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DarkPhenix
06-05-2004, 05:27 AM
Acropolis Rally - After day one

Petter Solberg leads the Acropolis Rally tonight after scoring five consecutive stage wins and building a 55 second advantage over the rest of the field. Ideally positioned ahead of Legs two and three, Solberg dominated the action on the tough Greek stages and enjoyed a completely trouble free run in his Subaru Impreza WRC2004. It was also a good day for Subaru's latest young driver signing, Mikko Hirvonen. The 23-year-old recorded some strong stage times, and was third fastest overall on SS6. Although a broken brake pipe cost him almost two minutes early in the day, Hirvonen was quick to put the incident behind him and ended the day in a confident frame of mind.

Starters:
Following yesterday's visit to the Lilea Super Special Stage, 71 competitors left Lamia parc ferme at 0630hrs today to start the second section of Leg one

Route:
Leg one comprised 145.45 competitive kilometres and nine stages (three of which were repeated). Stages were based in the mountains, south of the Lamia service park

Weather:
Cool temperatures in the morning rose to 26°C by mid-afternoon, yet there was some light rain and skies remained overcast throughout the day. Stages were rocky, dry and dusty, with some muddy sections in the afternoon

Leaderboard:
Solberg, Rovanpera, Duval, Gronholm, Loeb, Carlsson, Panizzi, Stohl, Hirvonen, Tuohino

Retirements:
Martin (SS3), Sola (SS3), Schwarz (SS3), Gardemeister (SS9) *Please see note in 'Tomorrow's Leg' section

Stage Reports

SS1: 1900 (Thurs) Lilea - Parnassos 1 (2.25km)
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 1:53.1

The 2004 Acropolis Rally began with a circuit of the 2.2km Super Special Stage just outside the picturesque village of Lilea. Running in pairs, in front of thousands of spectators, the opening test was the first opportunity for the drivers to tackle the dusty gravel roads the event is renowned for. Marcus Gronholm recorded the fastest time with Subaru's Petter Solberg just 0.2 seconds behind and Carlos Sainz a further 1.4 seconds back in third. After the stage, crews returned to the Lamia parc ferme and an overnight stop ahead of the remaining eight stages that make up Leg one.

SS2: 0753 Rengini 1 (11.84km)
Fastest Time: Rovanpera (Peugeot) 8:39.7

Continuing yesterday's form, Peugeot took another stage win, but this time it was number two driver Harri Rovanpera who was quickest. Negotiating the test's rough, loose gravel surface, the Finn finished 0.7 seconds ahead of team-mate Marcus Gronholm, who was second. Subaru's Petter Solberg was third, while team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was sixth. Starting with a very steep uphill section that was littered with loose rocks, the 11km stage took crews through a series of rocky hairpins before concluding with a fast downhill section to the finish. Making his works debut for the Mitsubishi team, there were problems for Daniel Sola. Hitting a rock mid test, the Spaniard damaged his Lancer's front suspension and dropped over a half a minute. Citroen works drivers Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb were off the pace, finishing twelfth and thirteenth respectively, but there were no retirements and after the stage crews moved directly to the start of SS3.

SS3: 0821 Elatia - Zeli 1 (32.55km)
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 21:59.6

Described by World Champion co-driver Phil Mills as 'one of the trickiest stages of the whole rally', SS3 consisted of an 11km sixth-gear flat out section followed by a series of rocky, deceptive crests, which bought a host of problems for some of the leading competitors. Markko Martin's rally came to a dramatic end when his Focus slid off the road and became stuck at the bottom of a steep bank. Although the car stopped just metres from the roadside, and did not suffer any mechanical damage, last year's Acropolis winner was unable to rejoin the road in the time allowed and retired. Problems too for Armin Schwarz. Competing with Skoda on the Czech manufacturer's first WRC event of the year, Schwarz's Octavia collected a broken rear wishbone 27km from the start and he retired. Next to go was Mitsubishi's Daniel Sola. Off the pace due to suspension damage sustained in the previous test, the Spaniard pulled over a few km from the start to let Ford privateer Roman Kresta pass. But the simple manoeuvre turned into a disaster when Kresta drove into the back of the Mitsubishi, causing extensive damage to both cars and blocking the stage to further competitors. Both WRC drivers eventually retired and the remaining crews were awarded representative times by the organisers. Looking to the leaders, Gronholm was fastest, with Rovanpera second and Solberg third. After the finish, crews returned to Lamia for the second service of the day.

SS4: 1135 Pavliani 1 (24.45km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 19:38.4

Despite running second on the road after Martin's retirement, Petter Solberg was fastest through the classic 24km loose gravel Pavliani stage to break Peugeot's monopoly, take his first win of the event and the overall lead. Loeb was second fastest and Gronholm third. Renowned for its punishing bedrock base and two large jumps, the stage includes one of the twistiest sections of the entire rally. Collecting a front brake problem mid-test after damaging one of his Impreza's brake pipes on a stone, Mikko Hirvonen negotiated the remaining twists and turns with just the handbrake to control his braking and lost over a minute and a half to the leaders. Citroen driver Carlos Sainz lost more than twenty minutes when he stopped in the stage to make repairs to a broken front damper, while Rovanpera struggled with overheating brakes. After the finish, crews moved directly to the start of SS5.

SS5: 1224 Stromi 1 (14.61km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 11:36.4

Another stage win for Solberg, this time by a margin of 8.4 seconds. Loeb was second fastest and Francois Duval, the remaining Ford works driver, third. A very narrow stage, the 14km test from the town of Stromi demands the ultimate in precision driving and is renowned for the huge rocks and boulders that lie hidden in the grass by the roadside. There were no leading retirements, but Marcus Gronholm lost over ten seconds when he spun and stalled the engine of his 307, while Carlos Sainz lost a further another ten minutes with his persistent suspension problem. Having stopped at the end of SS4 and changed his Impreza's broken brake pipe for a spare, Mikko Hirvonen was back on the pace and was sixth fastest. After a fast downhill finish, crews stopped for a refuel before moving to the start of SS6.

SS6: 1327 Eleftherohori (18.44km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 11:24.4

Petter's consistent pace netted him a hat trick of stage wins as he was again fastest on the one and only pass through the 18km test from Eleftherohori. Rovanpera was second quickest, but just 0.4 seconds ahead of Subaru's 23-year-old signing Mikko Hirvonen who was third. After the disappointment of the brake problem on SS4, Hirvonen was making a spirited recovery. Struggling on the slippery road surface, which was made more treacherous by light rainfall, Peugeot's Gronholm suffered another spin and lost a further ten seconds. He ended the test in second position overall, 31.3 seconds off Petter's winning time. There were problems for remaining Skoda works driver, Toni Gardemeister. Seven kilometres from the start, the top mount of his Octavia's rear-left shock absorber collapsed, which cut through the bodywork and also damaged a rear wheel. He dropped over two minutes to the leaders. Ford's Francois Duval suffered a puncture, while Sainz lost another six minutes as he nursed his damaged Xsara to the finish.

SS7: 1618 Pavliani 2 (24.45km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 20:31.9

Solberg and team-mate Hirvonen experienced no problems over the muddy bedrock of the repeated Pavliani stage and scooped a fourth consecutive win and fifth fastest time respectively. Rovanpera was second fastest, with Duval third. While Solberg and Hirvonen capitalised on an ideal tyre choice for the cool and damp conditions, other's weren't so lucky, Sebastien Loeb, who finished almost 30 seconds behind Solberg felt his chosen tyres were too hard. Gardemeister struggled with an anti-roll bar problem and was tenth fastest. After the stage, crews moved directly to the start of SS8.

SS8: 1707 Stromi 2 (14.61km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 11:32.0

Shaving 4.4 seconds off his previous time through the 14km test, Petter Solberg continued his dominant run of wins to extend his overall lead to 55.1 seconds. Loeb was second fastest and Duval third. Taking crews uphill through a series of hairpins, the repeated test ended with a fast downhill to the finish. After the stage was complete, crews stopped for a refuel before moving to the start of the Leg's final test, SS9.

SS9: 1827 Lilea - Parnassos 2 (2.25km)
Fastest Time: Duval (Ford) 1:54.9

A second visit to the crowd-pleasing Super Special at Lilea offered 7,000 spectators more non-stop action as cars went head to head around the short 2.25km stage. The last stage of the day was also the last of Gardemeister's point-scoring rally when his Skoda suffered an engine fire mid test and retired. Duval was quickest to take his first win of the rally and move up into overall third, while Carlsson was second fastest and Stohl third. After the finish, crews returned to Lamia for the final service of the day.

DarkPhenix
06-05-2004, 05:29 AM
Team Quotes

Petter Solberg: It's not bad. Not bad at all. It's just what I was hoping for and I'm feeling very positive now. I was concentrating so hard on not making any mistakes today, and so far it's worked out very well. At the same time Marcus has made a couple of small mistakes and that has helped me too. Of course I'm happy to be leading. But don't forget that I've been in a similar situation more than once this year - and I know that it can all change again very quickly, so I'm not planning too far ahead just yet. What I have to do tomorrow is keep it steady, watch the split times in the car and manage the pace.

Mikko Hirvonen: Actually I'm quite happy with the way that the day has gone and without the braking problem, it could have been very, very good. But, I'm feeling very positive about the way I'm driving and the car feels good. I'm going to make some small changes to the dampers tonight to see if we can get some more traction, but overall things have felt much better. I think perhaps I was thinking too much about my driving before, whereas now I'm just driving in a way I feel is right and I'm much happier. The plan now is to keep driving this way and catch the guys in front.

David Lapworth, Team Principal: We're very happy with such a good performance today from Petter. He seems confident in the capabilities of the car and the tyres and his overall lead tonight puts him in a strong position for the rest of the event. It's been a good day too for Mikko, although the incident on SS4 means that the overall results don't really reflect this. Mikko was unlucky to collect the damage, but we all accept that it's just one of those incidents that happens in rallying from time to time. He has driven exactly according to our plan, and has recorded some very good stage times, regularly beating far more experienced drivers.

News from Pirelli

Paul Hembery, Pirelli Tyres Director of Motorsport: The key to Petter's successful performance today was his ability to not only use the right tyres but the correct cut, under very difficult circumstances when there was the constant risk of rain. If it stays dry tomorrow the stages will be a tough endurance test for the tyres but if as seems probable it rains, then it will be a completely different ball game.

Leg 1 Leaderboard

After 145.45km competitive distance

1. Solberg / Mills Subaru Impreza WRC2004 1:49:24.8
2. Rovanpera / Pietilainen Peugeot 307 WRC + 55.7
3. Duval / Prevot Ford Focus WRC + 1:01.6
4. Gronholm / Rautiainen Peugeot 307 WRC + 1:03.2
5. Loeb / Elena Citroen Xsara WRC + 1:21.0
6. Carlsson / Andersson Peugeot 206 WRC + 2:41.1
7. Panizzi / Panizzi Mitsubishi Lancer WRC + 2:49.3
8. Stohl / Minor Peugeot 206 WRC + 3:10.7
9. Hirvonen / Lehtinen Subaru Impreza WRC2004 + 3:25.7
10. Tuohino / Aho Ford Focus WRC + 4:52.0

Team Talk

Pace Notes Explained

It's well known that top WRC drivers need accurate pace-notes in order to win - but it's not just as simple as telling them which way to go. Look at a co-driver's notes on paper and they look like hieroglyphics. Hear them read out and instructions like 'left tightens', 'right plus' and 'over crest into short' don't make much sense either. So we asked current World Rally Champion co-driver Phil Mills to translate a bit of the language that's used by professional rally drivers and co-drivers.

Pace notes from Acropolis Rally 2004: SS4 / SS7 Pavliani

1. Start, 30, Keep left over a crest into short 4 right plus opens, 60, crest and 6 right plus and don't cut short 6 left minus

2. 60, line into 2 right minus over a bump tightens to a hairpin over a ditch

3. Into 6 left long opens over a crest, 30, 6 right into 3 left plus long don't cut tightens to 1, into a short 1 right plus and short 2 left minus tightens at junction (junction 2 at 0.6kms) 20

Translation

1. Start, drive 30 metres then keep left over a crest into a fast fourth gear right-hand corner, accelerate for 60 metres to a crest, then stay in the middle of the road for a sixth gear left hand corner in half throttle

2. Drive 60 meters, keep to the left hand side of the road for a second-gear right-hand corner, which tightens very badly over a bump, at the same time brake hard for a hairpin over a drainage ditch

3. Accelerate flat out into a sixth-gear long, left-hand corner over a crest, drive 30 metres then into a sixth gear right-hand corner, brake hard for a third gear left-hand corner in half throttle. Stay in the middle of the road for some bad rocks on the inside, and then brake as it tightens to first-gear, immediately changing direction into a fast, first-gear right-hand corner. Then accelerate into a second-gear left-corner past a junction (junction No 2 in the road book at 0.6 Kms), carry on for 20 metres

Tomorrow's Leg

Saturday 5 June 2004: Starts tomorrow at 0700hrs, when cars leave Lamia parc ferme to contest seven more stages (two of which are repeated) and a further 133.18 competitive kilometres. The first stage, the 14.59km test from Amfissa, starts at 0846hrs, and the final stage, a final blast round the Super Special at Lilea, at 1711hrs. Following the introduction of a new re-start system that is being trialled at this event for the first time, all cars that retired in Leg one are allowed to re-start on tomorrow's Leg. However, such drivers will not be eligible to score points in either the WRC Drivers' or Manufacturers' Championship.

DarkPhenix
06-05-2004, 05:30 AM
More pics :)

henk4
06-05-2004, 06:50 AM
http://www.wrc.com/Results/Stages.asp?Lang=en_GB&Flash=False&RallyName=2004_GR&ChampType=O&RallyStage=69

check here for on line updates.

Mustang
06-06-2004, 01:55 AM
well done Dp keep posting these for every rally please. where do you get them from the media sites for each team or the WRC site ?

DarkPhenix
06-08-2004, 10:22 AM
Subaru driver Petter Solberg retained the overnight lead to claim his first ever victory on the Acropolis Rally of Greece today. The result means that Solberg is the only driver in the WRC to have scored points on each of the six rallies so far this season. Moving up to second place in the Drivers' Championship, Petter and co-driver Phil Mills are just five points behind the lead of the series. The win marked Subaru's 41st WRC win, the 40th for the Subaru Impreza and Subaru's fifth win on the Acropolis Rally of Greece.

Starters:
50 competitors left Lamia parc ferme at 0630hrs this morning. 38 of those were classified

Route:
The third and final Leg comprised 98.50 competitive kilometres and six stages (a loop of three repeated). Stages were run north west of the service park in Lamia

Weather:
Conditions remained bright and sunny throughout the day, with temperatures of 27°C. Stages were dry and dusty

Leaderboard:
Solberg, Loeb, Rovanpera, Duval, Carlsson, Stohl, Tuohino, Vovos, Warmbold, Panizzi

Retirements:
No leading WRC retirements

Stage Reports

SS17: 0801 Dikastro 1 (26.78km)
Fastest Time: Loeb (Citroen) 20:26.8

Undeterred by a 30-second time penalty collected at the end of Leg two for leaving service without sufficient mud-flaps, Subaru's Petter Solberg continued his lightening-quick pace and stormed through SS17 to extend his overall lead by 1.6 seconds. With Petter 30.1 seconds clear at the finish, all eyes were on the intensifying battle for second. Citroen's Sebastien Loeb was on a charge and took the stage win to reduce the overall gap between himself and second-placed Harri Rovanpera to 3.5 seconds. Another potential podium contender, Francois Duval was fourth fastest. Having climbed as high as second in Leg two, the Belgian was under team orders to finish following his team-mate Markko Martin's retirement in Leg one. Marcus Gronholm rolled in his Peugeot 307, but as he was no longer eligible to score Championship points following his retirement in Leg two, there was no change to the overall standings. After completing the 26km stage, which took crews through a twisty uphill section littered with hairpins and across some exceptionally bumpy terrain, crews moved to the start of SS18.

SS18: 0900 Agios Stefanos 1 (13.47km)
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 9:46.4

Solberg was fastest through the narrow, technical stage from Agios Stefanos by 2.2 seconds to take his ninth win of the event and extend his overall lead. As the tight battle for second continued, this time it was Rovanpera who had the edge as Loeb, who was competing on the stage for the first time of his career, lost concentration when he swerved to avoid a large stone near to the start. The Finn was second fastest, 0.9 seconds quicker than his French rival. There was no change to the overall top ten and after the finish, crews moved to the start of SS19.

SS19: 0938 Styrfaka 1 (9km)
Fastest Time: Loeb (Citroen) 6:24.3

It was tight at the top as the battle for second spurred Loeb to go fastest through the new, short test. Clawing back time, the Frenchman capitalised on the fact the stage was new to all competitors and moved to within a second of Rovanpera's overall second position. At the finish, and after 278.63km, the pair was separated by just 0.3 seconds and with three more stages to run, the contest looked set to go right to the wire. Solberg continued his strategic drive at the wheel of his Impreza and was third fastest to remain over a half a minute clear of the rest of the field. After the finish, crews returned to the service park in Lamia.

SS20: 1214 Dikastro 2 (26.78km)
Fastest Time: Loeb (Citroen) 20:21.6

At 26.78km, the second pass through Dikastro included more than half of the remaining competitive distance and was a good opportunity for Loeb to snatch more time from Rovanpera. Negotiating the stage's repeated twisty uphill section and its numerous hairpins, he did just that and was fastest to take both the win, his fifth of the event, and overall second from his Finnish rival by 6.6 seconds. Solberg was second fastest to maintain the overall lead, while Rovanpera was third. There were problems for Mitsubishi's Panizzi when he was slowed by an engine problem. Although able to complete the stage, he lost over three minutes and fell to seventh place overall. After the finish, crews moved the start of the penultimate stage, SS21.

SS21: 1313 Agios Stefanos 2 (13.47km)
Fastest Time: Rovanpera (Peugeot) 9:38.9

As the tension mounted, Rovanpera and Loeb were neck and neck through the repeated Agios Stefanos test and completed the 13km stretch within a second of one another. Rovanpera clinched the win, but with Loeb just 0.4 seconds slower, it wasn't enough to snatch back second and he remained in third position overall. Solberg was third fastest to maintain a comfortable lead, while Sainz was fifth fastest. Panizzi continued to lose time due to his engine problem and by the end of the stage had slipped another two places down the overall leaderboard to ninth.

SS22: 1351 Styrfaka 2 (9km)
Fastest Time: Loeb (Citroen) 6:16.3

Petter Solberg didn't miss a beat on the final, short test of the day and having retained his lead throughout the day was third fastest to take the seventh victory of his WRC career. Winning by an overall margin of 18.4 seconds, the Norwegian crossed the line to score a maximum ten points. His performance moved him up to second place in the Driver's Championship, five points off the overall top spot. Sebastien Loeb was fastest through the stage to finish second overall, while Harri Rovanpera was third.

Team Quotes

Petter Solberg: It's fantastic, very, very good indeed! It's been a hard rally, and a tough fight, right from the start, but to get this result after the disappointment we had in Cyprus feels very good. You know it's hard work to keep adjusting the pace to keep position, but the team kept the split times coming in and everything worked perfectly today - there were no problems at all. The penalty didn't really affect me much, last night when I heard the decision I have to say I was a bit fed up, but when I woke up this morning I just laughed, it just seemed like a joke. I must say that the car is incredible, and the tyres, the mechanics, everyone in the team is working so well I can't thank them enough and it seems that for now anything is possible.

David Lapworth, Team Principal: It's a fantastic and very satisfying result for Petter, Pirelli and all of us in the team. He's controlled the situation all weekend, and even when a few obstacles got in the way he never faltered. Mikko too should be encouraged by his performance. Without the unfortunate accident yesterday, I think he could have finished in the top six and it's only a matter of time before he's looking for a podium result. As far as the championship is concerned things are looking good, and after our strong performances on the last few gravel events we are really looking forward to the next round in Turkey.

News from Pirelli

Fiore Brivio, Pirelli Tyres Rally Manager: Just one type of tyre - the XR - was used to win an unpredictable Acropolis rally, which contains conditions which vary from hard rock to mud. I think this is enough to show the superiority of the P-Zero XR tyres, which have become part of the history of the World Championship's toughest rally.

Final Leaderboard

After 377.13km total event competitive distance

1. Solberg / Mills Subaru Impreza WRC2004 4:39:06.2
2. Loeb / Elena Citroen Xsara WRC + 18.4
3. Rovanpera / Pietilainen Peugeot 307 WRC + 28.3
4. Duval / Prevot Ford Focus WRC + 2:19.4
5. Carlsson / Andersson Peugeot 206 WRC + 6:50.1
6. Stohl / Minor Peugeot 206 WRC + 10:01.6
7. Tuohino / Aho Ford Focus WRC + 11:12.5
8. Vovos / Em Ford Focus WRC + 14:07.0
9. Warmbold / Price Ford Focus WRC + 16:32.9
10. Panizzi / Panizzi Mitsubishi Lancer WRC + 19.21.4

Next Event

Rally of Turkey: 25-27 June 2004: Teams move to Turkey for the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship and the last of a trio of hot, rough rallies. Beginning on Thursday 24 June, the rally, which has been moved from its original February date is now in its second WRC year and will once again be based around a single service point in the holiday resort of Kemer. Crews will contest 383.33 competitive kilometres, over three Legs and 17 gravel stages, run over twisty mountain roads.

Driver points standings

1. Sebastien Loeb 43
2. Petter Solberg 38
3. Markko Martin 34
4. Marcus Gronholm 24
5. Carlos Sainz 19
6. Francois Duval 19
7. Mikko Hirvonen 10
8. Janne Tuohino 10
9. Harri Rovanpera 10
10. Daniel Carlsson 6
11. Freddy Loix 4
12. Gilles Panizzi 4
13. Henning Solberg 3
14. Manfred Stohl 3
15. Jussi Valimaki 2
16. Alister Ginley 2
17. Olivier Burri 1
18. Miguel Campos 1
19. Aris Vovos 1

Manufacturer points standings

1. Citroen 65
2. Ford 60
3. Subaru 50
4. Peugeot 39
5. Mitsubishi 9