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Front Page
Three in a Row for McRae and Ford in Greece
Staff, Monday June 18, 2001.
Page 1 of 1
The British pair’s victory also strengthened Ford’s lead in the all-important Manufacturers standings.
Their winning margin was a comfortable 49.0sec but the gap hides a dramatic day that ended in disappointment for Ford Martini teammates Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya.
The Spanish duo began the final 38.69km special stage just 5.9sec behind McRae after gradually edging closer during the afternoon.
Team boss Malcolm Wilson decided to let his drivers fight out the final stage, but Sainz car stopped eight kilometres into the final speed test with engine problems.
The overall strength of the Ford Focus RS was evident throughout the event, with McRae, Sainz and teammate François Delecour posting fastest time on 11 of the 20 stages.
The rough gravel mountain roads and temperatures touching 35°C ensured the three-day rally, round seven of 14, lived up to its reputation as the toughest in Europe.
This was McRae's fourth Acropolis win (a record) and his 23rd world rally success, moving him level with Sainz and Juha Kankkunen at the top of the all-time victory list.
“It was tighter than we hoped but I always thought we could win from the front,” said McRae, who led from the middle of the first leg.
“It's unfortunate for Carlos but when we saw our team's pit boards telling us Carlos had stopped, it took the pressure away and I could ease off.
“It's nice to join Carlos and Juha at the top of the rally wins rankings but it would be even nicer to move ahead.
“There's a long way to go in the championship, we're only at the halfway point, but it's looking good for us now. The car is strong and another win in Kenya is more than a possibility,” added 32-year-old McRae.
If McRae can win at the famous Safari Rally in Kenya between 20 -22 July he will create a new record for consecutive victories.
Final positions 2001 Acropolis Rally - Greece
| 1. C McRae (GB) / N Grist (GB) | Ford Focus RS | 4hr 19min 01.9sec |
| 2. P Solberg (Nor) / P Mills (GB) | Subaru Impreza | + 0:49.0 |
| 3. H Rovanperä (Fin) / R Pietilainen (Fin) | Peugeot 206 | + 1:35.7 |
| 4. T Mäkinen (Fin) / R Mannisenmaki (Fin) | Mitsubishi Lancer | + 2:15.3 |
| 5. F Delecour (Fra) / D Grataloup (Fra) | Ford Focus RS | + 2:35.4 |
| 6. P Bugalski (Fra) / J-P Chiaroni (Fra) | Citroen Xsara | + 4:00.2 |
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 7 of 14)
Drivers
| 1. C McRae | 30pts |
| 2. T Mäkinen | 30pts |
| 3. C Sainz | 26pts |
| 4. R Burns | 15pts |
| 5. H Rovanperä | 14pts |
| 6. F Delecour | 11pts |
Manufacturers
| 1. Ford | 60pts |
| 2. Mitsubishi | 53pts |
| 3. Subaru | 28pts |
| 4. Peugeot | 20pts |
| 5. Skoda | 11pts |
| 6. Hyundai | 10pts |
For further information contact:
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing
Phone: (03) 9533 4455
Mobile: 0417-262 753
Email: ben@segalmedia.com.au
