RALLY: Radstrom and Ford in the points on Rally Argentina
26 May 1999
Ford Martini pairing Thomas Radstrom and Fred Gallagher achieved their target of a points scoring finish on the Rally Argentina when they finished sixth on this seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship which ended in Cordoba this afternoon. It was a successful return for the Swedish driver, competing for the first time since breaking a leg in February and tackling the gruelling four-day event for the first time.Radstrom has delivered a remarkably consistent performance over the rock-strewn gravel special stages - a mixture of narrow, twisty mountain tracks and fast, flowing roads across the vast open plains. He settled into sixth after the third of the rallys 22 stages, covering almost 400km, and was still there when the finishers were greeted by thousands of cheering fans at Cordobas Olympic Stadium this afternoon.
The rally was one of great attrition, just 25 of the 72 starters finishing as the rough roads took their toll on man and machine. However, Rdstrms Ford Focus never missed a beat. His only real difficulty came this morning when water seeped into the car after a deep watersplash, misting the windscreen and forcing him to stop as co-driver Gallagher wiped it clear.
"I feel really good now," said a delighted Radstrom at the finish. "We came here to Argentina to learn about the rally, learn about the roads and learn about the car and I think weve done all of those things quite well. Its superb for me to finish in the points after so long away from the driving seat. Im really looking forward to the next round in Greece now."
Ford Martini team director Malcolm Wilson praised Radstroms performance and said the team had learned valuable information about the Ford Focus, still in its early days of development. "Thomas has driven exceptionally well here considering its his first appearance in Argentina and were encouraged by the way the Focus stood up to the punishment on what is one of the hardest rounds in the championship.
"Well go away with a lot of data which will put us in good stead for Greece, an event on which Thomas has competed before and one which Colin McRae has won, so I think we have every reason to be confident of a good result there," he added.
Next round
Once again there is little chance for reflection as the World Championship drivers are back in action again in just 12 days. The series returns to Europe for Greeces Acropolis Rally on 6 - 9 June, when drivers must cope with searing temperatures and the roughest special stages of any European rally in the championship.
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