 Cyprus Rally 2002 preview.
Story by Andrew Frampton.
The World Rally Championship runs on its first gravel event of the season in Cyprus later this week. So far, three rounds have been run on asphalt, in Monte Carlo, Corsica and Catalunya, and one in the snow in Sweden. The Subaru and Ford teams will be hoping for an improved performance on the Mediterranean Island, as they hope to catch the dominant Peugeot team.
The Peugeot of Marcus Gronholm holds the championship lead after claiming points in each of the rounds so far this season. The Finn began the season with fifth position in Monte Carlo, which was followed by victory in a Peugeot 1-2 in Sweden. The French marque's run of success continued in Corsica as they took a 1-2-3 result, with Gronholm finishing second, while he took fourth in Catalunya, setting himself up for a challenge on the title he won in 2000. His closest challenger so far this season has been his team-mate Gilles Panizzi who has taken victory on the last two events. However, the Frenchman's challenge for the title is likely to falter over the next few rounds, as he only drives the factory car on the asphalt events. With the next five rallies run on loose surfaces, Harri Rovanpera gets the chance to continue the form that saw him claim second position in his only outing so far this season in Sweden. Richard Burns completes the Peugeot line-up for Cyprus, and the top three in the driver's championship. The Englishman has started his defence of the championship with a 2nd, a 3rd and a 4th so far this season.
Ford are currently second in the manufacturer's championship, and Carlos Sainz also holds fifth in the driver's standings. The Spaniard opened his account with third positions in the opening two rounds, and a sixth in Corsica. However, he was forced out of his home event after spinning off when trying to avoid a spectator's car parked on the edge of the road. Colin McRae took sixth position in Catalunya, despite driving the event with a broken finger sustained in a shunt in Corsica. The Scot admitted his injury cost him time in Spain, and this could well be repeated in Cyprus. Markko Martin's performances in the third Focus have improved of late, with a series of top ten finishes.
The Subaru team has showed potential this season, yet the results have failed to materialise. Four-times World Champion Tommi Makinen started his 2002 campaign with a victory in Monte Carlo, virtue of Sebastien Loeb's time penalty for an illegal tyre change. However, the Finn has failed to complete the remaining three events. Petter Solberg has also shown strongly this season - the Norwegian took sixth in Monte Carlo and fifth in both Corsica and Catalunya. Solberg prefers the gravel surfaces, so if his performances on asphalt are anything to go by, he could be in with a chance of one or more victories on the loose surface this season.
Mitsubishi have been struggling with the handling of the Lancer WRC so far this season, especially on the asphalt events. The team's best result so far was Alister McRae's fifth place finish in Sweden, while Delecour has overcome a poor set-up to claim two top ten finishes. An improvement on gravel is expected, and is necessary if the team is to catch Subaru, who are 15 points ahead in the manufacturer's championship. The Finn Jani Paasonen will drive the team's third car in Cyprus after an impressive performance in Sweden earlier this year.
Hyundai have shown potential, but have only scored one point so far. Freddy Loix's year began badly, with a huge crash in Monte Carlo, in which he broke his foot. In Sweden, the Belgian drove with it heavily strapped, and was closing in on a top three finish before being forced out with mechanical problems. The team revealed the new WRC3 Accent model in Corsica and despite a lack of development, Loix broke into the top ten both there, and in Catalunya. Armin Schwarz has suffered endless mechanical problems this season - his most recent costing him minutes in Spain, where he finished 15th. The team will run four cars in Cyprus with Juha Kankunnen, who took 8th in Sweden, and Tomasz Kuchar, who drives a WRC2 model car completing the team's entry list.
A lack of development has limited Skoda's performances so far this season, and they have only broken into the top ten once. This was virtue of Toni Gardemeister's tenth position in the opening round at Monte Carlo, although he was unlucky not to repeat that feat in Catalunya after being forced out just yards from the finish. Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta complete the Czech team's line-up.
Driver's Championship Standings:
1. Marcus Gronholm 21pts
2. Gilles Panizzi 20pts
3. Richard Burns 13pts
4. Tommi Makinen 10pts
5. Carlos Sainz 9pts
6. Philippe Bugalski 7pts
7. Sebastien Loeb 6pts
8. Harri Rovanpera 6pts
9. Colin McRae 5pts
10. Petter Solberg 5pts
Manufacturer's Standings:
1. Peugeot 52pts
2. Ford 25pts
3. Subaru 20pts
4. Mitsubishi 6pts
5. Hyundai 1pt
2002 WRC season calendar
17/01 - 20/01 - 70E Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo
- Monte Carlo stage map by JR
- Monte Carlo preview by AF
- Monte Carlo review by AF
- Monte Carlo stage-by-stage times by JR
31/01 - 03/02 - Uddeholm Swedish Rally
- Sweden stage map by JR
- Sweden preview by AF
- Sweden review by AF
- Sweden stage-by-stage times by JR
- Audio downloads from Sweden by Ralliart
07/03 - 10/03 - Tour De Corse - Rallye De France
- Corsica stage map by JR
- Corsica preview by AF
- Corsica review by AF
- Corsica stage-by-stage times by JR
- Audio downloads from Corsica by Ralliart
21/03 - 24/03 - Rallye Catalunya - Rallye De Espaņa
- Catalunya stage map by JR
- Catalunya preview by AF
- Catalunya review by AF
- Catalunya stage-by-stage times by JR
- Audio downloads from Catalunya by Ralliart
18/04 - 21/04 - Cyprus Rally
- Cyprus stage map by JR
- Cyprus preview by AF
- Cyprus review by AF
- Cyprus stage-by-stage times by JR
16/05 - 19/05 - Rally Argentina
- Argentina stage map by JR
- Argentina preview by AF
- Argentina review by AF
- Argentina stage-by-stage times by JR
13/06 - 16/06 - Acropolis Rally
- Acropolis stage map by JR
- Acropolis preview by AF
- Acropolis review by AF
- Acropolis stage-by-stage times by JR
11/07 - 14/07 - Safari Rally Kenya
- Safari stage map by JR
- Safari preview by AF
- Safari review by AF
- Safari stage-by-stage times by JR
08/08 - 11/08 - Neste Rally Finland
- Finland stage map by JR
- Finland review by SS
- Finland stage-by-stage times by JR
22/08 - 25/08 - Int.Adac Rallye Deutschland
- Deutschland stage map by JR
- Deutschland review by AF
- Deutschland stage-by-stage times by JR
19/09 - 22/09 - Rallye Sanremo - Rallye D'Italia
- Sanremo stage map by JR
- Sanremo review by SS
- Sanremo stage-by-stage times by JR
03/10 - 06/10 - Propecia Rally Of New Zealand
- New Zealand stage map by JR
- New Zealand review by SS
- New Zealand stage-by-stage times by JR
31/10 - 03/11 - Telstra Rally Australia
14/11 - 17/11 - Network Q Rally Of Great Britain
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