Despite the high speeds and long stages, the first leg of the Propecia Rally New Zealand was a relatively drama-free day for most of the drivers.
The Ford Focuses of Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen were again the class of the field, with Gronholm winning every stage and Hirvonen second on every stage except the short superspecial, to end the day first and second.
Manfred Stohl put up a storming performance in third for the first part of the day, until he had a spin and damaged the front of his car, causing the engine to overheat. This allowed a hard-charging Dani Sordo, another driver putting in a superb performance, to squeeze past and snatch third place at the end of the first day.
Xevi Pons in the number one Citroen Xsara also suffered engine overheating problems on the first loop of stages but once this was resolved, was also well on the pace and he ended the day closing in on Stohl.
The Subarus didn't fare so well though. After their performance in Australia, many expected a similar speed but it was not to be. Their tyre choice wasn't perfect for the first pair of stages on the damp gravel and both Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson complained of a lack of grip and traction.
Henning Solberg had yet another water leak into his Peugeot 307 WRC and was complaining he was finding it difficult to get a good rhythm in the car and holds seventh at the end of day one.
Valentino Rossi adopted a very cautious start but the second run through the stages saw him up his pace as he learned the car and the nature of the stages, as well as having someone sitting next to him, issuing directions. He was clearly enjoying the experience and was looking forward to improving his pace over the rest of the event.
The only casualty among the World Rally Cars was Matthew Wilson, who's engine temperature started to climb on the the third stage and he was forced to stop.
Day 1 Results:
1 M. GRÖNHOLM 1:31:58.0
2 M. HIRVONEN +31.2
3 D. SORDO +1:16.2
4 M. STOHL +1:18.4
5 X. PONS +1:42.5
6 P. SOLBERG +1:48.3
7 H. SOLBERG +2:43.5
8 L. PEREZ COMPANC +3:23.8
24 V. ROSSI +10:55.1
-WRC.com
No comments:
Post a Comment