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36th Rallye Catalunya
Round 5 of the FIA World Rally Championship
http://www.rallyecatalunya.com
March 31st - April 2nd

Extract from Official FIA Press Release http://www.fia.com
End of Rally Report
Sunday 2 April 2000
The final stage of yesterday's second leg served as a warning that the 36th Catalunya-Costa Brava Rally was shaping up for a nail-biting finale. So it proved with Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz fighting hard for supremacy over today's final four stages north of Lloret de Mar in the Vic region. In what was one of the FIA World Rally Championship's closest ever finishes, McRae took victory by 5.9s having completed the final stage with an equal time to that of the chasing Burns.

Ford
There was drama in the Ford camp at service before the first stage today when Colin McRae's car developed a clutch problem. One minute late out of the service area meant that McRae started the day with an extra 10 seconds road penalty and was now in second place. However, the Scot set fastest time on the first stage to regain his lead, albeit now cut to just 1.3 seconds. "We had experienced the problem before, in Portugal," explained team boss Malcolm Wilson. "We changed the thrust bearing, clutch and master cylinder but it was a huge job in the 10 minutes allowed. Colin incurred a penalty but did a superb job to complete the task on the road section after service." While McRae continued to lead the event, team mate Carlos Sainz was pushing equally hard in third. "Everyone is taking a lot of risks today," he explained. With it so close, that's the only thing to do. I think I was a bit too cautious on the first stage, trying to save my tyres, because they were in perfect condition even at the end of the second." McRae said at the finish line of the final stage, "I'd forgotten what it feels like to win. I was confident we'd do it going into the final stage but there's always a little doubt until the job's been done!"

Subaru
At last night's final service Subaru decided to withdraw Juha Kankkunen after the Finn suffered a dreadful day and could no longer be of any help to victory-chasing Richard Burns. Burns had a brief tenure of the lead with McRae's problems in service but, once the stages were under way, could only chip a little from the Scot's advantage. "I can't drive any faster than I am doing at the moment," he said at the finish of SS13. "I've just taken 0.2s from Colin and that's not going to be enough to catch him." Burns does, however, retain his Championship lead.

Mitsubishi
Tommi Makinen admitted that he felt the gap to the three drivers ahead of him was too big. "I think it is most important now that I drive to reach the finish," he said. However, Makinen promptly set fastest time on SS13 although the gap was realistically too great for him to gain places unless the lead trio hit trouble. "It's a big battle at the front and it's quite interesting to see the lines the front three drivers are taking. My tyres were a bit too soft on the first stage and they didn't last as long as they should have done but they were fine for the second," he added. Freddy Loix continued to struggle and was finally unable to add points to Mitsubishi's points tally. The Belgian driver has again had brake problems: "I lost them 30kms into the first stage and then had the same problem on the descent from the Col on the second."

Peugeot
All three Peugeot drivers found today's stages exceedingly slippery. " The car is a bit unstable," was how Gilles Panizzi described the situation as he finally gave up all hope of catching Makinen. Francois Delecour suffered when his seat padding was not properly adjusted for the opening stage but his situation was somewhat worse after the gearbox fitted for the final day malfunctioned. At service the replacement box (one used earlier in the event) refused to change out of third gear on the penultimate stage and he slipped back behind team mate Marcus Gronholm. Panizzi later checked out from the final service late, promoting Gronholm to an extra Championship point.

Skoda
Armin Schwarz admitted that he was pushing as hard as possible to end the event in the top 10. "Judging from the reaction of the Spanish fans I think I must be one of the most spectacular drivers on the stages today!" he laughed. Schwarz's Spanish team mate Luis Climent has again suffered brake problems this morning and has generally endured a frustrating event in front of his home fans. "I'd like to get one pair of trouble free stages before the end of the rally to show just what I can do in front of my home crowd," he said. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and he was stopped on the penultimate stage having lost his right rear wheel after hitting something.

SEAT
Didier Auriol sent the first pair of stages battling a SEAT Cordoba that was fighting the French ace every centimetre of the way. The car was twitching even on the straights and Auriol could clearly be seen fighting with the steering wheel just to keep the car under control. I'm not sure what the problem is," said a clearly frustrated Auriol. I think it's a diff problem. Nevertheless we learned a lot about the car on this event and everyone is very positive about the future developments."

Hyundai
Changing a propshaft in the 10 minute first service cost Kenneth Eriksson more road penalties and the Swede found himself running near the foot of the top 30 as the day progressed. However Hyundai's public asphalt test session has gone well. "We've learned a lot," said Eriksson, "and we can look forward to using the information in Corsica later in the year."

Other teams
Uwe Nittel hung on to win Group N from Gustavo Trelles despite slowing this morning when the stages were foggy. Mitsubishi dominated the competition, ending the event filling the top seven places. Manfred Stohl, however, continues to lead the series from Portugal's Miguel Campos. In the FIA Teams Cup, Abdullah Bakashab held on for a narrow victory over Toshihiro Arai in the Toyota Team Saudi Arabia and Spike Subaru teams respectively.
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Provisional Final Results
1 McRae Ford Focus 4:07:13,0
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 4:07:18,9
3 Sainz Ford Focus 4:07:24,7
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 4:07:53,2
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:09:04,7
6 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 4:09:23,9
7 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 4:10:49,4
8 Loix Mitsu Lancer 4:11:25,5
9 Navarra Toyota Corolla 4:12:18,4
10 Martin Toyota Corolla 4:12:42,0

Group N
1 Nittel Mitsu Lancer 4:26:10,7
2 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 4:27:33,7
3 Stohl Mitsu Lancer 4:30:39,4

2-Litre
1 Travaglia Peugeot 306 4:21:22,8
2 Gundersen Seat Ibiza 4:48:11,1
3 Garcia Peugeot 4:48:15,2

Teams Cup
1 Toyota Team Saudi Arabia Bakhashab Toyota Corolla 4:23:52,2
2 Spike Subaru Team Arai Subaru Impreza 4:24:08,4
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PROVISIONAL FIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (unofficial positions after 5 of 14 rounds)
Burns (GB) 28
Makinen (FIN) 19
Gronholm (FIN) 18
Sainz (E) 17
McRae (GB) 14
Kankkunen (FIN) 11
Auriol (F) 4

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (unofficial positions after 5 of 14 rounds):
Subaru 41
Ford 31
Mitsubishi 23
Peugeot 23
SEAT 7
Skoda 5
Hyundai 0

FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (unofficial positions after 5 of 14 rounds):
Stohl (A) 27
Campos (P) 13
Trelles (ROU) 12
Menzi (I) 12
Paasonen (FIN) 11
Nittel (D) 10

FIA Teams' Cup (unofficial positions after 5 of 14 rounds):
Toyota Team Saudi Arabia 16
Spike Rally Team 16
Turning Point Rally Team 10
F.Dor Rally Team 10
------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Winners: SS12 - McRae, SS13 - Makinen, SS14 - McRae, SS15 - Gronholm ------------------------------------------------------------------
SS12 St Julia-Arbúcies 1 36.85 kms 1st Car: 08:18
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus 22:46,0
2 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 22:52,1
3 Burns Subaru Impreza 22:53,0
4 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 22:53,6
5 Sainz Ford Focus 22:54,4
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS13 Coll de Bracons 1 18.34 kms 1st Car: 10:11
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 12:03,7
2 Sainz Ford Focus 12:04,4
3 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 12:05,9
4 Burns Subaru Impreza 12:06,4
5 McRae Ford Focus 12:06,6
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS14 St Julia-Arbúcies 2 36.85 kms 1st Car: 12:13
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus 22:43,1
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 22:47,9
3 Sainz Ford Focus 22:48,6
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 22:50,1
5 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 22:53,3
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS15 Coll de Bracons 2 18.34 kms 1st Car: 14:06
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 12:09,3
2 McRae Ford Focus 12:09,8
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 12:09,8
4 Sainz Ford Focus 12:10,5
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 12:11,3


After the torrential rain of yesterday's opening leg close to Vic, the Catalunya Rally enjoyed dry roads for the stages west of Barcelona in the Tarragona region. The intensity of the competition grew with each stage as the lead battle progressed with Colin McRae snatching the lead from Richard Burns before the Englishman was able to hit back. McRae's time on the opening stage set a new record, underlining the increased commitment from the leading drivers now that conditions are more stable and established the Scot as today's pace setter. Tomorrow's final leg sees the action again centred on four stages in the Vic area and includes the now-famous St Julia-Arbucies stage that criss-crosses the C25 road with its viaduct providing a unique spectator gallery.

Ford
"It was important to get a good time on the first stage," reflected Colin McRae after he had grabbed the rally lead on the opening stage, beating Philippe Bugalski's stage record (set last year) by 8 seconds. That's the best time to take an advantage because by this afternoon your rivals know what to expect! Also the roads won't be quite so clean when we drive the stages the second time." On the next stage the Scot slid wide and stalled the engine, giving Burns the chance to close the gap once again. Team mate Carlos Sainz remained in third after SS7 but closer to Richard Burns. "The car felt good and we really needed to close the gap," said Sainz. The team changed Sainz's diff to improve the car's balance and he was promptly third quickest on SS8. By SS9 the two were virtually inseparable with the Fords stopping the clocks just one tenth of a second apart. "I don't know where I lost that!" joked Sainz.

Subaru
Richard Burns lost the lead of the rally for the first time on today's opening stage when his Subaru gearbox began playing up. "It was taking half a second to change gear and that was a big problem," explained Burns. "Normally you can change gear whenever you want but there were times when I had to wait instead. If the car began to slide you couldn't change up to correct it. It probably cost 15 seconds and, because of some slightly soft brakes, we dropped even more time to Colin." Burns was confident, however, that he could make up the time as the day progressed and he began by cutting McRae's lead to 3.3 seconds on the next stage. Juha Kankkunen's miserable event continued on SS8 when he punctured and the vibration forced him to slow before the tyre came off the rim and the Finn again had to drive 12kms on a deflated tyre during SS9.

Mitsubishi
Flat out was Tommi Makinen's approach for the first stage and everything went well despite possibly running on too hard a suspension setting. However Makinen's target is clear. "We have to fight back right now," he said. "We can't afford to lose that much time to Colin again." On SS8 he posted notice of his intentions by setting his first fastest time of the event. While going faster was Makinen's plan, slowing down had been team mate Freddy Loix's biggest problem on the stage. After 15kms the throttle stuck open. Because of the extra strain on the brakes they were completely destroyed by the finish of the stage," he explained while the team changed the brakes and throttle assembly at service. Loix gained 40s of road penalties after stopping to fix a damaged brake pipe on the run from service to SS9. At the stage start control he noticed fluid leaking from a loose union and so quickly tightened the joint and added extra brake fluid. The fact that this is the second time in two events that this has happened is causing the team to consider a redesign of the brake pipe.

Peugeot
Marcus Gronholm slipped down the order early today as his pace notes were not working so well on his first visit to Catalunya since his debut here in 1998. "I also chose too soft a tyre and by the end of the stage the car was moving around a lot," he explained. Leading Peugeot driver Francois Delecour was already thinking about the final leg of the rally as the cars pulled into service. "I hope tomorrow is really wet because then we'll have a big advantage," he said cryptically. More worryingly his car developed a gearbox problem on SS9 and he slipped behind his team mates as he struggled through SS9 with only first and third gears. Gilles Panizzi was much happier with the handling of his car today and quickly moved ahead of Gronholm although Panizzi, like Delecour, was again suffering with an exceptionally hard brake pedal.

SEAT
A rear puncture messed up Toni Gardemeister's hopes of a good time on the opening stage today, the Finn ending the test with the right rear wheel devoid of a tyre at all. "I was happy to be driving at a comfortable pace but it seems that the bad luck comes with me!" he said. Of today's first stage he added: "I was actually quite positive about my performance there because I only drove the stage twice in the recce and I couldn't remember any of it." He later suffered a broken front shock absorber. Didier Auriol was suffering from the gravel dragged onto the road by previous cars but was happy with his performance and moved into the top 10 despite being caught out by the cooler temperatures than normal and running on tyres that could have been softer. "You have to cut the corners a lot if you're going to fight for the top times," he explained. Both cars have been running today with evidence of oil being blown from breather pipes. Overall the SEAT team management has been delighted with its overall performance that has seen steady improvement during the event with very few major problems.

Skoda
Armin Schwarz ruefully said "It's back to situation normal" after his first stage of the day saw the Skoda team in trouble. The German chose too soft a tyre for the 45kms marathon test and by half distance the Octavia was understeering badly. By the end of the stage his front right tyre had lost its tread and there was rubber flapping around the wheel arch. Luis Climent also had a problem on the stage. "I broke a rim 6kms from the finish and lost a lot of time because, naturally, the tyre deflated and some of the mousse came out." The Valencia driver has also had a turbo problem and neither Skoda driver has been able to match yesterday's performance on roads new to the team that is still in the middle of a steep learning curve at senior level. "I'm pushing hard but not taking any unnecessary risks," insisted Schwarz who remains hopeful of maintaining Skoda's 100% points scoring record for 2000.

Hyundai
Both Accent WRCs hit trouble on today's opening stage but both drivers survived the test. Kenneth Eriksson suffered problems with his steering while Alister McRae's performance was hampered by faulty brakes. Both problems were fixed at service but at the cost of road penalties for each driver despite the team's valiant efforts in effecting the repairs. Unfortunately McRae was the first FIA registered driver to retire from this event when his car coasted to a halt on SS9 with a damaged engine just 500 metres from the stage finish. The cause of the failure is not yet known although the team believes there is an outside chance that it is related to a puncture gained on the same stage after McRae cut a corner too tight.

Other teams
Citroen driver Jesus Puras was today's first major retirement when he withdrew at the service after the first stage with a damaged engine, possibly caused by the car bottoming out on the rough surfaces today. Markko Martin slipped back a little today, not helped by hitting a rock and going off on the opening stage. His Toyota is one that was used in Portugal and is therefore not the lightweight specification that would be more suited to this event. The FIA Teams Cup contest was nearly reduced to just one team when Abdullah Bakashab's Toyota Saudi Arabia entry completed the final 20kms of SS9 with the alternator warning light one. "I just prayed that the car would last to the finish of the stage," said the competition leader. Luckily it did and, although the car stopped it was able to be 'bump-started' and reached service. Second placed Spike Subaru driver Toshihiro Arai has been delayed by constantly catching slower cars ahead of him. In Group N overnight leader Uwe Nittel has maintained his advantage over Gustavo Trelles although the two are now very close on overall times. Claudio Menzi is currently third. Manfred Stohl's car suffered body damage after a collision with David Loix on SS9 after the Austrian misjudged an overtaking manoeuvre.
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Provisional Results after Leg 2
1 McRae Ford Focus 2:57:17,5
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 2:57:21,8
3 Sainz Ford Focus 2:57:26,8
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 2:57:52,9
5 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 2:58:11,9
6 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:58:47,6
7 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 2:58:49,7
8 Loix Mitsu Lancer 3:00:34,7
9 Auriol Seat Cordoba 3:00:52,2
10 Martin Toyota Corolla 3:01:13,5

Group N
1 Nittel Mitsu Lancer 3:10:10,0
2 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 3:11:19,8
3 Campos Mitsu Lancer 3:14:12,4

2-Litre
1 Travaglia Peugeot 306 3:06:41,0
2 Gundersen Seat Ibiza 3:21:06,4
3 Garcia Peugeot 3:26:09,2

Teams Cup
1 Toyota Team Saudi Arabia Bakhashab Toyota Corolla 3:09:57,6
2 Spike Subaru Team Arai Subaru Impreza 3:10:45,6
------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Winners: SS7 - McRae, SS8 - Makinen, SS9 - McRae, SS10 - Sainz, SS11 - Sainz
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS7 Gratallops-Escaladei 1 45.88 kms 1st Car: 08:28
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus 29:00,2
2 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 29:01,5
3 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 29:02,5
4 Sainz Ford Focus 29:04,9
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 29:15,8
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS8 La Riba 1 36.16 kms 1st Car: 11:08
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 22:36,4
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 22:37,8
3 Sainz Ford Focus 22:43,1
4 Loix Mitsu Lancer 22:44,1
5 McRae Ford Focus 22:45,2
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS9 Gratallops-Escaladei 2 45.88 kms 1st Car: 14:06
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus 29:04,1
2 Sainz Ford Focus 29:04,2
3 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 29:04,7
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 29:05,3
5 Burns Subaru Impreza 29:11,6
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS10 Coll Roig 17.57 kms 1st Car: 16:54
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus 10:41,3
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 10:42,4
3 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 10:43,0
4 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 10:43,7
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 10:45,9
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS11 La Riba 2 36.16 kms 1st Car: 17:45
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus 22:41,0
2 Burns Subaru Impreza 22:43,0
3 McRae Ford Focus 22:45,4
4 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 22:47,6
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 22:49,6


FIA Press Release
End of Leg 1

Torrential rain and thunderstorms have been the story of the first day of the 35th Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava, Rallye de Espana. FIA World Rally Championship leader Richard Burns was the early pacesetter and maintained his lead in this afternoon's drying conditions in the hills above Lloret de Mar. The competition is incredibly close, however, with Burns' British rival Colin McRae just 8 seconds adrift and with Spain's rally hero Carlos Sainz holding third place overnight. There was a special moment on SS5 when Armin Schwarz, Catalunya Rally winner in 1991, topped the stage time sheets to give Skoda its first ever fastest stage time with the Octavia WRC. Tomorrow's action takes place far to the west beyond Barcelona on stages in the Tarragona region. The roads are more abrasive than those used today and the stages include two runs at the marathon Gratallops-Escaledei test that could be a decisive moment in the rally.

Subaru
There was drama in the Subaru camp even before the first service area when Juha Kankkunen's car had an alternator pulley problem. The unit is hard to change and by the time the Finn was en route to SS1 he had already picked up 13 minutes' worth of road penalties (2m10s). On the stages themselves he suffered power steering problems and found himself running well down the order among the privateers after SS3. By contrast Richard Burns was flying, fastest on the first two stages before being beaten by Sainz on the third. Subaru, like SEAT, had opted for wet tyres and Burns was able to gain an immediate advantage on the first two stages to lead midway through the day. In the afternoon Burns was able to consolidate his lead to hold a narrow advantage overnight.

Ford
Carlos Sainz admitted that intermediate tyres were not the best choice for the opening stages but both he and team mate Colin McRae drove brilliantly to keep rally leader Richard Burns in their sights. "I made a mistake with the choice and paid the penalty at first," admitted Sainz. " There was a lot of water on the stage and it didn't help when the wiper broke on my side of the car. The stages became drier and so the tyres were better and, overall, our result on the first three stages wasn't so bad." McRae agreed but warned: "The skies are now blue and the roads are drying. Tyre choice in these conditions is a big decision and could decide this rally." He softened the suspension after the first three stages as he felt the Focus was running too hard. In the afternoon the Fords were much more competitive and closed the gap to the leader.

Mitsubishi
Tommi Makinen dismissed his first few stage times as an inaccurate reflection of his potential on this event. "We had a problem with the rear diff locking up," he explained. "The car would understeer and then snap to oversteer - not so good!" While Makinen found that his tyres had too open a tread pattern for the stages, team mate Freddy Loix found the same tyres perfect for his position further back on the road, such is the way the conditions are changing. "This rally will be won by the driver who makes fewest mistakes on the wrong tyres," said team manager Phil Short. Loix was unable to show his usual pace on asphalt. "I have a small boost problem," he admitted at the mid day service halt. "I change up from fifth to sixth and there's not much difference in the power."

Peugeot
Although Peugeot has entered three of its works cars, Marcus Gronholm is not registered to score FIA Manufacturers points. Francois Delecour was the leader of the trio at the end of Leg One with Gronholm second and Gilles Panizzi struggling in third. "The car is understeering and there is a lot of mud on the road,"complained Panizzi. Portuguese driver Adruzilo Lopes joined the Peugeot attack in Spain but lasted only a few kilometres into the opening stage before crashing out of the event.

Skoda
A spin on the opening stage upset Luis Climent's plan to attack hard on his home event. He had chosen wet tyres and knew he needed to push early on while the roads were at their most treacherous. By contrast Armin Schwarz opted for intermediate pattern tyres. "It was a bit of a struggle on the first stage but got better later on," he said. "We're OK but just not quick enough," he admitted. However, that sentiment was proved incorrect on SS5 when Schwarz, this time on dry tyres, claimed Skoda's first fastest time since joining the WRC ranks to leap closer to the points-scoring positions.

SEAT
Didier Auriol's first event with the joystick gear change got off to a frustrating start when, despite the unit performing faultlessly in testing, he found it troublesome when it mattered. He also felt that he had taken too hard a tyre compound for the opening stages. The Frenchman had already swapped his intended rally car for the test car after yesterday's shakedown session. "We had an electronic problem with the joystick on the opening stage," he explained, "so we switched to the manual system for SS2 and SS3. It was fine after service. Our rear suspension was set up wrong for this wet surface and we also suffered from the mud dragged onto the road by previous cars." Team mate Toni Gardemeister is tackling his first Catalunya Rally and decided that discretion was the best policy over the first three stages. "I'll push harder the second time round," he promised. "I didn't expect such wet conditions but I'm feeling more at home after each kilometre. It's not been a bad 25th birthday for me!"

Hyundai
Even before the start of the rally the Hyundai team was insisting that this should be considered as an asphalt test rather than a bid for outright success. It is the first asphalt event for the Accent WRC and as most of the testing to date has been for gravel events, this would appear to be a wise choice. Over the first three stages both cars suffered turbo boost problems and received new turbos in service, along with work on the transmissions. Kenneth Eriksson was two minutes late out of service, hence his 20 seconds road penalty.

Other teams
The FIA Teams Cup entries in Spain were reduced by one very quickly when Serkan Yazici crashed on SS2 and retired on the following road section. Top place overnight is held by Toyota Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Bakashab, over two minutes clear of Spike Subaru's Toshihiro Arai. Group N is currently led by Uwe Nittel from reigning World Champion Gustavo Trelles and current FIA Championship leader Manfred Stohl. Michael Guest crashed his Hyundai out of the 2-litre competition, leaving the Citroen of Jesus Puras in an expected lead over the Peugeot of Renato Travaglia.
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Provisional Results after Leg 1
1 Burns Subaru Impreza 1:02:48,1
2 McRae Ford Focus 1:02:56,1
3 Sainz Ford Focus 1:03:12,3
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 1:03:12,8
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 1:03:41,7
6 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:03:42,7
7 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 1:03:48,0
8 Martin Toyota Corolla 1:04:12,6
9 Schwarz Skoda Octavia 1:04:14,0
10 Navarra Toyota Corolla 1:04:17,9

Group N
1 Nittel Mitsu Lancer 1:07:19,8
2 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 1:07:33,2
3 Stenshorne Subaru Impreza 1:08:21,4

2-Litre
1 Puras Citroen Xsara 1:06:56,9
2 Travaglia Peugeot 306 1:08:39,0
3 Gundersen Seat Ibiza 1:09.32,5

Teams Cup
1 Toyota Team Saudi Arabia Bakhashab Toyota Corolla 1:07:21,7
2 Spike Subaru Team Arai Subaru Impreza 1:09:40,9
------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Winners:
SS1 - Burns, SS2 - Burns, SS3 - Sainz, SS4 - Burns, SS5 - Schwarz, SS6 - McRae
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 1, La Trona 1 12.88 kms 1st Car: 09:57
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza 9:07,3
2 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 9:11,4
3 McRae Ford Focus 9:13,6
4 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 9:14,1
5 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 9:16,6
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 2, Alpens-Les Llosses 1 21.99 kms 1st Car: 10:32
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza 14:30,3
2 McRae Ford Focus 14:35,5
2 Sainz Ford Focus 14:35,5
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 14:41,1
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 14:44,1
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 3, Coll de Santigosa 1 10.66 kms 1st Car: 11:30
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus 7:07,6
2 McRae Ford Focus 7:09,0
3 Burns Subaru Impreza 7:09,3
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 7:11,2
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 7:13,3
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 4, La Trona 2 12.88 kms 1st Car: 14:00
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza 9:31,5
2 McRae Ford Focus 9:44,2
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 9:44,4
4 Sainz Ford Focus 9:45,0
5 Gardemeister Seat Cordoba 9:46,6
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 5, Alpens-Les Llosses 2 21.99 kms 1st Car: 14:38
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Schwarz Skoda Octavia 15:00,8
2 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 15:03,1
3 McRae Ford Focus 15:05,2
4 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 15:06,0
5 Navarra Toyota Corolla 15:07,5
------------------------------------------------------------------
SS 6, Coll de Santigosa 2 10.66 kms 1st Car: 15:36
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus 7:08,6
2 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 7:10,2
3 Sainz Ford Focus 7:11,0
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 7:11,2
5 Burns Subaru Impreza 7:14,4

ITINERARY
1874.70km total, including 383.09km on 15 special stages (seven run twice), 100% tarmac (GMT +2)

Leg 1, Friday 31st March
09:57 SS1 La Trona 1 12.88 kms
10:32 SS2 Alpens-Les Llosses 1 21.99 kms
11:30 SS3 Coll de Santigosa 1 10.66 kms
14:03 SS4 La Trona 2 12.88 kms
14:38 SS5 Alpens-Les Llosses 2 21.99 kms
15:36 SS6 Coll de Santigosa 2 10.66 kms

Leg 2, Saturday 1st April
08:28 SS7 Gratallops-Escaladei 1 45.88 kms
11:08 SS8 La Riba 1 36.16 kms
14:06 SS9 Gratallops-Escaladei 2 45.88 kms
16:54 SS10 Coll Roig 17.57 kms
17:45 SS11 La Riba 2 6.16 kms

Leg 3, Sunday 2nd April
08:18 SS12 St Julia-Arbúcies 1 36.85 kms
10:11 SS13 Coll de Bracons 1 18.34 kms
12:13 SS14 St Julia-Arbúcies 2 36.85 kms
14:06 SS15 Coll de Bracons 2 18.34 kms
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ENTRY LIST (Top 50)
95 Entries (44 Group A + 51 Group N)

Cars: Mitsubishi 29, Peugeot 23, Subaru 11, Ford 5, Renault 5, SEAT 5, Toyota 5, Hyundai 3, Skoda 2, BMW 1, Citroen 1, Fiat 1, Volkswagen 1

Drivers: Spain 24, France 12, Italy 9, Great Britain 8, Belgium 6, Finland 6, Portugal 5, Germany 4, Argentina 3, Japan 3, Norway 2, Uruguay 2, Sweden 2, Austria 1, Australia 1, Denmark 1, Estonia 1, Peru 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Slovenia 1, Turkey 1

3 Richard BURNS/Robert REID GB SUBARU Impreza P2000 A8
1 Tommi MAKINEN/Risto MANNISENMAKI FIN MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution A8
6 Carlos SAINZ/Luis MOYA E FORD Focus WRC A8
4 Juha KANKKUNEN/Juha REPO FIN SUBARU Impreza P2000 A8
5 Colin McRAE/Nicky GRIST GB FORD Focus WRC A8
7 Didier AURIOL/Denis GIRAUDET F SEAT Córdoba WRC E2 A8
8 Toni GARDEMEISTER/Paavo LUKANDER FIN SEAT Córdoba WRC E2 A8
9 François DELECOUR/Daniel GRATALOUP F PEUGEOT 206 WRC A8
2 Freddy LOIX/Sven SMEETS B MITSUBISHI Carisma GT A8
10 Gilles PANIZZI/Hervé PANIZZI F PEUGEOT 206 WRC A8
11 Armin SCHWARZ/Manfred HIEMER D SKODA/Octavia WRC A8
12 Luis CLIMENT/Alex ROMANI E SKODA Octavia WRC A8
14 Kenneth ERIKSSON/Staffan PARMANDER S HYUNDAI Accent A8
15 Alister McRAE/David Senior GB HYUNDAI Accent A8
16 Marcus GRÖNHOLM/Timo RAUTIAINEN FIN PEUGEOT 206 WRC A8
17 Jesús PURAS/Marc MARTI E CITROËN Xsara A7
18 Henrik LUNDGAARD/J.C ANKER DK TOYOTA Corolla WRC A8
19 Adruzilo LOPES/Luis LISBOA P PEUGEOT 206 WRC A8
20 Andrea NAVARRA/Simona FEDELI I TOYOTA Corolla WRC A8
21 Andrea DALLAVILLA/Danilo FAPPANI I SUBARU Impreza WRC A8
22 Salvador CAÑELLAS/C.DEL BARRIO E SEAT Córdoba WRC A8
23 Markko MÄRTIN/Michael PARK EE/GB TOYOTA Corolla A8
24 Abdullah BAKHASHAB/B.LOILLIS SA/GB TOYOTA Corolla A8
25 Toshihiro ARAI/Roger FREEMAN J SUBARU Impreza WRC A8
26 Serkan YAZICI/Erkan BODUR TR TOYOTA Corolla WRC A8
27 Renato TRAVAGLIA/Flavio ZAMELLA I PEUGEOT 306 Maxi A7
28 Michael GUEST/David GREEN AUS HYUNDAI Coupe Evo II A7
29 Kris PRINCEN/Dany COLEBUNDERS B RENAULT Megane Maxi A7
30 Gustavo TRELLES/Jorge DEL BUONO ROU MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
31 Manfred STOHL/Peter MÜLLER A MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
32 Uwe NITTEL/Detlef RUF D MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
33 Roberto SANCHEZ/Rubén F.GARCIA RA SUBARU Impreza Wrx N4
34 Ramon FERREYROS/Gonzalo SAENZ PE MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
35 Jani PAASONEN/Jakke HONKANEN FIN MITSUBISHI Carisma GT N4
36 Miguel CAMPOS/Carlos MAGALHÄES P MITSUBISHI Carisma GT N4
37 Gabriel MENDEZ/Daniel MUZIO ROU MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
38 Pernilla WALFRIDSSON/U.Mattsson S MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
39 Pierre COLARD/Gilles MONDÉSIR F SUBARU Impreza A8
40 Francis MARIANI/D.SAVIGNONI F SUBARU WRC A8
41 Fabrice MOREL/Philippe GUELLERIN F PEUGEOT 206 WRC A8
42 Marco PERNICONI/Marisa GIARDINO I LANCIA Delta HF Integrale A8
43 Manuel MUNIENTE/Diego VALLEJO E MITSUBISHI Lancer N4
44 Oriol GÓMEZ/Oriol JULIÀ E MITSUBISHI Carisma Evo VI N4
45 David LOIX/Cédric PIROTTE B MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
46 Ignacio SANFILIPPO/José V. MEDINA E MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo VI N4
47 François COUCHET/Nicolas BERTHOUD F BMW 325 i N4
48 Mike CORNS/Ana GONI GB MITSUBISHI Lancer Evo IV N4
49 Joan FONT/Manel MUÑOZ E MITSUBISHI Carisma Evo VI N4
50 Martin STENSHORNE/Ola FLOENE N SUBARU Impreza WRX N4

FIA Press Release - 30th March
The 35th Rallye Catalunya-Costa Brava, Rallye de Espana, which will start tomorrow at 08h00, is the first pure tarmac rally of the FIA World Rally Championship, after four events run on loose or snow-covered surfaces. The host town for this fifth event of the championship is Lloret de Mar, a holiday resort on the Mediterranean coast north-east of Barcelona. The first leg will go north, around Vic and Girona, with six stages (three repeated), that have long been part of the route, totalling 91.06km. Leg Two will head south-west with five stages (two run twice) in the vicinity of Tarragona. Drivers will face 181.65km of stages, including the longest of the rally, Gratallops-Escaladei of 45km and run twice , before returning to Lloret de Mar for a night's rest. The final leg, which will start on Sunday 21, consists of four (two run twice) of the first day's stages, covering 110.38km, before the finish on Lloret de Mar's seafront. While the northern stages take place on smooth, non-abrasive roads, on the second leg the surface condition will be significantly more aggressive, making it more difficult to conciliate tyres' resistance to wear and outright performance. The weather could play a significant part in the outcome of this event, which is now running three weeks earlier than usual. Rain is expected at some point on all three daysÉ

Subaru (35 points)
Richard Burns comes to Catalunya as the first English driver ever to lead the FIA World Rally Championship following his Portugal Rally win. This will be the first event for the Subaru Impreza WRC2000 on asphalt and Burns says he's still on a 'high' after his Portugal success. "The whole performance there has given me a great deal of confidence for Spain. I've got a head start at the moment but there's still a long way to go before I can think about the championship," he said. Team mate Juha Kankkunen admits that Portugal wasn't his best performance but he hopes to set the record straight in Catalunya. "The new car can do incredible things so I'll be trying my best."

Mitsubishi (20 points)
For the first time since Australia 1998, Tommi Makinen starts a rally not at the head of the FIA World Championship. "It doesn't feel so good like that," admitted the Finn the day before the event. He likes the Catalunya event and says it's quite a flowing rally. "You have to have the right settings of suspension and tyres or you can quickly slip backwards," he said. Team mate Freddy Loix has been the subject of much recent speculation but the team insists his place at Mitsubishi is not in jeopardy. "It will be a tough event, hard opposition, but I hope the weather is good. Tyre choice will be difficult if it rains."

Peugeot (20 points)
Many people are tipping the Peugeot team as pre-rally favourites in Spain with Gilles Panizzi and Francois Delecour registered for the points and Marcus Gronholm running only for Drivers' Championship points. "Asphalt suits both our car and our drivers," says team manager Jean-Pierre Nicolas. The car has enjoyed a fresh homologation since Portugal which means a modified engine with broader power band and now three active differentials. "The car is easier to drive and better balanced," says Panizzi. The three-car Peugeot team is joined in Spain by Fabrice Morel, one of France's 'win a drive in a 206WRC' competition winners.

Ford (17 points)
Carlos Sainz admitted before the start of the event that rallying on his home event could be "A bit of a headache." However he also added that victory on his home event would lead to the kind of headache he would enjoy as it would have been prompted by champagne on the podium! It is the first true asphalt event for Sainz in the Martini Racing Focus and he hopes to end his recent run of bad luck on his home event. Equally, team boss Malcolm Wilson would like to finally score points on a rally that has defeated his team since it took over the FIA World Championship programme four years ago. Colin McRae is still battling to break a run of ill-fortune that has seen him finish just one event of the last 12 but he enjoys the Catalunya Rally. "The stages are flowing and you can attack harder than normal," he said.

SEAT (7 points)
SEAT Sport will start its home event with a major technical change to the Cordoba WRC E2. Didier Auriol's car has now been fitted with a 'joystick' gearchange and the Frenchman is delighted. "It's like a dream," he said before the start. "I feel like I was born with a joystick as I developed it from the start at Toyota. It might not make a massive difference to individual stage times on its own but it lets me concentrate completely on my driving and I know I'll feel happier at the finish." Team mate Toni Gardemeister is tackling this event for the first time. "Two passes over the stages are not really good for me so I'm just going to drive to gain experience. I'm still going to be driving flat out though!" he joked.

Skoda (5 points)
Technical changes to the Skoda Octavias include a revised seating position, much further back in the car, to improve weight distribution. The cars are lighter than before but are still awaiting their new, more powerful, engines. The team is still the only one with a 100% scoring record this season - it has taken points on every round so far - and is naturally keen to maintain this result. "Our first priority is to finish the event," says team manager Pavel Janeba. "After that we'll look to finish on the points." Armin Schwarz will look back on the 1991 Catalunya Rally as his lone FIA World Rally Championship victory while team mate Luis Climent achieves a lifelong ambition by finally tackling his home rally as a factory driver.

Hyundai (0 points)
For its first asphalt event with the Accent WRC, Hyundai is relying on a pair of previously used cars, modified for asphalt use. Kenneth Eriksson had the second generation engine in Portugal and now it is Alister McRae's turn. "I am treating this event as an asphalt test session," admitted the Swede. We've mainly concentrated on gravel events before now so we've got a lot of work to do on asphalt." McRae added: "I'd have liked more time in the car as we've only scratched the surface of its capabilities. We need to make sure we get to the finish while we fine tune the settings during the rally."

Other teams
FIA Teams Cup entries in Spain come from Toyota Team Saudi Arabia, Spike Subaru and Team Atakan from Turkey with Abdullah Bakashab, Toshihiro Arai and Serkan Yazici respectively. The leading 2-litre entries come from Spain's Jesus Puras in a Citroen Xsara kit car, last year's winning machine, along with a Peugeot 306 Maxi for Renato Travaglia, the Hyundai Coupe once again for Australia's Michael Guest and a renault Megane Maxi for Belgian driver Kris Princen. Group N should be another close battle with all the leading contenders for the title present in Spain.

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