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Front Page
McRae Makes it Two on the Trot in Cyprus
Staff, Monday June 4, 2001.
Page 1 of 1
The 1995 World Champion is on a real high after he kick-started his 2001 campaign at Rally Argentina at the start of May.
The Britons triumphed by 16.4sec from fellow countrymen Richard Burns and Robert Reid after three days of competition in searing heat and over tortuously twisty mountain roads.
Teammates Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya finished third in their Focus on this sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship to lift Ford into the lead of the manufacturers’ series.
With air temperatures reaching 35°C and in-car temperatures topping 53°C, the rally was a fearsome test for both drivers and cars.
Such was Ford’s dominance and the performance of Pirelli’s tyres, that the Focus drivers posted fastest times on 14 of the rally’s 22 speed tests, covering more than 340km on the sun-drenched Mediterranean island.
The victory was McRae’s 22nd world rally win and his second in succession after triumphing in Argentina last month. He is now just one behind the all-time record of 23, shared by teammate Sainz and Juha Kankkunen.
It was also Ford’s second consecutive win in Cyprus, Spaniard Sainz winning in 2000.
The tactics of McRae and Grist in ensuring they did not restart this morning in the lead worked to perfection.
Instead, Burns faced the worst of the road conditions during this morning’s four special stages, ploughing his way through the loose gravel lying on the surface.
McRae capitalised on the cleaner conditions to move ahead on the day’s second test and it was a lead the 32-year-old Scot was never to lose.
“We’ve just won what I regard as the toughest event in the world championship so you can imagine the pleasure that gives us,” said McRae.
“It was never easy but we pushed as hard as possible today. We worked well, the Focus worked well and Pirelli’s tyres worked well and that’s a winning formula.
“Our target has always been the tougher events because they seem to suit the car. Two wins in succession means both Ford and myself can really think about championship titles now.
“The team is in the lead and we’re only seven points behind in the drivers’ series and that feels good. The next two rallies are also hot and rough and we’ll be trying for maximum points on those events as well,” added McRae.
Sainz restarted this morning in fourth and remorselessly closed on third-placed Marcus Grönholm.
However, their thrilling battle ended when the Finn was forced to retire with mechanical problems, leaving Sainz safely in third.
He ended the rally 26.5sec behind McRae and preserved his record of scoring points on every round of the championship so far.
“We pushed hard this morning because the top four cars were so close and victory was possible,” said Sainz.
“The whole team has worked very hard for the results we’ve enjoyed in Argentina and here but we must continue to work just as hard to stay ahead of the others,” he added.
Ford Martini team director Malcolm Wilson was overjoyed.
“It’s fantastic for Ford to lead the championship,” he said.
“When the Focus was designed, we placed a big emphasis on strength and worked hard on developing an equally strong suspension.
“That’s paying off so I’m looking forward to the next rounds in Greece and Kenya. Tactics played a big part here and it was a major psychological victory last night when Colin ensured he wouldn’t have to run first on the stages today.”
The FIA World Rally Championship remains in the Mediterranean as the series reaches its midpoint in Greece later this month. The Acropolis Rally, another hot and rough gravel event, is based in Itea from 14 –17 June.
Final positions
| 1. C McRae (GB) / N Grist (GB) | Ford Focus RS | 5hr 07min 32.7sec |
| 2. R Burns (GB) / R Reid (GB) | Subaru Impreza | +0:16.4 |
| 3. C Sainz (Esp) / L Moya (Esp) | Ford Focus RS | +0:26.5 |
| 4. T Arai (Jap) / G MacNeall (Aus) | Subaru Impreza | +5:38.3 |
| 5. F Loix (Bel) / S Smeets (Bel) | Mitsubishi Carisma | +6:10.2 |
| 6. P Hagström (Fin) / T Gardemeister (Fin) | Toyota Corolla | +9:32.5 |
| 7. A McRae (GB) / D Senior (GB) | Hyundai Accent | +10:35.6 |
| 8. B Thiry (Bel) / S Prévot (Bel) | Skoda Octavia | +11:38.0 |
| 9. A Schwarz (Ger) / M Hiemer (Ger) | Skoda Octavia | +12:48.1 |
| 10. A Bakhashab (SA) / B Willis (GB) | Toyota Corolla | +22:12.1 |
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 6 of 14)
Drivers
1. T Mäkinen 27pts
2. C Sainz 26pts
3. C McRae 20pts
4. R Burns 15pts
5.= D Auriol 10pts
5.= H Rovanperä 10pts
Manufacturers
1. Ford 50pts
2. Mitsubishi 47pts
3. Subaru 22pts
4. Peugeot 20pts
5. Hyundai 10pts
6. Skoda 7pts
For further information contact:
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing
Phone: (03) 9533 4455
Mobile: 0417 262 753
Email: ben@segalmedia.com.au
