Cyprus Rally PWRC: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution wins second rally win in succession

Japan’s Fumio Nutahara scored a sensational third FIA Production Car World Rally Championship win of the season on the Cyprus Rally, which finished in Limassol this afternoon. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver had been at the forefront of the competition over three days’ of driving on the Mediterranean island – just as he has been throughout the season – before clinching a four-minute win after the 22nd and final stage north of the rally’s coastal base. This is Nutahara’s second PC WRC win this month, having clinched 10 points in Japan, three weeks ago.


Fumio Nutahara / Daniel Barritt
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

Nutahara, who has now won three of his four PWRC outings this season, is now among the favourites for this year’s world title among the Group N drivers. A further two victories on the final two rallies of the season – Australia and New Zealand – would clinch a first ever world title for the 42-year-old, who is also leading the Japanese Rally Championship after four straight wins in his home series.


Fumio Nutahara / Daniel Barritt
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

Despite heading into today’s six stages – which were again run in hot and sunny conditions – with more than four minutes in hand over the second-placed driver, Nutahara, who is co-driven by Britain’s Daniel Barritt, acknowledged this had been a far from easy day aboard his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The only minor problem came 10 kilometres from the end of the first test of the day, when Nutahara finished with a broken windscreen.

"That wasn’t a very nice way to start the day," said Nutahara. "Other than that, it’s been good. The roads are still slippery and, of course," said Nutahara. "It’s been a very hard day and rally. There was so much to lose all of the time. I didn’t have to drive flat out, I had to drive with my head and be sensible. We had two punctures during the event, but they were the only problem for us – the car has been good for the whole event. It’s great to win again, now we have to see what we can do on the next two rallies."

A new feature on this year’s Cyprus Rally was the Down Town Special test, a 3.4-kilometre asphalt stage run through the centre of Limassol ahead of a packed, capacity crowd. Not even the switch from rough gravel roads to a super-smooth sealed surface could foil Nutahara’s efforts to continue the winning form he found in Japan earlier this month.


Simone Campedelli / Danilo Fappani
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

There was more Mitsubishi success further down the leaderboard, with 20-year-old World Rally Championship debutant Simone Campedelli making the most of his chance with the Errani Team Group, where he replaced regular Lancer Evolution driver Stefano Marrini. Campedelli made light of his inexperience at this level to drive sensibly to the finish, despite two punctures on SS18 this morning. His fourth place in the PC WRC standings clinched five points for the Italian team after a mechanically trouble-free run through this arduous event.


Fumio Nutahara / Daniel Barritt
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

This year’s PWRC title can now only be won by three drivers. Nutahara has the biggest scoring opportunity, with 30 points and a further 20 possible. Nasser Al-Attiyah has scored 38, but can only add 10 more to his score. San Marino-based Mitsubishi man Mirco Baldacci is the other man in with a shot at the title; the former Junior WRC regular has 19 points, but two wins would allow him to end the season on a potentially championship-winning 39.

At the front of the field in Cyprus, Sebastien Loeb clinched his eighth win of the season to move him closer to a third successive drivers’ world title. The Citroen man now only requires six points from the final four rounds to be crowned champion. Ford men Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen were second and third respectively.

The next round of the PWRC takes place on Rally Australia (October 26-29).

-Mitsubishi Motors Motorsports

Cyprus Rally Final Leg

Cyprus Rally - Leg Three

Sebastien Loeb finished Cyprus Rally with the win, and the reigning World Champion added a 28th FIA World Rally Championship victory to his ever-expanding record. Loeb began the third and final Leg holding a relatively slim lead of BP-Ford's Marcus Gronholm. Loeb was bested on a handful of stages during the third Leg, but at no point was he ever in danger of being overtaken by Gronholm.

Marcus Gronholm finished Cyprus Rally the same as he finished Rally Japan only a few weeks prior, in second overall behind Sebastien Loeb after holding the rally lead after the first Leg. Gronholm drove a competitive day, and in fact, only two errors caused him the rally victory, a spin and tyre choice during the second Leg.

The Cyprus Rally was a very positive event for the BP-Ford team despite their number one driver not coming away with the victory. Thanks to Mikko Hirvonen's solid performance during the entirety of the rally, Ford had two drivers on the podium at the end of a rally for the fourth time in 2006. Hirvonen drove the third Leg with little chance of catching either driver in front of him (barring an accident or mechanical failure) and he himself was in almost no pressure to push with a massive barrier between him and the driver behind him in the overall classification.

Manfred Stohl went unnoticed for much of Cyprus Rally because of the battles around him, but Stohl completed fourth overall. His result in 2006 did not match his second overall in 2005, but Stohl should be pleased with his classification this year. Stohl drove a trouble-free rally, only complaining of over-steer during the opening Leg.

Toni Gardemeister finished Cyprus Rally fifth overall, and after a problematic rally, the Finn should be delighted with his position. Gardemeister's third Leg was mostly problem-free though he was able to afford an eased pace after finding himself in a comfortable position. His result in Cyprus was his fourth point scoring rally of the season, though his best result this season came in Monte Carlo where he scored third.

OMV-Peugeot Norway World Rally Team's Henning Solberg completed the rally seventh overall. After sitting eighth at the beginning of the third Leg, problems for his younger brother and Xavier Pons allowed the elder Solberg climb into sixth overall. Henning did not escape the third Leg without incident however, as the Norwegian's Peugeot 307's co-driver's door opened midstage during the morning's loop of stages. Henning's co-driver, Cato Menkerud, did manage to hold the door closed during the remainder of the stage, but holding the door closed reduced his ability to read his pacenotes. Despite the troubles, Henning completed a rally with drivers' points for the sixth time this season.

Xavier Pons also went largely unnoticed during Cyprus, but the Spaniard finished the event seventh overall. Pons drove a clean rally, and after a disappointing German round earlier in the season, he was looking to regain confidence. Pons had held sixth after the final stage of the rally, but the Spaniard suffered transmission troubles en route to the service park and was given a five-minute penalty as a result. Pons has not been nominated to score points for the Kronos Total Citroen World Rally Team since before the midseason break, that honour went to Dani Sordo, but Pons' performance in Cyprus may give Kronos Team Boss Marc Van Dalen something to consider for the remaining rallies of the 2006 season as Kronos has not yet nominated their second points scoring driver for any remaining event.

Subaru World Rally Team's Petter Solberg was the eighth overall finisher after a difficult and dejecting rally for the former world champion. Solberg suffered problems ranging from bent wheels to a collision with a rock on the final stage of the rally. Solberg began the day seventh overall, and the Norwegian drove hard despite the problems he suffered. Solberg did have a top-three stage time, claiming third overall on the rally's 17th stage. Solberg was also third quickest through the Down Town Special stage, though the stage was cancelled by an FIA Safety Delegate when he determined the stage was unsafe for an actual running. Drivers were allowed to drive through the stage to allow fans a close view of the sight and sound of a rally car.

Stobart VK M-Sport driver Juan Pablo Raies withdrew from the rally after stage 17 as his co-driver Jorge Perez Companc was too ill to continue the rally. It was a disappointing moment for the duo who was contesting their first-ever European rally. Raies was 10th overall before withdrawing from competition.

Chris Atkinson held fifth overall during the second Leg, but an engine stall late into the second Leg caused the Australian to go off the stage. With no spectators to help him back onto the stage, Atkinson was forced to restart the third Leg under SupeRally but the Australian was able to completed the Cyprus Rally ninth overall.

Matthew Wilson also held a points position during the second Leg, but problems, including a faulty gearshift saw the young Brit back to service during the second Leg's group of stages. The third Leg almost spelled disaster for Wilson as he and co-driver Michael Orr were forced to use hand signals when their onboard communication system failed during the first Leg of the morning. The pair switched helmets and repaired the problem during the afternoon's service. Wilson finished the rally 10th overall.

During the cancelled Down Town Special stage, Dani Sordo locked his brakes and slid into a concrete barrier surrounding a roundabout. Sordo badly damaged his Citroen Xsara and the young Spaniard was unable to continue the rally. Sordo's misfortune gave the BP-Ford World Rally Team a massive opportunity to edge closer in the manufacturers' standings.

Neither Red Bull Skoda driver contested either the second nor third Leg of the Cyprus Rally after electrical problems before the rally had even begun ended their event after just one competitive stage. Water had damaged electrical components, and the team decided to focus on Red Bull Skoda's next event, Rally Turkey.

-wrc

Cyprus Rally Leg 2

Cyprus Rally - Leg Two

The second leg of Rally Cyprus began very similarly to previous day's action, Marcus Gronholm creating an early lead with three stage victories on the morning's loop of stages. Gronholm began the second day with a slim lead over Sebastien Loeb, 6.4 seconds, and despite solid performances from both drivers, it was not until the afternoon's loop of stages that either driver was able to break free and take solid control of the rally.

It was Sebastien Loeb who accepted the challenge, and it was Loeb who found himself with the rally lead after the end of the second Leg. Loeb dominated the second half of the day, reducing Gronholm's rally lead and eventually overtaking the Finn to hold a 21.8 second advantage going into the final day.

Mikko Hirvonen finished the second Leg holding third overall, and much like the previous day, Hirvonen was unable to match the pace of the two drivers before him, but he was faster than the drivers behind him. Hirvonen seems destined to become more than familiar with 'no man's land' as he is nearly a minute ahead of Manfred Stohl and well behind his team-mate who currently holds second overall.

Stohl has driven a very quiet rally, not causing stir or drama, and because of his clean runs through the day's stages, Stohl continued to maintain possession of fourth overall. Stohl looks unable to match his best-ever result (second overall in Cyprus Rally 2005), but a solid points finish will be very rewarding for a driver who has provided consistent performances throughout the season.

Toni Gardemeister had been as high as third overall during Cyprus Rally, but problems during the first leg saw Gardemeister drop well out of reach for a podium position. Thanks in part to troubles suffered by many of his rivals and a solid performance of his own during the second leg, the Finn ends the leg in fifth overall.

Xavier Pons drove with renewed confidence during the first and second Legs, and the Spaniard has found immediate results. Pons ends the second Leg sixth overall, thanks in part to problems his competitors suffered throughout the two Legs. Pons is not nominated for manufacturer points for the Kronos Total Citroen World Rally Team in Cyprus (that honour went to Dani Sordo), and it seems the alleviated pressure has been beneficial for him.

Petter Solberg began the day in 11th, but several solid stage times helped the former world champion move into seventh overall by the end of the second Leg. Solberg suffered traction problems throughout the day, but was able to avoid any rally-ending problems, like those he suffered during the first Leg, to end the day on a positive note. Though he was unable to claim a stage victory, Solberg did manage to post several top-five stage times during the day.

Henning Solberg suffered an off early in the day, and fell from fifth overall to eighth by the end of the second leg. Solberg also suffered mechanical problems during nearly the entirety of the second Leg, with water splashing from underneath his dashboard onto he and his co-driver. Though they performed repairs between the stages, Henning professed to be a poor mechanic, and the problem was not resolved during the day's action. The Norwegian driver remained optimistic and finished the day in the final points position despite one problem after another.

Chris Atkinson ran as high as fifth during the second Leg, but an engine stall and eventual off during the second loop of stages saw Atkinson return to service early, without completing the final two stages. Atkinson's Impreza rear suspension was damaged and he was unable to return to the road section when no spectators were available to help him back onto the stage.

Also suffering problems during the second day was Matthew Wilson. Wilson suffered gearbox troubles and had an off as a result. The young Brit was unable to get his car back onto the stage and was forced to return to service early. He was 10th outright at the time of the incident.

-wrc

Cyprus Rally Leg 1

Cyprus Rally - Leg 1

Cyprus Rally is widely known as one of, if not the most, difficult events in the entire FIA World Rally Championship. Slow, rocky terrain with dry, dusty conditions make Cyprus one of the most demanding rallies on both man and machine, and the field this year experienced all of these qualities, and a few more, during the first leg of the rally.

The rally began with BP-Ford World Rally Team driver Marcus Gronholm jumping to an early lead, which he held throughout the opening leg. Though Gronholm claimed the quickest times on each of the morning's first three contests, Sebastien Loeb was never far behind the Finn and the battle for first overall was the highlight of the opening day. Loeb completed the leg second overall, and the battle for the rally lead promises to dominate the second and third legs of the rally. 6.4 seconds separates Loeb and Gronholm as the duo moves into the second leg.

Toni Gardemeister began the day posting blindingly quick times, and found himself in third overall, which he held through the opening three stages of the rally, but BP-Ford's Mikko Hirvonen, who drove a cautious pace through the morning's first contests, claimed third overall on the fourth stage of the day. Gardemeister and Hirvonen looked as though they would provide a dramatic battle for the final podium position until the fifth stage, when Gardemeister suffered a puncture, which effectively ended his hunt for a podium position during the first leg. Gardemeister finished the opening leg eighth on the leaderboard, though he sits only 0.1 seconds behind seventh overall.

OMV-Peugeot Norway World Rally Team's Manfred Stohl found his best-ever result in the WRC when he finished second in Cyprus in 2005 with a Citroen Xsara in second overall. Stohl seemed comfortable in the Peugeot 307, despite complaining of under-steer problems after several of the day's stages. Stohl completed the leg fourth overall, thanks in part to the troubles endured by Gardemeister.

Subaru World Rally Team's Chris Atkinson found himself as the highest placed Subaru at the end of the opening leg. Atkinson finished the day fifth overall, and despite a rough run through the leg, the Australian vowed to drive a careful rally to ensure his presence at the end of the event. Dani Sordo retired from sixth with a broken engine on the penultimate test.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team's Matthew Wilson completed the day sixth overall. Wilson is contesting his first Cyprus Rally and after an accident during shakedown where Wilson broke his steering-arm on his Ford Focus. Wilson's Focus was repaired and since, the young Brit drove a clean rally, opting for the slow and steady method of accruing points before stopping after the final stage of the afternoon with a faulty battery. Wilson was unable to continue and will return for the second leg after suffering a time penalty which dropped him to 10th overall as day one ended.

Xavier Pons began the day much slower than most of the World Rally Cars, but Pons drove a clean leg and found himself sixth overall after the completion of the opening day. Pons drove a mostly uneventful day and is looking to regain his confidence after a disappointing run in the OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland.

Luis Perez Companc finished the day eighth overall. Companc, who had also never contested Rally Cyprus prior to 2006, finished a dramatic day mostly unscathed.

Both Red Bull Skoda drivers (Andreas Aigner and Harri Rovanpera) suffered overheating troubles in their cars' electronics system and they will not restart tomorrow.

Subaru's Petter Solberg suffered mechanical problems during the second loop of stages, where he lost all but one of his Impreza's gears. Solberg's performance during the opening leg was almost schizophrenic, claiming a stage victory on the fourth stage of the day, but posting inconsistent times during several of the day's other stages.

OMV-Peugeot's Henning Solberg also had a dramatic day, posting quick stage times and in one instance a blindingly fast time with a broken drive-shaft. Solberg went off the road on the day's final stage, when he was blinded by the sun. He will return to competition Saturday under Superally.

-WRC