Current standings:

1. P. SOLBERG (N) 26 Pts
2. S. LOEB (F) 25 Pts
3. M. MÄRTIN (EE) 23 Pts
4. M. GRÖNHOLM (FIN) 20 Pts
5. T. GARDEMEISTER (FIN) 20 Pts

It's VERY tight at the top, so whoever wins this rally will probably take over the top spot for the season. Third place was OK for Petter in NZ, but now he has to beat Loeb if he wants the title again. Unfortunately, it seems the only way Solberg can beat Loeb is when Loeb DNFs.

So....

GOOOOO PETTER!!!
http://www.williwood.com/images/enzed/rally/54.jpg

70% of the stage route is reworked, it's supposed to be faster.

I would expect that Peugeot and Gronholm will be hard to beat.

Podium prediction:
1. Gronholm
2. Loeb
3. Solberg

I think it's going to come down to tyre choice. Loeb doesn't have that much of an edge over Petter and his '05 edition. Clearly, in NZ, Michelin's new entry was the difference.

Unless conditions will be extreme, I think it will be a more driver race than tire race. Sardinian roads are very tight, which doesn't leave alot of room for error. But...with the very rocky and twisty roads, durability will be the key factor.

My predictions:

1. Loeb
2. Solberg
3. Gronholm


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

tire choice will definately be an important deciding factor, as always..

it should be interesting, and I think loeb will be tough to beat (as usual)

I'm thinking:

1: Solberg
2: Loeb
3: Martin :D

We all know that loeb is a great driver, but Petter is a bit more agressive so unless someone on the top3 gets a DNF i think its gonna be a close battle from start to finish, i can't wait to see it. but the new boy Atkinson always pushes it pretty hard so i wouldn't be suprised if he finished top5 in this rally.

1 day :D

Shake down:

1) Petter Solberg, Subaru, 2:56.6
2) Marcus Gronholm, Peugeot, 2:58.2
3) Harri Rovanpera, Mitsubishi, 2:59.3
4) Sebastien Loeb, Citroen, 3:00.9
5) Chris Atkinson, Subaru, 3:01.3
= Gigi Galli, Mitsubishi, 3:01.3

Petter won by over two minutes last year.
:D

I think it's going to come down to tyre choice. Loeb doesn't have that much of an edge over Petter and his '05 edition. Clearly, in NZ, Michelin's new entry was the difference.


IIRC this was compounded by the Pirelli runners picking the wrong choice, I saw some thrashed looking rubber on a few cars.

WRCtv preview is up HERE (http://a1568.v6623a.c6623.e.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1568/6623/v001/download.premiumtv.co.uk/WRC/ita05/sardinia_preview_hi.wmv)

Mikko Hirvonen is in second position overall, 7.9 seconds behind the lead, and .8 of a second ahead of Petter. How's that for unexpected?

1 LOEB 48:14.3 0.0
2 HIRVONEN 48:22.2 +7.9
3 SOLBERG 48:23.0 +8.7
4 DUVAL 48:23.4 +9.1
5 ATKINSON 48:24.9 +10.6
6 ROVANPERÄ 48:36.8 +22.5
7 SCHWARZ 48:37.8 +23.5
8 MÄRTIN 48:47.6 +33.3


Stephane Sarrazin is making his debut on gravel, and is currently in 18th overall.

Mikko Hirvonen is in second position overall, 7.9 seconds behind the lead, and .8 of a second ahead of Petter. How's that for unexpected?

Not to me. :D

The problem Mikko will have is potential reliability and tyre choice, he is in a 2 year old car and wont have the full support of the tyre suplier so could struggle later on. Fingers crossed he can keep it going.

So Gronholm rolled his car on SS3 and set the fastest time on SS4.

Not to me. :D

Oh, come on. I've been a fan of Mikko's since his days back at Ford (yeah, okay, two years ago), and I think his results so far are pretty surprising. Particularly since he's driving an '03 spec car.

Now why the heck couldn't he have put in results like this last year??

Looks like Loeb is repeating his NZ domination, over 30 seconds up on Petter after day one.

Petter has had a couple off course excursions but is still slower on his clean runs.

Being first on the road hurt him a bit.

What happened to Atkinson?

What happened to Atkinson?

He hit a rock and removed the rear right wheel. He also lost a lot of time due to a poor tire choice.

The Crastazza stage is killing everyone. On the second go Atkinson, Duval, and Galli all crashed out. Atkinson and Galli on the same rock even. Chris will restart tomorrow with penalties but, it's not sure if Duval will. Gigi finshed the stage but, 3 minutes down. The damaged wheel final went off but, he managed to finish the next stage 4 minutes off to end the day 9 minutes behind Loeb.

Gronholm rolled his car on stage 3 but, didn't do any real damage.

Because of all the crashes the privateer OMV team actually landed 9th and 10th even with one of thier drivers recovering from food poisioning.

Personally I don't think anyone can catch Loeb if his car works well. He's just too good.

He is a monster over 19 sec. gained on stage 11. Loeb will be hard to beat.

Loeb has won 8 of the 11 stages run so far. Petter has won one. Petter is almost a minute behind again. His only hope is Loeb's car goes down and he knows it.

"I'm certainly not giving up yet and I'm going to try like hell to catch Seb. Anything can happen out there, one small mistake can make all the difference."

Tires tires tires. I miss the days when the tires weren't such a big deal :(

I'm shocked.

Michelin has done a WONDERFUL job advising tire choice (nominating, selecting) and with tire build.

Dang, I wish no ill on the great Seb, but come on Petter!

6 stages left to run today..

Common Petter..Push carefully, if Loeb makes a mistake..maybe a blown tire..or two..you could win it.


*hopes*

Not going to happen. Petter has given up already. Even Loeb has backed way down. This is New Zealand all over again with more crashes. I was really hoping Rovanpera could hang on to third but, he went out. The repair bill from this rally is going to be crazy.

I alway cheer for Petter but, Seb is just amazing. He is just the best there is right now.

"I've got to be pleased because I've given my best performance," said Solberg. "There's nothing more I could have done, but Sebastien is just too quick for me."

At least he keeps within striking distance.

Odd that both Mitsus went out with gearbox problems within a stage of eachother.

Petter would probably need to go all out and not settle for second place soon. Losing 2 points per rally to Loeb sucks.

It's the tires..

Pirelli needs to step up they're preformance, otherwise Loeb's going to run all over him.

nice prediction rallycarman. what a tricky rally, i think Loeb was lucky. Well, anybody who made it to the end was lucky.

Its the only rally where the private teams can push hard and compete with the manufacturers.

Pirelli vs Michelin that's just like F1 it all comes down to tires

As I said a week ago :(

Unfortunately, it seems the only way Solberg can beat Loeb is when Loeb DNFs.

I think too much is being made of the tire issue. Is it a factor ? Yes. That being said, the media seems to more concerned about the tire issue then the drivers are.

Just watch how Loeb drives and you'll understand there is a lot more then a better tire going on there. Personally, I think its all his gymnastics training. There is a coordination of movement there that is really amazing to watch. He hardly wastes any movement on the course. It's like he flows down the road when the others are jerking around all over. I'd like to see how he would handle a Subaru and with the French leaving who knows. I like Chris but, if Loeb wanted to come drive for Subaru I bet Chris would find himself back downunder fairly quick.

I wonder how Petter and Sebastien would handle being on the same team though. In fact, probably going to be egos at stake no matter what team he goes to. Maybe put him in a skoda and see what happens ;)

I saw Petter and Sebastien hanging out together and chatting when I was in New Zealand. They seem to have a good rapport and seem to genuinely get along and respect each other, so who knows.

A Subaru team with Solberg AND Loeb would be unstoppable.

A Subaru team with Solberg AND Loeb would be unstoppable.

That would rule..but unfortunetly it can never happen due to the team rules now :(

so who officialy won the stage?

That would rule..but unfortunetly it can never happen due to the team rules now :(
Why not?

Atkinson would have to go, but, as far as I know, there's no rule against having the top 2 drivers on the same team.

so who officialy won the stage?

Hmm nobody seems to have bothered to post the final results ;)
Big congrats to the OMV rally team and Mark Higgins. I like when the privateers get points.

Final standings after 17 special stages:
1. Sebastien Loeb (Fra) Citroen Xsara WRC 4:06:33,7 hrs.
2. Petter Solberg (Nor) Subaru Impreza WRC +59,6 sec.
3. Marcus Gronholm (Fin) Peugeot 307 WRC +3 :07,3 min.
4. Markko Maartin (Est) Peugeot 307 WRC +4:12,3 min.
5. Toni Gardemeister (Fin) Ford Focus WRC +8 :29,3 min.
6. Roman Kretsa (CZ) Ford Focus WRC +9:29,2 min.
7. Anthony Warmbold (D) Ford Focus WRC +9:59,8 min.
8. Juuso Pykalisto/Mika Ovaskainen (Fin) Citoen Xsara WRC +10:21,2 min.
9. Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor (Aut) Citroen Xsara WRC +10:35,6 min.
10. Mark Higgins (GB) Ford Focus WRC +12:21,1 min.

DRIVERS' STANDINGS
1. S. LOEB (F) 35 Pts
2. P. SOLBERG (N) 34 Pts
3. M. MÄRTIN (EE) 28 Pts
4. M. GRÖNHOLM (FIN) 26 Pts
5. T. GARDEMEISTER (FIN) 24 Pts
6. H. ROVANPERÄ (FIN) 11 Pts

MANUFACTURERS' STANDINGS
1. Peugeot 54 Pts
2. Citroën 43 Pts
3. Subaru 36 Pts
4. Ford 33 Pts
5. Mitsubishi 24 Pts
6. Skoda 5 Pts

Why not?

Atkinson would have to go, but, as far as I know, there's no rule against having the top 2 drivers on the same team.
Anyone?

so i quess i missed speedtv's coverage of this over the weekend and now have to wait until June 4th??

anyone have a vcr tape of the speedtv coverage??

dm

VCR?

Whaddat?

Why not?

Atkinson would have to go, but, as far as I know, there's no rule against having the top 2 drivers on the same team.

If Subaru wants to pay and Seb wants to sign there is nothing in the rules preventing it.


My $.02 on the tire thing... From all I've heard, it sounds like the Pirelli technicians have been mis-guessing what conditions are going to be like and keep picking too many soft compound tires. With the limitations on the amount of tires that each driver can take, it's important not only to guess the correct tire for each stage, but before they even leave for the rally they have to guess the right tire for every single stage and do it somewhere between two or six weeks in advance.

(I really wish the FIA would find a better solution than the wonky tire rules. It's decreasing the level of competition which increases the level of, well, boredom. How is that good?)

My predictions:

1. Loeb
2. Solberg
3. Gronholm

Ha! lol.

Im soo pissed, forgot to watch it on TV. :mad:


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

If Subaru wants to pay and Seb wants to sign there is nothing in the rules preventing it.


My $.02 on the tire thing... From all I've heard, it sounds like the Pirelli technicians have been mis-guessing what conditions are going to be like and keep picking too many soft compound tires. With the limitations on the amount of tires that each driver can take, it's important not only to guess the correct tire for each stage, but before they even leave for the rally they have to guess the right tire for every single stage and do it somewhere between two or six weeks in advance.

(I really wish the FIA would find a better solution than the wonky tire rules. It's decreasing the level of competition which increases the level of, well, boredom. How is that good?)
Well, with Peugeot and Citroen both gone next year, I think salary negotiations are going to be in the team's favor, not the driver's.

(I really wish the FIA would find a better solution than the wonky tire rules. It's decreasing the level of competition which increases the level of, well, boredom. How is that good?)

I agree. I can understand it on road racing to slow the drivers down but, it really doesn't make much sense in rally. I'm sick to death of hearing half the WRCtv show dedicated to people whining about tires.

What really needs to change is the drivers points. The winner has to get more points. The way it stands now they might as well cancel sundays. Nobody will take any chances when they don't really lose anything for 2nd or 3rd. Should be 14, 10, 9, 8, etc etc. or something similar.

I live in Florida, have Direct TV and have got only 3 WRC recordings to hit my Tivo this year. how are you guys watching the whole thing day-by-day? I'm so jealous! the only 3 I have are monte carlo, mexico, and italy.

I live in Florida, have Direct TV and have got only 3 WRC recordings to hit my Tivo this year. how are you guys watching the whole thing day-by-day? I'm so jealous! the only 3 I have are monte carlo, mexico, and italy.


I don't know of anywhere in the States to pick up day by day TV coverage. I follow events no the web and Rally Radio. (The radio is available only on a pay basis, and is probably not very useful for anyone who doesn't like staying up all night, as time zone differences mean that most European rounds run in the middle of our night.)

TV coverage currently is at 11 PM Eastern on the Sunday of the rally. I set up a Wishlist on my Tivo with a keyword of "rally" and a category of "Sports/Auto Racing", and it picks up the events automatically. Though I've found that you have to set the recording to go one minute later or you miss the last 15 seconds of the coverage. Probably not critical, but I like getting the complete show.


Speaking of coverage, they sure loved Duval's roll. I can't keep track of how many times they showed it!

Speaking of coverage, they sure loved Duval's roll. I can't keep track of how many times they showed it!

I especially like the guy he's heading right for that jumped out of the way!

Not as cool as the guy that Tommi's car 'flew' over, but close!

Anyone?

My mistake. I remember back a while ago that I heard something about not being able to have more than one world champion on a team at a time.

Is that a new rule? I remember in 2003, the Citroen team had both Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae in the same team, as well as Peugeot had Marcus Gronholm and Richard Burns in the same team. Also Subaru was going to sign Burns when Solberg won the Championship in 2003. It never happened due to Burn's Illness and they hired Hirvonen for 2004.

Is that a new rule? I remember in 2003, the Citroen team had both Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae in the same team, as well as Peugeot had Marcus Gronholm and Richard Burns in the same team. Also Subaru was going to sign Burns when Solberg won the Championship in 2003. It never happened due to Burn's Illness and they hired Hirvonen for 2004.


Apparently not.
I DO remember hearing it though..And I was pretty pissed off by it.

Guess it was never implimented.