Peugeot’s Marcus Gronholm, crowned the winner in Finland on three occasions, is desperate to give the 307 WRC its first win halfway through the season.
Peugeot’s Marcus Gronholm, crowned the winner in Finland on three occasions, is desperate to give the 307 WRC its first win halfway through the season.
After the 307’s strong debut, the French team’s assault has tapered off and it is now lying at fourth in the constructor’s championship. With eight rounds remaining in the season, Finland would be the ideal place to score the 307’s maiden victory. The French team has already won the event on eight occasions, three of those being with the 206.
Gronholm said: “It would be great to score the 307 WRC’s first win, for the whole team, and also for me. I really feel we have been unlucky in the past few rallies.”
Over the past four events, Gronholm has scored points on just one occasion when he finished second in Turkey. His team mate, Harri Rovanpera, has scored only 10 points over the same period and the cancellation of Peugeot’s results in Cyprus did little to boost the team’s spirits.
Competing in his home race this weekend, Rovanpera is fully prepared to give his best.
“I can’t wait for Rally Finland to begin,” the double champion said. “When you compete in your home event, there is a certain pressure but also a special atmosphere. The testing we did recently was very encouraging for the remainder of the season and our car has progressed significantly during the past few weeks.”
Earlier this week Peugeot announced that, after nine WRC titles with Michelin, it would be switching to Pirelli tyres next year in accordance with a new three-year deal.