WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND UP TO GERMANY
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Monte Carlo first round
Sebastien Loeb (Citroen), was the sensation of this rally, he led the crews across the finish ramp for the first time in his World Rally Championship career - but unfortunately a two minute penalty was imposed on the French driver afterwards for illegally changing tyres.
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Subaru and Makinen does it in Monte Carlo
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Tommi Makinen (Subaru) was declared the Rallye Monte-Carlo winner a historic fourth consecutive time, claiming an unprecedented 24th World Championship rally win. Sebastien Loeb was placed second after a mannificent drive, Carlos Sainz (Ford) took the third podium position while team-mate Colin McRae powered into a last-minute fourth in the second Focus. Surprisingly Peugeot's highest finisher was Marcus Gronholm in fifth, while young Norwegian Petter Solberg (Subaru) clinched the last point position and sixth went to Panizzi. In general it was a trouble-free run for most of the crews, the deficits too great to overhaul in most instances.
The revised standings see Tommi Makinen take an early lead in the Drivers' Championship, the Finn claiming maximum points for both himself and Subaru.
Rallye Monte-Carlo – Results
1 Tommi Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC >3h 59min 30.7s
2 Sebastian Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC >+1min 14.1s
3 Carlos Sainz Ford Focus WRC >+1min 15.7s
4 Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC >+1min 58.0s
5 Marcus Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC >+2min 07.4s
6 Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC >+2min 29.6s
7 Gilles Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC >+3min 20.1s
8 Richard Burns Peugeot 206 WRC >+4min 16.4s
9 Francois Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer Evo WRC >+5min 35.7s
10 Toni Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC >+6min 42.4s
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers – after round one
Tommi Makinen 10 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Carlos Sainz 4 points
Colin McRae 3 points
Marcus Gronholm 2 points
Petter Solberg 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers after round one
Subaru 12 points
Ford 10 points
Peugeot 5 points
Rally Sweden Round Two
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Swedish Rally and win for Peugeot and Marcus Gronholm
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Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot) won the rally having dominated from the outset. The Finn set fastest time in no fewer than six of the 15 stages and took his second Swedish victory by nearly a minute and a half. It was a Peugeot one-two with team-mate and 2001 winner Harri Rovanpera finishing second ahead of Carlos Sainz (Ford), the Spaniard forced to defend his position from a charging Richard Burns (Peugeot). Freddy Loix (Hyundai) has been the revelation of the rally, the Belgian running as high as fourth before dropping behind reigning World Champion Richard Burns and ultimately retiring with broken suspension in stage 14. Kenneth Eriksson, on course to finish fifth, retired in the last stage when the Skoda overheated, leaving Tuohino (Ford) and Alister McRae to take the final top six positions. However, Tuohino then checked out of the final service one minute late, incurring an additional 10 second penalty, elevating Alister to fifth and brother Colin to sixth. Armin Schwarz (Hyundai) was the only other leading retirement of the day, the German out with transmission problems.
Swedish Rally - final results
1 Marcus Gronholm Peugeot 3hr 07min 28.6sec
2 Harri Rovanpera Peugeot +1min 24.5sec
3 Carlos Sainz Ford +2min 25.8sec
4 Richard Burns Peugeot +2min 33.9sec
5 Alister McRae Mitsubishi +4min 14.7sec
6 Colin McRae Ford +4min 15.0sec
7 Janne Tuohino Ford +4min 23.4sec
8 Juha Kankkunen Hyundai +4min 36.9sec
9 Sebastian Lindholm Peugeot +4min 56.6sec
10 Francois Duval Ford +6min 33.3sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 12 points
Tommi Makinen 10 points
Carlos Sainz 8 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Harri Rovanpera 6 points
Colin McRae 4 points
Richard Burns 3 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Petter Solberg 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 20 points
Ford 16 points
Subaru 12 points
Mitsubishi 3 points
Hyundai 1 point
Tour de Corse - France
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Winner Tour de Course - France
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The last day only covered four stages, but it saw more action and leading retirements than any day of the rally. Colin McRae (Ford) was the biggest name on the list, the Scot hitting a patch of mud in stage 15 that resulted in him going off the road and into a tree. But for the strength of the Focus it could have been a lot worse, but even so, McRae was jammed in the car before being airlifted to hospital in Ajaccio. He is reported to have sustained a broken finger and concussion during his second big accident on the Mediterranean island. Ford's woes were compounded when François Duval went off when a tyre exploded, and Kenneth Eriksson (Skoda) also retired before the start of stage 14 with differential problems.
In contrast to Ford's misfortune, Peugeot brought all three of its 206 WRCs to the finish and took a clean-sweep of the podium. Asphalt expert Gilles Panizzi claimed ten points for victory, with 2000 World Champion Marcus Gronholm second and Richard Burns third. Philippe Bugalski snatched fourth position following McRae's retirement, a fine result for the Frenchman in the privately-run Xsara WRC. Petter Solberg (Subaru) got ahead of Carlos Sainz (Ford), the Spaniard claiming the final point in sixth position.
Both Mitsubishi’s finished in the top ten positions.
Tour de Corse - Final Results
1 Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 3hr 54min 40.3sec
2 Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 3hr 55min 20.8sec
3 Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 3hr 55min 32.7sec
4 Philippe Bugalski/Jean-Paul Chiaroni Citroen 3hr 56min 42.5sec
5 Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru 3hr 57min 08.5sec
6 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Ford 3hr 57min 13.1sec
7 François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Mitsubishi 3hr 59min 48.1sec
8 Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 4hr 00min 00.3sec
9 Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets Hyundai 4hr 00min 54.1sec
10 Alister McRae/David Senior Mitsubishi 4hr 01min 12.8sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers after Tour de Corse
Marcus Gronholm 18 points
Tommi Makinen 10 points
Gilles Panizzi 10 points
Carlos Sainz 9 points
Richard Burns 7 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Harri Rovanpera 6 points
Colin McRae 4 points
Petter Solberg 3 point
Philippe Bugalski 3 points
Alister McRae 2 points
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 36 points
Ford 20 points
Subaru 16 points
Mitsubishi 5 points
Hyundai 1 point
Skoda 0 points
Spain Round Four
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Spain - where else? and that world famous doughnut!
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Gilles Panizzi took a second consecutive victory, rewarding Peugeot with its third win of the season. The asphalt expert thrilled the crowd with his stunning pace and even found time to do a couple of 'donuts' on the famous hairpin in Viladrau 1! Team-mate Richard Burns recorded his best finish since joining the French manufacturer, the Briton's second place giving it its third consecutive maximum points haul in four events. Philippe Bugalski claimed third in the sole remaining factory-supported Citroen Xsara WRC, team-mate and Rallye Monte-Carlo sensation Sebastien Loeb retiring from fourth position after rolling and damaging the suspension. Peugeot's third car, piloted by former World Champion Marcus Gronholm, returned to Lloret de Mar in fourth place. Petter Solberg (Subaru) finished fifth, the Impreza contesting its 100th World Championship rally, and a brave drive by Colin McRae (Ford) rewarded the Scot with one point, despite being handicapped by a broken finger. Markko Martin (Ford) and Harri Rovanpera (Peugeot) battled for seventh position, the duo split by less than a handful of seconds after Martin's equal fastest time on SS17, but the Finn managed to inch ahead in the final stage. François Delecour, Freddy Loix (Hyundai) and Toni Gardemeister (Skoda) fought hard throughout the day, but the French Mitsubishi driver ultimately held off their assault to claim the last point in the Manufacturers' Championship by two seconds.
Final Results:
1 Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 3hr 34min 09.0sec
2 Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 3hr 34min 46.3sec
3 Philippe Bugalski/Jean-Paul Chiaroni Citroen 3hr 35min 22.5sec
4 Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 3hr 35min 51.7sec
5 Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru 3hr 36min 10.6sec
6 Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 3hr 37min 36.3sec
7 Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen Peugeot 3hr 37min 49.1sec
8 Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 3hr 37min 52.9sec
9 François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Mitsubishi 3hr 39min 37.6sec
10 Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets Hyundai 3hr 39min 39.6sec
13 Alister McRae/David Senior Mitsubishi 3hr 42min 30.8sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 21 points
Gilles Panizzi 20 points
Richard Burns 13 points
Tommi Makinen 10 points
Carlos Sainz 9 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Harri Rovanpera 6 points
Colin McRae 5 points
Petter Solberg 5 points
Alister McRae 2 points
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 52 points
Ford 25 points
Subaru 20 points
Mitsubishi 6 points
Hyundai 1 point
Skoda 0 points
The Cyprus Rally
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Cyprus Peugeot again!
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Colin McRae's hopes of a second consecutive victory in Cyprus started to end when he rolled his Focus in stage 16, damaged the steering and lost the power assistance in stage 17. The Scot, who claimed the lead on stage 4, then threw away second position with a bigger roll in stage 18 dropping him down the leaderboard to seventh. Conditions were however tricky this afternoon, rainfall resulting in a lottery on start positions. Behind victor Marcus Gronholm, team-mate Richard Burns powered past Tommi Makinen (Subaru) in stage 18, the weather marginally favouring the Briton. As a consequence, Peugeot claimed another one-two and Burns took six points for the second consecutive event. With a 14 second cushion going into the final nine kilometre stage, Makinen's position was relatively safe and the Finn finished on the podium in third and got to the finish of a rally for the first time in four events. Harri Rovanpera brought his 206WRC to the finish in fourth position, one minute ahead of Norway's Petter Solberg, the Subaru driver rolling earlier in the day but still managing to overhaul Armin Schwarz (Hyundai) for fifth position in the closing stages. From his seventh position, Colin McRae powered into sixth on the final stage, claiming points for himself and Ford, albeit a grim reward after leading the event for 11 consecutive stages. Armin Schwarz's seventh position gave Hyundai the final manufacturer point. Markko Martin (Ford) has set an impressive pace, claiming the lead in a World Championship rally (after SS3) for the first time in his career, but the Estonian also hit problems on the last day and, like McRae, rolled in stage 16 and lost the power steering. Kenneth Eriksson was in the lead Skoda, the Swede and co-driver Tina Thorner returning to Limassol in ninth position having damaged the right rear wheel and brakes, also in stage 16. Gilles Panizzi, Peugeot's fourth driver, finished 10th with Carlos Sainz (Ford) 11th.
Cyprus Rally - Final Results
1 Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 4hr 21min 25.7sec
2 Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 4hr 22min 22.5sec
3 Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Subaru 4hr 22min 24.7sec
4 Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen Peugeot 4hr 22min 44.4sec
5 Petter Solberg/Michael Park Subaru 4hr 23min 43.6sec
6 Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 4hr 24min 11.2sec
7 Armin Schwarz/Manfred Heimer Hyundai 4hr 24min 13.1sec
8 Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 4hr 25min 48.3sec
9 Kenneth Eriksson/Tina Thorner Skoda 4hr 28min 43.4sec
10 Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 4hr 29min 37.9sec
13 François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Mitsubishi 4hr 33min 43.0sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 31 points
Gilles Panizzi 20 points
Richard Burns 19 points
Tommi Makinen 14 points
Harri Rovanpera 9 points
Carlos Sainz 9 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Petter Solberg 7 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Colin McRae 6 points
Alister McRae 2 points
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 68 points
Subaru 27 points
Ford 27 points
Mitsubishi 6 points
Hyundai 2 point
Skoda 0 points
ARGENTINA ROUND SIX
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Argentina and Sainz came marching in a Focus!
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In one of the most dramatic changes in results of a rally, overnight leader Tommi Makinen (Subaru), and Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot) had set the scene for a thrilling battle to the finish, Gronholm inching ahead in the opening stages of the last day until Makinen had a high-speed sixth-gear accident in stage 21 – reportedly one of the biggest in his career - and retired from the rally. As a consequence, Gronholm cruised through the final stage, appearing to take his third victory of the season until the team was called in front of the Stewards to answer allegations of illegal assistance this morning. The allegations were upheld, Gronholm excluded, and second-placed Richard Burns inherited the win, his first with Peugeot. Carlos Sainz (Ford) who started the day fifth, overhauled Petter Solberg (Subaru) in the opening stage when the Norwegian overshot a junction, but then fourth became third when Makinen retired, and then ultimately second after Gronholm's exclusion. Colin McRae (Ford) moved into fourth position behind Solberg, fifth position was taken by Markko Martin (Ford) and the final drivers' points went to Toni Gardemeister (Skoda). The Czech manufacturer also scored points with Kenneth Eriksson who finished seventh overall, sixth of the registered crews.
At post event scrutineering, Car No. 1 (Richard Burns/Robert Reid) was deemed not to conform to the homologation form.
As a consequence, the crew has been excluded because of non-conformity of the car. Peugeot Sport is not appealing against the decision. Carlos Sainz was then declared the winner of Rally Argentina and now equals Tommi Makinen’s 24 World Championship rally wins.
Rally Argentina Results
1 Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Ford 4hr 08min 09.1sec
2 Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru 4hr 08min 13.1sec
3 Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 4hr 10min 28.2sec
4 Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 4hr 11min 01.5sec
5 Toni Gardemeister/Paavo Lukander Skoda 4hr 13min 27.9sec
6 Kenneth Eriksson/Tina Thorner Skoda 4hr 14min 25.7sec
7 Juha Kankkunen/Juha Repo Hyundai 4hr 16min 12.4sec
8 Alister McRae/David Senior Mitsubishi 4hr 16min 58.7sec
9 Gabriel Pozzo/Daniel Luis Stillo Skoda 4hr 22min 08.0sec
10 Ramon Ferreyros/Diego Vallego Mitsubishi (GpN) 4hr 32min 27.6sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 31 points
Gilles Panizzi 20 points
Richard Burns 19 points
Carlos Sainz 19 points
Tommi Makinen 14 points
Petter Solberg 13 points
Colin McRae 10 points
Harri Rovanpera 9 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Markko Martin 3 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Toni Gardemeister 2 points
Kenneth Eriksson 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 68 points
Ford 41 points
Subaru 33 points
Mitsubishi 6 points
Skoda 5 points
Hyundai 3 points
Round Seven Acropolis
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Acropolis - and Ford's McRae takes the honours!
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The final leg of the Acropolis Rally saw a number of leading retirements. Reigning World Champion Richard Burns exited on stage 13, broken suspension halting his Peugeot, and the French team's disappointment was compounded when Gilles Panizzi joined him on the sidelines with a broken gearbox after stage 14. Hyundai also suffered in the same stage, Freddy Loix retiring after extensive underbody damage left the Accent with no oil and a damaged engine. Colin McRae however took victory for the third consecutive year, reviving his Championship challenge and elevating him to joint third in the Drivers' Championship. Second was enough for Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot) to retain his lead in the series, and Ford's delight was further underlined with third position from Carlos Sainz. It was a Ford/Peugeot affair at the top of the leaderboard and Harri Rovanpera was only the second of four Peugeot entries to finish, the Finn fourth overall. A trouble-free run on the last day rewarded Petter Solberg with fifth after a frustrating rally, despite dicing with Rovanpera for fourth, and Markko Martin claimed the final point in what must have been a disappointing sixth position, the Estonian having led for half of the event. The highest Citroen finisher was Sebastien Loeb in seventh, and Toni Gardemeister was 10th for Skoda.
Acropolis Rally - Final Results
1. Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 4hr 27min 43.8sec
2. Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 4hr 28min 08.3sec
3. Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Ford 4hr 29min 29.4sec
4. Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen Peugeot 4hr 29min 41.4sec
5. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru 4hr 29min 42.4sec
6. Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 4hr 30min 23.9sec
7. Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen 4hr 31min 29.6sec
8. Thomas Radstrom/Denis Giraudet Citroen 4hr 32min 52.5sec
9. Armin Schwarz/Manfred Heimer Hyundai 4hr 33min 24.8sec
10. Toni Gardemeister/Paavo Lukander Skoda 4hr 35min 01.2sec
11. François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Mitsubishi 4hr 35min 05.4sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 37 points
Carlos Sainz 23 points
Gilles Panizzi 20 points
Colin McRae 20 points
Richard Burns 19 points
Petter Solberg 15 points
Tommi Makinen 14 points
Harri Rovanpera 12 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Sebastien Loeb 6 points
Markko Martin 4 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Toni Gardemeister 2 points
Kenneth Eriksson 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 77 points
Ford 55 points
Subaru 35 points
Mitsubishi 6 points
Skoda 5 points
Hyundai 4 points
The last of the Safari?
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Safari - Only 12 finishers and Ford Wins!
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With only 12 cars surviving the three-day rally, 2002 sits alongside just a handful of other years as the roughest and toughest (if not ridiculous) event, not only in the 50 year history of the Safari Rally but also the FIA World Rally Championship. With Nairobi in sight, drivers adopted a more cautious approach on the last day of the event, but many were still hampered with suspension problems over the rocky roads. Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) dropped to fifth with broken rear dampers in CS11 and Juha Kankkunen (Hyundai) dropped 17 minutes with similar problems. Colin McRae's victory not only rekindles his Championship aspirations, but moves him ahead of rivals Carlos Sainz and Tommi Makinen as the most successful driver in the history of the series with 25 World Championship rally wins. Behind him, Harri Rovanpera scored points for Peugeot after an almost trouble-free event. Citroen can only have dreamed of third and fifth positions in its first Safari Rally, Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb taking the plaudits. Markko Martin (Ford) split the duo in fourth position, the Estonian also contesting his first Safari and loathing the experience. Gilles Panizzi (Peugeot) rounded off the top six. The leading and only remaining Skoda was that of Roman Kresta in seventh position, the Czech driver claiming manufacturer points, as did Safari Rally veteran Juha Kankkunen (Hyundai) in eighth.
Safari Rally - Final Results
1. Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 7hr 58min 28.0sec
2. Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen Peugeot 8hr 01min 18.9sec
3. Thomas Radstrom/Denis Giraudet Citroen 8hr 17min 06.6sec
4. Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 8hr 19min 56.0sec
5. Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen 8hr 20min 16.1sec
6. Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 8hr 33min 09.0sec
7. Roman Kresta/Jan Tomanek Skoda 8hr 53min 06.1sec
8. Juha Kankkunen/Juha Repo Hyundai 9hr 09min 59.5sec
9. Alister McRae/David Senior Mitsubishi 9hr 15min 41.2sec
10. Karamjit Singh/Allen Oh Proton (GpN) 10hr 27min 55.2sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 37 points
Colin McRae 30 points
Carlos Sainz 23 points
Gilles Panizzi 21 points
Richard Burns 19 points
Harri Rovanpera 18 points
Petter Solberg 15 points
Tommi Makinen 14 points
Sebastien Loeb 8 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Markko Martin 7 points
Thomas Radstrom 4 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Toni Gardemeister 2 points
Kenneth Eriksson 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 83 points
Ford 69 points
Subaru 35 points
Skoda 8 points
Mitsubishi 7 points
Hyundai 6 points
Rally Finland
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In Finland Peugeot is simply too good!
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Marcus Gronholm scored victory for Peugeot, its fifth win of the season, and the Finn retains his advantage at the head of the leaderboard. Second position for team-mate Richard Burns also notched up the French manufacturer's fifth maximum points haul of the season, an impressive feat in the face of stiff opposition. Peugeot was however in a league of its own in this rally, the following crews 'the best of the rest'. Colin McRae maintained third position throughout the morning, however the Scot was forced into a disappointing retirement after stage 20 when his Focus caught fire, a heavy landing dislodging a hydraulic pipe and causing a fluid leak. Petter Solberg (Subaru) overhauled Carlos Sainz to take third position once McRae had retired, and Sainz and Martin, who finished fourth and fifth respectively, both claimed points for Ford. A jump-start from Sainz was the first slip-up of this nature for the Spaniard in 15 years and those 10 seconds of penalty ultimately proved decisive. Tommi Makinen (Subaru) finished sixth after a seemingly lacklustre performance. Freddy Loix brought the sole remaining Hyundai back to Jyvaskyla in ninth position and Sebastien Loeb finished 10th for Citroen in its debut outing in Finland. Team-mate Thomas Radstrom ultimately retired, the Swede off the road and into the trees.
Rally Finland – Final Results
1. Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 3hr 17min 52.5sec
2. Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 3hr 19min 19.8sec
3. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru 3hr 20min 42.1sec
4. Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Ford 3hr 20min 46.3sec
5. Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 3hr 21min 02.5sec
6. Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Subaru 3hr 22min 26.6sec
7. Sebastian Lindholm/Timo Hantunen Peugeot 3hr 23min 28.9sec
8. Jani Paasonen/Arto Kapanen Mitsubishi 3hr 23min 47.8sec
9. Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets Hyundai 3hr 24min 00.3sec
10. Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen 3hr 24min 06.1sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 47 points
Colin McRae 30 points
Carlos Sainz 26 points
Richard Burns 25 points
Gilles Panizzi 21 points
Petter Solberg 19 points
Harri Rovanpera 18 points
Tommi Makinen 15 points
Markko Martin 9 points
Sebastien Loeb 8 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Thomas Radstrom 4 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Toni Gardemeister 2 points
Kenneth Eriksson 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 99 points
Ford 74 points
Subaru 40 points
Skoda 8 points
Mitsubishi 7 points
Hyundai 6 points
Rally Deutschland
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Rally Deutschland - Sebastien and Citroen. 1st of many?
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The first World Championship round of Rallye Deutschland was won by Citroen's Sebastien Loeb, the 28-year-old Frenchman claiming his first victory at this level and the French manufacturer's only win of the season. While Loeb claims 10 points for himself, Peugeot once again claims maximum points in the Manufacturers' Championship, Richard Burns and Marcus Gronholm finishing second and third of the registered makes. In the series, Peugeot therefore extends its lead to 34 points over second placed Ford. In the Drivers' Championship, Gronholm and Colin McRae remain first and second, with Richard Burns moving ahead of Carlos Sainz into third position.
Fifty of the original 86 competitors started the final leg this morning, the crews heading southeast of Trier for seven special stages and 102.93 competitive kilometres. The action was centred around the picturesque city of St. Wendel, near the tranquil Bostalsee, but dramas began early and battles raged throughout the day.
François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup fared less well near the end of the event, as the French pair were down on power for most of the leg. They managed to maintain eighth position until being overhauled by Ford's Carlos Sainz in stage 21.
Few could have imagined the drama that would unfold in the opening stages of the final leg, three of the leading crews hitting problems almost immediately. Armin Kremer, 10th overnight in the Focus, went off the road and into retirement in the opening stage of the day and Harri Rovanpera - who lost the rear wing on the 206WRC in stage 18 - ultimately retired in stage 19, the lack of stability and downforce causing him to go off the road. Carlos Sainz (Ford) also lost two minutes, the Spaniard's Ford refusing to fire-up on the start line of stage 17. Sebastien Loeb claimed a maiden victory, despite some controversy over the route he took on the super special stage at the end of leg two. Richard Burns pushed the Frenchman hard, but the Peugeot driver was ultimately unable to match the pace of the Citroen. Marcus Gronholm claimed third, recording Peugeot's seventh one-two finish of the season in the Manufacturers' Championship. Colin McRae brought the lead Focus home in fourth, with Makinen and Eriksson, in the sole remaining Subaru and Skoda, seventh and 10th respectively.
Rallye Deutschland – Provisional Final Results
1. Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroen 3hr 47min 17.3sec
2. Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 3hr 47min 31.6sec
3. Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 3hr 48min 36.4sec
4. Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Ford 3hr 51min 02.6sec
5. Bruno Thiry/Stephane Prevot Peugeot 3hr 52min 36.1sec
6. Markko Martin/Michael Park Ford 3hr 52min 50.3sec
7. Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Subaru 3hr 52min 56.5sec
8. Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Ford 3hr 53min 34.3sec
9. François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup Mitsubishi 3hr 53min 53.2sec
10. Kenneth Eriksson/Tina Thorner Skoda 4hr 00min 51.5sec
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
Marcus Gronholm 51 points
Colin McRae 33 points
Richard Burns 31 points
Carlos Sainz 26 points
Gilles Panizzi 21 points
Petter Solberg 19 points
Sebastien Loeb 18 points
Harri Rovanpera 18 points
Tommi Makinen 15 points
Markko Martin 10 points
Philippe Bugalski 7 points
Thomas Radstrom 4 points
Alister McRae 2 points
Toni Gardemeister 2 points
Bruno Thiry 2 points
Kenneth Eriksson 1 point
2002 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Peugeot 115 points
Ford 81 points
Subaru 42 points
Skoda 8 points
Mitsubishi 8 points
Hyundai 6 points
Coming next …
The FIA World Rally Championship remains in Europe but takes a three-week break before heading to north-western Italy for the final asphalt round in the series, Rallye Sanremo (20-22 September). The green wooded mountains above the Riviera resort are criss-crossed by a maze of twisty roads that wind over narrow passes and through tranquil villages, providing spectacular action for the thousands of fans who passionately follow the event.
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