08 Февруари 2003 - 09:57 Gronholm delivering on his promises Rally of Sweden : Leg One - Review

This first leg of the 52nd running of the Rally of Sweden was once again dominated by Peugeot and world champion Marcus Gronholm. The Finnish won the majority of tests and sits on top of the overall standings. Peugeot is ideally positioned, having four of their cars in the top five. Only Tommi Makinen was able to keep up with the Lions, the Subaru showing it is quite comfortable on snow.

Gronholm in full control
Never one to state loudly what his objectives are, Marcus Gronholm didn't hesitate to predict before the start of the race that he'd be in contention for the title, and that he saw teammate Harri Rovanpera as his most serious rival. According to the world champion, the Swedish crown, which ended up at Peugeot these past three years, wouldn't escape the grasp of the 206. Winner in 2000 and 2002, Gronholm saw in the 2001 winner - Rovanpera - a serious threat.

Serene, without putting undue pressure on his own shoulders, Gronholm grabbed the lead in SS2 and never looked back.

Harri Rovanpera didn't quite have the start that he was dreaming of. Having trouble finding his rhythm, the Finnish saw Peugeot teammate Richard Burns go quicker - even though the Brit was having differential problems.
And just to make sure everyone got the message that the Peugeot is a good little car, privateer Juuso Pykalisto decided to put his 206 WRC in the 5th spot overall.

Makinen takes over at Subaru
Last year, Tommi Makinen took a back seat to teammate Petter Solberg. This Swedish rally has created the opposite situation, with a fully-motivated Makinen showing he's still got the stuff World Champions are made of. Taking advantage of a long special stage - his specialty! - Tommi grabbed the second spot in the overall standings and managed to keep it in the ensuing stages.

Petter Solberg couldn't follow in his teammate's footsteps. Fighting a flu, Solberg chose the wrong tyres, opting for ones that were too narrow, making his car a handful to drive. Under these circumstances, it was tough for the Norwegian to set some good times. And a 10-second penalty for a false start didn't make things any better.

Gardemeister: surprise!
We knew that under the right conditions, Finn Toni Gardemeister could be at the top of his sport. Looks like he loves driving on these Swedish roads, a 6th place overall in his Octavia being proof of that. The Skoda driver is enjoying himself and, aside from his engine stalling a few times in the first stage, he ran a problem-free race.

Which is not the case for teammate Didier Auriol, who went off road in SS3, losing two and a half minutes in the process.

The Oval feeling blue
Ford's young guns put on quite a show in Monte-Carlo, leading them (and us!) to believe that Sweden would deliver even better results. But reality decided to kick in and the inexperience of Francois Duval and Mikko Hirvonen prevented them from fighting for points.

In SS5 Francois Duval's Focus running off course, hitting a snowy bridge parapet and ending its course in the middle of the road, the Ford terminally disabled by the damage done to its suspension. Having escaped unscathed, Duval and Fortin were able to signal the danger to the following teams. It appears the race directors decided to cancel the stage and had the rest of the teams proceed in a convoy to SS6.

Ford had pinned their hopes on Markko Martin, but the Estonian had to admit the Rally of Sweden is getting quicker and quicker. He wasn't able to repeat his past years' Swedish performances.

Citroen in deep trouble
It is difficult to gauge the Xsara's true potential on the Swede snow. Things got off to a good start when Sebastien Loeb took SS1's honours. Sadly for the Citroen drivers, the next tests were covered in snow, in which their studs had no bite.

By sweeping the Monaco podium, the Xsara drivers were given the top three spots in the championship ranking. Which had them opening the roads for their rivals, making it impossible to compete.

Hyundai's struggles
No real problems for Armin Schwarz and Freddy Loix, who readily admit that their Accent can hold its own on this type of terrain. The Accent's handling is excellent, but its engine is severely lacking in power. Both men did their best on the slippery surface, the Hyundai's lack of torque preventing them from being a real factor.

The 'locals' are ready to pounce
Every year in Sweden, local drivers benefit from their experience on this kind of terrain and are able to fight with the stars of the WRC. Such is the case for Janne Tuohino, 9th in his Ford Focus, tied with Freddy Loix. Same goes for Kristian Sohlberg, whose 11th spot is ahead of the Citroen of Sainz and McRae, who need to watch for Jussi Valimaki in the third works Hyundai.

Francis COULOMBE
CAPSIS International, 07/02/2003