2005
WRC STANDING:
after rally
1 Loeb 55
2 Solberg 42
2 Martin 38
4 Gronholm 32
5 Gardemeister 31
6 Rovanpera 13
Stohl 11
Kresta 10
H. Solberg 9
Panizzi 7
Duval 5
Carlsson 4
Warmbold 4
Galli 3
Atkinson 2
Galli 2
MANUFACTURERS
1. Peugeot 72 pts
2. Citroen 68
3. Ford 49
4. Subaru 46
5. Mitsubishi 30
6. Skoda 8
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- Rally
7 of 16: June 3-5, 2005
- 3RD YEAR
IN WRC:
formerly known as Anatolian Rally
- LOCATION:
Kemer, Mediterranean coast
- CONDITION:
rough gravel, rocky, twisty mountain roads
- WEATHER:
Hot conditions; temperature around 35°C
- LOCAL
TIME: GMT + 3
RALLY
RESULT:
FINAL
RESULT, LEG 3, SUN, JUNE 5:
- 1
Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara, Michelin (wins 10 stages)
"This
was a fantastic job by the team!"
- 2
Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza +59.6s (wins 4 stages)
"The
rally actually worked very well for me and we had a good
two days. I took quite a lot of time out of Marcus yesterday
and had a good feeling that I could do something similar
today. We attacked quite hard on the first stage today,
but on the second we just drove according to the splits.
We managed to secure second place and I'm very pleased for
Subaru and the team ... Our pace was encouraging, but we
still have to find a solution to challenge Sebastien all
the time. It would have been good to have fought more closely
with him, but that's how it is and we've done the best we
can"
- 3
Marcus Gronholm , Peugeot 307 +1m 15 (wins
1 stage)
"I
did my best to pass Petter today, I even removed the AC
unit from my car at service in order to save a bit of weight,
but there was nothing more I could do. We were very close
until the last 7 kilometres of SS17, then Petter did a very
good time. Of course I was pushing, but my instructions
were to get to the finish and make sure of scoring some
points for Peugeot."
- 4
Carlos Sainz, Citroen Xsara +4m 17"
- 5
Markko Martin, Peugeot 307 +5m 17
"This
has been a tough rally for us and we have struggled to find
complete confidence in the car," the Estonian ace explained.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but at least we
have come away with some points which are vital for both
championships."
- 6
Toni Gardemeister , Ford Focus +8m 17
- 7
Roman Kresta, Ford Focus
- 8
Gigi Galli, Mitsubishi Lancer (wins 2 stages)
- 9
Antony Warmbold, Ford Focus
- 10
Harri Rovanpera, Mitsubishi Lancer
LEG
2, SAT, JUNE 4: Standing after SS16
- 1
Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara, Michelin (wins 10 stages)
"Our
job today was to control our lead, and that is always a
little more delicate in changeable weather, but I don't
think we did too badly. It's looking good..."
- 2
Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza +1m 16 (wins 3 stages)
"After
all that's happened so far in this rally, I'm extremely
pleased to be in second place tonight. Things are going
the right way now and today has been completely different
to yesterday when we were a long way off the pace. We were
the fastest overall on today's stages and I think that's
down to the tyres and the weather. Leg one was difficult,
but today it's been warmer and, even with the same tyre
compound, the package has worked much, much better. It'll
definitely be an interesting fight with Marcus tomorrow,
but my focus is on second place only now. All that matters
is that Sebastien doesn't get too much of a lead in the
Championship so I'm going to do all I can to prevent that."
- 3
Marcus Gronholm , Peugeot 307 +1m 24
"
It's good to be fighting for second place but of course
I would rather be fighting for victory ... Sebastien has
been in a class of his own here, and we can only do our
best and hope that he has a problem! Nothing has really
gone wrong for us today but I am not quite sure if some
of our tyre choices were correct for the conditions: sometimes
the tyres seemed to be too hard. The car has again been
very reliable, and we've got a good battle with Petter on
the final day to look forward to. I'm going to be pushing
hard but I don't want to do anything that risks our chance
of scoring points for Peugeot. "
- 4
Carlos Sainz, Citroen Xsara +3m 36
"In
spite of the delicate conditions, I had a lot of fun today.
I have to admit that I still derive just as much pleasure
from driving"
- 5
Markko Martin, Peugeot 307 +5m 11
"It's
been an interesting fight with Toni Gardemeister, but he
had a problem on the last loop of stages which takes the
pressure off us. We've been quite lucky with the rain on
the middle loop of stages today; it rained a lot on the
road sections but seemed to stay dry on the competitive
sections. We've also made some adjustments to the brakes
today, which worked well. It's clear now that there is not
so much we can do to make up another place so it is a question
of keeping concentrated and trying to maintain our position
to the end. The conditions are tricky, but the car has given
us no problems. "
- 6
Toni Gardemeister , Ford Focus
"Everything
felt better and I drove absolutely flat out in both stages,
I couldn't have gone any faster. The car felt fantastic,
especially on the twisty sections. I chose quite hard tyres
but they were OK on the first stage, which was damp and
muddy. The second test was drier and the rubber was perfect"
- 7
R Kresta, Ford Focus
- 8
G Galli, Mitsubishi Lancer (wins 2 stages)
- 9
A Warmbold, Ford Focus
- 10
H Rovanpera, Mitsubishi Lancer
- 11
H Solberg 12 Vovos 13 Tuohino 14 Ligato 15 Higgins
LEG
1, FRI, JUNE 3: Standing after SS9 (SS1 cancelled)
- 1
Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara, Michelin (wins 7 stages)
"It
couldn't have gone better. The car was perfectly balanced and I
was able to do what I wanted with it. If I wanted to slide, it responded
progressively. And when I wanted to keep it smooth, it wasn't a
problem. The most difficult thing today has been tyre choice. This
was the fruit of real teamwork and I think we can all be pleased
tonight with the choices we made!"
- 2
Gigi Galli, Mitsubishi Lancer (wins 1 stage) +1m 9s
"It
has been a fantastic day and we have all done a good job. For me
it is not so much the work we have done here, but what we achieved
on the test last week. The tires have also worked well and we have
made a good choice everywhere, so my thanks go to Pirelli. Tomorrow,
we have some really hard-charging drivers behind and it will be
a big fight. But we have to be clever; I will stick to my own rhythm
because I know they are much more experienced and I am not perhaps
ready to fight with someone like Marcus. If it's dry, it will certainly
be harder to keep him behind."
- 3
Marcus Gronholm , Peugeot 307 +1m 13
"Today
has been OK, but I am a bit disappointed not to be faster. We have
tried our best today and had no real mechanical problems, but it
does not seem possible for us to fight for the lead here. We are
still having a good fight for second place, so now we must just
carry on like this and concentrate on getting the maximum points
for ourselves and Peugeot. On the last stage before the superspecial
I had a small gear selection problem which meant that I had to use
the manual shift, and on the superspecial itself I stalled, but
apart from that it has not been too bad."
- 4
Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza +1m 30
"It's
been a very difficult day. I don't think I've had the correct tyre
choice at all and it's hard to smile when you're fourth! In the
afternoon we tried a new tyre evolution, but it was designed to
work at 30°C, and it was just 16°C on the stage, so it didn't
work at all and I had to do the best I could. We hoped that the
rain would miss the stage, but it didn't! It's been very frustrating,
but I'm not going to give up. Tomorrow is a very long day, I'm expecting
a good fight with Marcus and there are plenty of opportunities for
us to make the right tyre choices this time!"
- 5
Carlos Sainz, Citroen Xsara +1m 53
"It wasn't such an easy day for me. My road position meant
I came across lots of big stones on the stages. My speed came back
bit by bit as I got used to the Michelin tyres which are new this
season; the grip they give is excellent. The car's steering precision
is also a little different to what I was accustomed to. I have therefore
been looking to adjust the set-up differently to Seb with a view
to making the car like I want it, which is to say very precise.
Concerning tyre choice, because of the 24-minute gap between Seb
and me on the road, I thought I would have more rain in the final
loop and I possibly re-cut my tyres a little too much. That said,
I am very pleased this evening because I think I am well placed
to help Citroën."
- 6 Toni
Gardemeister , Ford Focus RS +3m 10
"The
first 20km of the opening stage were OK but I dropped time towards
the end and I don't understand why. The car felt too soft so I made
the dampers harder and it handled much better on the next tests.
The first stage of that next group was muddy like hell. I think
I drove too aggressively and there was a lot of sliding into banks.
It wasn't good. But the next two were quite dry. The times were
better and
I was happier."
- 7 Markko Martin
, Peugeot 307 +3m 45
- 8 H Solberg,
Ford
- 9 Kresta
- 10 Warmbold
- CANCELLED:
SS1
RALLY
ROUTE:
-
Friday
3 June: Leg 1 Kemer - Kemer
Start Kemer
06.10
SS2 Phaselis 1 28.98km 07.08
SS3 Arykanda 1 11.95km 08.16
Serv B Kemer (30 mins) 09.46
SS4 Perge 1 22.28km 11.14
SS5 Myra 1 24.05km 11.57
SS6 Arykanda 2 11.95km 12.40
Serv C Kemer (30 mins) 14.10
SS7 Perge 2 22.28km 15.38
SS8 Myra 2 24.05km 16.21
SS9 EFES Pilsen SSS2 2.60km 18.04
Serv D Kemer (flexi 45 mins) 19.24
-
Saturday 4 June: Leg 2 Kemer - Kemer
Serv E Kemer
(10 mins) 07.00
SS10 Kemer 1 20.35km 07.33
SS11 Silyon 1 29.58km 08.21
Serv F Kemer (30 mins) 10.11
SS12 Kemer 2 20.35km 11.04
SS13 Silyon 2 29.58km 11.52
Serv G Kemer (30 mins) 13.42
SS14 Chimera 1 16.45km 15.00
SS15 Phaselis 2 28.98km 15.58
SS16 EFES Pilsen SSS3 5.20km 17.41
Serv H Kemer (flexi 45 mins) 19.01
Finish Kemer 19.46
- Sunday
5 June: Leg 3 Kemer - Kemer
Serv I Kemer (10 mins) 09.00
SS17 Chimera 2 16.45km 10.03
SS18 Olympos 33.35km 11.01
Serv J Kemer (20 mins) 12.31
Finish Kemer 12.55
Rally Total 348.43km
PEUGEOT
- GRONHOLM:
"It's not my favourite type of rally but the organisers did a
really good job last year in producing a smoother route than Cyprus.
I was pretty unlucky last year. Let's hope it will be different this
time round. I know it will be very difficult but we will see."
- MARTIN,
2ND IN STANDING:
"It's a tough event on the cars. My priority will be to reach
the finish to score as many points as possible. I know I will be able
to count on the reliability of the 307 WRC and I really want to help
my team fight for the Manufacturers' title. That's important, so I
am pleased with the results I have scored since the beginning of the
season. I would naturally like to progress performance-wise though
and our engineers are working very hard to adapt the car's handling
to my driving style,"
CITROEN
- LOEB,
CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER: "The positive side is that
it proves I'm leading the championship. And we have won before after
running first on the road on Day 1. Last year, the heavy rain that fell
before the start meant that being first on the road wasn't such a handicap.
It's by no means certain that we will find the same conditions this
year. I will be looking of course to keep up my recent winning momentum
and we have already won rallies in the past despite being first into
the stages on Day 1. Even so, I think it will be a case of trying to
lose as little ground as possible to begin with. We will see where we
stand when there's no more road sweeping to be done and we will know
at that point what sort of result we can aim for."
- SAINZ:
Guy (Fréqueli) found himself in a delicate position.
He talked to me about it and a quick decision had to be taken in view
of the short timeframe available. As far as I am concerned, I had to
talk it over with my family before giving Guy an answer. But given everything
that Citroën brought me during our two seasons together, I didn't
imagine for an instant that I would refuse! But as I have said, I am
back for the Rally of Turkey only. This is not a comeback to World Championship
rallying."
FORD
- GARDEMEISTER:
"We
missed out on a podium place on each of the last two rallies through
bad luck. But the performance of the Focus on those events gives me
great motivation for both this rally and the next in Greece, which is
another rough event. I finished seventh here two years ago but conditions
will be totally different this year. There was snow alongside some roads
and very few of the stages are the same so I will treat it like a new
rally. It's similar to Cyprus, except that the roads are a lot wider
and not as twisty, so it's faster. But I remember it being very rough,
and although that was after a bad winter, I'm sure it will still be
hard on cars"
- KRESTA:
"I've never been to Turkey before, not even on holiday.
So I will follow the same tactics I used in the last two rallies. I'll
drive cautiously, at a speed with which I'm comfortable and aim for
another solid result. I want maximum experience of the roads and maximum
kilometres in the Focus on gravel. Both are important for me so I hope
a sensible pace will pay off. To drive flat out in rough conditions
risks technical problems and punctures, as we saw on the last two rallies.
As everything will be new to me, it's difficult to know what is the
best set-up for the Focus. I learned a lot in Cyprus and had a good
feeling with the car in similar conditions. I've spoken with many people
whose advice is that Turkey is rougher than the Acropolis Rally in Greece
but not as bad as Cyprus. So I'll start with the same set-up and see
how I progress,
SUBARU
- SOLBERG,
2ND IN STANDING: "We need some luck now and for
things to work out well for us. We didn't have such a good event in
Cyprus, but Turkey is a rally that I like a lot. We had some problems
there last year and were unlucky with the watersplash, but now I'm ready
to fight back. It will be a tough event, but the team has been working
really hard with the car since Cyprus. Now I'm ready to get back behind
the wheel and start the event."
- ATKINSON:
"After a couple of results that have not been so good,
I'm looking forward to this event and to getting out on the stages.
We've learned that we can drive the car at a safe pace on rough gravel
roads and now I'd like to pick up the speed. I know the car can handle
it, so it's time for me to move things forward a little bit and that's
what I'll be looking to do in Turkey."
MITSUBISHI
- ROVANPERA:
"I completed lots of kilometers during two long days of testing
and we tried many different damper settings and hopefully we have found
something good for the conditions. I certainly feel happier going into
this rally than I did in Cyprus, as much because we have more knowledge
and understanding of the car in these conditions. I'm happy to go to
this rally and hopefully the roads will be even better than last year
as it's an event I have performed well on. We were leading before breaking
the rear dampers in 2003 and last year we had a good position before
the gearbox problems. I hope we can do a nice rally and, without problems,
I feel a top five is possible, for sure".
- GALLI:
"I
am really pleased to be driving in Turkey; it was a bit of a surprise
but a very good one!. Turkey, I'm sure, will have better road conditions
than Sardinia and Cyprus, but I really hope the organizers have made
more improvements to the stages since last year. But, we have to wait
until the recce to see. It was very useful for me to see the conditions
in Cyprus, but Turkey will be different; faster and not so rough I'm
absolutely sure. I haven't spoken to the team yet about our strategy;
I think maybe we will decide once the recce is over. But I want to go
into the rally positively and with the thought that a top five position
is where I will finish. I feel this is another good opportunity for
me and I hope to do a good job and have no problems".
SKODA
- TUOHINO:
Turkey is something between Cyprus and Greece so I think we know what
to expect when we get there. We had a good test session in Greece after
Cyprus and we found some new things in the set-up for this type of event."
- SCHWARTZ:
"I really won't know exactly what to expect until I start the recce.
I think the roads are smoother than Cyprus but sometimes rougher than
the Acropolis so I hope that our car's good handling on these type of
roads will benefit us."
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2005
SEASON
Rally
of Monte Carlo
Rally of Sweden
Rally of Mexico
Rally of ITALY
Rally of Italy-Sardinia
Rally of Cyprus
Rally of Turkey
Rally of Greece
Rally of Argentina
Rally of Finland
Rally of Germany
Rally of Great Britain
Rally of Japan
Rally of France-Corsica
Rally of Catalunya
Rally of Australia
WRC
Manufacturer Champions:
2004: Citroen
2003:
Citroen
2002: Peugeot
2001: Peugeot
2000: Peugeot
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