Within only the superspecial at St Wendel this evening left, Richard Burns is back in the lead. Markko Martin stormed the middle stages, and looked to be the main to beat, until gearbox issues left him without 5th and 6th gears (not exactly ideal for the flat, wide stages later in the day). Martin has been bleeding time since SS5, and now sits in 10th place, over a minute behind Burns. Seb Loeb and Marcus Gronholm are breathing down Burns’ back, each less than 10 seconds off his pace. Colin McRae and Gilles Panizzi round out the top 5, but neither are within quick striking distance of the podium.

The Subarus aren’t having a great day, with Solberg one minute behind Burns, and Makinen just behind him. Hopefully they will sort things out tonight and be in the hunt tomorrow. The new Skodas are running well, with Toni Gardemeister in 12th, but still well within striking distance of a top 10 finish. Both Gardemeister and Didier Auriol say the car is running well, with only minor issues so far — a great start for the Fabia.

Tomorrow should be an interesting day. All eyes will be on Gilles Panizzi, since he’s yet to make his move on his favorite surface. Seb Loeb should also push things tomorrow, since he is so close to Burns, and he’s got to feel confident, having won the rally last year. Carlos Sainz has been quiet as well, not running as quickly as his teammates, but not running too far off the pace either. Right now, his chances of taking the lead in the driver’s championship look pretty slim.

Posted on 25 July 2003