RALLY: Round 7 of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship
22 May 1999
Round 7 of the 1999 FIA World Rally Championship23-25 May
Welcome to the mid point, the 7th Round, of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The rally is the only event of the championship to visit the American continent and is run over the smooth, sandy roads in the rolling sierras west of Cordoba. The stages, some of which reach above 2000 metres of height, have many different character sandy yet rocky, very twisty in some places, but exceptionally fast in others, with many deceptive corners.
The rally starts on Saturday night with a Superspecial where 3 cars race each other. Competitors then face a further 21 stages with almost 400km competitive before arriving back in Cordoba on Tuesday afternoon.
One of the highlights of the rally is the finish ceremony in Cordobas soccer stadium, host to the 1978 World Cup, where thousands of fans provide one of the best postcard photographs of the season.
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Ford Martini
www.fordracing.net
After two consecutive rallies on asphalt, the long trip to South America marks a return to gravel. The new Ford Focus World Rally Car is the car in form on this surface, the Ford Martini team having won the last two gravel events in Kenya and Portugal. Colin McRae and Nicky Grist, third in the drivers standings, are joined in the southern hemisphere by Thomas Rdstrm and Fred Gallagher, the Swedish driver making his return to competition after breaking a leg before Kenyas Safari Rally in February.
"I dont find the roads too bad. The surface is quite soft and sandy but there are quite a few rocks and boulders which can be damaging. After our wins in Kenya and Portugal were obviously confident going into this rally but Im sure our rivals have been working hard to close the gap, Colin McRae.
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Toyota Castrol Team
www.tte.de
Rock-strewn stages and energy-sapping altitude conspire to make Rally Argentina one of the toughest gravel events in the 14-round championship. Frenchman Didier Auriol has nevertheless taken victory on two occasions in the awesomely powerful Toyota Celica (1992 and 1994), and has finished third overall on three occasions. With only one retirement in Argentina to his name, the Frenchman and co-driver Denis Giraudet are all too aware that speed, coupled with some caution, is called for to minimise punctures and damage to suspension components.
"There is one place in particular that is incredibly rough," said Didier.
Team-mates Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya also have an impressive record in Argentina. The Spaniards consistency has rewarded them with victory in 1991 and five second places from their eight outings. Hosted in the rolling sierras in the foothills of the Andes, Rally Argentinas stages are naturally arid, but the stray rocks - often completely unavoidable - frequently result in a high rate of attrition, and make a podium placing all the more satisfying.
"There is a little bit of everything in Argentina and it is a rally I have a good feeling about," commented Carlos, "you cant afford to be too careful anymore because the championship is now so competitive."
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Malboro Mitsubishi Ralliart
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/motorsports/99wrc_e/argentina/index.html
Three successive wins (96,97,98) were key elements in Tommi Makinen's trio of World Championship titles and the Finn, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, is naturally the favourite this year. He will be supported by Belgium's Freddy Loix in a Mitsubishi Carisma GT.
"I don't know why Argentina is so good for us, but it always seems to be excellent. It is like a mixture of Portugal and the Acropolis, with some twisty and narrow and rocky stages, and some faster ones. Tyre wear is not too bad, so you can attack," Makinen stated.
Freddy Loix and Sven Smeets are contesting the rally for the first time. "I don't know what to expect, because I have never even seen the rally, so I won't predict a result. Finishing is the best way to learn the route and if I can also score some points for Mitsubishi I will be very happy," Loix promised.
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Subaru World Rally Team
www.swrt.com
With Juha Kankkunen taking up one of the teams two nominations after a period of intensive gravel testing, and Richard Burns returning to an event he enjoys after a strong showing in Corsica, the team is set to convert its positive outlook and thorough preparation into a winning performance.
Everyone has been working extremely hard this year, and I feel that now is the time when it should all pay off. There is no point in thinking too hard about it, I am simply going to Argentina to win, and thats the end of it, said a positive Burns earlier this week.
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Seat Sport
http://seat-sport.seat.es
SEAT Sport drivers, Italy's Piero Liatti (37) and Finland's Harri Rovanper (33) have both done this rally twice before. Liatti finished fifth on his first attempt in 1997 and sixth last year, while Rovanper led a sensational SEAT one-two in the FIA 2-Litre Cup in 1997 and led the category in 1998 before retiring.
Liatti said: "The stages in Argentina are quite demanding because the conditions change all the time. Some sections are smooth and fast like in Portugal, while others are as rough and twisty as the Acropolis and Safari rallies.
Rovanper said: "I like the Rally of Argentina very much, and there is a very special atmosphere in South America. To win in Argentina is very difficult, but we will push 110 percent. The SEAT WRC works well on gravel - it was good in Portugal and I'm sure it will be even better in Argentina."
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