Another interesting day on in the World Rally Championship. First, multiple stages were concerned due to overzealous crowds. This didn’t make many of the drivers in the top 5 happy, since the move limited the number of competitive kilometers left in the event. Once the action the got started though, Carlos Sainz was out to prove the rally was his to win. Or lose. Thanks to a misinterpreted gesture from his co-driver, Sainz reached a time checkpoint too early (yes, in rallying it is possible to go too fast) and was given a one minute penalty, dropping him from first to fourth.

Again, Marcus Gronholm has proven why he’s the top driver in the sport. After losing two minutes after finishing a stage yesterday on three wheels, Gronholm is in second place, fifteen seconds behind new leader Markko Martin. Richard Burns rounds out the top three, and he’s got to want to pass Gronholm again to further cement his lead in the driver’s championship. Harri Rovanpera and Petter Solberg round out the top 6.

Peugeot should retake the leader in the manufacturer’s series, with all three cars looking to finish in the top 5. Citroen was still looking good even after Colin McRae retired, but Sebastien Loeb stuffed his Xsara into the trees, leaving Sainz the sole Citroen driver. Subaru can only imagine what might have been had Solberg not rolled and had Tommi’s transmission not given up.

Posted on 10 May 2003