Online Magazine

Gardemeister Finishes Second for BP-Ford in Greece

Staff, Monday June 27, 2005.

Page 1 of 1

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen matched their career-best result by finishing second on the Acropolis Rally of Greece in a Focus RS World Rally Car. The Finns equalled their runner-up position on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally and climbed to third in the FIA World Rally Championship as the series reached its midpoint. They are one of only two pairings to have scored points on all eight rounds to date.

Fellow countrymen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished fifth in a privately-entered Focus RS. They held off another Finn, Harri Rovanperä, by powering their car to fastest time on both the final two speed tests.

The mountain roads of central Greece were generally regarded as being smoother then ever, although there were still several rough and rocky sections for which this rally is so renown. Temperatures hovered just below 35°C, ensuring a tough test of stamina for the drivers and demanding strong reliability from engines, transmission and suspension. Drivers tackled 19 special stages covering 349.57km. All but the spectacular opening test in Athens' Olympic Stadium, which attracted 65,000 fans, were on gravel.

The final leg comprised just four stages and 98.79km. Having edged ahead of Carlos Sainz in a titanic battle yesterday, Gardemeister was intent on cementing second place this morning. His Castrol-branded Focus RS was quickest through the opening test and second fastest on the next to widen his overnight 7.7sec advantage over the Spaniard to 25.6sec. Sainz was unwilling to risk third by fighting any longer and Gardemeister was able to ease his pace in the final two stages.

"It was definitely maximum attack early this morning," said 30-year-old Gardemeister. "I had an excellent tyre choice and the car was perfect. I tried to drive in the clean line on the road and eased off a little when I saw Carlos' split times were slower than mine. The second loop was difficult. We tracked Carlos' split times and slowed a little. But it's harder to drive slower because I lose my rhythm when I drop my speed.

"We've had no big problems and the whole weekend has gone well. We've pushed hard from the very first kilometre. It's hard to fight against someone as experienced as Carlos but we did it. The Focus has worked well, Michelin's tyres have been excellent and now we have to try to turn second place into a win in the second half of the season," he added.

Hirvonen and Lehtinen, who took full advantage of better road conditions to lead the rally on the opening morning, came out on top of a huge battle with Rovanperä. The margin between the two drivers fluctuated greatly in leg #2 but Hirvonen started the final day with a 26.9sec advantage. Rovanperä narrowed the gap to 2.3sec on the first two tests but a blistering pace on the final two stages allowed Hirvonen to stretch the advantage to 31.2sec. He set three fastest times in total.

"It was really slippery in the first stage and so dusty that in places I couldn't see where I was going," said Hirvonen. "I think I took the wrong tyres, they were too hard. I expected Harri to be faster than me on the opening stage because he has driven it before and I haven't. He was quick and I admit I was a bit worried going into the final two stages. As a privateer we have to work hard, but we've had a lot of help from M-Sport and Michelin for which I'm grateful. It has finally gone as it should. We had a few problems but we overcame them and this is a fantastic result."

BP-Ford teammates Roman Kresta and Jan Mo?ný, restarted the final day under the SupeRally regulations after retiring their Focus RS on each of the first two legs. They completed the first two stages but Mo?ný felt unwell and the Czech duo withdrew.

BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted with Gardemeister's podium. "He was under pressure to score a good result and he's delivered," he said. "Sebastien Loeb made history here and so this feels as good as a win for our team. Toni maintained a podium position virtually all weekend. It's taken him a while this season to fully understand the Focus but this rally has always been a good one for the car and so it proved again. Mikko was superb. Driving a 2003-specification car he set three fastest stage times and that proves the car is still super-competitive."

News from our Rivals

Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) created rallying history when he became the first driver to win five consecutive rounds. The Frenchman won by 1min 36.2sec and now leads the championship by 23 points. Behind Gardemeister, Carlos Sainz (Citroen) ended his WRC career with a podium finish. It was his 97th podium from 196 starts. Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) cruised through the final day to claim fourth while Harri Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) took sixth, despite a tyre vibration on the opening two stages. Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) and Markko Märtin (Peugeot) claimed the final drivers' points while ninth for Petter Solberg (Subaru) earned his team the final manufacturers' point.

Next round

After four consecutive hot weather events, the temperature will cool somewhat when BP-Ford travels into the south American winter for the Rally Argentina in Villa Carlos Paz on 14 - 17 July.

Provisional final positions
1. S Loeb (Fra) / D Elena (Mon) - Citroen Xsara 4hr 12min 53.7sec
2. T Gardemeister (Fin) / J Honkanen (Fin) - Ford Focus RS +1:36.2
3. C Sainz (Esp) / M Marti (Esp) - Citroen Xsara +2:11.1
4. M Grönholm (Fin) / T Rautiainen (Fin) - Peugeot 307 +2:56.4
5. M Hirvonen (Fin) / J Lehtinen (Fin) - Ford Focus RS +3:13.2
6. H Rovanperä (Fin) / R Pietilainen (Fin) - Mitsubishi Lancer +3:44.4
7. G Galli (Ita) / G D'Amore (Ita) - Mitsubishi Lancer +5:19.6
8. M Märtin (Est) / M Park (GB) - Peugeot 307 +5:37.5

FIA World Rally Championship (after round 8 of 16)
Drivers
1. S Loeb 65pts
2. P Solberg 42pts
3. T Gardemeister 39pts
4. M Märtin 39pts
5. M Grönholm 37pts
6. H Rovanperä 16pts
9. R Kresta 10pts

Manufacturers
1. Citroen 84pts
2. Peugeot 79pts
3. Ford 57pts
4. Subaru 47pts
5. Mitsubishi 37pts
6. Skoda 8pts

* Results and points are provisional pending further post-event investigation on the weights of cars

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

Further information and high-resolution images relating to Ford Racing Australia can also be found at : media.ford.com

Subscribe to Fords News feed.

Previous Article: Wallabies Fine Tune with V8 Stars Ahead of Italy Test
Next Article: Falcon Celebrates 45 Years - The Falcon - A Brief History

CATEGORIES

Gardemeister Finishes Second for BP-Ford in Greece

INSTANT SEARCH

LATEST ARTICLES

RECENTLY

ASK COLCAM