Updates from the Rest of the Racing World
Atlas F1 Magazine Writer
Sensational Citroen Sebastien or the Magic of Makinen
When the cars lined up at the start of Special Stage 1, Citroen had plunged to the depths of what could go wrong with Thomas Radstrom grinding to a halt with engine failure a mere ten kilometres from Parc Ferme, with Philippe Bugalski having an identical engine failure before he could reach start control on SS1. By the end of the first night though the team's third car had taken the lead, Loeb throwing form guides in the bin running away from the field, with only four times World Champion Tommi Makinen able to stay within range.
However for Loeb, some nervous days are ahead if the appeal against his penalty is heard. Loeb picked up a two minute time penalty for changing a tyre in a service area where this was forbidden. This was despite the Citroen team asking for a clarification in the issue only that morning. Citroen immediately appealed the penalty, allowing Loeb to continue in the event at the front of the field. If the penalty is upheld, then Loeb will lose his remarkable debut victory, achieved in only his second ever drive of a WRC car. Such was Loeb's dominance though that if the penalty is applied he will only drop to second position.
Like last year the Fords were close to the pace without threatening. Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae finished third and fourth, but are too far behind on the road to improve if Loeb's penalty is applied. Sainz charged hard to close the gap but in the end was 1.6 seconds shy of the Citroen. McRae was delayed with gearbox problems, and a broken seat. Markko Martin in the third car also ran trouble free, but at twelfth, just lacked pace.
Mitsubishi seemed strangely quiet. Losing Makinen has robbed the team of much of its profile, and pace. Short of testing, Alister McRae and Francois Delecour did not make a dent in the standings. Delecour drove well, to rise to ninth, despite differential maladies. McRae could only manage 14th in a steady learning run.
Hyundai had a dreadful start of the year with both cars crashing out. Whilst Armin Schwarz got away with his shunt uninjured, Freddy Loix did not, the impact of hitting the low stone wall ripping the front left corner away from the Accent. Loix was taken to hospital with a suspected broken foot, which thankfully only appeared to be bruised. Schwarz rally ended on the same stage, understeering into a wall on ice, deranging the suspension beyond use.
In Super 1600 Francois Duval (Ford Puma) claimed a comfortable win from Nicola Caldini (Peugeot 206).
The next WRC event is only two weeks away. From the tarmac and treacherous ice of Monaco to the dirt and snowdrifts of Sweden and the backyard of the Scandinavians. Will the three-way tie for greatest number of WRC victories finally be broken?
Result of World Rally Championship, Round 1, Rally of Monte Carlo:
Standings: Sebastien Loeb 10, Tommi Makinen 6, Carlos Sainz 4, Colin McRae 3, Marcus Gronholm 2, Petter Solberg 1
Manufacturers' standings: Subaru 12, Ford 10, Peugeot 4
Mitsubishi First to Senegal
Kleinschmidt's race-long rival last year, former world sportscar champion Jean-Louis Schlesser, had his rally end in the first week of the event when his self constructed buggy burnt to the ground after a fuel leak caught fire.
Masuoka was clearly the best in the event, taking six stage victories. Third place in the rally was the consolation prize for Japanese veteran Kenjiro Shinouka. Second place for most of the early part of the event, delays struck the former WRC event winner. Fourth was former Schlesser team driver Jean-Pierre Fontenay in another Pajero with the L200 Mitsubishi of Carlos Sousa completing a Mitsubishi clean sweep of the rally.
The all-Russian Kamaz team led by Vladimir Tchaguine led home the Truck division in what became a dominant drive, leading home the Czech Tatra team led by Karel Loprais. Early leader Yoshimasa Sugawara in the Hino faded in the rally as he went on to third.
2001/2002 Paris-Madrid-Dakar Rally:
Also in CART news, former race promoter Chris Pook has been confirmed as CART's new CEO after the sacking of Joe Heitzler at the end of last year.
Ray Mallock Limited has also acquired a Panoz, one of the older Ford powered LMP-1 cars which they will run occasionally during the ALMS series, alongside the GTS Class Saleen S-7R racer.
The Kenny Robert Snr run Proton team will continue with their two stroke 500cc in 2002 with riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Jeremy McWilliams.
Manufacturers are gradually returning to the BTCC. Honda is rumoured to be very serious about returning to the BTCC, joining Vauxhall and Peugeot in the series.
Rally
The World Rally Championship started from its traditional launch point of the harbor principality of Monaco for the Monte Carlo Rally. In only his second ever event in a WRC car, Sebastien Loeb has taken his Citroen Xsara to a scarcely believable win. The FIA Super 1600 Championship is not even twelve months old, and already it's proven itself. 2001 Super 1600 Champion Sebastien Loeb took the lead in his Citroen Xsara on Leg 1 and held it all the way back to Monaco. It was a different story back on Friday.
The man who stands to gain from Loeb's error is the smiling Finn, Tommi Makinen. Risto Mannesenmaki is still recovering from his season-ending accident last year at the Tour de Corse, leaving Makinen to race with substitute co-driver Kaj Lindstrom again. And suffering from a cold as well. Makinen was sensational in his debut rally for Subaru, showing none of the trepidation of having to learn a new car on a different tyre brand with a different co-driver. The new look Subaru team were most impressive of all those on the rally. Makinen and Solberg both drove with pace and verve. Solberg dominated the third leg in his chase of the points. The Subarus took eight of the fifteen stage wins. Makinen backed off on Leg 3, believing the penalty to Loeb will be applied, giving him victory and a record breaking 24th WRC victory. Solberg took sixth at the finish.
The number 1 plated Peugeot was a curse for Marcus Gronholm last year. Again this year the #1 plate is on one of the little silver 206s. And Richard Burns is not having a happy time of it this year either. The reigning world champion, only weeks into his employment with the French team, has found himself outside the points and still learning how the car behaves. Gronholm did get in the points though, behind the Fords in fifth. Gilles Panizzi too made a top ten finish, one ahead of Burns in seventh. The Peugeots ran without major problems, but also without pace. The 206 though is the shortest wheelbase of all the WRC cars, a disadvantage on tarmac. The fourth car in the hands of Harri Rovanpera hit a wall and retired on Leg 2.
Skoda had a perhaps disappointing rally with tenth for Toni Gardemeister being the only result. Suspension problems slowed Kenneth Eriksson, while Gardemeister was slowed by teammate Roman Kresta after running over debris form the crash that took Kresta out of the rally. Eriksson would come home in 13th.
Stage 2 of the event was cancelled on Friday. The organisers were left with little choice after spectators parked cars in dangerous spots and stood themselves in even more dangerous spots, like on the outside of corners. Considering the FIA threatened to pull Monaco out of the World Championship because of poor spectator control, they will be eyeing calendars closely for any Rally wanting to take their place on the WRC trail, should the FIA decide to take action against Monte organisers.
Pos Driver Car
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara
2. Tommi Makinen Subaru Impreza
3. Carlos Sainz Ford Focus
4. Colin McRae Ford Focus
5. Marcus Gronholm Peugeot 206
6. Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza
7. Gilles Panizzi Peugeot 206
8. Richard Burns Peugeot 206
9. Francois Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer
10. Toni Gardemeister Skoda Octavia
Rally Raid
Before 2001 had even finished, the 2002 season was under way with the Rally Raid cars, bikes and trucks making the annual month long track across the Sahara desert, the Paris-Dakar Rally. Mitsubishi successfully defended its title, with Hiroshi Masuoka leading the field out of the deserts in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. Second was teammate and defending champion Jutta Kleinschmidt, who last year became the first woman to ever win the event.
In the bikes Fabrizio Meoni was rarely the fastest of the two wheeled set, but his consistency gradually built up a lead over the course of the event, and lead home a KTM performance every bit as dominant as Mitsubishi was in the cars. Meoni on the big 950cc KTM brought in a gaggle of smaller 660cc KTMs, with South African Alfie Cox in second from Richard Sainct.
Cars
1st Hiroshi Masuoka Mitsubishi Pajero
2nd Jutta Kleinschmidt Mitsubishi Pajero
3rd Kenjiro Shinozuka Mitsubishi Pajero
4th Jean-Pierre Fontenay Mitsubishi Pajero
5th Carlos Sousa Mitsubishi L200
Bikes
1st Fabrizio Meoni KTM LC8 950
2nd Alfie Cox KTM LC4 660
3rd Richard Sainct KTM LC4 660
4th Carlo de Gavardo KTM LC4 660
5th Isidre Esteve Pujol KTM LC4 660
Trucks
1st Vladimir Tchaguine Kamaz 49256
2nd Karel Loprais Tatra T815
3rd Yoshimasa Sugawara Hino Ranger
4th Johann Peter Reif MAN L90
5th Jean-Paul Bosonnet Mercedes 1935
Briefs
Townsend Bell has been confirmed by Patrick Racing for a full time ride in the CART series for 2002. Bell was the 2001 Indy Lights champion and drove for Patrick Racing in CART this year at the Lausitzring and Rockingham. Patrick's 2001 drivers have left the team, with Jimmy Vasser off to Team Rahal and Roberto Moreno yet to pick up a drive.
The European Le Mans Series has been discontinued. The main reason for this have been blamed on poor grids and fields being drained by the rival FIA Sportscar and GT Championships. The 2001 ELMS series was won by the Arena International run Audi R8R of Stefan Johansson.
Peugeot BTCC racer and long time Sports and Touring Car racer Steve Soper has retired from motor racing. Injury sustained when he crashed his Peugeot 406 in the final round of the 2001 British Touring Car Championship at Brand Hatch will prevent a return to racing.
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Volume 8, Issue 04
Articles
Juggling Jacques
Elsewhere in Racing Returns
Off-Season Strokes
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