The seventh round of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship season - Rally d'Italia Sardegna - is the third gravel event of the season, but it is the first gravel event, which will be held on European soil. The BP-Ford World Rally Team is anxious to make a good impression on the European rally fans by posting a solid result in the Italian event.
"The rally has a mix of everything," said Marcus Gronholm, who currently holds second in the drivers' standings leading into Sardinia. "Some of the stages are quite tight while others are more open and faster. Quite a lot of the competitive distance is new for this year, and I think these roads will be faster than the ones that have been dropped. It's not one of my favourite rallies but neither is it one that I really dislike."
"It's important to score good points here and my target is clear - to win. The car has shown it is fast on gravel but my mistake in Mexico and a problem in Argentina meant that I didn't score the points I feel we deserved. But it's also important to remember that this is still a new car and we continue to fine-tune it as the season progresses. This will be the first time in competition in Sardinia with this Focus RS and I'm sure we will learn more about it during the event," added the Finn.
Gronholm is currently 21 points behind reigning World Champion Sebastien Loeb in the drivers' standings, and though he has posted quicker stage times in recent rallies, Gronholm's mechanical problems have kept him from claiming his third rally victory of the season.
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