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Front Page
Duval Nets Fourth for Ford in Gruelling Acropolis Rally
Staff, Monday June 7, 2004.
Page 1 of 1
Duval's Focus RS never missed a beat during the 377.13km of speed tests over four days in the mountains near Lamia. In finishing fourth, the Belgian pair extended Ford's record of scoring world championship points to 34 events, a figure unmatched by any other manufacturer. It dates back to the opening round of the 2002 season in Monte Carlo.
Pre-event rain and showers on the opening day ensured unusual conditions for the Acropolis. Wet roads and even mud made tyre selection difficult. And although temperatures rose to 26°C, that is cool by Acropolis Rally standards and the heat did not impose the kind of stress on cars that is normally witnessed here. But the punishing rocks made strength and reliability as important as outright speed.
Duval held a top four position for the entire rally. After battling throughout yesterday's second leg for second place with Sebastien Loeb and Harri Rovanperä, the 23-year-old eased off today. Competing on special stages he had never driven before, Duval refused to take unnecessary risks in fighting with his more experienced rivals and happily settled for fourth.
The result leaves Ford second in the manufacturers championship, just five points behind the leaders. Duval climbs to fifth in the drivers' standings while Ford BP teammate Markko Märtin, who retired on Friday's opening leg, is third.
"It's been a good weekend," said Duval. "A podium would have been nice. We tried to match Rovanperä and Loeb early this morning but could not do it so we eased off and settled for fourth. We didn't want to take any risks and that tactic paid off. This is the first time I have finished the event in four starts.
"Today was especially hard because all the stages were new to me. But we have made improvements to our pace notes as well as driving quickly and that's good for the future. With Markko having retired on Friday, it was important to finish and score points for Ford," he added.
Märtin and co-driver Michael Park continued their testing programme today under the experimental 'SupeRally' system, which allows retired cars to re-start in subsequent legs. After tyre and suspension work yesterday in their Castrol-backed Focus RS, they concentrated on trying different differential settings and more tyre work today. With no pressure of competition, they even had time to stop for an ice cream after the final stage en route to the finish!
Ford BP team director Malcolm Wilson was full of praise for Duval. "François drove very well, a real professional effort considering he had many new stages to contend with. He set a good pace from the beginning and has been impressive throughout. Markko completed some valuable testing for us over the last two days which is important for the next round in Turkey, which will be held in similar conditions," he said.
Three privately-entered Focus RS cars also claimed top 10 finishes. Janne Tuohino and Jukka Aho were seventh, Aris Vovos and El-Em eighth and Antony Warmbold and Gemma Price ninth. All three cars were run by M-Sport.
News from our Rivals
Late last night leader Petter Solberg (Subaru) received a 30 second penalty for not having mudguards fitted to his car earlier in the day, slicing his lead to just 28.5sec. However, he remained in control throughout today to win by 18.4sec. Harri Rovanperä (Peugeot) and Sebastian Loeb (Citroen) enjoyed a thrilling battle for second. Loeb closed in on the second-placed Finn during the morning before moving ahead in the afternoon and holding on to claim the runners-up spot by 9.9sec. Behind Duval, Daniel Carlsson was the leading private entrant in fifth ahead of Manfred Stohl. Tuohino and Vovos claimed the final drivers points. Gilles Panizzi (Mitsubishi) was on course for sixth until engine problems this afternoon cost him four places. Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot), re-starting today under the 'SupeRally' system, rolled on the first stage this morning but continued.
Next round
The championship remains in the eastern Mediterranean for the third consecutive round later this month. The Rally of Turkey, another hot weather, rough road event, is based in the south coast resort of Kemer, near Antalya, on 24 - 27 June.
Final positions ? Acropolis Rally
1. P Solberg (Nor) / P Mills (GB) - Subaru Impreza 4hr 39min 06.2sec
2. S Loeb (Fra) / D Elena (Mon) - Citroen Xsara +0:18.4
3. H Rovanperä (Fin) / R Pietilainen (Fin) - Peugeot 307 +0:28.3
4. F Duval (Bel) / S Prévot (Bel) - Ford Focus RS +2:19.4
5. D Carlsson (Swe) / M Andersson (Swe) - Peugeot 206 +6:50.1
6. M Stohl (Aut) / I Minor (Aut) - Peugeot 206 +10:01.6
7. J Tuohino (Fin) / J Aho (Fin) - Ford Focus RS +11:12.5
8. A Vovos (Gre) / 'El-Em' (Gre) - Ford Focus RS +14:07.0
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 6 of 16)
Drivers
1. S Loeb 43pts
2. P Solberg 38pts
3. M Märtin 34pts
4. M Grönholm 24pts
5= F Duval 19pts
5= C Sainz 19pts
Manufacturers
1. Citroen 65pts
2. Ford 60pts
3. Subaru 50pts
4. Peugeot 39pts
5. Mitsubishi 9pts
Further information and high-resolution images relating to Ford Racing Australia can also be found at : media.ford.com
For further information contact:
Mark Wilford
Media Coordinator
Ford Rallye Sport
Phone: +30 22310 53131
Mobile: +44 7770 756214
Email: mwilford@ford.com
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing Australia
Phone: 03 9359 8190
Mobile: 0417 262 753
Email: benb@global-marketing.com
