WRC 2005 – who’s following?

[quote=OSFlanker]Loeb is a good driver. I think he will adapt well to track racing as he is very good on tarmac. Very precise and no unnecessary sideways action. Did you guys catch the WRC 2005 Monte Carlo highlights? See how he negotiate those tight hairpins? Just a flick to point the car straight and so precise. Superb![/quote]

Superb and precise is the right words to describe his driving. I saw the way he negotiated the hairpins down the hills. Amazing, and very little drama. As I said, he is the Alain Prost of rallying.

[quote=Jules]OSF, wasn’t it that Schumi got beaten hands down last year in Nov during the Rally of the Champions?[/quote]

I think Schumi got beaten by Heikki Kovaleinen (cannot spell)… I believe he is a formula racer though.

[quote=razmyn]YEAYYYY…Petter Soldberg & Subaru just won the Swedish Uddeholm Rally…go Sube go
:D[/quote]

Good one for Solberg. Shame that Loeb had problems with the engine which resulted in his retirement. Good job by Markko Martin and Gardemeister, to maintain their points standing.

[quote=razmyn]yet another solid win from Petter Solberg & the Subaru WRC team in the Corona Rally Mexico 2005…with Marcus Gronholm & Markko Martin in 2nd & 3rd respectively…
good on ya dude!! 😀

next stop…Propecia rally of New Zealand, 8-10th April…[/quote]

Gosh it is looking like a tough start for Loeb (only one strong driver for Citroen). Far too many car problems in the last 3 rallies.

Loeb takes his second win of the year as his championship rival Petter Solberg in the Subaru finished 3rd behind Gronholm. This win puts Loeb within 1 point of championship leader Solberg at 25 vs 26points.

Loeb had a strong event in the Citroen Xsara and was unworried for most of the event.

[quote=wrc.com]

Loeb secures victory in NZ

Sebastien Loeb – CitroenReigning champion Sebastien Loeb dominated the Propecia Rally New Zealand to take his second win of the year and move right back into the thick of this year’s title fight. The Frenchman took the lead midway through Friday’s opening leg and was never header, building up a commanding lead of almost a minute in his Citroen.

Friday held the promise of a three-way battle as pre-event points leader Petter Solberg defied form and kept up with the leaders. As first car on the road the 2003 champion was expected to lose time sweeping the loose gravel off the hard-packed base, but overnight rain and a shrewd tyre choice for a Pirelli compound suited to cooler, damper conditions allowed him to keep his Subaru ahead of the pack. As the stages dried, however, the Norwegian succumbed to Loeb and Peugeot’s double champion Marcus Gronholm.

More overnight rain allowed Solberg to stage a brief resurgence to re-pass Gronholm on Saturday morning’s opening loop, but as the stages dried again, the superiority of Peugeot’s pick of Pirelli tyres more suited for drier, hotter conditions allowed the Finn to move back into second again. More rain on Saturday night maintained the promise of a titanic battle between the two former champions on the final leg, but some masterly stage times from Gronholm and rapidly drying stages that limited the potential of Solberg’s tyres ensured the Finn kept second. All the while, Loeb continued on his serene way to victory, taking advantage of what appeared to be a superior package with his Citroen Xsara and Michelin tyres.

Francois Duval made it a double celebration for Citroen, finishing in the points for the first time after showing potential, but ultimately failing to translate it into finishes, in the opening three rounds of the year. Markko Martin in the second Peugeot continued his solid points-scoring record with fifth after overtaking Ford’s Toni Gardemeister on the final leg of the rally. Young Australian Chris Atkinson in the second Subaru had an impressive rally, taking advantage of his admittedly limited local knowledge to take the first two stage wins of his career on his way to seventh.

Gigi Galli – who topped the pre-rally shakedown – defied a host of problems to finish eighth for Mitsubishi ahead of a slightly downbeat performance from team-mate Harri Rovanpera. Armin Schwarz was the top works Skoda finisher, coming in 11th behind Citroen privateer Manfred Stohl, but ahead of Ford privateer Antony Warmbold. Janne Tuohino in the second Skoda was on course for 13th, but retired on the final leg with a suspected turbo problem. Mitsubishi driver Xavier Pons won the Production WRC class for drivers of Group N cars after Subaru driver Toshi Arai lost time with brake problems.

In the drivers’ championship Loeb has now moved back up to second in what is turning out to be a ferociously-fought scrap. He’s now just one point behind Solberg, while the second podium finish in a row for Gronholm has allowed him to move up to equal fourth with Gardemeister behind Peugeot team-mate Martin. In the manufacturers’ title chase a double points haul for Peugeot has allowed it to build up a significant 12-point margin over newly-promoted second-placed Citroen and the equally recovering Subaru. Ford has now dropped to fourth, and Mitsubishi is down to fifth ahead of Skoda.[/quote]

[url=web/index.php?q=weblink/goto/136]Go to wrc.com for more reports[/url]