09.10.2003 FIA JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP SAN REMO RALLY: FULL REPORT
Preview
The San Remo is an asphalt championship rally held in the hinterland behind Italy's Ligurian coast. Several of the stages are run in both directions, but the special feature this year is a stage (tackled twice) of 52km, the longest ever run on this event.
The roads are of good quality, with a variety of wide and narrow roads, with a lot of change of elevation and going up to 1500 metres above sea level. One of the special characteristics is the long time (up to two hours) between choosing tyres and driving the stage, in circumstances where the weather conditions can change fast and often.
Marcos Ligato's comments: "San Remo is a special event because it is Italy's most important rally and it will be the last time it will be held on asphalt stages. This is only the second time I have competed here. I was very pleased with our performance two years ago, where we had been always in the top four places in Group N before we retired. The surfaces are good and the roads have a variety between fast and twisty, wide and narrow. One of the biggest difficulties comes when there has been bad weather, because overnight rain can often bring sand unexpectedly on to the roads. It is also a rally where you have to drive very precisely. You must not take risks and try to cut corners, like on some other events, and you must never hit the mountains on the side of the road!"
"The big challenge for me is adapting to each of the coming events," admitted Ligato. "In the space of four weeks we will have three world championship rallies, two with the Fiat and one with the Mitsubishi, then two weeks later comes the final round of the world series on Britain, again with Fiat. There will just be no spare time to do private testing before each event in order to play yourself in. The Fiat and the Mitsubishi demand different styles of driving."
A lot of activity has happened since Australia. Marcos made the first appearance on a European rally of a left hand drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII in Sardinia on Costa Smeralda. Marcos made comparable stage times as the eventual Group N winner Gianluigi Galli, but suffered badly when a stage was blocked, as he was given an "interruption time" from a much slower driver.
Then a shock absorber failed, and he had to drive three stages slowly to reach service. At that point the car was withdrawn. It is quite likely that Sardinia will be the location for future Italian world championship events, so the experience was invaluable.
Nico Caldarola meanwhile had contested Hokkaido Rally, the world championship
candidate rally in Japan and round of the Asia Pacific series. The front
differential failed, but Nico had to stay ten hours on the stage before he was
rescued. "It was a good event but it was extremely expensive place..."
For Sanremo Marcos will drive another old model Punto, fitted with various parts
that are being developed for the new model Punto to be used next year.
There are three more events in the JWRC series to go, Sanremo included. French
driver Brice Tirabassi holds a ten point lead in the series. Some interesting
non-championship Super 1600 entries have been received for this event.
The Italian Peugeot Auto Sport team have invited former rally winner Piero Liatti to rally one of their 206 Super 1600s at Sanremo, while two members of the Swedish Junior Team have entered: PG Andersson (Clio) and Jimmy Joge (206).
Disappointing news comes from VW Motorsport. It is expected their drivers will not compete on the remaining JWRC rounds, following instructions from the company's new competition director Kris Nissen to concentrate on other motorsport disciplines. Even at this time (Friday) it is not known if their drivers will be able to start San Remo Rally.
Entry List
NUM Driver - Codriver Country Car ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 61 Tirabassi - Renucci F Renault Clio 52 Carlsson - Andersson S Suzuki Ignis 69 Canellas - Amigo Colon E Suzuki Ignis 71 Aava - Sikk EE Suzuki Ignis 70 Wilks - Pugh GB Ford Puma 54 Katamajaki - Laaksonen FIN Volkswagen Polo 58 Ligato - Garcia I - RA Fiat Punto 67 Broccoli - Girelli RSM - I Opel Corsa 64 Teuronen - Kaapro FIN Suzuki Ignis 62 Svedlund - Nilsson S Volkswagen Polo 76 Cecchettini - Muzzarelli I Fiat Punto 63 Ceccato - Dotta I Fiat Punto 65 Feghali - Matar RL Ford Puma 51 Baldacci - Bernacchini RSM-I Fiat Punto 57 Iliev - Sivov BG Peugeot 206 59 Harrach - Kolbach A - D Ford Puma 73 Donchev - Manolov BG-YU Peugeot 206 74 Meeke - Patterson GB Opel Corsa 78 Vasiljsevic - Geipel D Volkswagen Polo
Admitted cars for the A/6 class
NUM Driver - Codriver Country Car ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 101 Liatti - Geninatti I Peugeot 206 102 Jean Joseph - Boyere F Renault Clio 103 PG Andersson - Andersson S Renault Clio 105 Caldani - Caliro I Fiat Punto 106 Bernardi - Brissart F Renault Clio 107 Joge - Stigh S Peugeot 206 108 Wagner - Gross CZ-D Renault Clio 109 Honda - Sitnik CZ Citroen Saxo
Leg 1
The first leg of Rallye San
Remo started in name of the tarmac specialists, as
expected. Tirabassi at the wheel of Renault Clio signs the best time 2"5 ahead
Mirco Baldacci with Hi-tec's Punto Abarth at his second participation of the
Riviera rally. Third is Marco Ligato, whilst Carlsson pays only 7"9 seconds from
the leader. No troubles at all for the rest of the crews, apart Guy Wilks who
suffers a puncture with his Ford Puma. The second scratch is rich of important
surprises, because Brice Tirabassi makes a mistake: "I spuned and the engine
cut out. I switched the spare control unit on so the car started again. I lost
a lot of time". Bad luck also for Marco Ligato, who suffers serious
mechanic issues and sets a time of 17'12" slower than the stage winner, Mirco
Baldacci, who takes the leadership in the Junior classification. Ligato will
suffer also a minute more penalty for exiting the park assistance later than the
time check, because his team tried to fix the troubles occurred on the stage.
Other drivers have important delays on the longest stage of the first leg in the
leaderboard, like the Turkish winner Kosti Katajamki (+12'12") and Wilks
again (+6'38").
The troubles seem to stop for the Frenchman, who wins the third stage, but Baldacci is just 3"50 seconds slower, which doesn't let him lose too much time in the general board. Brice said: "My car is not working well. I will try on the last stages of the day". In the meanwhile the fight among the S1600 category between Jean Joseph and Bernardi, both with Renault Clio, still goes on, although both are out of the championship.
After the second assistance Baldacci is ahead 46" of Carlsson while Canellas, Meeke and Broccoli are closed in a 6 seconds frame and fighting for the third position. Daniel Carlsson, the winner of the previous Junior round - the Neste Rally of Finland - commented: "I am very pleased. I had only a driving problem in the last stage. I have to think at the championship".
The unexpected Piero Liatti, famous to being one of the outsiders at Subaru team at the era of the introduction of the WRC cars, sets very good times at the debut with the Auto Sport Italia's Peugeot 206 Super1600 with Pirelli tyres.
The last two stages of the leg are a solo for Mirco Baldacci, who wins his third and fourth stage on a total of six. Baldacci commented shortly: "Everything is going fine for me". The only drivers who could attack him are the Suzuki crews, but the Spanish tarmac expert Salvador Canellas suffered a puncture on the front right tyre in the fourth stage and made him lost 3 minutes. Another young San Marinese guy, who showed a very good pace in the previous rounds, is Alessandro Broccoli, who said: "We keep our pace without taking many risks. We hope to consolidate the position for the evening".
The local drivers with Fiat Punto are not shining too much, but they claim the lack of experience on an event they never run. Luca Cecchettini commented: "Only two passages during the practices are not enough for me", while Top Run Racing based Massimo Ceccato said: "We have lost a lot of time at the start of the stage because we had a puncture".
After the first leg, Mirco Baldacci enjoys 1'24" from Daniel Carlsson, while the Briton guy Kris Meeke is satisfied with the third position in a event typically hard for gravel experts from Great Britain. The top runners, however, populate the lower part of the standings, with Tirabassi 12th at +13'05", Katajamaki 13th at +13'40" and lastly Ligato at 20'30", with few chances to get points for the Junior World Rally Championship.
SS1 (Perinaldo 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 08'42"100 85.5 km/h 0 0 2. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 08'44"600 + 00'02"50 0 0 3. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 08'46"800 + 00'04"70 0 0 4. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 08'50"000 + 00'07"90 0 0 5. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 08'50"400 + 00'08"30 0 0 6. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 08'53"600 + 00'11"50 0 0 7. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 08'54"700 + 00'12"60 0 0 8. 71 Aava-Sikk Suzuki Igni A6 08'55"600 + 00'13"50 0 0 9. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 08'59"400 + 00'17"30 0 0 10. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 09'00"100 + 00'18"00 0 0 11. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 09'00"800 + 00'18"70 0 0 12. 73 Donchev-Manolov Peugeot 206 A6 09'00"800 + 00'18"70 0 0 13. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 09'02"100 + 00'20"00 0 0 14. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 09'03"800 + 00'21"70 0 0 15. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 09'07"300 + 00'25"20 0 0 16. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 10'40"900 + 01'58"80 0 0SS2 (Ceppo 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 26'34"000 82.3 km/h 0 0 2. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 26'56"300 + 00'22"30 0 0 3. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 27'09"700 + 00'35"70 0 0 4. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 27'16"000 + 00'42"00 0 0 5. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 27'17"600 + 00'43"60 0 0 6. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 27'32"700 + 00'58"70 0 0 7. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 27'40"900 + 01'06"90 0 0 8. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 27'44"900 + 01'10"90 0 0 9. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 28'05"300 + 01'31"30 0 0 10. 71 Aava-Sikk Suzuki Igni A6 28'09"100 + 01'35"10 0 0 11. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 29'33"500 + 02'59"50 0 0 12. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 33'12"700 + 06'38"70 0 0 13. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 38'46"600 + 12'12"60 0 0 14. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 38'53"100 + 12'19"10 0 0 15. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 43'46"200 + 17'12"20 0 0
SS3 (Cosio 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 13'19"900 86.4 km/h 0 0 2. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 13'23"000 + 00'03"10 0 0 3. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 13'23"000 + 00'03"10 0 0 4. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 13'23"400 + 00'03"50 0 0 5. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 13'23"800 + 00'03"90 0 0 6. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 13'24"000 + 00'04"10 0 0 7. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 13'27"800 + 00'07"90 0 0 8. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 13'30"600 + 00'10"70 0 0 9. 71 Aava-Sikk Suzuki Igni A6 13'31"200 + 00'11"30 0 0 10. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 13'32"000 + 00'12"10 0 0 11. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 13'38"900 + 00'19"00 0 0 12. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 13'40"100 + 00'20"20 0 0 13. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 13'40"100 + 00'20"20 0 0 14. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 13'43"500 + 00'23"60 0 0 15. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 13'48"200 + 00'28"30 0 0
SS4 (San Bartolomeo 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 16'20"100 93.0 km/h 0 0 2. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 16'27"200 + 00'07"10 0 0 3. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 16'37"500 + 00'17"40 0 0 4. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 16'38"700 + 00'18"60 0 0 5. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 16'39"200 + 00'19"10 0 0 6. 71 Aava-Sikk Suzuki Igni A6 16'41"300 + 00'21"20 0 0 7. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 16'42"300 + 00'22"20 0 0 8. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 16'42"600 + 00'22"50 0 0 9. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 16'47"200 + 00'27"10 0 0 10. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 16'50"900 + 00'30"80 0 0 11. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 16'51"200 + 00'31"10 0 0 12. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 17'01"800 + 00'41"70 0 0 13. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 17'02"600 + 00'42"50 0 0 14. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 17'03"400 + 00'43"30 0 0 15. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 17'05"800 + 00'45"70 0 0
SS5 (Perinaldo 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 08'37"200 86.3 km/h 0 0 2. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 08'40"300 + 00'03"10 0 0 3. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 08'46"500 + 00'09"30 0 0 4. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 08'46"600 + 00'09"40 0 0 5. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 08'51"700 + 00'14"50 0 0 6. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 08'53"100 + 00'15"90 0 0 7. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 08'56"500 + 00'19"30 0 0 8. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 08'56"700 + 00'19"50 0 0 9. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 08'56"700 + 00'19"50 0 0 10. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 08'57"000 + 00'19"80 0 0 11. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 08'57"100 + 00'19"90 0 0 12. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 08'57"100 + 00'19"90 0 0 13. 71 Aava-Sikk Suzuki Igni A6 08'58"600 + 00'21"40 0 0 14. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 09'00"500 + 00'23"30 0 0 15. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 11'34"000 + 02'56"80 0 0
SS6 (Ceppo 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 26'49"600 81.5 km/h 0 0 2. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 27'14"700 + 00'25"10 0 0 3. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 27'17"500 + 00'27"90 0 0 4. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 27'17"700 + 00'28"10 0 0 5. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 27'18"400 + 00'28"80 0 0 6. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 27'18"900 + 00'29"30 0 0 7. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 27'31"300 + 00'41"70 0 0 8. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 27'36"600 + 00'47"00 0 0 9. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 27'40"800 + 00'51"20 0 0 10. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 27'45"500 + 00'55"90 0 0 11. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 27'58"800 + 01'09"20 0 0 12. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 28'13"700 + 01'24"10 0 0 13. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 28'19"600 + 01'30"00 0 0 14. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 28'33"900 + 01'44"30 0 0
At the end of the first leg (October 3th)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 1h40'28"900 84.9 km/h 0 0 2. 52 Carlsson-Anders Suzuki Igni A6 1h41'53"400 + 01'24"50 0 0 3. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 1h42'18"600 + 01'49"70 0 0 4. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 1h42'51"600 + 02'22"70 0 0 5. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 1h44'16"000 + 03'47"10 0 0 6. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 1h44'17"900 + 03'49"00 0 0 7. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 1h44'40"900 + 04'12"00 0 0 8. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 1h45'03"500 + 04'34"60 0 0 9. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 1h45'24"600 + 04'55"70 0 0 10. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 1h45'58"400 + 05'29"50 0 0 11. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 1h50'16"000 + 09'47"10 0 0 12. 61 Tirabassi-Renuc Renault Cli A6 1h53'33"900 + 13'05"00 0 0 13. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 1h54'09"700 + 13'40"80 0 0 14. 58 Ligato-Garcia Fiat Punto A6 2h00'59"500 + 20'30"60 0 0
Leg 2
The beginning of the second leg of San
Remo Rally starts with several missing
top drivers of the Junior World Rally Championship. Several drivers and their
teams opted to abandon the event, because of the difficulties of the second leg,
which counts few special stages, but the first one, repeated also as the last in
the afternoon, is the longest stage even run on the tarmac, the Teglia stage. 52
kms of twisted run alternating with narrow and wide roads, up and down in the
Imperia's hinterland are really demanding for the resistance capabilities of the
Super1600 car and require their drivers to prove their skill and ability to
remain concentrated for such long distance.
This is why Marco Ligato with Top Run Racing's Fiat Punto doesn't start the second leg, while the Frenchman Brice Tirabassi of the official Renault Clio team retired during the last reconneissance from the last stage to the park assistance of Friday evening, with a electronic failure and fuelling trouble of the Super1600 French car.
The terrible Teglia stage makes another important victim of the Junior championship: Daniel Carlsson, who hasn't had in mind to attack the rally leader Mirco Baldacci, but who told to having in mind only the points of the championship, has a puncture at 2 km from the stage finish line, but retires for mechanical failure. It's an hard stop for the Swede and his ambition to delete the gap in the provisional JWRC leaderboard. The young and fast Swedish rallyman is talking with Peugeot Sport in order to get the third vacant seat in the World Rally Championship 2004 on the upcoming Peugeot 307 CC WRC.
Massimo Ceccato, with the second Fiat Punto of Top Run team, wins the stage and gets some higher position in the classification, while Mirco Baldacci has to administer the important gain he accumulated during the previous leg. Apart Daniel Carlsson's retirement, Teglia stage deserves for the San Marinese Alessandro Broccoli, with Renault Clio from Autorel Sport, a lot of time lost on the stage.
Next stages, Cosio 2 and San Bartolomeo 2, went free for all the Junior crews, with Mirco Baldacci who allows himself the luxury of winning a stage, with unmodified positions in the scoreboard, where Kris Meeke at the wheel of Palmer's Opel Corsa at more than 2' and five drivers battling for the last position of the podium.
It's on the repetition of the Teglia stage, the last of the day, that two further victims are registered in list of the Junior drivers: the Italian Massimo Ceccato, who won the previous run on the stage, and the San Marinese Alessandro Broccoli, codriven by Simona Girelli, are forced to retire for mechanical failure. Mirco Baldacci resists in the reduced list of the Super1600 youngsters and wins another stage, counting 6 stage wins over a total of 10.
The second leg finished with Baldacci first, with a +2'09" ahead of Meeke and the Bulgarian Dimitri Iliev at the wheel of the Auto Sport Italia's Peugeot 206 Super1600 at 5'37". The Suzuki men are Teuronen and Canellas, fourth and fifth, who will try on the last leg to attack the third position and bring home as many points as possible for the Japanese brand.
SS7 (Teglia 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 39'06"400 80.2 km/h 0 0 2. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 39'15"300 + 00'08"90 0 0 3. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 39'19"700 + 00'13"30 0 0 4. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 39'24"700 + 00'18"30 0 0 5. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 39'26"500 + 00'20"10 0 0 6. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 39'32"100 + 00'25"70 0 0 7. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 39'51"000 + 00'44"60 0 0 8. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 40'24"400 + 01'18"00 0 0 9. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 40'39"600 + 01'33"20 0 0 10. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 42'04"500 + 02'58"10 0 0 11. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 42'43"700 + 03'37"30 0 0
SS8 (Cosio 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 13'15"800 86.8 km/h 0 0 2. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 13'15"900 + 00'00"10 0 0 3. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 13'19"800 + 00'04"00 0 0 4. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 13'21"200 + 00'05"40 0 0 5. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 13'21"800 + 00'06"00 0 0 6. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 13'24"100 + 00'08"30 0 0 7. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 13'25"800 + 00'10"00 0 0 8. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 13'26"300 + 00'10"50 0 0 9. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 13'29"100 + 00'13"30 0 0 10. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 13'30"200 + 00'14"40 0 0 11. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 13'43"100 + 00'27"30 0 0
SS9 (San Bartolomeo 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 16'22"000 92.8 km/h 0 0 2. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 16'26"000 + 00'04"00 0 0 3. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 16'27"500 + 00'05"50 0 0 4. 67 Broccoli-Girell Opel Corsa A6 16'27"800 + 00'05"80 0 0 5. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 16'35"700 + 00'13"70 0 0 6. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 16'37"300 + 00'15"30 0 0 7. 63 Ceccato-Dotta Fiat Punto A6 16'38"500 + 00'16"50 0 0 8. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 16'41"200 + 00'19"20 0 0 9. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 16'42"900 + 00'20"90 0 0 10. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 16'47"700 + 00'25"70 0 0 11. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 16'57"100 + 00'35"10 0 0
SS10 (Teglia 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 38'54"600 80.6 km/h 0 0 2. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 38'59"400 + 00'04"80 0 0 3. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 39'06"600 + 00'12"00 0 0 4. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 39'16"700 + 00'22"10 0 0 5. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 39'36"700 + 00'42"10 0 0 6. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 39'48"000 + 00'53"40 0 0 7. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 40'01"800 + 01'07"20 0 0 8. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 41'56"200 + 03'01"60 0 0 9. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 43'22"200 + 04'27"60 0 0
At the end of the second leg (October 4th)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 3h28'37"900 83.8 km/h 0 0 2. 74 Meeke-Patterson Opel Corsa A6 3h30'46"900 + 02'09"00 0 0 3. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 3h34'15"700 + 05'37"80 0 0 4. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 3h34'18"000 + 05'40"10 0 0 5. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 3h34'20"700 + 05'42"80 0 0 6. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 3h34'46"300 + 06'08"40 0 0 7. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 3h38'20"300 + 09'42"40 0 0 8. 54 Katajamaki-Laak VW Polo Sup A6 3h43'05"300 + 14'27"40 0 0 9. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 3h44'04"500 + 15'26"60 0 0Leg 3
After
two year gap a driver at the wheel of a Fiat Punto Rally has win a round of the
Junior World Rally Championship: it was Andrea Dallavilla driving an R&D
Motorsport Fiat Punto who won the 2001 Rallye San Remo, whilst this year Mirco
Baldacci has won at the wheel of the Hi-Tec car.
The last leg of the Italian event was characterized by an heavy rain on the last two stages, but the Junior competitors left the parc ferme, after installing intermediate rain tyres and benefited from it being the right choice for the two stages, while the WRC drivers didn't opt for such tyres, apart Gilles Panizzi, and struggled on the stages. In fact some Super1600 drivers, like Bernardi and Jean Joseph were able to run as fast as the best WRC drivers, closing the gap on on the all wheel traction runners.
The first stage wasn't run by the Junior crews after a spectator fell from a five metre high wall and was left in a coma, while the ambulance cars on the stage prevented some competitors from running the stage. Fixed times were awarded for all categories.
The conservative approach to the third leg let almost all the Junior drivers to reach the finish line: only Kris Meeke in an Opel Corsa, second before starting the Sunday's stages, had a crash on the second stage which blocked the road for the rest of the crews, whose stage times were registered as fixed. The Irishman, who was shining on the Italian tarmac, lost eight points for the championship, after setting fast times all weekend. The quicked time on the last stage, Colle d'Oggia 2, is was set by Abdo Feghali, who was assured third position at the finish line.
The final classification of the Junior troops listed Baldacci first, with Canellas second at +5'21", third place went Feghali at +6'18" and fourth to Iliev. Teuronen, Cecchettini, and Wilks completed the list of the Junior crews. Other Super1600 drivers, not involved in the Junior championship, set fast times on the stages with especially good times from the Renault drivers, Bernardi and Simon Jean-Joseph and the unexpected return of Piero Liatti in a Peugeot 206 Super1600. All of them finished ahead of Baldacci, although they hadn't the pressure of the Junior Championship and the limitations of a reduced set of tyres.
SS11 (Vignai 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 20'15"200 78.6 km/h 0 0 2. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0 3. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0 4. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0 5. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0 6. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0 7. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 20'15"200 + 00'00"0. 0 0
SS12 (Colle d'Oggia 1)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 14'58"100 86.3 km/h 0 0 2. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0 3. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0 4. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0 5. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0 6. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0 7. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 14'58"100 + 00'00"0. 0 0
SS13 (Vignai 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 21'45"600 73.2 km/h 0 0 2. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 21'49"700 + 00'04"10 0 0 3. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 21'54"900 + 00'09"30 0 0 4. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 22'24"100 + 00'38"50 0 0 5. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 22'43"700 + 00'58"10 0 0 6. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 22'47"900 + 01'02"30 0 0 7. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 22'56"700 + 01'11"10 0 0
SS14 (Colle d'Oggia 2)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 17'21"300 74.4 km/h 0 0 2. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 17'24"800 + 00'03"50 0 0 3. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 17'36"500 + 00'15"20 0 0 4. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 18'09"000 + 00'47"70 0 0 5. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 18'18"500 + 00'57"20 0 0 6. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 18'50"500 + 01'29"20 0 0 7. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 19'42"600 + 02'21"30 0 0
Final results of the end of the third leg (October 5th)
POS NO CREW CAR CL TIME DELAY PEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. 51 Baldacci-Bernac Fiat Punto A6 4h43'22"600 82.0 km/h 0 0 2. 69 Canellas-Amigo Suzuki Igni A6 4h48'44"400 + 05'21"80 0 0 3. 65 Feghali-Matar Ford Puma S A6 4h49'40"600 + 06'18"00 0 0 4. 57 Iliev-Yanakiev Peugeot 206 A6 4h50'02"100 + 06'39"50 0 0 5. 64 Teuronen-Kaapro Suzuki Igni A6 4h52'01"800 + 08'39"20 0 0 6. 76 Cecchettini-Muz Fiat Punto A6 4h55'07"800 + 11'45"20 0 0 7. 70 Wilks-Pugh Ford Puma S A6 5h00'33"000 + 17'10"40 0 0
Stages won by drivers
- Baldacci (4, SS2, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS9, SS10)
- Tirabassi (2, SS1, SS3)
- Canellas (1, SS8, SS13)
- Ceccato (1, SS7)
- Feghali (1, SS14)
Stages won by cars
- Fiat Punto (7, SS2, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, SS9, SS10)
- Renault Clio (2, SS1, SS3)
- Suzuki Ignis (2, SS8, SS13)
- Ford Puma (1, SS14)
by Marco Tenuti
Report provided courtesy of PuntoPower ( www.puntopower.com ). Photos courtesy Photocris. ©2003 text: PuntoPower, images: Photocris
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