Rally Preview

The rally shows major changes with the base moving 130km south from Auckland to Hamilton, close to North Island's west coast.  There will be a single service park for the first time at the Mystery Creek Events Centre, a few kilometres south-east of the city.  The event will not journey north of Auckland and instead all the stages are based west of Hamilton, many hugging the Tasman Sea coastline.  Some have not been used since the mid-1990s, with two tests on the second leg brand new and another unused since 1982.  The opening leg, south-west of Hamilton, is the longest and includes two passes over the 43.88km Te Koraha test, the longest of the season.  The second leg is north-east of the city and both days end with a super special stage at Mystery Creek which surrounds the service park.  The final leg is the only part of the rally common with 2005, and includes two passes over the classic Whaanga Coast test, regarded as one of the best in the entire championship. There are 17 stages in total, covering 358.48km in a route of 1354.26km.

Team Previews:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull Skoda

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Despite a 19.000 kilometre journey in between Belgium and New Zealand, the Kronos Total Citroën World Rally Team is looking forward to the kiwi round. On 'Aotearoa' - the ground of the long white cloud according to the Maori legend - the complete team will be gathered for the first time since Cyprus and will be able to celebrate its heroes Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, now three times World champions. Seb and Daniel will be present in Hamilton, the rally's new host city, to complete the reconnaissance of a rather changed route in the aim to prepare next year. Once this finished, Seb will return to Europe, in the rehabilitation centre where he works on his full recovery. For the rally, Kronos Total Citroën entrusts once again its young Spanish squad. Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti will drive in  Hamilton the same Xsaras which they have been competing with in Australia.

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "In NZ, the stages are very fast. I enjoyed a lot driving there the past two years. For me, it would surely have been easier if nothing had changed. But on another hand, to be a good driver, you have to be capable of posting fast times with only two passes in recce. This is the reason why I will particularly focus on the recce to try and set one more good result to finish the season on a good note."

Dani Sordo/Marc: "Just talking about it makes me think that New Zealand is even further than Australia. It's terrible because the flight time will be even longer! Marc has described the stages like very fast but without trees on the sides of the roads. He has underlined the importance of 'road cleaning' and of the interest to take profit from driving in the rails left by the cars preceding. He also put the stress on the fact that it's 'forbidden' to drive out of those rails. Everybody says that it's an event to enjoy. It's one more territory to discover and this is very thrilling for a young driver."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team is very confident for the "Propecia Rally New Zealand", the next-to-last run to the FIA World Rally Championship from November 16 to 19. Manfred Stohl and co-driver Ilka Minor are especially motivated to reach the podium once again, following their third place at the Rally Australia. And OMV duo Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud is hot to score points after their retirement in Australia.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "Weather forecasts predict alternating rain and sunshine for the weekend. That means that those will be in front who not only show courage but also prove lucky in the tyre lottery. Even though the new special stages will reduce the tempo somewhat."Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I just like it when things get really speedy. And Waahanga Coast is surely one of the most beautiful and racy special stages of all."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford can clinch the FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers' title on next week's Rally New Zealand (16 - 19 November). It goes into the penultimate round with a 16-point lead. A 19-point advantage by the finish of the three-day rally on the flowing gravel roads of North Island will ensure the crown with one round remaining - so if BP-Ford outscores rivals Kronos Citroen by three points in New Zealand, then the Blue Oval will be guaranteed the title.  Six victories in the first season with the new Focus RS World Rally Car, five for Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and a maiden win for team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in Australia last month, have already made 2006 the most successful WRC year ever for Ford in terms of wins.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen:  "Of course I would like to win the rally because I start every event hoping to win.  But my priority here has to be scoring good points for the team in the manufacturers' championship.  Maybe I can do both!  I have to be more careful than I was on the last rally in Australia when I crashed.  I must avoid making any stupid mistakes."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:  "Having won once I know that I can win again and I want to prove that Australia wasn't just a one-off, that I can fight for victory against Marcus and Seb.  But in New Zealand the important thing to remember is our challenge for the manufacturers' title.  I must not risk losing points by pushing too hard."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

It will be Companc, and his co-driver Jose Maria Volta's eighth rally this season and the second time they have ventured to the antipodean island of New Zealand. Once again both crews will be taking part in the 06 spec Ford Focus and hoping to add to their recent points haul which has boosted the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team's fifth position in the WRC Manufacturer Championship, 14 points ahead of nearest rival Red Bull Skoda.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "New Zealand is another fast rally, so it's one that I'm really looking forward to. Most of the stages are going to be new to pretty much all of the drivers this time, so it'll be interesting to see who makes the best job of making new notes and gets off to a fast start. Like on the last round in Australia, I'm keen to push harder on the opening leg to try and avoid running first on the road later in the rally. Unlike Australia, I'm keen not to make a mistake on the opening leg! The last round was really tough."

Luis Perez Companc/Jose-Maria Volta: "Australia didn't quite go to plan for me. There was a mistake on the first day and then some tricky conditions. I had some good time in the car, though and I feel ready for New Zealand. The car felt fantastic - and what I really like are the faster roads. In Australia, in the quicker stages, everything felt good. I am sure I can keep this feeling for this week. I did New Zealand last year, but it was in a different place, so I will have to make some new notes this time. It's going to be interesting."

5. Subaru

It's all change as the Subaru World Rally Team heads back to the southern hemisphere for Rally New Zealand, which has a new date, route and base from 2006. Only four of the 17 fast, flowing gravel stages are identical to those used on last year's rally. Of the other tests, Pirongia West and Te Koraha were last used on the 1998 event and the last time Port Waikato was part of the route was back in 1982! The new base is the Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton, 120km south of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island. The venue will play host to the rally headquarters, indoor service park, plus a Super Special which is part of the route on Friday and Saturday night.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I'm very confident about New Zealand, because it has always been a good rally for us in the past. We were strong in Australia and hopefully can improve a little bit more on that. I'm really hoping to win again soon, but we have to take things step-by-step, and I know the team is working very hard, so we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out. We'll be using some stages that I haven't driven before, but all the other drivers will be in the same situation, so it won't be a problem. The pace notes will help us to get into a rhythm quite quickly. I'm sorry that it's going to be a little bit colder in New Zealand now that the rally has moved from April to November!"

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's going to be a tough rally with some long stages. We'll be looking to continue the good pace we showed at the beginning of Rally Australia, although I'll be looking forward to a bit of a change of fortune too. I've done Rally New Zealand twice before - last year I finished seventh with Subaru and the year before that I was driving a Group N Impreza - but we're going to be using some new roads for this year. In terms of a result, we'd hope to be running in the top five and if we can do that, there's always the chance of being in the hunt for a podium."

6. Red Bull Skoda

Skoda are not entered in New Zealand

Event Timetable

Leg 1 : Friday 17 November 2006

Refuelling zone

09h33 : SS 1 Pirongia West 1 (20,38 km)
Refuelling zone
10h31 : SS 2 Te Koraha 1 (43,88 km)
12h40 : Grouping area (37')
13h17 : Service area A in Mystery Creek (30')
Refuelling zone
14h50 : SS 3 Pirongia West 2 (20,38 km)
Refuelling zone
15h48 : SS 4 Te Koraha 2 (43,88 km)
18h00 : SS 5 Mystery Creek Super Special 1 (3,14 km)
18h10 : Service area B in Mystery Creek (45')

Leg 2 : Saturday 18 November 2006

07h00 : Service area C in Mystery Creek (10')
Refuelling zone
09h23 : SS 6 Port Waikato (18,18 km)
10h01 : SS 7 Klondyke (13,88 km)
10h34 : SS 8 Wairamarama (31,58 km)
Refuelling zone
12h54 : Grouping area (26')
13h20 : Service area D in Mystery Creek (30')
Refuelling zone
15h18 : SS 9 Te Akau South (31,82 km)
16h01 : SS 10 Te Akau North (32,64 km)
Refuelling zone
18h15 : SS 11 Mystery Creek Super Special 2 (3,14 km)
18h25 : Service area E in Mystery Creek (45')

Leg 3 : Sunday 19 November 2006

06h15 : Service area F in Mystery Creek (10')
Refuelling zone
07h38 : SS 12 Maungatawhiri 1 (6,69 km)
08h06 : SS 13 Te Hutewai 1 (11,23 km)
08h34 : SS 14 Whaanga Coast 1 (29,82 km)
Refuelling zone
10h05 : Grouping area (15')
10h20 : Service area G in Mystery Creek (30')
Refuelling zone
12h03 : SS 15 Maungatawhiri 2 (6,69 km)
12h31 : SS 16 Te Hutewai 2 (11,23 km)
12h59 : SS 17 Whaanga Coast 2 (29,82 km)
Refuelling zone
14h50 : Finish and podium ceremony

Leg One News

Ford World Rally Team dominated today's opening leg of Rally New Zealand as Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen powered into first and second respectively. Grönholm completed a clean sweep by winning all five speed tests in his Focus RS World Rally Car to lead the similar vehicle of Hirvonen, who was second fastest on four special stages, by 31.2sec. Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) was the closest challenger to the BP-Ford duo, the Austrian holding third throughout the day.  However, he spun and hit a bank on the fourth stage, causing overheating problems, and Dani Sordo (Citroen) slipped by into Third on the final stage.  Petter Solberg (Subaru) struggled with a lack of traction, especially this morning.  The Norwegian held fifth initially but Xevi Pons
(Citroen) moved ahead this afternoon, the Spaniard recovering from handling problems and two spins on the first stage.  Henning Solberg (Peugeot) was seventh, despite water leaking from the engine onto his feet this morning. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) also struggled for traction and lost more time with a first stage spin.  The Australian is ninth.  The only major retirement was Matthew Wilson (Ford), who stopped near the finish of stage three after an impact with a rock caused water loss from the engine and overheating.

Team News:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull Skoda

1. Kronos Total Citroen

At the end of the short final spectator superspecial stage at Mystery Creek, which surrounds the service park, the two Citroens of Dani Sordo/Marc Marti and Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio, finish the day in third and fifth places respectively.

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: " I spun on the opening stage, Pirongia. A bit further on in the same stage I was distracted by rising water temperatures and so I spun again. After that I drove very much within myself on Te Kohara 1. On the second run through the stages though, everything went brilliantly. Not even three punctures slowed me down, thanks to the anti-deflation mousse. With a perfect car, I was able to make back a lot of lost ground. It's a good omen as we head into the second leg tomorrow, as I feel very much at home on these flowing roads. "

Dani Sordo/Marc: "As everybody told me, driving on these roads is enormous fun - particularly on the faster sections. It's important to know how to slow down the rhythm on certain more twisty bits before picking up the pace again as quickly as possible. I'm very pleased to see that my pace notes are good : I only made a few adjustments to them after the first run through the stages. As for tyre choice, I had no problems at all with my soft BFGoodrich tyres in the morning nor with the medium compound rubber in the afternoon. I had two punctures, but I did not lose any time thanks to the anti-deflation mousse."

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team has stood their ground on day one of the "Propecia Rally New Zealand". Manfred Stohl is on the course for a podium place despite several minor problems. The 34-year-old OMV driver lies in fourth place after five of 17 special stages. Henning Solberg, who had to wrestle with a broken water conduit in the beginning, still managed to finish the first day in seventh overall place.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "The spin was my fault. In a way I was punished by breaking out into a cold sweat now and then during the 20 kilometres from the fourth special stage to the service, wondering whether we were going to make it with the damaged radiator. Luckily, we did indeed make it. Unluckily, I did gamble away a nice lead by this. But I am sure that we will once again be able to keep up the pace of Grönholm und Hirvonen on Saturday."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "Just like in Cyprus the water conduit for sprinkling the radiator broke. Since this conduit passes the dashboard my shoes were suddenly in the water. Thus the pedals became extremely slippery and one loses concentration. In the afternoon things went better. But it still was difficult to find the right speed."

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team dominated today's opening leg of Rally New Zealand as Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen powered into first and second respectively. Grönholm completed a clean sweep by winning all five speed tests in his Focus RS World Rally Car to lead the similar vehicle of Hirvonen, who was second fastest on four special stages, by 31.2sec.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I've been driving steadily rather than at maximum pace so to be leading is a good position. The biggest pressure has come from Mikko.  He has good confidence and is driving well.  I would really like to win this rally so I will try hard to stay ahead of him.  It was muddy this morning but drier with good grip this afternoon.  Last night's rain helped me with my road position.  I hit a few stones but nothing to worry about.  The first three stages tomorrow are new but I know the afternoon stages well so I will push hard through those tests."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "They are heavily cambered and this morning I was braking the wrong side of the camber which made the car slide into the corners.  I made a new differential map last week on the Rally GB test which worked well in the UK.  However, the stages are different here and it didn't work so well for me so I made changes at the lunchtime service."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

South America's fastest rally driver Luis Perez Companc ended the opening leg of Rally New Zealand in a sensational, point-scoring position for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team. Companc was on scintillating form through today's five stages - four of which ran to the south-west of the event's Hamilton city base. Companc's team-mate, 19-year-old Briton Matthew Wilson retired from a top 10 position after an impact with a rock caused water loss from his engine, resulting in the unit overheating and forcing him into leg one retirement. The decision on whether or not Wilson will re-start under SupeRally rules will be taken after the team have a chance to inspect the engine.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "I had great fun this morning, but not so much fun this afternoon. The roads are fantastic, just as good as everybody says. I had a spin on the first stage, it was in a slow left hander, just coming into a hairpin. I dropped about 10 seconds with that, but otherwise it was fine. There are a few corners where I'm coming out and thinking we could have been a gear higher through there. That's not a major problem on my first attempt at this event, which is fairly specialised, but it's frustrating when those corners lead onto a long straight and you know just how much more speed you could be carrying down the straight. Everything went a little bit wrong this afternoon. I'm obviously really disappointed with what happened, I didn't hit anything but the wheel clipped a rock and I think maybe a pipe was broken. The consequence is very bad, and that's how I feel: really bad. To come to the other side of the world and this is what happens is not good."

Luis Perez Companc/Jose-Maria Volta: "I found the roads really slippery this morning. The overnight rain was quite heavy I think and the slippery nature came from the rain and the mud, probably being pulled out from the cars ahead, rather than the loose gravel on top of the road. The car is working so well, we have no problems from it at all. Sometimes, it is actually quite hard to keep the car on the road in the conditions, but we're managing to do that and enjoy ourselves at the same time. I thought our road position would be working well for us today, but it seems to be the opposite way around. This afternoon, the stages were much drier and the grip more constant, which made things a little bit easier. To be in the points is good news for me and the team."

5. Subaru

The Subaru World Rally Team has two cars within the top ten at the end of the first leg. Petter Solberg holds sixth position, with team-mate Chris Atkinson in ninth spot. Petter and Chris had a tough morning and both drivers struggled to find grip on gravel roads made treacherous by heavy rain the previous night. As the weather brightened and the roads dried in the afternoon, so did the team's fortunes. Some set-up tweaks at first service improved the car and Petter was fourth fastest on stage four, the longest of the rally. Chris and Petter were respectively second and third quickest through the final stage of the day, the Mystery Creek Super Special.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "The day improved as it went on, and the last two stages were better than when we ran them in the morning. We made some changes to the car at the midday service and on the high-speed sections of SS4 we were the fastest out there, but we're still losing time on the twisty sections, and that's what we need to concentrate on now. Tomorrow the character of the stages is a little bit different, hopefully they should suit us better, we'll have to see." Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "We just haven't had the speed today, for whatever reason. We're working on that, but I don't feel confident to push so I'm not taking any risks and I'm just making sure I get through the stages. The car felt better in the afternoon but the conditions were very different, so it was difficult to compare and get any useful information. For tomorrow a lot will depend on the weather and our road position; if it's dry and we're first on the road then it'll be very tough, if it's wet then it should be better. We've given away a lot of time today, but we'll do all we can to improve our position tomorrow."

6. Red Bull Skoda

Skoda are not entered in New Zealand

Leaderboard after Leg 2

1.  M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 56min 17.2sec
2.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 57min 07.5sec
3.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 2hr 58min 23.4sec
4.  D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 2hr 58min 40.3sec
5.  X Pons/C Del Barrio E Citroen Xsara 2hr 58min 55.6sec
6.  P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 2hr 59min 42.3sec
7.  L Perez Companc/J-M Volta ARG Ford Focus RS 3hr 04min 58.3sec
8.  J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Subaru Impreza 3hr 07min 25.3sec
9.  M Baldacci/G Agnese I Mitsubishi Lancer 3hr 07min 29.6sec
10 R Mason/S Randall NZ Subaru Impreza 3hr 08min 45.3sec

Leg Two News

Ford remained firmly in control of Rally New Zealand during today's rainswept second leg.  Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, who have led since the opening kilometre yesterday, extended their lead over team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen to 50.3sec with just one day remaining of this penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Dani Sordo (Citroen) steadily pulled away from Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) in their third place battle this morning as Stohl struggled on tyres that were too hard in the wet and mud.  But on the opening test this afternoon the Austrian regained the third place he lost late yesterday and pulled clear.  Xevi Pons (Citroen) in fifth was closing on both until he hit a rock and punctured a tyre on the first afternoon stage, dropping a few seconds.  Petter Solberg (Subaru) maintained sixth despite intercom problems and a broken front driveshaft this morning.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) was in fine form this morning, winning two stages.  However, the Australian retired on the first stage this afternoon when he hit a rock and damaged the front left suspension, sliding off the road at the next corner as a result.  He will not restart tomorrow.  Henning Solberg (Peugeot) held seventh until the Norwegian rolled on the penultimate test and dropped 14 minutes. Motorcycling's multi-world champion Valentino Rossi (Subaru) lies 13th on only his second world rally.

Team News:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull Skoda

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Having finished the second day in fourth and fifth places respectively, Dani Sordo/Marc Marti and Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio have not given up on their hopes of making the podium in New Zealand. They have six more stages, comprising nearly 100 competitive kilometres, in which to do it.

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "I really enjoyed myself this morning, but my feeling in the afternoon was less good - especially in the Te Akau North stage that was difficult because it was very quick and very slippery. It's always hard to see a rival drive away from you when you have every intention to try and catch him. But our team boss Marc Van Dalen has said we are free to do what we want now, so we'll set off again tomorrow to try and reverse the trend. "

Dani Sordo/Marc: "I look upon today as a learning experience that has been very fruitful. Our weather crew did a very good job this morning. Marc Marti, my co-driver, says that in his opinion Te Akau North is the best stage on the whole World Championship. Personally I'm not so sure yet. The fast and undulating roads we found this afternoon have not been the easiest I have ever driven on, but I still enjoyed myself. So maybe next year I'll agree with Marc!"

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

On the second day of Rally New Zealand the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team can rejoice with Manfred Stohl. The 34-year-old Austrian fought a duel with Citroen works driver Dani Sordo and finally overtook him on the ninth special stage. Thus the OMV driver lies in third place after eleven of 17 special stages. Henning Solberg was less lucky. The Norwegian overturned on the tenth special stage and thereby lost over 14 minutes. Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor:  "Suddenly everything went smoothly. We were able to keep up a very high pace. But there is still a very tough day ahead. We definitely mustn't ease up on Sunday."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "It happened in a left turn," said Solberg. "We got too far on the outside and rolled down over an embankment. Since we ended up lying on the roof fans had to help us set the car right again. That took a long while."

3. BP-Ford

Ford World Rally Team remained firmly in control of Rally New Zealand during today's rainswept second leg. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, who have led since the opening kilometre yesterday, extended their lead over team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen to 50.3sec with just one day remaining of this penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Both drivers are at the wheel of Ford Focus RS World Rally Cars. Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "This afternoon I had a few troubles with my windscreen wipers, which I had to keep switching on and off to get them to work. I'm happy with the way the day has gone and it's great to have Mikko up there at the top with me. I'm thinking about the finish and getting there without doing anything stupid but the Whaanga Coast stage is used twice tomorrow and that's long and difficult."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "This afternoon's stages were just fantastic. I had the perfect tyre choice and despite the rain I really enjoyed those flowing roads. I wish every stage I drove was like those two."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Teenage rally hero Matthew Wilson turned in a consistent and quick performance in his Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team Focus RS WRC 06 on today's second leg of Rally New Zealand, the penultimate round of this season's FIA World Rally Championship. The 19-year-old rocketed back up the Rally New Zealand leaderboard during today's six stages north-west of the event's host city of Hamilton, after clipping a rock and damaging a water pipe on leg one.  Wilson's team-mate Luis Perez Companc also had plenty to celebrate this evening. Despite a spin in the morning, Companc moved up one place on his overnight eighth, to claim a fantastic leg two seventh position - potentially his best result for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "We've been running first on the road this morning, which hasn't been too bad. In fact, I think it's possibly the best place to be. The surface has been really slippery, but the gravel has bound together quite well which has helped us. After losing the water from the engine yesterday, we are keeping an eye on the temperature - but everything seems fine. I had a half-spin at the end of the last stage this morning, which was annoying. I think the note was a bit too optimistic: we kept sliding wider and wider, eventually we stopped. This afternoon was good. Again, I really enjoyed the stages, they're mega fun. We lost the windscreen wipers just before the start of the last long stage, which was a pain. It was okay for most of the stage, but then it started to rain for the last eight kilometres, which wasn't much fun. It was tricky, there was so much water in the screen - I really couldn't see anything. I was listening to the notes and pushing where I knew it was a bit straighter."

Luis Perez Companc/Jose-Maria Volta: "The weather wasn't so good this morning, it's been tough. The roads were really narrow and difficult, harder than yesterday. Everything was okay, though, through the first couple of stages, but then five kilometres into the last stage we slid wide and hit a rock with the right-rear wheel, which damaged the suspension. I couldn't get the car turned around, it was so narrow. I had to go back up the stage one corner before I could get it in the right direction again. Once I had managed that, I then had to stop so I could get my seat belts on again. It cost me quite a lot of time. After that problem, I just wanted to focus on getting to the finish through the afternoon. We picked up a couple of places
and that's where I want to stay until the finish."

5. Subaru

The Subaru World Rally Team experienced an up-and-down day, although both drivers showed flashes of pace after overnight set-up changes took the performance of the cars in the right direction.  Chris Atkinson was the star of the morning and set two fastest stage times, but on the first of the afternoon's tests he collided with a rock and was forced into retirement. Petter Solberg, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday, finished the leg in sixth, but some quick times in the afternoon moved him to within striking distance of fifth-placed Xavier Pons.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It's been quite tough for us, with a few problems in the morning and tyre choices that didn't turn out to be the best for the variable conditions. There are some positives though, the car felt better to drive today - even without the right tyres - and as the roads were less twisty than yesterday the car worked better and we were able to be more competitive. But we still need more traction, that's the main thing. Tomorrow we'll try some new things and you can be sure that I'll push as hard as I can."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "We were trying to push on after some good fastest stage times this morning when an open wheel just caught a rock over a blind crest and took the tyre off. It was just one of those rallying incidents; I think everyone else would have hit it if they had been in my position - they were all swerving to avoid it when we were warning them. It wasn't our rally anyway, so I'm not going to get too disheartened. In fact, up to that point today things had been pretty encouraging; the car was working a lot better, we could push more and I was really enjoying myself, it's nice to be able to do that."

6. Red Bull Skoda

Skoda are not entered in New Zealand

Unofficial Leaderboard after Leg 3

1 Grönholm / Rautiainen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 04:02:30.7 00.0
2 Hirvonen / Lehtinen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 04:03:26.7 +56.0
3 Stohl / Minor Peugeot 307 WRC 04:05:10.0 +02:39.3
4 Pons / Del barrio Citroen Xsara WRC 04:05:26.8 +02:56.1
5 Sordo / Marti Citroen Xsara WRC 04:05:51.4 +03:20.7
6 Solberg / Mills Subaru Impreza WRC 2006 04:07:27.8 +04:57.1
7 Perez companc / Maria volta Ford Focus RS WRC 06 04:13:22.3 +10:51.6
8 Latvala / Anttila Subaru Impreza WRX Spec C 04:18:53.1 +15:22.4
9 Hänninen / Sallinen Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 04:20:00.9 +17:30.2
10 Mason / Randall Subaru Impreza WRX 04:22:50.7 +20:20.0

2006 Manufacturers Champions - Ford

The Ford Focus RS World Rally Car 06, which made its Championship debut just over a year ago in Australia, has continued its successful first year in competition by securing the FIA WRC Manufacturers' Championship 2006 for Ford.

With a 25-point lead Ford has secured the Manufacturers' title even though there is still one final WRC round in this year’s competition – Rally GB, 30 November – 3 December. 

This is the first time that Ford has won the Manufacturers' Championship in 27 years and represents the pinnacle of achievement since Ford of Europe initiated its partnership with Malcolm Wilson and M-Sport in 1997.

The entire Focus RS project was overseen by Christian Loriaux, M-Sport’s Technical Director. 

“This Championship victory is the result of a tremendous team effort, and everyone at Ford is proud of what the car and the team have achieved this year,” said John Fleming, President and CEO of Ford of Europe.  “To secure the manufacturers' title in our first year of running with an all-new WRC car is more than we had dared hope for, and I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved with the BP-Ford World Rally team.”

“Over the years, I believe the team has developed into one of the best squads in the Motorsport business,” said Jost Capito, Director of Ford TeamRS.  “This victory means a great deal to the team, but it is also a huge reward to all of the Ford employees, Ford Motorsport fans and Ford performance vehicle enthusiasts worldwide who have given us amazing support
at every event. 

“The title would not have been won without the most significant members of the team delivering superb results over and over,” Capito said.  “The BP-Ford World Rally Team pairings of Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen plus Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have driven with determination, perseverance and world class ability.  We are very proud of them.”

BP-Ford World Rally Team Director Malcolm Wilson commented: “I’m over the moon with this result.  As one of the world's leading drivers, Marcus Grönholm was expected to lead Ford's title challenge, and he has done so brilliantly.  But few commentators at the start of the season would have expected to see Mikko Hirvonen develop as quickly as he has into one of the WRC’s leading drivers.”

Final Leg Unofficial News

Marcus Gronholm claimed first after a consitant run through the event. Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) claimed his second consecutive podium in third ahead of a fierce battle between team-mates Dani Sordo and Xevi Pons (both Citroen).  Sordo began the day in fourth but a charging Pons, despite a spin on the first pass through the classic Whaanga Coast test, set two fastest times and overhauled Sordo on the penultimate stage.  Petter Solberg (Subaru) rounded off the top six, despite incurring a 60sec penalty when his car would not start before the first stage this morning.  Luis Perez Companc (Ford) claimed his first drivers' points for his team in seventh. 

Constantly changing weather on the stages made tyre and set-up judgement difficult for the teams. Most stages during the day were hit by intermittent showers. Temperatures ranged from nine to 19 degrees Celsius.

For Sunday’s final leg of Rally New Zealand, the crews headed due west from rally headquarters towards the coast. The action consisted of two loops of three stages. The first test of the day, Maungatawhiri, was short and very fast, but Te Hutewai was a more traditional Kiwi special stage and featured lots of flowing medium-speed bends and corners hidden over crests. Fittingly, the rally ended with a run through the famous 29km Whaanga Coast section.

Team News:

1. Kronos Total Citroen
2. OMV-Peugeot Norway
3. BP-Ford
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford
5. 555 Subaru
6. Red Bull Skoda

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti have finished the final leg of the Rally New Zealand with no problems. The two Spanish Kronos Total Citroen crews end the event in fourth and fifth places respectively. In the absence of Sébastien Loeb, who went home after completing the recce of the new route, Xevi Pons was once more entrusted with the number one Citroen Xsara. Confirming his current form and impressive turn of speed, Xevi drove one of the best rallies of his career on roads that he loved. Having been slightly delayed by a spin on Friday, the Spaniard set two fastest times on Sunday that allowed him to move past his team mate.

Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "For the third time in succession, we’ve finished just off the podium," said a delighted Xevi, having congratulated the entire team. "I think that we’re getting there now. I really like fast roads and we found them here : I had a lot of fun even though the surfaces were very slippery. These conditions prepared us well for the Rally Great Britain, and I hope to have the same success in Cardiff."

Dani Sordo/Marc: In New Zealand, Dani Sordo had to get to grips with a brand new rally for the fifth consecutive time. The reigning Junior World Rally Champion took particular care to do a good job on the recce. It worked : he had the satisfaction of seeing that his notes were correct during the actual rally. Dani occupied a provisional podium place on Friday night, having been encouragingly quick on stages that were new for everyone. But the Spaniard wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valour, eventually dropping two places en route to a faultless finish on Sunday. "It was a difficult rally for me, and I imagine that is the case for any driver coming here for the first time," he said. "I’m very happy to have got to the end without problems in quite a good position, and I’m very happy with the notes I made with my co-driver Marc Marti. I think we’ve done an excellent job with an eye to the future… "

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team can celebrate another great triumph. Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor reached the podium at the “Propecia Rally New Zealand”, just like they had three weeks ago in Australia. The OMV duo held the attacking Citroen works team at bay during the final day. After 17 special stages the Austrians were 16,8 seconds in front of Xavier Pons (Spa) in the World-Championship-car of Sebastien Loeb and more than 40 seconds ahead of rally shooting star Dani Sordo (Spa). During the last kilometres Henning Solberg was able to secure one manufacture WRC point for the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: Manfred Stohl has already been counted among the best rally drivers in the world prior to this weekend. But his third place at the Rally New Zealand has once more proven the prowess of the 34-year-old OMV driver. Following more than 350 special stage kilomtres under the toughest conditions he left the works drivers of Citroen and Subaru in his wake. It was the fifth podium place in the career of OMV duo Stohl/Minor, the third already this year. Stohl: “It is a very special experience. The more so since we beat very tough opponents and were able to confirm the success in Australia. The fight versus Pons and Sordo was a real challenge. Furthermore, the Rally New Zealand is one of my most favourite events. But we also had a lot of luck and, in the end, Jesus wanted us to make it.“ In the driver FIA World Rally Championship the OMV driver has now secured fifth place for good. 46 won points mean that he lies twelve points ahead of former World Champion Petter Solberg (Nor/Subaru). And fourth place is still within reach since he is only one point behind Dani Sordo. Stohl: “We will do our all to overtake Sordo in Wales. We like the rally and are under no pressure whatsoever.“

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: Following his rollover on the second day, the aftereffects of which had cost over 16 minutes, Henning Solberg secured one point for the manufacture WRC by a spirited performance on the final day. The Norwegian OMV driver kept Brit Matthew Wilson (Ford Focus WRC) at bay despite brake problems. Solberg: “We had a lot of bad luck and the slip cost us a top result. But it is no use crying over lost driver points. Now we will thoroughly prepare for Wales and make good these points at the season’s finale.“ The 33-year-old Scandinavian still lies in seventh place in the driver World Championship with 25 points to his account.

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team today secured the FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers' title after powering to a 1-2 finish in Rally New Zealand. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen took their sixth victory of the season in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, finishing 56.0sec ahead of team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in a similar car.  The maximum points haul means that with one round still remaining BP-Ford has built an unassailable 25-point lead. It is Ford's first manufacturers' title since 1979 and the squad's seventh victory of the season.  Grönholm had already secured second in the drivers' series while Hirvonen's result means he is now assured of third.  This was also Ford's 75th consecutive points scoring finish in the WRC, a record unrivalled in the sport's history and dating back to the opening round of the 2002 championship. Grönholm and Rautiainen led from Friday's opening kilometre.  With no pressure from behind, the 38-year-old Finnish driver eased through today's final leg, comprising six stages and 95.48km near the coastal town of Raglan, to secure victory.  He set a clean sweep of fastest times on the opening day by winning all five speed tests and increased his rally total to 13 with five more wins today.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: It's a great feeling to win the rally and secure the world title for Ford on the same day," said Grönholm.  "When I joined the team I expected a high performance level from the Focus RS WRC because it was a new car and to experience the fantastic level of reliability that we have enjoyed during the season was a big bonus.  This wasn't such a hard rally as the Focus RS has been absolutely perfect." 

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: Hirvonen, too, was under no pressure from behind today and took no risks on the slippery stages.  He finished 1min 43.3sec ahead of his nearest challenger.  "I'm thrilled to be part of a world title-winning team," said the 26-year-old Finn.  "The whole season has been fantastic and I have secured third place in the drivers' series.  But that stays in the background because to win the manufacturers' title is a huge achievement for me.  I started my career in world rallying with Ford. Malcolm Wilson gave me the chance to prove myself at the beginning of my career and again this year, so it is even better to be here helping Ford to the title."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Britain’s leading world rally star Matthew Wilson set a blistering pace through the final day of Rally New Zealand, one of the FIA World Rally Championship’s toughest events, near Hamilton today. Wilson continued to impress onlookers, demonstrating pace and maturity well beyond his 19 years, as he tamed some of the most difficult conditions in this year’s championship. Once again, the day was hit by frequent weather changes, making a tyre choice perilous for the two loops of three stages running on the Tasman coast. Wilson ended the event in 13th position having climbed back from 34th at the end of leg one. On his final outing with the team this season, Luis Perez Companc (Argentina) turned in a fantastic day, maintaining the pace he showed throughout this event to end the rally in a strong seventh position. The performance of both Wilson and Companc cements the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team’s fifth place in the manufacturers’ championship.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: “There was a big puddle on the inside of a right-hand corner in the third stage today. I got the wheel a little bit too far in, the water was a bit too deep and it spun us around. That wasn’t a problem at all, but the last 10 kilometres of that stage were awful – so slippery. It wasn’t gravel slippery, either, it was all mud, which made the going quite tough. Apart from that, I’ve been fairly happy with the way things have gone. Obviously, it wasn’t good news to hit the rock on the first day, I’m disappointed with that – it cost us the chance of points. We have, however, driven all the stages at a competitive speed. I’ve enjoyed these roads and the rally, the stages have been among the most enjoyable of the whole season. The time in SS13 earlier today was good for me, really the whole thing has been mega – particularly dad [Malcolm, M-Sport team principal] winning the manufacturers’ world championship – he deserves it more than anybody in the world.”

Luis Perez Companc/Jose-Maria Volta: “The rear dampers weren’t right in Whaanga Coast. I think the gas was starting to leak from them, they had lost their efficiency. This made the handling from the back of the car quite strange, it was hitting the bump stops a lot. It wasn’t so easy to drive this morning. This afternoon everything was fine – everything was great. I enjoyed the second run through the stages. They were slippery in some places, but all I wanted to do was get to the finish and take some points for the team. This has been great experience for me.”

5. Subaru

The Subaru World Rally Team’s focus for the final leg of Rally New Zealand was to get Petter Solberg to the end of the rally in a points-scoring position and gather data ahead of the final World Rally Championship round in Wales in two weeks’ time. Even though changeable weather made conditions difficult, Petter’s car ran reliably throughout the day and he consistently set top-five stage times on his way to a sixth-place finish.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I tried as hard as I could but I’ve simply not been able to challenge the fastest guys this weekend. Of course it’s very frustrating; I want to win rallies, and it’s not much fun when that isn’t possible, but I will keep positive and focus on improving the pace. We made some small improvements this weekend; we learned some more about the car and the tyres, and hopefully that will enable us to get a better result on the last round in Wales."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: Retired.

6. Red Bull Skoda

Skoda are not entered in New Zealand