Flying Finn Marcus Gronholm staged one of the WRC’s most astonishing comeback drives to win the Argentinean Rally for Peugeot on Sunday.
Flying Finn Marcus Gronholm staged one of the WRC’s most astonishing comeback drives to win the Argentinean Rally for Peugeot on Sunday.
The defending WRC champion started the day 15,2 seconds behind Markko Martin’s Ford Focus WRC 03, but the Estonian’s engine failed, robbing him of the chance to fight against Gronholm over leg three’s final five stages.
Ford team boss Colin Wilson said: “Markko’s first win will come but the great thing is that so many of our rivals have said how good our car is. We’ve again showed its potential here and we’ve drawn a lot of confidence, especially in the way the suspension performed on such a rough surface. That gives us a big boost for Greece.”
Citroën Xsara driver Carlos Sainz – who had led the event until confusion between himself and co-driver Marc Marti left him booking into a control early and incurring a one-minute penalty – lost the runners-up spot to Richard Burns, who nosed his Peugeot 206 ahead of the Citroën on the penultimate test.
Burns tried desperately to claw back time on Gronholm in the closing stages, but frustration was his only reward as his Peugeot developed a turbo problem. He lost an agonising 40 seconds as he nursed his car through the final stage to finish almost a minute off Sainz. Harri Rovanpera’s Peugeot 206 finished fourth overall, with Subaru’s Petter Solberg coming home in fifth.
The Peugeot team held its breath when Gronholm had an off earlier in the even and lost about two minutes. “I still thought he could win, of course,” said team boss Corrado Provera. “OK, hitting the rock was unfortunate, but it’s just one of those things that happens occasionally if you’re pushing hard.
“I feel so sorry for Richard (Burns), who lost second place due to our mistake with his turbo,” added the Italian. “But he has done another extraordinary job.”
Some consolation for Burns was that he still leads the driver’s championship – by two points from Gronholm – while Peugeot remains at the front of the race for the manufacturer’s award.