WRC Turkey: Loeb and Citroen again
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Image Gallery ( 18 images )Toni Gardemeister, BP-Ford World Rally Team:"It's been a hard weekend. I've scored points which is good but I really wanted to finish ahead of Markko Märtin and I didn't. I've not been so happy with my performance. I like the roads here but I've not had a good feeling. I lost time yesterday with a puncture and that was my fault because I hit some stones. I was happier with the set-up of the car on the final day. I made the suspension stiffer and that felt good but then the grip wasn't as strong, so maybe if we change the set-up we need to look at different tyre options as well. The surface is different on the next round in Greece and I'm aiming for a good result there.”
Roman Kresta, BP-Ford World Rally Team: "I pushed hard on the opening stage, which had good grip. The last stage had a lot of loose gravel on the surface so I made sure I was careful. It's been a good weekend and I've now scored points on each of the last three rallies that shows good consistency. It has been hard to choose the right tyres with the constant weather changes, and it's especially difficult when the weather is so different on the recce than it is on the rally."
Anthony Warmbold, BP-Ford World Rally Team : "We've had our ups and downs. I lack experience in muddy conditions because I don't trust the grip. It's like driving on snow without studs. I struggled for confidence on the first day but yesterday and today have been much better."
Chris Atkinson, Subaru WRT: "I think we could have run at a good pace all weekend, but instead I've had to treat this rally as a test after a silly mistake. But, on the positive side, it's good to get more experience of the car on the stages. I'm always finding more things and now have a comfortable set up for these conditions. It's a bit frustrating, but I'm trying to learn as quickly as possible. I think we've got a good base set up for Greece, it's another new event for me, but I'm looking forward to it."
The Next Round
Round eight of the FIA World Rally Championship starts in three weeks time when crews travel to Greece for the Acropolis Rally. The last of a trio of hot and rough gravel rallies held in the Mediterranean, the event features similar terrain to that seen in Cyprus and Turkey. Suspension and dampers must cope with high-speed impacts in searing temperatures, while drivers regularly have to dodge huge boulders. Petter's momentous victory of 2004 demonstrated the strength of the Impreza in such conditions and few cars make it to the finish. Starting on Thursday 23 June with a Super Special round the Olympic Stadium in Athens, the event will conclude on Sunday 26 June. Rally HQ and service will be based in the port of Lamia, 200 kilometres west of Athens.
Rally of Turkey – Final Positions
1. Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Citroën Xsara WRC 2. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Subaru Impreza WRC 2005 3. Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 307 WRC 4. Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti Citroën Xsara WRC 5. Markko Märtin/Michael Park Peugeot 307 WRC 6. Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen Ford Focus RS WRC04 7. Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny Ford Focus RS WRC04 8. Gigi Galli/Guido D’Amore Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 9. Antony Warmbold/Michael Orr Ford Focus RS WRC04 10. Harri Rovanperä/Risto Pietiläinen Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05
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