Catalunya Raly - news after stage 15

The 45 remaining cars left Lloret de Mar this morning for the final six speed tests over similar territory to yesterday’s leg. Two identical anti-clockwise loops around the town of Vic comprise 106.26km of competition. The last special stage in each loop is tough at more than 35km and includes the famous hairpin where thousands of fans gather on the bridge on the main road high above the test to look down at the action.

Ford Rallye Sport drivers Colin McRae and Nicky Grist and team-mates Markko Märtin and Michael Park made a good start in their Focus RS World Rally Cars, climbing to sixth and seventh respectively following the retirement of Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) who rolled in the short 5.05km La Roca. Although the Frenchman reached the end of the stage he retired with broken suspension.

Happily yesterday’s crowd problems were not repeated and team director Malcolm Wilson urged both McRae and Märtin to take no risks today to preserve their manufacturers’ points-scoring positions.

Loeb’s retirement allowed McRae to move into the drivers’ points, providing extra cheer for the 33-year-old Scot. “If we can finish where we are and score both drivers’ and manufacturers’ points it would make all the effort and pain from the hand injury worthwhile,” he said. “We’ll try to cruise through the final three stages and one drivers’ point would feel like 10. It’s going to be very slippery and gravely driving those tests for a second time and it’s good that we don’t have to fight for position.”

Märtin lost time near the end of the 35.18km Viladrau when his car’s brakes went soft. “It took my confidence away but we’ll hopefully sort the problem in service,” he said. “I’m just concentrating on staying ahead of François Delecour and in the points.”

Armin Kremer and Dieter Schneppenheim dropped a minute after going off the road in their Focus RS but remain 15th. “We hit gravel on a corner and understeered into a barrier,” said Kremer, whose car suffered panel damage at the front.

Leaderboard after stage 15

1. G Panizzi/H Panizzi F Peugeot 206 3hr 01min 17.0sec

2. R Burns/R Reid GB Peugeot 206 3hr 01min 48.7sec

3. P Bugalski/J-P Chiaroni F Citroen Xsara 3hr 02min 18.1sec

4. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Peugeot 206 3hr 02min 55.1sec

5. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 3hr 03min 22.2sec

6. C McRae/N Grist GB Ford Focus RS 3hr 04min 14.0sec

7. M Märtin/M Park EE Ford Focus RS 3hr 04min 44.9sec

8. H Rovanperä/R Pietilainen FIN Peugeot 206 3hr 04min 45.3sec

9. F Delecour/D Grataloup F Mitsubishi Lancer 3hr 06min 21.9sec

10 F Loix/S Smeets B Hyundai Accent 3hr 06min 26.3sec