Swedish Rally 2001
LEG
ONE
6 stages
The only winter event in the World Rally Championship started this year in proper winter conditions. The roads were snow-covered, and temperatures below freezing. The teams added some Scandinavian specialists to their lineups, Harri Rovanpera was driving the third Peugeot and Thomas Radstrom took the wheel of a works Mitsubishi.
Stage 1
Winner of the event last year, Marcus Gronholm was fastest on the
first stage of the rally. He was followed by Richard Burns and Colin McRae.
Tommi Makinen, having to sweep the snowy roads as the first car lost almost
twenty seconds to Gronholm.
Stage 2
Rally leader Marcus Gronholm finished the 2nd stage with steam pouring
from the engine of his Peugeot. He lost more than 20 seconds but went
on to SS 3 after refilling the radiator. Subaru's Richard Burns also was
in trouble as he got stuck deep in a snow bank. It took 13 minutes for
the crew to dig its way back to the road, so Burns' rally became a test
event. Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera took the lead with Colin McRae second,
only 1.9 secs behind.
Stage 3
Gronholm's engine problems persisted on the following stage. Even
though he limped through the stage, the damaged engine didn't agree to
go any further. Gronholm suspected it was the same water pump problem
that ended his rally in Monte Carlo, but the team later claimed the cylinder
head gasket as the reason for the retirement. Colin McRae blew his chances
of winning the rally exactly as Burns had done on the previous stage.
Braking too late, he was stranded in the snow bank for six minutes.
Burns was fastest on the stage, but the lead was taken by Thomas Radstrom.
Rovanpera remained 2nd, while Ford's Carlos Sainz and Subaru's Markko
Martin took the next positions.
Stage 4
The 49 km Granberget stage was won by Colin McRae. Second fastest
was Sainz, who took the second position and was now only 3.5 secs behind
leader Radstrom. Rovanpera in 3rd was mere 0.2 secs behind the Spaniard.
Markko Martin lost a lot of time with a puncture that damaged also the
rear brakes of the Subaru. Third, already 18.5 secs behind the leader
was Tommi Makinen and 4th Hyundai's Kenneth Eriksson.
Stage 5
The tight battle in the top 3 went on, and on SS 5 Sainz took the
lead with Radstrom dropping to 2nd place and Rovanpera staying in touch
in third position, 4.9 secs behind Sainz.
Stage 6
Sainz increased his lead on the final stage of the day. Radstrom
posted a slow time and dropped to third, 19.3 secs behind the leader.
Rovanpera starts the second leg from second position, 13.2 secs behind
Sainz. Peugeot's Didier Auriol charged on the final stage and moved to
4th.
Situation after stage 6 of 17:
1. Carlos Sainz (ESP) Ford - 1.19.08,7
2. Harri Rovanperä (FIN) Peugeot +13,2
3. Thomas Rådström (SWE) Mitsubishi +19,3
4. Didier Auriol (FRA) Peugeot +32,3
5. Tommi Mäkinen (FIN) Mitsubishi +35,6
6. Kenneth Eriksson (SWE) Hyundai +41,6
7. Francois Delecour (FRA) Ford +49,9
8. Petter Solberg (NOR) Subaru +1.12,2
9. Toni Gardemeister (FIN) Peugeot +1.18,1
