The Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


The 2001 World Rally Championship season review (part 1 of 2). Story by Andrew Frampton.

Following Marcus Gronholm's victory in the 2000 World Rally Championship, it appeared that the Tommi Makinen/Mitsubishi partnership, which was almost unbeatable in the late 1990s, was finally crumbling. Fourteen events on gravel, snow and asphalt would show if Gronholm retained his title for Peugeot, or would another rising star emerge and steal the glory. Mitsubishi would be hoping to claw back a title that had seemed a fixture in the trophy cabinet, while Ford and Subaru would be looking to secure the championship with British drivers in Colin McRae and Richard Burns respectively. Hyundai, Skoda and Citroen were all stepping up their efforts for 2001 - and it turned out to be a cracker!

Round 1 - Monte Carlo Monte Carlo Rally 2001

The 2001 season kicked off in January as the cars tackled the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, more recently one of the most rewarding events for Finland's Tommi Makinen. In his seventh successive season at Mitsubishi, the former multiple World Champion would be hoping to hit the form that saw him claim victory on the Monte last season. Makinen had failed to score a WRC win since his success in the principality in 2000, and having lost out on the title, was looking to make the best possible start to 2001. However, 2001 would see the challenge of Peugeot, with champion Marcus Gronholm and Frenchman Didier Auriol leading the team. However, Monte Carlo has never been kind to the French marque, and by the end of the first leg both cars were out of the event - Gronholm suffered water pump failure after just two stages, while Auriol lost a wheel on the next.

Colin McRae in the Ford Focus was one of the main title challengers last season, and staked his claim for victory in Monte Carlo, taking the rally lead during the first day, and holding it until the end of leg two. However, on stage 12 of 15, a throttle problem cost him thirteen minutes and led to his withdrawal from the event. Also withdrawn was the Subaru of Richard Burns, which had lapsed onto three cylinders at the end of the second day - the car would not reappear on the final leg. This left Spaniard Carlos Sainz as the only challenger to Makinen, but over a minute adrift, the Ford star was unable to catch the Finn.

Makinen and Sainz were joined on the podium by the third works Ford of Francois Delecour, who had emerged in front after a titanic battle with the Skoda of Armin Schwarz. With two stages to run, Schwarz held the advantage by just 1.4 seconds, but a storming performance saw Delecour over 20 seconds faster through the last two stages, leaving Schwarz to equal the Czech marque's best ever WRC finish of fourth. Toni Gardemiester took fifth in his private Peugeot, ahead of Freddy Loix (Mitsubishi) and the Hyundai of Alister McRae.
1. Makinen 10pts; 2. Sainz 6pts; 3. Delecour 4pts; 4. Schwarz 3pts

Round 2 - Sweden Swedish Rally 2001

As the championship battle moved to Sweden, both Peugeot and Mitsubishi held cards up their sleeves. Mitsubishi had signed up Citroen star Thomas Radstrom for one event, while young Finn Harri Rovanpera made his first appearance of the season in his limited Peugeot programme. It was another Finn, Marcus Gronholm, the winner here last year, who took the lead early on. However, on stage 2, a blown engine would spell the end of his event.

Also in trouble was Richard Burns, who smashed into a snowbank, losing thirteen minutes and any chance of the rally victory. Radstrom was the surprise of the event, taking the lead after three stages as his more experienced team-mates struggled - Makinen down in fifth, and Freddy Loix out of the top ten. Rovanpera was in second, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin. Colin McRae had lost six minutes in a snowbank, and now lay 48th. Sainz had the better of the conditions through the first leg's remaining stages, and ended the day leading the rally from Rovanpera and Radstrom, who had lost time in the dark.

McRae was the fastest driver during the second day, completing a run of seven successive fastest times, but still found himself outside the top ten. Team-mate Sainz struggled over the opening stages, and dropped to fourth. This left Peugeot debutante Rovanpera in the lead of the rally, with Makinen closing in second and Radstrom in third. These three held station through the third day, with Sainz closing in fourth. With one stage to go, Makinen was still attempting to make up a small deficit to Rovanpera, but threw his second position away by rolling his car into a snowbank. With Makinen out just a couple of miles from the finish, Rovanpera cruised to victory, with Radstrom taking second and Sainz third, Toni Gardemiester took fourth, ahead of Francois Delecour and Petter Solberg.
1. Makinen = Sainz = Rovanpera 10pts; 4. Delecour 6pts

Round 3 - Portugal Portugal Rally 2001

Tommi Makinen followed his earlier Monte Carlo success by claiming his second victory of the season on the treacherously muddy Rally of Portugal. The Finn led from start to finish in a rally that would be memorable for the cars struggling through the mud, and with numerous stages cancelled. The FIA have canned the event for 2002 in favour of the German Rally.

Makinen's challenge came from Carlos Sainz, who closed throughout the final day, finishing just 8.6 seconds adrift, but such were the conditions, the Spaniard felt that Makinen had made the most of the slightly better running earlier in the rally. Marcus Gronholm took his first points finish of the season with third position, while Richard Burns did similar by claiming fourth spot. Francois Delecour and Alister McRae rounded out the point's scorers. Colin McRae went out after encountering electrical problems on SS7, while Harri Rovanpera suffered a similar fate on SS13.
1. Makinen 20pts; 2. Sainz 16pts; 3. Rovanpera 10pts; 4. Delecour 8pts

Round 4 - Catalunya Catalunya Rally 2001

Away from the mud of Portugal, the teams had much more pleasant conditions to contend with as they hopped over the border to Spain. However, before the event, Citroen's Jesus Puras was accused of making an illegal recce of the stages. The Spaniard claimed he had simply reversed the notes from the stage, having been run backwards in previous years - he raced under appeal, and was later found not guilty. It was the first event proper for the Citroen team, and they were fast straight away; Puras taking the lead of the rally on the opening day, and holding it overnight.

However, halfway through day two, Puras's Citroen would grind to a halt with mechanical problems, leaving team-mate Philippe Bugalski to uphold Citroen honours. Second behind Puras overnight, he took over the lead of the rally, and held it throughout day two. However, a clutch problem on the final day, which would also cost him two minutes in time penalties would drop him down to eighth at the end of the event. The Citroens out of the way, it was left to the Peugeot asphalt specialists to take up the running. Didier Auriol would claim the 206's first victory of the campaign as team-mate Gilles Panizzi closed on the final day, but ended up second in a Peugeot 1-2. The Mitsubishis of Tommi Makinen and Freddy Loix took third and fourth, while the Ford Focus' of Carlos Sainz and Francois Delecour were fifth and sixth. The misery for McRae and Burns continued - the Scot forced out after losing fuel pressure, while Burns finished seventh.
1. Makinen 24pts; 2. Sainz 18pts; 3. Rovanpera = Auriol 10pts

Round 5 - Argentina Argentinian Rally 2001

Colin McRae needed a change in fortune in Argentina to stand any chance of the 2001 title, and he emerged with a glimmer of hope, after claiming a comprehensive victory on the rutted South American roads. McRae burst into an early lead, and with no one able to match his pace, ended the first day 40 seconds ahead of the field. The only driver ever in contention to match McRae was Burns, who took seven stage wins (to McRae's ten).

However, the Focus was suited to the gruelling conditions, and he increased his advantage, before easing off to a 27-second victory. Burns took an equally comfortable second position, ahead of Carlos Sainz, who completed the event despite severe back pains, while championship leader Tommi Makinen could do no better than fourth. Marcus Gronholm crashed out for the second successive event, allowing Petter Solberg and Freddy Loix into the top six. Both Skodas were eliminated after a fire truck crashed into them while in the Parc Ferme area - several crew members were injured in the accident.
1. Makinen 27pts; 2. Sainz 22pts; 3. Rovanpera = Auriol = McRae 10pts

Round 6 - Cyprus Cyprus Rally 2001

Both now back on track for a title challenge, McRae and Burns continued their Argentina form by claiming another British 1-2 result. Not only competing against each other, the teams also had to cope with the searing heat that would set them up for the Safari Rally. However, McRae mastered the conditions and the tactics to take victory by 16 seconds. McRae's tactic of deliberately sand-bagging on the final stage of the second leg, meant that Burns would have to run first through the gravel choked roads on the final day. Burns was outraged, and despite starting the day with a marginal lead, fell out of touch, handing the victory on a plate to the Scot.

Carlos Sainz was a little further back in third, while Subaru's Japanese star Toshi Arai took an excellent fourth, albeit five minutes off third position. Freddy Loix (Mitsubishi) took fifth position, while team-leader Tommi Makinen crashed into a ditch on the opening leg. Pasi Hagstrom, Alister McRae and Bruno Thiry were next up, as reigning champion Marcus Gronholm recorded yet another non-finish, and now looked a long shot for the title.
1. Makinen 27pts; 2. Sainz 26pts; 3. McRae 20pts; 4. Burns 15pts

Round 7 - Acropolis Acropolis Rally 2001

Colin McRae continued his run of form by celebrating a third successive victory after a gruelling Acropolis Rally in Greece. In one of the toughest events on the calendar, the gravel clogged roads once again posed a problem to the leading cars. Tommi Makinen had the most to lose - leading the championship, he would have to run first on the road during Friday's stages, and struggling for traction, ended the day down in ninth.

The surprise of the first day was the pace of Petter Solberg, the young Norwegian taking his Subaru into an early lead. However, gearbox problems would blight his performance later in the day, dropping him to fifth overnight. After struggling with the conditions early on, McRae had moved to the head of the leaderboard, and overnight held a 21 second lead from team-mate Carlos Sainz, with Richard Burns and Markko Martin upholding Subaru honours in third and fourth.

McRae kept his foot down during the second day and emerged with a scarcely dented advantage, although Sainz was now just ten seconds off the lead, and Burns another five further back. The Greek fans were set for a showdown between the top three, with Solberg keeping pace in fourth, after Martin had been forced out of the event. Into the day's second stage, and Burns' challenge seemed over - misjudging a bend, the Subaru star slid into a ditch and lost three minutes.

Without team orders as had been controversially used in this event last season, either McRae or Sainz could emerge victorious with just six seconds separating the pair, with two stages and 24 miles left to run. However, after just six, the battle was over, Sainz cruelly denied by engine failure within minutes of the finish. McRae cruised to an easy victory following Sainz's retirement, while Solberg followed him home for his first podium finish, in an excellent second place. Harri Rovanpera took third from Tommi Makinen, Francois Delecour and Philippe Bugalski, in Citroen's first gravel event.
1. Makinen = McRae 30pts; 3. Sainz 26pts; 4. Burns 15pts

This left Tommi Makinen and Colin McRae as joint leaders in the driver's championship battle as the crews headed for the Safari Rally and the second half of the season. The ever-consistent Carlos Sainz and improving Richard Burns were closing.

DRIVER'S STANDINGS AFTER ACROPOLIS RALLY:

1. Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi) 30pts
2. Colin McRae (Ford) 30pts
3. Carlos Sainz (Ford) 26pts
4. Richard Burns (Subaru) 15pts
5. Harri Rovanpera (Peugeot) 14pts
6. Francois Delecour (Ford) 12pts
7. Didier Auriol (Peugeot) 10pts
8. Petter Solberg (Subaru) 9pts
9. Freddy Loix (Mitsubishi) 7pts
10. Thomas Radstrom (Citroen) 6pts

MANUFACTURER'S STANDINGS:

1. Ford 60pts
2. Mitsubishi 53pts
3. Subaru 28pts
4. Peugeot 20pts
5. Skoda 11pts
6. Hyundai 10pts

(Citroen were not nominated for manufacturer points as they only contested selected events.)

Tommi Makinen in Monte Carlo 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Monte Carlo 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Francois Delecour in Monte Carlo 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Armin Schwarz in Monte Carlo 2001. Photograph by Skoda. Click here for a larger image. Harri Rovanpera in Sweden 2001. Photograph by Peugeot. Click here for a larger image. Thomas Radstrom in Sweden 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Sweden 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Francois Delecour in Sweden 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Tommi Makinen in Portugal 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Portugal 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Marcus Gronholm in Portugal 2001. Photograph by Peugeot. Click here for a larger image. Francois Delecour in Portugal 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Alister McRae in Portugal 2001. Photograph by Hyundai. Click here for a larger image. Didier Auriol in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Peugeot. Click here for a larger image. Giles Panizzi in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Peugeot. Click here for a larger image. Tommi Makinen in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Freddy Loix in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Francois Delecour in Catalunya 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Colin McRae in Argentina 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Argentina 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Tommi Makinen in Argentina 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Freddy Loix in Argentina 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Colin McRae in Cyprus 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Carlos Sainz in Cyprus 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Freddy Loix in Cyprus 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Alister McRae in Cyprus 2001. Photograph by Hyundai. Click here for a larger image. Bruno Thiry in Cyprus 2001. Photograph by Skoda. Click here for a larger image. Colin McRae in Acropolis 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image. Harri Rovanpera in Acropolis 2001. Photograph by Peugeot. Click here for a larger image. Tommi Makinen in Acropolis 2001. Photograph by Mitsubishi. Click here for a larger image. Francois Delecour in Acropolis 2001. Photograph by Ford. Click here for a larger image.
 

Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives Copyright 1999-2024 ©