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Ford Leads Word Rally Series after Double Podium in Monte Carlo

Staff, Tuesday January 27, 2004.

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Ford leads the FIA World Rally Championship after claiming a double podium finish on the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally. Markko Märtin and Michael Park were second on the opening round in a Focus RS World Rally Car with Ford BP Rallye Sport teammates François Duval and Stéphane Prévot third in a similar car after three days of tough competition in the snowy and icy French Alps. Ford holds a four point lead at the top of the championship.

The Monte Carlo Rally is regarded as the elite event in the 16-round championship and treacherous conditions on the narrow Alpine mountain roads ensured the event lived up to its reputation as one of the most difficult. Competitors faced snow, ice, fog and streaming wet asphalt - often encountering all within a few kilometres of each other on the same speed test. It made tyre selection a complicated art but Michelin's winter rubber proved ideal in the inconsistent weather.

After moving into second place on day two, the Focus RS of Duval and Prévot started the final leg with a slender 13.0sec advantage over Märtin's Castrol-backed version. Märtin won the icy opening stage as Duval spun and stalled the engine but the 23-year-old Belgian was faster than his colleague on the next and the two cars returned to the Monaco service park separated by just 6.7sec. Märtin then won the Turini test for a second time, his third stage win of the rally, to move ahead of Duval and he maintained that advantage to finish 7.0sec ahead.

"It's been an incredibly tough rally," said Märtin. "We've had snow, ice and fog and these Monte-type conditions are quite new to me so to finish second is much more than I expected. This weekend has been playing on my nerves for a long time. I was close to leading on Friday but on Saturday morning I lost so much time in the fog. Perhaps I need to eat more carrots! I set out to get second place back and managed to do so but I've been counting down the stages and I'm glad it's over. It's a great start to the season for Ford and now we've got to keep this up for the rest of the year."

Third for Duval matched his career best results, set in Turkey and Corsica last season. "I'm really happy to start the year on the podium," he said. "Markko was very fast over the Turini stage on both occasions and I prefer to be third than risk everything and crash. I've enjoyed this weekend a lot, taken no risks and made no mistakes. The conditions have been tough, especially on the Turini today, but I like that. My Focus has been perfect all rally and two cars in the top three, on one of the hardest rallies of the season, is a great way to start the year."

Duval, the youngest manufacturer-entered driver in the championship, was named the Inmarsat Star of the Rally for his performance.

Ford BP team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted. "It's a great start to the season for Ford to lead the championship," he said. "The Monte Carlo Rally is the most classic event in the series. Markko had a difficult rally but he pulled through and second was a good result for him. François had a fantastic event. He delivered an impeccable performance throughout and I'm confident he will win a world rally soon."

News from our Rivals

Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) scored his second consecutive win on the rally. He took the lead on the final stage of the opening day and was never headed. His advantage over Märtin was 1min 12.6sec. Marcus Grönholm and Freddy Loix (both Peugeot) were fourth and fifth to provide a good debut for the team's new car. Another debutant, Gilles Panizzi (Mitsubishi), was sixth on the return to the championship of the Japanese manufacturer after a year's break. World champion Petter Solberg (Subaru) was on course for fifth but hit a wall on the ascent to the Col de Turini on the penultimate stage, damaging the front left suspension. He and co-driver Phil Mills made repairs before limping through the final stage, having lost almost seven minutes in total. They were seventh and scored the final manufacturers' point. Tenth place for Nicolas Bernardi was the first time a JWRC contender has finished in the top 10 of a WRC event.

Next Round

Teams head for Sweden next and the only all-snow round in the championship. The Swedish International Rally is based in Karlstad on 5 - 8 February and snowy conditions and studded tyres will provide some of the fastest and most spectacular action of the year.

Final positions - Monte Carlo - Round 1

1. S Loeb (Fra) / D Elena (Mon) - Citroen Xsara 4hr 12min 03.0sec
2. M Märtin (Est) / M Park (GBR) - Ford Focus RS +1:12.6
3. F Duval (Bel) / S Prévot (Bel) - Ford Focus RS +1:19.6
4. M Grönholm (Fin) / T Rautiainen (Fin) - Peugeot 307 +1:26.8
5. F Loix (Bel) / S Smeets (Bel) - Peugeot 307 +8:16.9
6. G Panizzi (Fra) / H Panizzi (Fra) - Mitsubishi Lancer +10:11.6
7. P Solberg (Nor) / P Mills (GBR) - Subaru Impreza +10:42.2
8. O Burri (CH) / J-P Patthey (CH) - Subaru Impreza +17:49.1

FIA World Rally Championship (after round 1 of 16) Drivers

1. S. Loeb 10pts
2. M. Märtin 8pts
3. F. Duval 6pts
4. M. Grönholm 5pts
5. F. Loix 4pts
6. G. Panizzi 3pts
7. P. Solberg 2pts
8. O. Burri 1pt

Manufacturers

1. Ford 14pts
2. Citroen 10pts
3. Peugeot 9pts
4. Mitsubishi 3pts
5. Subaru 2pts

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: +377 9770 9610
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

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