FIA RALLY: Panizzi Wins Rallye Sanremo
23 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
With only two stages today there was little chance to build a battle
between any of the leading crews although Tommi Makinen had to push
hard on the first stage to ensure that Marcus Gronholm stayed behind.
At the front, Peugeot was able to record its second successive 1-2
finish and take the lead in the FIA World Championship for Manufacturers.
Gronholm's fourth place extends his lead in the drivers' championship
while Makinen's third place has brought him back into contention for
a fifth consecutive crown. Both of today's stages were cut short. The
first had to be stopped when Markko Martin crashed and the second was
halted after just five cars when spectator numbers became too dangerous
for the event to continue safely. San Remo was the final asphalt event
of the season and the title race will be concluded on the demanding,
and very different, gravel roads to be found in Western Australia
(where it is early summer) and Britain where the onset of winter makes
conditions just as tricky.
Peugeot
Marcus Gronholm's hopes of stealing third place from Tommi Makinen were dashed this morning with a rear suspension problem that slowed him on the long opening stage. As a result he had to give best to his fellow Finn, but has still collected enough points to go five clear at the head of the field. He now needs 15 points from the final two events to guarantee his first FIA World Championship. "I tried 100% on the first stage but braked too late and broke the suspension against a wall," he admitted. "I was happy to beat my title rivals here but we'll have to see what happens in Australia. I know I can win the championship there but it will depend on what the others do." Gilles Panizzi's victory over Francois Delecour rounded off a dominant performance from the Peugeot team. Panizzi led the event from SS2 to the finish, repeating the order of the team's 1-2 success in Corsica three weeks ago. "This win was better than Corsica - I enjoyed it a lot more. It wasn't easy and I really had to concentrate. I started well but the difference came when I was quicker where the surface was wet. I can't think about winning the World Championship just yet as I still need to practice more on other surfaces." Peugeot now leads the manufacturers' championship from Ford.
Mitsubishi
Marcus Gronholm's suspension problem on SS16 meant that Tommi Makinen did not have to worry about being overhauled for third place. The Mitsubishi driver therefore scored one of his best results of the year and extended his participation in the race for the FIA World Rally Championship by at least one more event. Makinen is still only mathematically capable of retaining his title into a fifth year and may need to rely on rivals having problems on at least one of the final two events in order to claim a sufficient points differential. This result was fantastic," he said. "I can hardly remember the last time I was on the podium. While there is a chance of the title I'll keep pushing but I know that there is no real possibility to win unless something happens to the others."
Ford
Colin McRae said yesterday that he'd be happy to come away from San Remo with a single point. It was an odd thing for the highly competitive Scot to say but, after his accident in Corsica nearly forced him out of this rally, it was a remarkable performance. McRae was clearly feeling the strain towards the end of each day as his reduced fitness took its toll but he remains very firmly in contention for the FIA title. "That was the hardest point I've ever earned," he admitted. "It was very satisfying and important to get straight back into the car after Corsica. The World Championship positions gave me the motivation to overcome the pain." Team mate Carlos Sainz finished one place higher and the two Martini Ford drivers are now tied
Subaru
A third-fastest time for Petter Solberg on the penultimate stage underlined the young Norwegian's potential and erased the memory of his early departure from Corsica. Seventh place for Simon Jean-Joseph brought a vital manufacturers' series point as Gronholm was not registered, but Subaru was badly hit by the loss of Burns yesterday and will have to work hard to overcome the 20-point deficit to Peugeot over the final two events.
Skoda
Skoda used the first of today's final two stages as a final asphalt test session, reverting to the Catalunya settings to compare the performance of the new car with some older data. Luis Climent explained, In many ways it's been a frustrating rally. The new car is clearly better balanced than the old but we haven't yet managed to get the best from it." It is believed that an announcement about the team's driver line-up for its 12-round 2001 programme can be expected within the next two weeks.
Hyundai
Like Skoda, Hyundai had been planning to use today as a valuable test exercise for the Accent WRC. Testing time has been limited this season and so the problems that dropped Kenneth Eriksson and Alister McRae (the only driver of the pair to tackle SS16 competitively) down the order could have been a blessing for the Korean marque, had the stages not been stopped ahead of Eriksson on SS16 and both Hyundais on SS17.
SEAT
SEAT's disappointment of not performing better in Italy was balanced last night by news that Matthias Kahle had won the German Championship at the national team's first attempt. SEAT announced earlier this season that it is withdrawing from the FIA World Championship to concentrate on a broader programme of national competitions and has already claimed titles in Spain, Austria and Slovenia.
Other teams
Markko Martin crashed out of the rally on today's first stage. Subsequent crews were given a nominated time as the stage was stopped while two spectators were taken to hospital for checks on injuries sustained in the incident. Gianluigi Galli took a third successive Group N win in San Remo over the early pace setter Alex Fiorio. Gustavo Trelles pegged Manfred Stohl's surge towards this year's FIA crown but the Austrian remains seven points clear and could secure the title in Australia. Sercan Yazici (Team Atakan) scored a comfortable win over Abdullah Bakhashab (Toyota Saudi Arabia) in the FIA Teams Cup contest but the Saudi team has nevertheless moved two points clear of the absent Spike Subaru entry.
Tyre facts
Michelin
While it was obviously vital to have a high performance tyre to win here in Italy, tyre were not a decisive factor on this event. The latest evolution of the Michelin N 'FP' was used throughout the event by all of Michelin's partners, either in the 2 compound/construction or more rarely (notably for SS11-12) in the 4 compound, to set fastest times on 14 of the 16 stages.
Pirelli
Pirelli fitted its dry weather RP tyre to the remaining factory entries for today's two stages. Apart from occasional use of the more versatile RS option when the roads were damp under the trees in the mornings, this has been Pirelli's main choice for San Remo. While Richard Burns' retirement was a disappointment, Pirelli dominated the top four Group N places
Text Provided By FIA
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