first stage win of the event. Marcus Gronholm was second fastest and Ford's Markko Martin third, but there was anguish for his team-mate Francois Duval. Having been locked in an intense battle for the overall lead with Martin, the Belgian suffered an engine failure in his Focus 7km from the start line and retired. It was a bitter blow for the young driver who had been on course to match his career-best second position finish. Mikko Hirvonen was fifth fastest, finishing 9.7 seconds off the winning pace and ahead of Sebastien Loeb and Peugeot's Freddy Loix. After the finish, crews drove 11km north to the start of SS10.
Fastest Stage Time:Solberg (Subaru) 15:20.7
SS10: 0916 Pont de Calzola-Agosta 1 (31.81km)
A stage of contrasts, the first pass through the test from Pont de Cazola included a smooth, wide, open road, followed by a narrow, twisty, abrasive asphalt section that was littered with gravel. Following his team-mates retirement in the previous test, Martin started the damp stage with a 1 minute 11 lead and, remaining on the pace, was fastest to take his fifth win of the event. At the finish, his overall lead was more than a minute and a half. Subaru's Solberg set another competitive time to finish second fastest, while Carlos Sainz was third. Despite commenting that, for him, the asphalt event had been one of the worst of his WRC career, Marcus Gronholm was fourth fastest, while Citroen's Loeb was fifth. With just 56km of the event remaining by the finish and well-positioned in second place overall, the Frenchman was looking good to secure the 2004 World Rally Championship Drivers' title on home soil with two WRC rounds remaining. Mikko Hirvonen was sixth fastest through the test and, after the finish, crews returned to Ajaccio for a 20-minute service.
Fastest Stage Time: Martin (Ford) 19:36.4
As the rain held off, conditions were mostly dry for the second pass through the 24km stage from Coti Chiavari. Setting an average speed of 96.91km/h, Martin was fastest, with Gronholm second and Sainz third. Subaru's Solberg was fifth fastest, but there were difficulties for Mikko Hirvonen. Cutting
