Marcus, Markko & Carlsson - Sweden



After finishing with both its cars in the points in Monte Carlo, Peugeot Sport travels to the season's second round in Sweden where it will be looking to add a further win to the four Swedish Rally successes it has secured since 2000. The team's colours will be represented by Marcus Grönholm and Markko Märtin, while a third 307 WRC has been entered for local youngster Daniel Carlsson. The objective announced by Peugeot at the start of the season was perfectly clear: after securing three Manufacturers' titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, plus Drivers' championship wins with Marcus Grönholm in 2000 and 2002, the Vélizy-based operation wants to claim another WRC crown before moving on to other activities from 2006.

The level of the competition and the fiercely disputed nature of the championship were confirmed by the way the opening round in Monte Carlo unfolded. The Peugeot 307 WRC has never won in the Principality but it has always been strong in the French Alps. This time round, before being caught out by snow thrown onto the road by spectators on the final day, Marcus Grönholm figured in 2nd place thanks to some excellent stage times. Despite the incident, the Finn finished 5th, just behind his new team-mate at Peugeot, Markko Märtin (4th), who was making his debut with the French squad. This close-formation finish underlined the car's reliability which is particularly encouraging for the fixtures to come.

The 'Swedish' generally features fewer unknowns than the Monte Carlo Rally which is unpredictable by definition and where the team was essentially looking to find its marks after the changes brought in since 2004. Meanwhile, except when the weather proves excessively mild, the Swedish Rally is the calendar's only 100% winter round and traditionally takes place over snow-covered lanes that the drivers have come to know very well. And every one of them will be intent on being the fastest of the pack over the event's challenging stages.

It only takes a glance at Marcus Grönholm's record to see that this is an event the Finn enjoys. It was in Sweden – with Peugeot, in 2000 – that he claimed the first win of his WRC career. He finished on top again in 2002 and 2003 and was 2nd in 2004. Only once has he failed to reach the finish with the team in Karlstad, and that was in 2001 when victory went instead to his team-mate Harri Rovanperä.

"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."

Markko Märtin's best result to date in Sweden is 4th overall (2003). The Estonian's record also includes an outright win in Finland (2003) which speaks volumes for his speed on the championship's fastest events. "Along with Finland and New Zealand, the Swedish is one of my three favourite events," he confirms. "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 Värmland 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."

A third 307 WRC has been entered for Daniel Carlsson who will be eager to fly the Peugeot flag as high as possible on his home event.

Gronholm only needs 'little plus' to win?


 
Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm reckons that the team could step up a level at the Rally Italia Sardinia next weekend, following further development work on the 307 WRC since New Zealand.

The Finn, who is joint fourth in the drivers' championship, added that the reason he didn't win in NZ earlier this month, is because the team lacked a 'little plus' to be able to fight with the Citroen of Sebastien Loeb - namely their Pirelli tyres were no match for the Michelin's of Loeb.



Gronholm, who was seventh last year in Sardinia, will be hoping to go a lot better this time out.

"I was delighted to come away from New Zealand with more valuable points, although I was a little disappointed of course not to have won there again," he said.

"We will be able to count on our car's excellent reliability [next week though]. We simply lacked a little 'plus' in New Zealand to be able to fight for victory.

"I am looking forward to seeing how competitive we will be in Italy where the stages will be very different to what we found in New Zealand.

"We will have done more work on the car since then too..."

Fighting talk...

Article from: Crash.Net

Round 5 of the 2005 World Rally Championship's sixteen qualifying events takes crews to Sardinia for the first in a sequence of four rough gravel events which all take place in Mediterranean rim countries. Marcus Grönholm and Markko Märtin go into the first of these encounters in a strong position in the Drivers' championship, while Peugeot tops the current Manufacturers' standings. The entire team will be looking to profit from the coming rounds to continue building on its recent progress.

The first part of the 2005 season has been quite positive for Peugeot Sport. With a 12-point advantage over Citroën and a gap of 15 points over Subaru, the French squad today enjoys a useful lead in the provisional Manufacturers' championship standings. Its objective to add a fifth world crown to its record before focusing its sporting activities in other areas from 2006 would therefore appear to be a realistic goal.

Meanwhile, Markko Märtin and Marcus Grönholm are respectively 3rd and 5th in the Drivers' standings and are both in the group of five drivers who have pulled out something of a gap at the top. Consistency and reliability have so far been two of the Peugeot Sport team's assets and, from the four rounds organised to date, its crews have secured seven points finishes from a possible eight. A win would be an ideal way to build on the four podiums it has obtained since the start of the season thanks to Marcus Grönholm (2nd in Mexico and New Zealand) and Markko Märtin (2nd in Sweden and 3rd in Mexico).

To give the 307 WRC every chance of reaping its first success of 2005 in Sardinia, Peugeot Sport has continued to develop the car and, with tyres poised to play a decisive role, the victory of the team's partner Pirelli on the Italian island last year is particularly encouraging…

Rally Italia Sardinia was included for the first time in the world calendar in October 2004 when it took over from the asphalt of the Sanremo Rally. The second running of this new event – which has switched to a late April slot – could well take place in warm weather. The Mediterranean's second biggest island, Sardinia is famous for its luxury resort Porto Rotondo which will host the ceremonial start and finish, while the route has undergone numerous revisions in comparison to the predominantly narrow, twisty stages crews discovered last year.

Marcus Grönholm finished 7th in Sardinia in 2004 after being delayed by mechanical trouble. The Finn is currently on a run of two consecutive 2nd place finishes and knows that a top result in Italy would do his championship chances a world of good: "I was delighted to come away from New Zealand with more valuable points, although I was a little disappointed of course not to have won there again. We will be able to count on our car's excellent reliability. We simply lacked a little 'plus' in New Zealand to be able to fight for victory. I am looking forward to seeing how competitive we will be in Italy where the stages will be very different to what we found in New Zealand. We will have done more work on the car since then too…"

Markko Märtin was a little less fortunate than Marcus Grönholm in Sardinia in 2004 when he was sidelined on the final day while running in 3rd position. "The rally takes place at a different time of year now and some of the stages are new. We will see how it goes when we get there. One thing is certain: Pirelli tyres were competitive last year and that's encouraging. Personally, I will be out to score as many points as possible of course while continuing to adapt the car's set-up to my driving style. I changed the way I drove on the final day in New Zealand and that was a little better. Our aim is to continue making progress and to defend as best we can the positions we and the team currently hold in the two championships."

Pug Mediterranean tour continues


After stopovers in Sardinia and Cyprus, and before the current Mediterranean tour concludes in Greece, Turkey will host the seventh of the sixteen-round 2005 World Rally Championship. Peugeot has finished both Rally Turkeys to be organised as WRC qualifiers to date with a car on the podium and will again be out to score maximum points to consolidate its position as leader of the provisional Manufacturers' standings. Marcus Grönholm, who finished 2nd here last year, and Markko Märtin, who has been in extremely consistent form since the beginning of the season, will be the team's men of the moment.

After the punishing Cyprus Rally, the rough, rocky, twisty stages of which took their toll on the WRC machines, Rally Turkey promises to dish out still more heat, dust and difficulties. Its route however is expected be less gruelling tough than that of its Cypriot counterpart. Turkey, which will also host a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time this summer, joined the world rally calendar in 2003.

Peugeot Sport will once again throw all its strength into the upcoming battle in a bid to secure its first victory of the year. An outright win would effectively be a welcome result for the French team which has so far proved particularly consistent, with six top-three finishes* to its name since the start of the year, but which hasn't yet succeeded in climbing onto the highest step of the podium. "The positive aspect of the first third of the season is without the shadow of a doubt the reliability of our car," underlines Peugeot Sport's Director Jean-Pierre Nicolas. "However, we've still got work on our plates with our partner Pirelli to optimise the tyre factor on the performance front."

Marcus Grönholm finished 9th in the 2003 Rally Turkey after losing ground following a technical problem. In 2004, he was battling for victory when a freak incident lost him time during Leg 2. His 307 WRC unearthed a metal rod buried in the stage surface which then pierced both the chassis of the car and the seat of his co-driver Timo Rautiainen. The harm done was finally less than at first feared but the seconds lost put the Finn out of contention and he was forced to settle for 2nd place.

Never one to bear a grudge, Marcus still enjoys Rally Turkey. "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," commented the two-times World Champion. "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…"

Markko Märtin has not harvested a great deal of success from his two previous visits to Rally Turkey. In 2003, he finished 6th after losing a big chunk of time with mechanical problems on Day 1. Last year, he dropped down the leaderboard when his engine drowned in a watersplash. "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," says the Estonian whose consistency has been one of Peugeot's trump cards during the opening phase of the 2005 season. Markko Märtin is currently 3rd in the provisional Drivers' championship standings.

PEUGEOT ON TOP GOING INTO GERMANY

Manufacturer: Peugeot
Press Release Type: Pre-event Release

Thanks to the win of Marcus Grönholm and the 3rd place of Markko Märtin in Finland, Peugeot is on top of the provisional 2005 Manufacturers' World Championship standings as it turns its attention to the Deutschland Rally at the end of August. For the eleventh of the sixteen-round series, the French team's objective will be to add as many points as possible to its score with both drivers in order give itself the best possible chance of securing a further world title.

Of the seventeen world class wins he has obtained with Peugeot, Marcus Grönholm will doubtlessly remember his most recent success in Finland for a long time to come. The tenth round of the championship provided him with the fifth win of his career on home soil, three at the wheel of the Peugeot 206 WRC (2000, 2001 and 2002) while two were with the 307 WRC (2004 and 2005). Last year's Rally Finland was the first victory for the 307 WRC. This year's visit to Jyväskylä brought the French car its second success and its first of 2005. The ten Manufacturers' points scored by the Finn for his team, added to the six obtained by Markko Märtin, who finished an excellent 3rd in Finland, has taken Peugeot's total score to 106 points compared with 105 for Citroën. This slender margin between the two makes contrasts with the gap the two have pulled out over Ford and Subaru who follow in 3rd and 4th places with scores of 69 and 59 points respectively.

While the Drivers' championship leader Sébastien Loeb is well ahead with a total of 83 points to his name, Marcus Grönholm has passed into 2nd spot with 55 points and Markko Märtin is now 4th with a score of 48 points. "At last we have obtained the sort of result we have so long been hoping for," beamed Peugeot Sport boss Jean-Pierre Nicolas after the finish in Finland. "Both drivers were remarkable. Marcus was the King of Finland and Markko put in his best performance since the beginning of the season. Our Pirelli tyres were competitive from start to finish and this result has given the team's morale a huge boost going into the final part of the season!"

Buoyed by its position, Peugeot Sport is preparing for an extremely fiercely fought conclusion to the 2005 season. Of the six remaining rounds, three will be on dirt (Great Britain, Japan and Australia) and three will take place on asphalt (Germany, Corsica and Catalonia). The first of these encounters will be the Deutschland Rally which takes place in the Triers region, close to the French and Luxembourg borders. Often described as three rallies in one, this relatively new round features a cocktail of narrow lanes that twist their way through the vineyards of the Mosel Valley vineyards, a number of faster stages further to the south and the highly specific tests organised over the Baumholder military ranges. These stages are particularly challenging and the poor state of their surface can become very muddy if it rains. And the weather can change in an instant in this corner of Germany.

The German event first counted towards the World Championship in 2002 and Peugeot has yet to win it since its promotion. Marcus Grönholm personally has bad memories of the 2004 event when he went off in the rain of Day 1. That said, the Finn has a good record, including a 3rd place in 2002 and a 2nd place in 2003. This might not be one of his favourite rallies, but he clearly has all it takes to figure well again in Germany, although he prefers to be cautious before the start. "I sincerely believe it will be difficult to go for victory in Germany as I did in Finland," he admits. "The terrain will be less favourable to us. If it rains, however, the contest could become a little more open."

Markko Märtin finished 6th in the 2002 Deutschland Rally, came 5th in 2003 and was 4th in 2004. "Germany is a very special rally. The stages tend to be made up of long straights and junctions, with plenty of accelerating and braking, but few long corners. It will be interesting to see how our car/tyre package works on this highly specific terrain. I was very pleased with my result in Finland. Thanks to new suspension settings, I had a good feeling with the car. The Deutschland Rally will be different. Like Marcus, I know we will have to push hard to defend the team's chances."

Peugeot Corona Rally Mexico Preview



Peugeot Corona Rally Mexico PreviewThe third run of the FIA World Rally Championship, the “Corona Rally Mexico”, represents this season’s gravel premiere for the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team. Following tarmac in Monte Carlo and snow in Sweden, this run poses a new challenge for Austrians Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor as well as Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud from Norway. Even though the Rally Mexico is not counted among the classic gravel rallies, for the high altitude poses completely different technical challenges to the cars.

The World Rally Cars lose about one percent engine power per 100 metres altitude difference. The vicinity of Leon (approximately 3500 kilometres north of Mexico City) lies at about 2.500 metres sea level, which means ¾ of the usual engine power. "It will be decisive which team will be best able to adapt to these circumstances and get the best possible performance out of the car. But I’m sure that Bozian Racing has prepared the Peugeot 307 WRC perfectly and we will be able to compete with the best”, explains OMV driver Manfred Stohl. The Austrian had already competed in Mexico two years ago – back then in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship. Stohl: "We already had problems on the first day and then had to retire on leg two. Even though I’ve almost forgotten this incident I still would like to wipe out this mistake. "The OMV Team is well aware that they will have to put their foot down from kilometre one. Stohl: "My two special stage best times in Monte Carlo give me confidence – I want to compete right at the top."

Even though the Sweden Rally was almost a home rally for Henning Solberg, the Norwegian is yet looking forward to Mexico. Having already won one WRC-point, Manfred Stohl’s OMV teammate is confident that he will also be able to score at the premiere in Mexico. Solberg: „We already had a pretty good grip on the car in Sweden. Shortly thereafter we won the Rally Norway where we gained further experience. I’m really looking forward to this rally despite having never yet competed in Mexico. Especially since gravel is among my favourite surfaces.”

Prior to the departure to Mexico, gravel tests had been scheduled for last weekend in France (close to the Bozian Racing headquarters in Lyon). On a length of 120 kilometres, OMV drivers Stohl and Solberg were able to get acquainted with the gravel performance of the Peugeot. Stohl: „It was exceptional. We’ve really got a grip on the Peugeot now. And we are much further than we were at this point last year. The main focus was on shocks-testing. I’m sure we were very successful.” Solberg adds: „Everything is highly professional. I can focus solely on driving which makes each kilometre almost count double. The Peugeot performs admirably on gravel, which will be a great advantage in Mexico.“

In the manufacturer’s ranking the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team lies in excellent third place with 10 points. The goal is to defend this place in Mexico since only Manfred Stohl will be competing in the following two WRC-runs, which means that the results will only be valid for the driver’s ranking but not for the manufacturer’s WRC.

The Corona Rally Mexico will commence on Thursday (March, 2nd) at 21.00 in the picturesque former silver mining town Guanajuato. 17 special stages with an overall length of 359,54 kilometres are scheduled from Friday (March, 3rd) to Sunday (March, 5th). The overall length measures 1.002,47 kilometres. The finishing line will be crossed on Sunday at about 11:30 (local time).

The OMV Peugeot Norway WRT-duo Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor was comparatively lucky during yesterday’s tests on tarmac for the WRC “Rally RACC Catalunya Costa-Durada” in the vicinity of Barcelona. Both remained unhurt except for several contusions. Thus the two took up training for the Rally of Spain on Tuesday morning, while Bozian Racing is working around the clock to get a replacement car up and running for the rally.

Following yesterday’s accident on the tarmac-test course in the vicinity of Barcelona, where the Peugeot 307 WRC had crashed into a rock face during a left turn, OMV-duo Manfred Stohl and Co-driver Ilka Minor had spent all afternoon and evening in the hospital. But after exhaustive examinations the doctors gave the all-clear. X-rays showed that no bones had been broken. Except for several contusions the 33-year-old Viennese and his co-driver are back in comparatively good shape. Stohl: “We do hurt all over – but we definitely want to compete in the rally.“ Therefore the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team was able to take up training for the Rally of Spain on Tuesday morning – even if in some pain.

Bozian Racing working round the clock

The Peugeot 307 WRC had been heavily damaged during the crash against the rock face – which means that the mechanics of tuning-wizards Bozian Racing in Lyon are currently doing overtime. The goal is to set up a replacement car for the OMV Peugeot Norway WRT and get it running in time for the Rally of Spain. But Team Manager Jacky Bozian is of good cheer: “Yes, the car did take quite some damage but we are confident to get the Peugeot up and running in time for the rally.“

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team is good and ready for the next assignment in the FIA World Rally Championship, the “Rally d’Italia Sardegna“. Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor (Aut) and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud (Nor) count on their excellence at drifting for the first gravel run on European terrain. Their goal is to not simply keep their positions in the World Championship (Stohl 4., Solberg 9.) but to improve them. The two OMV teams will furthermore try their all to climb up in the manufacture ranking, where they maintain a superior lead at the M2-teams and are also within striking distance to the M2-teams.

So far Manfred Stohl is within schedule for the WRC. After six of 16 runs the OMV driver has won 18 points in the driver’s ranking. This is a cut of three points per rally, even though he had to retire in Sweden and two out of these six rallies were on tarmac. It is still hardly something that Manfred Stohl would settle for and the OMV Team Stohl/Minor is keen on competing in Sardinia. Stohl: “Sardinia is definitely not my favourite rally. It is a typical gravel rally but typically difficult. The roads are very narrow and very hard.“ Last year Stohl had been handicapped by food poisoning. He only completed part of the recce and finally finished in ninth overall place. But following fourth place in Argentina Stohl is sure that he should be able to reach the podium in Italy this year, as well. Stohl: “We were very close in Argentina. As far as speed is concerned we are up to it – which the two special stage best-times proved once more.“

As opposed to Monte Carlo, Mexico and Argentina, where Henning Solberg had been competing for the first time, he feels quite at home in Sardinia. The Norwegian OMV driver had already raced in 2004 and 2005 on the Mediterranean island. Solberg: “I feel very confident. The Peugeot 307 WRC runs perfectly on gravel. The clutch incident on the last special stage in Argentina is gone and forgotten. We’ll be on the hunt for a further special stage best-time to underline our strength on gravel.“

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team is ahead of schedule in the manufacture ranking, as well. Having only nominated for four of six hitherto completed WRC runs of the manufacture WRC, the OMV Team maintains a superior lead in the M2-ranking with 31 points. But they still want to reduce the gap to the teams nominated for M1 at the next two events. “We are ahead of schedule. Manfred Stohl has already scored 18 points and Henning Solber 13 points. We have a cut of 7,75 manufacture-points per run – which means that we are within striking distance to the M1-teams, a fact that surpasses our expectations by far “, says a content OMV Peugeot Norway-Team Manager Jacky Bozian.