WRC - Cyprus Rally

Cyprus Rally - Leg 1

Cyprus Rally is widely known as one of, if not the most, difficult events in the entire FIA World Rally Championship. Slow, rocky terrain with dry, dusty conditions make Cyprus one of the most demanding rallies on both man and machine, and the field this year experienced all of these qualities, and a few more, during the first leg of the rally.

The rally began with BP-Ford World Rally Team driver Marcus Gronholm jumping to an early lead, which he held throughout the opening leg. Though Gronholm claimed the quickest times on each of the morning's first three contests, Sebastien Loeb was never far behind the Finn and the battle for first overall was the highlight of the opening day. Loeb completed the leg second overall, and the battle for the rally lead promises to dominate the second and third legs of the rally. 6.4 seconds separates Loeb and Gronholm as the duo moves into the second leg.

Toni Gardemeister began the day posting blindingly quick times, and found himself in third overall, which he held through the opening three stages of the rally, but BP-Ford's Mikko Hirvonen, who drove a cautious pace through the morning's first contests, claimed third overall on the fourth stage of the day. Gardemeister and Hirvonen looked as though they would provide a dramatic battle for the final podium position until the fifth stage, when Gardemeister suffered a puncture, which effectively ended his hunt for a podium position during the first leg. Gardemeister finished the opening leg eighth on the leaderboard, though he sits only 0.1 seconds behind seventh overall.

OMV-Peugeot Norway World Rally Team's Manfred Stohl found his best-ever result in the WRC when he finished second in Cyprus in 2005 with a Citroen Xsara in second overall. Stohl seemed comfortable in the Peugeot 307, despite complaining of under-steer problems after several of the day's stages. Stohl completed the leg fourth overall, thanks in part to the troubles endured by Gardemeister.

Subaru World Rally Team's Chris Atkinson found himself as the highest placed Subaru at the end of the opening leg. Atkinson finished the day fifth overall, and despite a rough run through the leg, the Australian vowed to drive a careful rally to ensure his presence at the end of the event.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team's Matthew Wilson completed the day sixth overall. Wilson is contesting his first Cyprus Rally and after an accident during shakedown where Wilson broke his steering-arm on his Ford Focus. Wilson's Focus was repaired and since, the young Brit drove a clean rally, opting for the slow and steady method of accruing points before stopping after the final stage of the afternoon. Wilson was unable to continue and will return for the second leg after suffering a time penalty which dropped him to 10th overall as day one ended.

Xavier Pons began the day much slower than most of the World Rally Cars, but Pons drove a clean leg and found himself sixth overall after the completion of the opening day. Pons drove a mostly uneventful day and is looking to regain his confidence after a disappointing run in the OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Luis Perez Companc finished the day eighth overall. Companc, who had also never contested Rally Cyprus prior to 2006, finished a dramatic day mostly unscathed.

Both Red Bull Skoda drivers (Andreas Aigner and Harri Rovanpera) suffered mechanical problems due to water damage gathering in the electrical systems of their Skodas. Both drivers retired from the opening leg, and both drivers are expected to return for the second leg under SupeRally.


Subaru's Petter Solberg suffered mechanical problems during the second loop of stages, where he lost all but one of his Impreza's gears. Solberg's performance during the opening leg was almost schizophrenic, claiming a stage victory on the fourth stage of the day, but posting inconsistent times during several of the day's other stages.

OMV-Peugeot's Henning Solberg also had a dramatic day, posting quick stage times and in one instance a blindingly fast time with a broken drive-shaft. Solberg did suffer problems on the day's final stage, where he was forced to stop midstage. It is not known if Solberg will return for the second leg.

[CODE]
1 Marcus Gronholm - Ford Focus WRC 1h45m33,6s

2 Sebastien Loeb - Citroen Xsara WRC at 6,4s
3 Mikko Hirvonen - Ford Focus WRC at 1m25,1s
4 Manfred Sthol - Peugeot 307 WRC at 1m50,7s
5 Chris Atkinson - Subaru Impreza WRC at 3m01,0s
6 Matthew Wilson - Ford Focus WRC at 3m43,4s
7 Xavi Pons - Citroen Xsara WRC at 4m05,2s
8 Toni Gardemeister - Citroen Xsara WRC at 4m05,3s[/CODE]

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I used to love watching wrc until speed stopped showing it....

somethings never change.... I taped the Cyprus Rally 2-3 years ago and guess who won? Marcus Gronholm in the 307/

I love the WRC
rally sports is more exciting than many other races

[QUOTE=092326001]I love the WRC
rally sports is more exciting than many other races[/QUOTE]
I agree, but I don't think it is broadcast in the US anymore. I there a good website that streams video?

After Day2:
[CODE]
1 LOEB CITROEN 03:25:51.6
2 GRÖNHOLM FORD 03:26:13.4 21.8 21.8
3 HIRVONEN FORD 03:29:57.7 04:06.1 03:44.3
4 STOHL PEUGEOT 03:30:54.5 05:02.9 56.8
5 GARDEMEISTER CITROEN 03:33:06.4 07:14.8 02:11.9
6 PONS CITROEN 03:33:57.8 08:06.2 51.4
7 SOLBERG SUBARU 03:37:27.3 11:35.7 03:29.5
8 SOLBERG PEUGEOT 03:38:37.8 12:46.2 01:10.5[/CODE]

Grönholm had a spin in the first of the afternoon stages and lost the lead. After that, Loeb continued to gain seconds to him. Grönholm talks of a bad choice of tyres.

[B]Cyprus Rally - Leg Two[/B]

The second leg of Rally Cyprus began very similarly to previous day's action, Marcus Gronholm creating an early lead with three stage victories on the morning's loop of stages. Gronholm began the second day with a slim lead over Sebastien Loeb, 6.4 seconds, and despite solid performances from both drivers, it was not until the afternoon's loop of stages that either driver was able to break free and take solid control of the rally.

It was Sebastien Loeb who accepted the challenge, and it was Loeb who found himself with the rally lead after the end of the second Leg. Loeb dominated the second half of the day, reducing Gronholm's rally lead and eventually overtaking the Finn to hold a 21.8 second advantage going into the final day.

Mikko Hirvonen finished the second Leg holding third overall, and much like the previous day, Hirvonen was unable to match the pace of the two drivers before him, but he was faster than the drivers behind him. Hirvonen seems destined to become more than familiar with 'no man's land' as he is nearly a minute ahead of Manfred Stohl and well behind his team-mate who currently holds second overall.

Stohl has driven a very quiet rally, not causing stir or drama, and because of his clean runs through the day's stages, Stohl continued to maintain possession of fourth overall. Stohl looks unable to match his best-ever result (second overall in Cyprus Rally 2005), but a solid points finish will be very rewarding for a driver who has provided consistent performances throughout the season.

Toni Gardemeister had been as high as third overall during Cyprus Rally, but problems during the first leg saw Gardemeister drop well out of reach for a podium position. Thanks in part to troubles suffered by many of his rivals and a solid performance of his own during the second leg, the Finn ends the leg in fifth overall.

Xavier Pons drove with renewed confidence during the first and second Legs, and the Spaniard has found immediate results. Pons ends the second Leg sixth overall, thanks in part to problems his competitors suffered throughout the two Legs. Pons is not nominated for manufacturer points for the Kronos Total Citroen World Rally Team in Cyprus (that honour went to Dani Sordo), and it seems the alleviated pressure has been beneficial for him.

Petter Solberg began the day in 11th, but several solid stage times helped the former world champion move into seventh overall by the end of the second Leg. Solberg suffered traction problems throughout the day, but was able to avoid any rally-ending problems, like those he suffered during the first Leg, to end the day on a positive note. Though he was unable to claim a stage victory, Solberg did manage to post several top-five stage times during the day.

Henning Solberg suffered an off early in the day, and fell from fifth overall to eighth by the end of the second leg. Solberg also suffered mechanical problems during nearly the entirety of the second Leg, with water splashing from underneath his dashboard onto he and his co-driver. Though they performed repairs between the stages, Henning professed to be a poor mechanic, and the problem was not resolved during the day's action. The Norwegian driver remained optimistic and finished the day in the final points position despite one problem after another.

Chris Atkinson ran as high as fifth during the second Leg, but an engine stall and eventual off during the second loop of stages saw Atkinson return to service early, without completing the final two stages. Atkinson's Impreza rear suspension was damaged and he was unable to return to the road section when no spectators were available to help him back onto the stage.

Also suffering problems during the second day was Matthew Wilson. Wilson suffered gearbox troubles and had an off as a result. The young Brit was unable to get his car back onto the stage and was forced to return to service early. He was 10th outright at the time of the incident.

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