Petter Solberg has won the Rally Great Britain and with it, the driver’s championship for 2003. Solberg won the final run through Margam Park, and extended his lead over Sebastien Loeb, winning the rally by over 40 seconds. Tommi Makinen finishes his career on the podium, as he won his battle with Colin McRae for third place, aided by a puncture for McRae during the last stage. Francois Duval finishes the rally in fifth place, thanks to transmission problems for Harri Rovanpera’s Peugeot. Freddy Loix had a good first rally for Peugeot, finishing in sixth.
It was a fantastic season for Solberg, and he continued the streak he started this summer in Greece, winning his fourth rally of the year. Loeb had a fantastic season as well, proving he is more than a tarmac specialist, though he has to think about what could have been, especially his poor result in Corsica (which Solberg capitalised on, winning the rally). No doubt these two will be fighting for the championship again next season.
Tommi Makinen finished his career in grand style, and he no doubt is also thinking about what could have been at Subaru. He had a rocky two years there, with some success and much frustration, but as I’ve said before, Solberg owes much to his partner, as Makinen was always ready and willing to help Solberg learn the ins and outs of being a championship contender.
Both Carlos Sainz and Richard Burns will have a long two months before the start of next season. Burns led the points table for much of the season, only to see his chances for the title disappear with a bout of illness before the start of Rally GB. He’s got to be happy to be leaving Peugeot, however, after a rocky two years. I’m astonished at how Peugeot treated Burns, because without his consistency this season, the team would have never even been in the running for maker’s title (though they did lose to Citroen in the end). It will be interesting to see how things work out at Subaru, with Solberg now the clear number one driver and reigning champion. For Sainz, he again saw his title hopes crushed in Wales (just like in 1998). But with Sainz staying at Citroen for one last season, El Matador should be in the thick of things next year.
Peugeot has got a bit of work to do the next few months. The once unbeatable 206 is now quite mortal, and Marcus Gronholm has to hope that the new 307 will be ready for 2004, else it will be another long season. Without a driver of Burns’ ability, Peugeot will not be a likely challenger for the manufacturer’s title.
Ford has much to look forward to next year, should they decide to field a WRC team (the budget is still undecided for next season). The Focus was quick when it was working, and Markko Martin proved he could win, so if the engineers can work the bugs out of the car, Martin should find himself in the thick of the championship battle next season.
Skoda, despite finishing at the bottom of the manufacturer’s points table, has a lot to look forward to next season, even with its limited programme. The new Fabia has become a more reliable car, and with Toni Gardenmeister and Didier Auriol staying with the Czech outfit next season, they should be able to challenge even more for points.
Only two months to Monte Carlo!
Posted on 9 November 2003