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2005 WRC: SWEDEN

SOLBERG WINS - LOEB & GRONHOLM OUT

• 2003 champion Petter Solberg maintained his lead to victory while Gronholm and Loeb (engine failure) both retired. Solberg finished over 2 minutes ahead of Markko Märtin. Toni Gardemeister finished 3rd and now leads the overall standing for the first time in his career.
• WINNER, SOLBERG (SUBARU): "It's a great feeling, like a big dream, I almost can't believe it's true. This rally is so special but has been tough for me in the past, and now this year it's just gone perfectly. We made no mistakes all rally - not in the car, or in the team, or anywhere - it just all came into place so well. There are so many people to thank, everyone from Phil Mills, to the guys who work on my car, to Pirelli who have built such an incredible tyre, and the supporters out on the stages who cheered us along. Thanks so much to all of you!"
• LOEB (CITROEN): "It is very frustrating, when you are in a good position with just two stages to go and you can't do anything. We did our best. Now we have to overcome this setback."

• 1 P Solberg / P Mills Subaru Impreza 3 hrs 52.1s
  "It's a great feeling, like a big dream, I almost can't believe it's true. This rally is so special but has been tough for me in the past, and now this year it's just gone perfectly. We made no mistakes all rally - not in the car, or in the team, or anywhere - it just all came into place so well. There are so many people to thank, everyone from Phil Mills, to the guys who work on my car, to Pirelli who have built such an incredible tyre, and the supporters out on the stages who cheered us along. Thanks so much to all of you!"
  2 M Märtin / M Park Peugeot 307 +2m 11.1s
  "I am a little surprised to finish second here! It was an action-packed rally with nothing decided right until the very end. I learnt a lot about the set-up of my car and about the new Pirelli tyres. I was very pleased by their performance - they were very fast and retained the studs extremely well despite the difficult and gravely road conditions. I'm really looking forward to the Rally Mexico next month now, which is an event I won last year."
  3 T Gardemeister / J Honkanen Ford Focus RS +3m 14.7
  "To be leading both world championships is a superb situation for both myself and Ford. I've never been in this position before. My pace wasn't so good on the first day but I've felt much more comfortable since and gained a lot more confidence in the car. I took no risks but just kept to a speed with which I felt happy. The last two stages were comfortable. The team sent us split times for Rovanperä and I was able to moderate my speed accordingly to ensure he didn't get too close. We had some luck with the retirement of drivers ahead of us, but the Focus is a strong car and while others had problems, we didn't."
  4 H Rovanperä / R Pietilainen Mitsubishi Lancer +3m 26.4
  5 Henning Solberg Ford Focus RS +3m 29.8
  6 Daniel Carlsson Peugeot 307 +3m 42.5
  7 G Galli Mitsubishi Lancer +4m 4s
  8 KRESTA, FORD +4m 39.6
  9 PAASONEN, SKODA +5m 11.1
  10 EKSTROM, SKODA +7m 4.2
  11 WARMBOLD 12 DUVAL

RETIREMENT

• LOEB (SS18) - engine problem
  "It is very frustrating, when you are in a good position with just two stages to go and you can't do anything. We did our best. Now we have to overcome this setback."
• GRONHOLM - car roll

• 1 P Solberg/P Mills Subaru Impreza
  "I'm very pleased to be leading tonight, it's been difficult on the stages - judging the amount of grip is tough when it changes on just about every corner! Pirelli and the guys in the team did a great job working out a tyre strategy for today, and I think this really helped on the last stages where I was able to extend the lead a little. We've had a good fight with the other guys, trading times through the stages, but now I'm in a good position and I'm going to do all I can tomorrow to win. Of course, there's still a long way to go and Marcus and Seb are tough competitors, but I have to admit it would be a dream result for me to win here in Sweden."
• 2 M Grönholm/T Rautiainen Peugeot 307 +12.6s
  "It's been a very exciting day, with a fantastic fight on every stage. Petter went quicker than me on the final loop of stages, but I'm really not worried: everything is still possible tomorrow. The car and the team have been fantastic: I've not had any problems all day. I've enjoyed myself a lot and I hope all the spectators have as well. I think tomorrow will be just as exciting and I'm really looking forward to another big battle. Everything is too close to predict!"
• 3 S Loeb/D Elena Citroen Xsara +34.3s
• 4 M Märtin/M Park Peugeot 307 +2m 5
• 5 T Gardemeister/J Honkanen Ford Focus RS +3m 18
• 6 Henning Solberg Ford Focus RS +3m 21
• 7 H Rovanperä/R Pietilainen Mitsubishi Lancer
• 8 G Galli/G D'Amore Mitsubishi Lancer
• 9 Daniel Carlsson Peugeot 307
• 10 Christopher Atkinson Subaru Impreza
• 11 Tuohino 12 Kresta 13 Paasonen 14 Warmbold 15 Duval 16 Ekstrom 17 Sarrazin 18 Walfridson 19 Ketomaki 20 Hirvonen

• 1. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen Peugeot 307, 58min 20.8s
  "I'm very pleased to be in the lead, but I am not a hundred percent happy with some of the settings on my car: there are still some areas in which we can improve. Today was quite difficult as the stages in the afternoon were not in very good condition, so it became a question of looking after the tyres to make sure that all the studs stayed in. I am feeling quite confident for tomorrow, but I am sure that everybody is hoping for a bit more snow to make this a proper winter rally!"
• 2. P Solberg/P Mills Subaru Impreza +0.2s
  "A very interesting day! Too bad I lost some time on the third stage, but apart from that everything has been okay. So far, for me, this has been one of my best Sweden Rallies. It's a great atmosphere out there, lots of Norwegian people, lots of support - it's incredible. There's a lot of changing conditions on the stages, changing grip levels all the time, even between each car, so I'm quite happy to find a driving style that works quite well. There's been no big attack yet, but it will happen sometime in the next two days."
• 3. S Loeb/D Elena Citroen Xsara
• 4. G Galli/G D'Amore Mitsubishi Lancer
• 5. F Duval/S Prévot Citroen Xsara
• 6. M Märtin/M Park Peugeot 307
• 7. T Gardemeister/J Honkanen Ford Focus RS
• 8. H Rovanperä/R Pietilainen Mitsubishi Lancer
• 9. M Ekström/S Bergman Skoda Fabia
• 10 J Tuohino/M Markkula Skoda Fabia
• 11 H Solberg 12 R Kresta

• Drivers: Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena; Francois Duval and Stephane Prevot
• LOEB: "... Our testing in Sweden in December went very well and a further day of testing just before the recce will enable us to validate that work. If the weather doesn't force me to act as snowplough on Day 1, I hope to be up there with the best. Otherwise I will just try to do my best. Above all, it will be important not to make any mistakes and that's no easy matter when driving at speed on a knife edge."
• DUVAL: "... if it's snowy, it's the best rally in the championship; the most fun. The route is defined by the snowbanks and that doesn't pose too much of a problem as far as the notes go. If there's no snow, you have to work harder on your notes because you can use the entire width of the road. From one year to the next, you really make a lot of modifications. When there's no snow I enjoy the rally much less. When gravel starts coming to the surface, the studs get pulled out, the tyres get damaged and you invariably find yourself on an icy portion with shot tyres and without studs. That can be a bit hairy."

PEUGEOT

• Drivers: Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen, Markko Martin and Michael Park
• GRONHOLM: "... I think my first win in Sweden was the finest of my career. It was my maiden win of course, but it was also extremely important vis-à-vis the team. I will never forget the celebrations at the end of the final stage where Corrado Provera was waiting for me. It was very moving. Then it was on to the final service halt where we were greeted by the whole team. That was a memorable moment too. I also love the Swedish Rally because it's fun to drive. I hope this year's event goes well for me. I think I have a very good chance. I came 2nd last year on what was only the 307 WRC's second outing after dropping a minute early on. Since then, the car has progressed and our testing in Sweden in December went particularly well."
• MARTIN: "... Along with Finland and New Zealand, the Swedish is one of my three favourite events ... I momentarily led the rally in 2004 and this year will be my first experience with the 307 WRC off asphalt (Markko was speaking before his scheduled test in the Varmland a week before the start). The car is intrinsically very competitive and Marcus proved that with some top stage times in Sweden last season. That's very encouraging and I will certainly give it my absolute best."

FORD

• Drivers: Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen; Roman Kresta and Jan Tomanek
• GARDEMEISTER: "... The roads are fast and flowing and it's fun to play with the car in winter conditions. Competing on snow is similar to driving on a fast gravel rally. Sometimes studs give even better grip than gravel. If there is a clear line on the road, it's important to stay in it because that's where the grip is found. Move off the line onto fresh snow and the grip becomes less and time is wasted. It's still early in my career with Ford and the Focus RS, but this is one of the rallies where I think a win is realistic. Much depends on the weather. We will start the first day second on the road. If temperatures are above freezing and the snow is soft, we will have poor grip in that position and will lose time clearing the snow for those behind to have a cleaner line. But if it's old snow and the roads are frozen and icy, then grip will be good ..."
• KRESTA: "... I don't have great experience in Sweden, but I enjoy driving on snow and ice and had a good test there before Christmas when I drove the Focus for the first time. It's easier for me now that I don't have to worry about points because I can concentrate on improving my knowledge. If I can score drivers' points that would be superb, but it will be difficult because there are many competitive drivers and cars entered. My result in Monte Carlo gave me good confidence. Every day I was quicker and on the final leg my speed was constant, not just on some stages. I have a much better feeling with the car ..."

SUBARU

• Drivers: Petter Solberg ; Stéphane Sarrazin ; Chris Atkinson
• SOLBERG: "... The main thing is to get some points now. The plan at the beginning is to aim for a podium position but after we've seen how Friday goes, we may change that. We'll have to wait and see. This rally has always been a bit difficult for me, but was much better last year. Although the overall result was a bit of a shame, I had a good feeling in the car. The testing we've done for this event has been very good and we're going to see if we can make any more improvements ahead of the start. You need to have a very aggressive driving style on snow because the tyres are narrower than normal. This is Chris' first event and I think he'll do well. I have a good feeling about his future as he has a good mentality. The team are doing an excellent job supporting both him and Stéphane."
• SARRAZIN: "... It's very exciting to drive on snow. I've done some testing and have a good feeling, but I'm still short on experience. I have a very good car, so it's good for me to learn and I'll try to improve during the rally. Driving on snow is more fun than on tarmac. Asphalt is very quick and you have excellent grip, but on snow you slide all the time and it's important to be very confident on your driving line. I hope to be fast, but I don't have any times to compare myself to at the moment, so we'll have to see after the shakedown. I know I need to push and improve my style, but I have very good car and that helps a lot "
• ATKINSON: "... I'm really excited to have this opportunity. Even though it's only been a couple of months since my position was announced, it feels like I've been waiting for ages now - I want to start competing. The snow conditions are something that I think about of course, but I'll just be concentrating on getting overall experience during this event. The driving style on snow is not that different from driving on gravel, so it's not as much of a jump for me as people might think. The way you approach corners and the way to carry speed is similar, but you have to be more careful when braking on snow than on gravel, as you don't have the same amount of tyre on the road. It'll also be difficult because there are a lot of Scandinavians competing in World Rally Cars, but I'll be concentrating on improving each day. The key target is to get experience and to finish the event"

MITSUBISHI

• Drivers: Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen ; Gigi Galli and Guido D'Amore
• ROVANPERA: "Sweden is absolutely one of my favorite rallies. After the test we can say we have the best set-up available to us, but at the moment it's obviously difficult to know exactly what the conditions will be like. With proper winter conditions, ice and snow, it is a great rally to drive and one that's also really fast. After Monte-Carlo I'm feeling confident for the future".
• GALLI: "We did two days of testing in the north of Sweden in December and I was very satisfied with my driving style and, for me, I have always driven on Pirelli tires in this rally so I know them very well. There is no comparison between Group N and the world rally car. With the Lancer WRC you can drive very cleanly; you can take good lines, brake late, change gear in the middle of corners, everything is possible. With Group N cars, you have to drive much more sideways, but it is a production car, so this is normal. Our goal this year is to help with the development of the car, but it is going to be very interesting for me to compare my performance and tire choice against Harri, who knows this event well and has won it
  before".

SKODA

• Drivers: Jani Paasonen ; Janne Tuohino ; Mattias Ekström
• TUOHINO: "This is one of my favourite rallies. I got my best result there when I finished fourth last year and I got two fastest times during the event. The big question is whether there is going to be enough snow to be able to use the snow banks to drive quicker."
• PAASONEN: "It isn't perhaps the way that I would have liked to get this drive and I'm sorry for Armin but all the same I'm feeling very happy to have the chance. Sweden is one of my favourite events and I hope that I can get a good result for the team. The car is very good and so I am confident we can do well."
• EKSTROM: "I'm really looking forward to competing at this level for the first time in a factory car. Being nominated by Skoda Motorsport for points doesn't put any extra pressure on me but the fact that the team has felt it can trust me with the responsibility actually gives me even more confidence. All I am hoping for is a good clean run from start to finish."

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