Cyprus : Peugeot Sport - Leg 2

Harri started the day in the runner-up slot after an excellent run through leg one. But he was affected by a gearbox problem from the opening stage of the day that meant he could not always select second gear.

Marcus stretches his advantage
Cyprus : Peugeot Sport - Leg 2 [15/05/04]

A solid performance by Gronholm
Marcus Gronholm is targeting victory on the Rally of Cyprus tomorrow after
finishing leg two of the event with a 22 second lead. Less than 100
competitive kilometres stand between Marcus and the first victory with the
307 WRC. His team mate Harri Rovanpera ends the leg in fifth, after
dropping time with a gearbox problem.
Conditions in Cyprus today were even hotter than yesterday, but the roads
were as rough and rocky as always. Today's action consisted of six
challenging stages split into two loops of three, although SS11 was
cancelled due to spectator overcrowding problems.
Marcus started the leg with an advantage of 10 seconds, having taken the
lead on stage four yesterday. His 307 WRC was entirely reliable
throughout the day, although two tyres came off the rim during the
morning's loop of stages – a problem suffered by many competitors.
Marcus drove quickly yet reliably in order to be sure of maintaining his
lead into the final day.
“It's been a very good day,” said Marcus. “This is not my favourite sort of
rally – the roads are very slow, twisty and hot. But the car has felt good
throughout the event and I hope we can hang onto our advantage
tomorrow. This rally is so tricky that you can never take anything for
granted until the finish, so tomorrow we have to try not to make any
mistakes, and look after the car as much as possible. At the same time
we have to make sure we keep up a good pace to stay in front – it's not
easy.”
Harri started the day in the runner-up slot after an excellent run through
leg one. But he was affected by a gearbox problem from the opening
stage of the day that meant he could not always select second gear. He
got the car back to service, but unfortunately incurred a 30-second penalty
for leaving service late following a gearbox change.
The cancellation of the long stage in the afternoon deprived Harri of the
opportunity to make up ground, but nonetheless he remains in a strong
fifth place and is determined to continue his impressive performance
tomorrow.
“It was a real pity that we had the problem, as otherwise I'm confident that
we had the speed to hang onto second place,” said Harri. “Although I'm
disappointed, everything is not yet lost. Tomorrow we have an important
job to do, as we have to try and score the maximum points possible.”
The final leg of the Rally Cyprus, round five of the World Rally
Championship, has an early start at 0515. Crews then cover the final six
demanding stages, before the winner crosses the finish ramp in
Limassol at 1415.
Press release
Peugeot Sport