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Argentina Leg 2:
Rovanpera in fifth position
(Peugeot Sport, Argentina Leg 2, July 17, 2004)
Peugeot driver Harri Rovanpera is fifth after leg two of the Rally
Argentina. His team mate Marcus Gronholm was forced to
retire from the lead on SS19 after hitting a rock and damaging
his car.
Today's action, to the south of rally headquarters in Villa Carlos Paz,
consisted of nine stages including a loop of four stages run
consecutively this morning. The gravel stages were loose and slippery,
testing each driver's capabilities to the limit. Although the weather was
once more cold and cloudy, conditions remained dry throughout today's
129 competitive kilometres.
Harri said: “Today's stages were amongst the most difficult of
the entire
rally. In the morning it was extremely slippery and it was a constant
struggle to keep the car under control. In the afternoon we tried to settle
into a rhythm in order to keep a fast and consistent pace. But with the time
that we lost yesterday, it was always going to be a struggle. Now it's a
question of continuing to push, but we also have to make sure we bring
back some points.”
Marcus started the day with an eight-second lead, but set four fastest
times to extend his lead to 12 seconds by SS18. Unfortunately he hit a
rock 11 kilometres into the following stage that damaged a wheel, and
the resulting engine damage eventually put him out of the rally.
Marcus said: “There was a right hand corner with a rock sticking
out of the bank, which we didn't have marked in our notes. That took the
wheel off, but we still could have finished the stage with three wheels.
Unfortunately, the damage to the suspension also damaged the
driveshaft, which broke the timing belt. So the engine stopped and there
was nothing more we could do. I think we were a bit unlucky: I was
going at a comfortable pace today, which is why it is so disappointing to
go out of the rally under these circumstances.
On the positive side, we had a very good feeling with the car throughout
the rally and it's clear that that team has made a lot of progress.”
Tomorrow's final leg of the Rally Argentina is the shortest of the event,
consisting of five special stages. However, they include the two most
famous and challenging stages of the rally, El Condor and Giulio
Rally Argentina (WRC 8/16), July 15 -18 2004
Leg 2, 9 special stages, 129,39 stage kilometers
(total of the rally 26 SS / 382,63 km)
Positions after SS 21/26
1. Carlos Sainz, Citroen, 3 h 18´ 53,4" (89,8 km/h)
2. Sebastien Loeb, Citroen, + 01´ 36,2"
3. Francois Duval, Ford, + 03´ 55,7"
4. Mikko Hirvonen, Subaru, + 08´ 46,4"
5. Harri Rovanperä, Peugeot 307, + 10´ 37,0”
6. L. Perez-Companc, Peugeot 206, + 13´ 54,4"
7. Gabriel Bozzo, Subaru, (1./ N), + 16´ 52,9"
8. Gilles Panizzi, Mitsubishi, + 17´ 13,3"
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