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SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Märtin Second After Treacherous Start to Monte Carlo Rally

Staff, Tuesday January 27, 2004.

Page 1 of 1

It was the first occasion in which either Ford BP driver had encountered such demanding conditions. Freezing temperatures this morning, snow and black ice tested their skills to the full on the bleak and inhospitable roads high in the French Alps near Gap. To make driving even tougher, conditions on the narrow special stages were inconsistent. Packed snow and ice contrasted with sections of dry asphalt and as the temperatures rose, melting snow turned to slush to make tyre choice incredibly difficult.

Six stages covering 144.13km were scheduled but the opening test of the season was cancelled for safety reasons due to the number and positioning of spectators. Huge crowds followed the rally throughout the day with even bigger numbers expected during the weekend. Organisers will restrict access to the famous Col de Turini 24 hours before the stage starts on Sunday to ensure the test will run without problems.

When the action did begin, Märtin claimed second place and powered his Castrol-backed Focus RS to fastest time on the third stage. Although the 28-year-old Estonian slipped to third midway through the day, he regained second on the final test to return to the more benign setting of Monaco just 18.3sec behind Sebastien Loeb.

"This morning was very, very hard," he said. "The downhill sections, especially, were so slippery and every time I went round a corner I was waiting for the conditions to catch me out. It was difficult to find grip when the conditions were changing all the time and although I drove on the limit, I was always on the safe side of the limit.

"I had brake problems on the final two stages which cost time otherwise I would have been closer to Loeb. The pedal went to the floor and that's not good for my confidence. There are two more days and a lot of kilometres left. Tomorrow and Sunday are much further south and there wasn't much snow and ice during the recce. If the weather stays the same, it will be like an asphalt rally and more even for everyone," he added.

Duval stayed clear of trouble to hold fourth until the final stage when studded tyres on what proved to be quite a dry and clean stage cost valuable seconds and he lost a place. "It was the first time I've driven in such inconsistent conditions so I was careful and made sure I braked early," said the 23-year-old Belgian.

"The car has been great and I've made no mistakes. I've enjoyed the day even though it has been so difficult. Stéphane has been superb, slowing me down and ensuring I was careful in the really slippery sections. Tomorrow's stages are twisty and slower, which I don't like so much, but I will try to regain fourth place," he added.

Ford BP team director Malcolm Wilson said the team replaced the brake discs and hubs on Märtin's car at the final service tonight. "My target was for Markko to end the day within 15sec of the lead and he is only 18 behind so that is OK. It was a shame that François lost a place but that was my fault because I advised him to take a safe tyre option with studs for the final two stages and that was wrong," he said.

News from our Rivals

Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot), debuting an all-new car, led throughout the day until the final stage when a bad tyre choice cost 30 sec and he slipped to third. He had a narrow escape on the fourth test when his car's gearbox became jammed in third gear. Fortunately it was close to the finish and the Finn lost little time. He was able to drive to service where a new gearbox was fitted along with a new windscreen, which had been smashed in the stage. Sebastien Loeb (Citroen), winner in 2003, took advantage and leads tonight by 18.3sec from Märtin. Both Loeb and Grönholm claimed two stage wins. World champion Petter Solberg (Subaru) made a bad start after crashing into a fence post and then stalling his engine on the opening stage. He did not match the pace of his rivals for the rest of the day and is sixth tonight, almost two minutes behind Loeb. Freddy Loix (Peugeot) lost confidence this morning after changing his car's set-up. However, he made more changes during the day and was second fastest on the final stage as his feeling improved. He lies ninth. The only major retirement was Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) who slid off the road 1.5km into the fifth stage on his debut for the team.

FIA Junior World Rally Championship

The rally also marks the opening round of the junior championship but it was a disappointing day for the three Ford Puma crews. Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila, driving for Astra Racing, lost 20 minutes on the first competitive stage when water in the engine management system brought their Puma to a halt. They managed to continue but lie last of the 15 remaining JWRC entrants. Astra teammates Abdo Feghali and Joseph Mattar retired on the final stage when they hit a wall and ripped off a wheel while lying 10th. Zimbabwe pairing Conrad Rautenbach and Pete Marsh, competing for the first time outside Africa, retired midway through the third stage after a bizarre incident when Rautenbach understeered into a bridge. Damage was light, but while reversing back onto the road, a following car hit the Puma from behind, pushing it back into the bridge and breaking the front right suspension.

Tomorrow's Route

The second leg is based around a central service park next to the swimming pool complex on Monaco's Grand Prix circuit. Drivers tackle one stage north of Monaco before two loops of two stages north of Grasse, both tests run in the opposite direction to 2003. The double loop includes two passes through the narrow and twisty Col de Bleine, one of the rally's classic tests. After leaving Monaco at 06.40, drivers face 140.79km of competition over the five stages, before returning to the Principality at 19.23.

Leaderboard after Leg 1

1. S Loeb (Fra) / D Elena (Mon) - Citroen Xsara 1hr 26min 38.7sec
2. M Märtin (Est) / M Park (GBR) - Ford Focus RS +0:18.3
3. M Grönholm (Fin) / T Rautiainen (Fin) - Peugeot 307 +0:18.7
4. C Sainz (Esp) / M Marti (Esp) - Citroen Xsara +0:46.5
5. F Duval (Bel) / S Prévot (Bel) - Ford Focus RS +1:00.6
6. P Solberg (Nor) / P Mills (GBR) - Subaru Impreza +1:52.4
7. R Kresta (CZ) / J Tomanek (CZ) - Hyundai Accent +2:54.0
8. M Hirvonen (Fin) / J Lehtinen (Fin) - Subaru Impreza +2:54.8

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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