Acropolis 2002

The third race of the Junior World Rally Championship is the Acropolis Rally. Francois Duval is confident to make a good result, but the danger is represented by the Saxo and the Punto drivers. Here it is the list of the entrants in the Super 1600 category.

Entrants list
Other A/6 cars
N Technology previews the Punto for the Acropolis rally
Leg 1 (06/14)
Leg 2 (06/15)
Leg 3 (06/16)
Stage winners
Pictures

JWRC entry list

NUM	Driver - Codriver                        Car                         Class
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51  DALLAVILLA Andrea - BERNACCHINI Giovanni Citroen Saxo VTS             A6
52  McSHEA Niall - ORR Michael               Opel Corsa 1.6               A6
53  BASSO Giandomenico - PIROLLO Luigi       Fiat Punto Rally             A6
54  STENSHORNE Martin - JENKINS              Opel Corsa 1.6               A6
55  DUVAL Francois - FORTIN Jean-Marc        Ford Puma                    A6
56  VALIMAKI Jussi - GARDEMEISTER Tero       Citroen Saxo VTS             A6
57  GALANTI Alejandro - AMIGO Xavier         Ford Puma                    A6 
58  CHEMIN Christian - SCATTOLIN Simone      Fiat Punto Rally             A6
59  KANGAS Juha - LAAKSONEN                  Suzuki Ignis                 A6
60  CALDANI Nicola - ESPOSITO                Peugeot 206 XS               A6
61  EVANS Gwyndaf - PATTERSON Chris          MG ZR                        A6
62  TUOHINO Janne - VIHAVAINEN Petri         Citroen Saxo VTS             A6
63  ROWE Martin - WOOD Chris                 Ford Puma                    A6
64  GALLI GianLuigi - D'AMORE Guido          Fiat Punto Rally             A6
65  SOLA Daniel - ROMANI Alex                Citroen Saxo                 A6
66  BALDACCI Mirco - BARONE Maurizio         Citroen Saxo                 A6
67  CARLSSON Daniel - ANDERSON Mattias       Ford Puma                    A6
68  SCHELLE Nikolaus - WEISS Gerhard         Suzuki Ignis                 A6
69  KATAJAMAKI Kosti - HONKANEN Jakke        Volswagen Polo GTI           A6
70  HAAF Sven - KOLBACH Michael              Citroen Saxo VTS             A6
71  DOPPELREITER David - LETTNER             Peugeot 206 XS               A6
73  LLOVERA Albert - CORRAL Marc             Fiat Punto Rally             A6
75  NIWA Kazuhiko - IDEUE                    Suzuki Ignis                 A6
76  FOSS Alexander - MENKERUD Cato           Ford Puma                    A6
77  ROIG Francisco - NAZABAL                 Fiat Punto Rally             A6
78  FEGHALI Roger - ARENA Nicola             Ford Puma                    A6

Admitted cars for the A/6 class:

102 Jean Joseph - Boyere                     Renault Clio 1.6 16V         A6
119 Kokkinis - Kairis                        Peugeot 106 Rallye Maxi      A6 
120 Tsadaris - Pavli                         Citroen Saxo                 A6 
121 Zivas - Patrikoussis                     Toyota Corolla Ae 111        A6 
122 Iaveris Aris - Kairis                    Peugeot 106 Rallye           A6 
125 Kaltsounis - Exarhos                     Opel Cors                    A6 
126 Dotsikas - Paraperas                     Toyota Corolla Ae 111        A6 
130 Margaronis - Mikes                       Hyundai Accent 1.5           A6 
131 Vomvilas-Moyzakis                        Hyundai Accent               A6 
132 Gallo - Messimeris                       Peugeot 106                  A6 
133 Kounelis - Kounelis                      Toyota Corolla Ae 111        A6 
134 Ms Stathaki - Demertzis                  Toyota Corolla Ae 111        A6 
135 Tsapalos - Nikolopoulos                  Hyundai Accent               A6 
136 Tsamakos - Kotsonopoulos                 Daewoo Lanos                 A6

N Technology intro to the Acropolis Rally 2002

5 Fiat Punto Abarth Rallys start for Acropolis Rally, third round of Fia Junior World Rally Championship, World Series in six races for 2 wheels drive and 1600 cc engine cars. Between this 5 drivers 4 are Italian: Giandomenico Basso and Christian Chemin (Hawk Racing Club), Gianluigi Galli (Top Run) and Nicola Caldani (Procar), this one for the first time on Punto Abarth after two races on Peugeot 206. Fifth driver, Albert Llovera, comes from Andorra and runs for Team Wolf Racing.
Greek rally is one of the hardest races of the season, for rocky roads that test hardly men and cars. Drivers run for 1200 km, divided into three legs and 16 special stages (391 km with chronometer). Start of the first leg on Thursday 13 June at 8 pm from Athens. On Sunday 16 June at 4 pm in Itea the end of the rally. Fiat Punto Abarths can be improved in this particular race by good mechanical reliability and strength.
In Fia Junior World Rally Championship run 26 crews from 14 nations and there are 8 Manufacturers: Fiat, Citroen, Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Rover Mg, Suzuki e Volkswagen. After two rounds Belgian Francois Duval (Ford Puma) is the leader, Spanish Daniel Sola (Citroen Saxo) is 2nd, Nicola Caldani 3rd, Giandomenico Basso 5th, Gianluigi Galli 7th. Chemin and Llovera are founding their first useful result.

Leg 1

Almost the half of the Super1600 entrants retired during the first leg. The first driver to abandon the fight was Gianluigi Galli, who did not entered the first checkpoint before the first leg. Another debacle of the Italian driver who retired in the first stage of the previous rally for the Italian championship: lady luck did not assist Galli in the last three weeks.
The dominator has been Francois Duval, who won 4 stages of 6 programmed for the first leg and sees the Citroen drivers at more than one minute, respectively Valimaki, Tuohino, and Dallavilla.
Fiat drivers retired in mass: Giandomenico Basso had some chance to win some stage, but retired after SS.3. Happy debut for Nicola Caldani, who left the Peugeot 206 for the Fiat Punto developed by Procar and followed by the TRT team: he is currently in the score zone.

Duval dominates as Ford Puma flies in Greece (Leg 1)

(courtesy of www.rally-live.com)
Fearing heat and car-breaking rock-strewn roads are a tough enough challenge for the World Rally Championship contenders but, without the benefit of four- wheel drive, the crews in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship faced an even tougher Acropolis Rally than their 'senior' rivals. On today's six stages in the mountains around the central service area at Lilea-Parnassos, temperatures were exceeding 30°C in the shade and considerably higher in the 23 cars competing on this third event in the six-round FIA series. Of those 23 only 12 survived the opening leg.

Ford's championship leader (and the only driver to have scored points on both events held so far - Monte Carlo and Catalunya) Francois Duval and co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin led the 'junior' crews over the ramp at last night's ceremonial start in Athens and into today's stages. Underlining his potential as a future World Champion, the 21-year old Belgian was fastest on the opening stage in his Puma and extended his lead to 1min06.9secs on SS6.
"We got off to a good start, driving quickly but carefully," he said. "We've lost some time trying to save the car on the rough sections but we've also been able to make up some of that time by driving quickly when the roads are smooth. We'll treat tomorrow the same as today - there are some tough stages but I'm very pleased with today's performance." The Swedish pairing of Daniel Carlsson and Mattias Andersson was able to close on Duval when the Belgian smashed a wheel on one of the rocks. Carlsson admitted: "I am trying to avoid the rocks and keep on the smooth bits as much as possible. I'm very confident in the car."

Astra team principal Luca Pregliasco said: "Daniel has been incredible. However the Acropolis Rally demands careful attention as it can easily destroy your dreams." Pregliasco's fears were realised on SS4, Rengini, when Carlsson's Puma was forced out of second position with loss of oil pressure after the battering from the Greek roads. The Ford contingent had already been cut from six to five at the end of the opening stage after Lebanese driver Roger Feghali and his Italian co-driver Nicola Arena were forced to withdraw. "We didn't realise it but we must have hit a large rock on the stage and the water temperature started to rise. When we checked the car at the stage finish we realised that a rock had punctured the radiator too badly to continue," said Feghali. Almost all of the Ford Puma drivers were seen adjusting their suspension at first service. British Rally Champions Martin Rowe and Chris Wood said: "There are a lot of very big rocks in the road that we are trying to avoid but you can't be too cautious as it would be easy to get left behind. We are just trying to pace ourselves at the moment. We suffered a water leak on SS4 but we were able to make it to service and change the radiator." They lie fourth tonight.

Paraguayan driver Alejandro Galanti and Spanish co-driver Xavier Colon have had a difficult opening day getting the Puma's suspension tuned for the conditions but are the third of the four Puma crews still in the event. Norway's Alexander Foss and Cato Menkerud are tackling their first WRC season and so are treating their debut Acropolis Rally as a learning exercise. Foss found himself entertaining a contestant in the Greek TV 'Big Brother' programme who got a close look at the inside of the Ford Puma while the mechanics repaired its hard- suffering suspension.

SS1

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   21'49"100  67.2 km/h   0   0
  2. 67 CARLSSON-ANDERS Ford Puma S A6   21'56"800 + 00'07"70   0   0
  3. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   22'03"800 + 00'14"70   0   0
  4. 66 BALDACCI-BARONE Citroen Sax A6   22'12"000 + 00'22"90   0   0
  5. 53 BASSO-PIROLLO   Fiat Punto  A6   22'12"100 + 00'23"00   0   0
  6. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   22'12"300 + 00'23"20   0   0
  7. 59 KANGAS-LAAKSONE Suzuki Igni A6   22'14"300 + 00'25"20   0   0
  8. 52 McSHEA-ORR      Opel Corsa  A6   22'15"700 + 00'26"60   0   0
  9. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   22'16"600 + 00'27"50   0   0
 10. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   22'17"100 + 00'28"00   0   0
 11. 54 STENSHORNE-JENK Opel Corsa  A6   22'19"800 + 00'30"70   0   0
 12. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   22'21"400 + 00'32"30   0   0
 13. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   22'26"600 + 00'37"50   0   0
 14. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   22'29"800 + 00'40"70   0   0
 15. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   22'41"400 + 00'52"30   0   0
 16. 78 FEGHALI-ARENA   Ford Puma   A6   22'44"300 + 00'55"20   0   0
 17. 68 SCHELLE-WEISS   Suzuki Igni A6   23'00"300 + 01'11"20   0   0
 18. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   23'05"200 + 01'16"10   0   0
 19. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   23'07"100 + 01'18"00   0   0
 20. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   23'08"500 + 01'19"40   0   0
 21. 75 NIWA-IDEUE      Suzuki Igni A6   23'42"100 + 01'53"00   0   0
 22. 73 LLOVERA-CORRAL  Fiat Punto  A6   25'36"000 + 03'46"90   0   0

Retires
64 GALLI Gianluigi - D'AMORE Guido FIAT Punto Kit) for surrendered time card

SS2

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 66 BALDACCI-BARONE Citroen Sax A6   12'20"400  91.8 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   12'36"800 + 00'16"40   0   0
  3. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   12'40"300 + 00'19"90   0   0
  4. 67 CARLSSON-ANDERS Ford Puma S A6   13'09"300 + 00'48"90   0   0
  5. 53 BASSO-PIROLLO   Fiat Punto  A6   13'11"700 + 00'51"30   0   0
  6. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   13'13"100 + 00'52"70   0   0
  7. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   13'14"700 + 00'54"30   0   0
  8. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   13'17"900 + 00'57"50   0   0
  9. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   13'24"400 + 01'04"00   0   0
 10. 68 SCHELLE-WEISS   Suzuki Igni A6   13'26"800 + 01'06"40   0   0
 11. 52 McSHEA-ORR      Opel Corsa  A6   13'27"900 + 01'07"50   0   0
 12. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   13'32"500 + 01'12"10   0   0
 13. 54 STENSHORNE-JENK Opel Corsa  A6   13'36"800 + 01'16"40   0   0
 14. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   13'41"300 + 01'20"90   0   0
 15. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   13'41"700 + 01'21"30   0   0
 16. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   13'42"600 + 01'22"20   0   0
 17. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   13'46"700 + 01'26"30   0   0
 18. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   13'51"600 + 01'31"20   0   0
 19. 75 NIWA-IDEUE      Suzuki Igni A6   14'21"300 + 02'00"90   0   0
 20. 73 LLOVERA-CORRAL  Fiat Punto  A6   15'29"500 + 03'09"10   0   0

Retires
59 KANGAS Juha - LAAKSONEN Jani (SUZUKI Ignis Super 1600) for surrendered time card
78 FEGHALI Roger - ARENA Nicola (FORD Puma) for mechanical failure

SS3

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   15'54"300  77.4 km/h   0   0
  2. 67 CARLSSON-ANDERS Ford Puma S A6   15'54"300 + 00'00"0.   0   0
  3. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   16'02"000 + 00'07"70   0   0
  4. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   16'09"400 + 00'15"10   0   0
  5. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   16'13"200 + 00'18"90   0   0
  6. 52 McSHEA-ORR      Opel Corsa  A6   16'15"000 + 00'20"70   0   0
  7. 54 STENSHORNE-JENK Opel Corsa  A6   16'16"500 + 00'22"20   0   0
  8. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   16'19"800 + 00'25"50   0   0
  9. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   16'24"300 + 00'30"00   0   0
 10. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   16'27"100 + 00'32"80   0   0
 11. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   16'31"100 + 00'36"80   0   0
 12. 66 BALDACCI-BARONE Citroen Sax A6   16'34"200 + 00'39"90   0   0
 13. 68 SCHELLE-WEISS   Suzuki Igni A6   16'37"500 + 00'43"20   0   0
 14. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   16'39"500 + 00'45"20   0   0
 15. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   16'46"900 + 00'52"60   0   0
 16. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   16'51"700 + 00'57"40   0   0
 17. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   17'00"100 + 01'05"80   0   0
 18. 75 NIWA-IDEUE      Suzuki Igni A6   17'15"500 + 01'21"20   0   0
 19. 73 LLOVERA-CORRAL  Fiat Punto  A6   18'34"900 + 02'40"60   0   0
 20. 53 BASSO-PIROLLO   Fiat Punto  A6   23'20"500 + 07'26"20   0   0

Retires
53 BASSO Giandomenico - PIROLLO Luigi (FIAT Punto Kit) for surrendered time card

SS4

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   21'53"900  68.6 km/h   0   0
  2. 54 STENSHORNE-JENK Opel Corsa  A6   22'06"100 + 00'12"20   0   0
  3. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   22'07"100 + 00'13"20   0   0
  4. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   22'10"200 + 00'16"30   0   0
  5. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Peugeot 206 A6   22'15"700 + 00'21"80   0   0
  6. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   22'25"400 + 00'31"50   0   0
  7. 68 SCHELLE-WEISS   Suzuki Igni A6   22'33"400 + 00'39"50   0   0
  8. 52 McSHEA-ORR      Opel Corsa  A6   22'34"700 + 00'40"80   0   0
  9. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   22'38"500 + 00'44"60   0   0
 10. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   22'38"700 + 00'44"80   0   0
 11. 66 BALDACCI-BARONE Citroen Sax A6   22'50"200 + 00'56"30   0   0
 12. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   22'52"700 + 00'58"80   0   0
 13. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   23'13"500 + 01'19"60   0   0
 14. 75 NIWA-IDEUE      Suzuki Igni A6   23'54"900 + 02'01"00   0   0
 15. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   25'13"100 + 03'19"20   0   0
 16. 73 LLOVERA-CORRAL  Fiat Punto  A6   25'20"100 + 03'26"20   0   0
 17. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   27'04"400 + 05'10"50   0   0
 18. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   34'11"100 + 12'17"20   0   0

Retires
67 CARLSSON Daniel - ANDERSSON Mattias (FORD Puma Super 1600) for surrendered time card

SS5

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 54 STENSHORNE-JENK Opel Corsa  A6   20'00"500  69.0 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   20'01"800 + 00'01"30   0   0
  3. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   20'10"700 + 00'10"20   0   0
  4. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   20'13"900 + 00'13"40   0   0
  5. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   20'17"100 + 00'16"60   0   0
  6. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   20'19"600 + 00'19"10   0   0
  7. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   20'20"700 + 00'20"20   0   0
  8. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   20'21"300 + 00'20"80   0   0
  9. 68 SCHELLE-WEISS   Suzuki Igni A6   20'21"300 + 00'20"80   0   0
 10. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   20'22"400 + 00'21"90   0   0
 11. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   20'26"500 + 00'26"00   0   0
 12. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   20'35"800 + 00'35"30   0   0
 13. 75 NIWA-IDEUE      Suzuki Igni A6   21'03"300 + 01'02"80   0   0
 14. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   21'08"900 + 01'08"40   0   0
 15. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   22'14"300 + 02'13"80   0   0
 16. 73 LLOVERA-CORRAL  Fiat Punto  A6 1h15'44"500 + 55'44"00   0   0

Retires
52. McSHEA Niall - ORR Michael (OPEL Corsa Super 1600) for mechanical failure
66 BALDACCI Micro - BARONE Maurizio (CITROEN Saxo Super 1600) for surrendered time card
73 LLOVERA Albert - CORRAL Marc (FIAT Punto Kit Car) for surrendered time card

SS6

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   22'12"900  66.0 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   22'17"300 + 00'04"40   0   0
  3. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   22'17"800 + 00'04"90   0   0
  4. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   22'21"600 + 00'08"70   0   0
  5. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   22'25"100 + 00'12"20   0   0
  6. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   22'25"700 + 00'12"80   0   0
  7. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   22'32"600 + 00'19"70   0   0
  8. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   22'33"400 + 00'20"50   0   0
  9. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   22'37"100 + 00'24"20   0   0
 10. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   24'15"700 + 02'02"80   0   0
 11. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   25'09"700 + 02'56"80   0   0
 12. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   30'27"600 + 08'14"70   0   0

Retires
54 STENSHORNE Martin - JENKINS Clive (OPEL Corsa 1.6 Super 1600) for surrendered time card
75 NIWA Kazuhiko - IDEUE Tatauya (SUZUKI Ignis Super 1600) for mechanical failure 68 SCHELLE Nikolaus - WEISS Gerhard (SUZUKI Ignis Super 1600) for surrendered time card

After SS6 (first leg, June 14th)

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6 1h55'14"000  71.0 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6 1h56'20"900 + 01'06"90   0   0
  3. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6 1h56'39"600 + 01'25"60   0   0
  4. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6 1h57'12"000 + 01'58"00   0   0
  5. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6 1h57'19"500 + 02'05"50   0   0
  6. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6 1h57'25"900 + 02'11"90   0   0
  7. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6 1h57'36"100 + 02'22"10   0   0
  8. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6 1h58'17"800 + 03'03"80   0   0
  9. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6 2h00'24"400 + 05'10"40   0   0
 10. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6 2h02'33"400 + 07'19"40   0   0
 11. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6 2h08'07"500 + 12'53"50   0   0
 12. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6 2h18'58"200 + 23'44"20   0   0

Leg 2 (06/15)

The second leg saw important retires: Francois Duval had to retire for a mechanical failure. The Belgian performed very well in the first day with four stages won and he started the second leg saving the car, but it was not sufficient.
The MG ZR Super 1600 had to retired too driven by Evans. The younger Christian Chemin from Treviso (Italy) driving his Punto has to retire after a roll out: the car roof and the the engine cover were seriously damaged and the colding circuit didn't work, so he had to stop during the stage no.8.
The leg ended with a fight between the Citroen drivers, Tuohino and Valimaki. The Citroen car demonstrated his reliability and performance again after the debacle of Montecarlo Rally.

Valimaki leads as Duval is forced out

(courtesy of www.rally-live.com)

The cruel nature of the Acropolis Rally was made crystal clear on today's second stage when FIA Junior World Rally Championship leaders Francois Duval and Jean-Marc Fortin were forced to withdraw from the event. Having dominated yesterday's first leg and taken a 1min 06.9sec overnight lead into today's opening pair of stages, the Belgian duo's Ford Puma lost a front wheel half way through the second of them. In another day of attrition, only 8 of the 12 cars that started today are still in the 'junior' event.
"The stage conditions weren't too bad," said the 21- year old Duval. “We had been forced to drive in some deep ruts near the start where the WRC cars had cut up the road but after that we had been able to avoid the worst of the rocks. There was no warning that we had a problem but the front-left wheel came off and we had no choice but to park the car at the side of the road. Obviously I'm very disappointed because I was hoping to collect a maximum 10 points here. It's not the end of the world, though, because the high rate of attrition may yet mean that I'm still leading the championship after the rally!"
But Duval was in good company going out as half of the FIA Junior World Championship drivers retired during Friday's opening leg in Greece and the attrition rate wasn't slackening off today either. Engine problems ended Gwyndaf Evans' run in the MGZR on the road section after SS7 and clutch problems put out Kosti Katajamaki's VW Polo soon afterwards. Christian Chemin rolled his Fiat Punto into retirement on SS8. Following Francois Duval's retirement, Jussi Valimaki and Janne Tuohino took up the leading positions in their Citroen Saxos but both were fortunate to reach today's first service. Valimaki had to contend with low fuel pressure on both opening stages and the engine also cut out three times on SS10. Tuohino's exhaust fell off on the second test. Engine problems on the third Citroen cost Andrea Dallavilla road penalties before he lost power steering on SS10 while Nicola Caldani had earlier had to tackle SS8 with the same problem.
Duval's retirement meant that at the end of Saturday's second leg Citroen Saxo driver Valimaki was leading the Acropolis Rally's Junior Championship ahead of fellow Saxo driver Tuohino.
Duval's retirement promoted Britain's Martin Rowe to third place and highest Ford Puma crew. Rowe's careful driving was paying dividends and the British Champion was determined to be at the finish. "We're maintaining the same steady pace because we've got enough time in hand to avoid the big rocks. After what happened to Francois we've checked everything very carefully and we are confident that everything is OK."
He punctured on the 37.16kms SS9 (the tyre tore off the Puma's front wing and light cluster) but continued without stopping to change the wheel. "It wasn't a hard decision to make with Caldani in your mirrors!" joked co-driver Chris Wood. The car was given a thorough check over at service, receiving new driveshafts, brake pipes and suspension as a precaution.
Alejandro Galanti's frustrations of the first day continued into the second when his Ford Puma suffered an unusual problem at the start of today's first stage. "The front-right and rear-left struts began sticking," said the Paraguayan driver. "It made the handling very interesting for the first two stages!" he joked.
Combined with a faulty gear position sensor that left him unsure of what gear he was in at times, he was glad to reach service and rectify both problems before bringing the Puma home in seventh place tonight. Astra team principal Luca Pregliasco added: "Right now the challenge is to get cars to the finish. I'm proud that Astra is still in the competition and I hope we can still be there tomorrow afternoon."
Eighth placed Alexander Foss suffered another rear damper failure today. "We came over a crest, landed badly and it broke," he said. "It wasn't a major problem and it hasn't changed our strategy to learn as much as we can about this event. I'm happy to still be in the event and I'll be happier still if I'm at the finish..."

SS7

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   15'38"100  90.0 km/h   0   0
  2. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   15'42"000 + 00'03"90   0   0
  3. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   15'45"600 + 00'07"50   0   0
  4. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   15'46"000 + 00'07"90   0   0
  5. 61 EVANS-PATTERSON MG ZR Super A6   15'53"300 + 00'15"20   0   0
  6. 55 DUVAL-FORTIN    Ford Puma   A6   15'55"100 + 00'17"00   0   0
  7. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   16'05"100 + 00'27"00   0   0
  8. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Peugeot 206 A6   16'12"800 + 00'34"70   0   0
  9. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   16'30"500 + 00'52"40   0   0
 10. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   16'39"200 + 01'01"10   0   0
 11. 69 KATAJAMAKI-HONK VW Polo GTI A6   17'44"400 + 02'06"30   0   0
 12. 58 CHEMIN-SCATTOLI Fiat Punto  A6   19'34"400 + 03'56"30   0   0

Retires
61 EVANS Gwyndaf - PATTERSON Chris (MG ZR Super 1600) for surrendered time card
69 KATAJAMAKI Kosti - HONKANEN Jakke (VW Polo GTI) for mechanical failure

SS8

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   25'51"900  66.5 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   26'02"900 + 00'11"00   0   0
  3. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   26'21"400 + 00'29"50   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   26'28"300 + 00'36"40   0   0
  5. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   27'21"000 + 01'29"10   0   0
  6. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   27'45"400 + 01'53"50   0   0
  7. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Peugeot 206 A6   27'53"200 + 02'01"30   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   28'19"700 + 02'27"80   0   0

Retires
55 DUVAL Francois - FORTIN Jean-Marc (FORD Puma) for mechanical failure
58 CHEMIN Christian - SCATTOLIN Simone (FIAT Punto Super 1600) for mechanical failure

SS9

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   27'49"000  80.2 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   27'52"900 + 00'03"90   0   0
  3. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   28'26"600 + 00'37"60   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   28'41"200 + 00'52"20   0   0
  5. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   28'44"600 + 00'55"60   0   0
  6. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   29'02"000 + 01'13"00   0   0
  7. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   29'31"400 + 01'42"40   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   29'53"400 + 02'04"40   0   0

SS10

Cancelled

SS11

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   15'31"800  90.6 km/h   0   0
  2. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   15'37"100 + 00'05"30   0   0
  3. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   15'40"100 + 00'08"30   0   0
  4. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   15'45"300 + 00'13"50   0   0
  5. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   15'47"700 + 00'15"90   0   0
  6. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   15'51"500 + 00'19"70   0   0
  7. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   16'05"200 + 00'33"40   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   16'41"300 + 01'09"50   0   0

SS12

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   26'08"900  65.8 km/h   0   0
  2. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   26'14"500 + 00'05"60   0   0
  3. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   26'21"400 + 00'12"50   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   26'23"300 + 00'14"40   0   0
  5. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   26'32"100 + 00'23"20   0   0
  6. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   26'46"000 + 00'37"10   0   0
  7. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   26'46"300 + 00'37"40   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   28'05"300 + 01'56"40   0   0

After SS12 (second leg, June 15th)

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6 3h47'48"700  73.2 km/h   0   0
  2. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6 3h47'57"100 + 00'08"40   0   0
  3. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6 3h51'26"500 + 03'37"80   0   0
  4. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6 3h51'32"600 + 03'43"90   0   0
  5. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6 3h52'54"300 + 05'05"60   0   0
  6. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6 3h53'07"100 + 05'18"40   0   0
  7. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6 3h54'26"900 + 06'38"20   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6 4h19'17"100 + 31'28"40   0   0

Leg 3 (06/16)

The leader of the scoreboard seemed to be not very lucky, because Valimaki driving Citroen Saxo retired in the first stage of the day. The final stages were won by the Italians: Caldani drove fastest twice and that performance let him settle third in the final scoreboard, whilst Valimaki administrated the advantage got during the second leg.
This result revolutioned the general classification in the Junior championship, because Duval was surpassed by three drivers, Dallavilla and Tuohino, thanks to the heavy points taken in Greece. The leadership goes to Sola due to the three points of the fourth standing. The Suzuki teams retired after the first leg, after the three separate teams prepared well the Greek hard session. Also N Technology which develops the Fiat Punto cars was disappointed from the important retires of the Fiat drivers, but the third standing was acceptable.

SS13

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   19'40"600  70.1 km/h   0   0
  2. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   19'43"900 + 00'03"30   0   0
  3. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   19'45"800 + 00'05"20   0   0
  4. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   19'52"100 + 00'11"50   0   0
  5. 56 VALIMAKI-GARDEM Citroen Sax A6   20'05"100 + 00'24"50   0   0
  6. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   20'07"700 + 00'27"10   0   0
  7. 57 GALANTI-AMIGO C Ford Puma   A6   20'16"900 + 00'36"30   0   0
  8. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   20'51"300 + 01'10"70   0   0

SS14

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   13'13"100  85.7 km/h   0   0
  2. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   13'23"700 + 00'10"60   0   0
  3. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   13'29"000 + 00'15"90   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   13'41"400 + 00'28"30   0   0
  5. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   14'29"800 + 01'16"70   0   0
  6. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   16'21"300 + 03'08"20   0   0

Retires
56 VALIMAKI Jussi - GARDEMEISTER Tero (Citroen Saxo VTS) for mechanical failure
57 GALANTI Alejandro - AMIGO Xavier (Ford Puma) for mechanical failure

SS15

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   27'53"300  79.9 km/h   0   0
  2. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   27'57"800 + 00'04"50   0   0
  3. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   28'05"700 + 00'12"40   0   0
  4. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   28'15"500 + 00'22"20   0   0
  5. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   29'24"900 + 01'31"60   0   0
  6. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   29'57"100 + 02'03"80   0   0

SS16

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6   13'07"800  79.2 km/h   0   0
  2. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6   13'27"200 + 00'19"40   0   0
  3. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6   13'29"800 + 00'22"00   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6   13'33"700 + 00'25"90   0   0
  5. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6   13'50"000 + 00'42"20   0   0
  6. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6   14'04"900 + 00'57"10   0   0

After SS16 (third leg, June 16th, final classification)

POS  NO CREW            CAR         CL      TIME      DELAY      PEN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. 62 TUOHINO-VIHAVAI Citroen Sax A6 5h04'27"800  73.7 km/h   0   0
  2. 51 DALLAVILLA-BERN Citroen Sax A6 5h05'51"100 + 01'23"30   0   0
  3. 60 CALDANI-DESPOSI Fiat Punto  A6 5h07'13"700 + 02'45"90   0   0
  4. 65 SOLA-ROMANI     Citroen Sax A6 5h08'08"500 + 03'40"70   0   0
  5. 63 ROWE-WOOD       Ford Puma   A6 5h09'50"800 + 05'23"00   0   0
  6. 76 FOSS-MENKERUD   Ford Puma   A6 5h38'40"200 + 34'12"40   0   0

Stages won by drivers

Duval (no.4, SS1, SS3, SS4, SS6)
Sola (no.3, SS7, SS11, SS13)
Tuohino (no.2, SS8, SS9)
Caldani (no.1, SS14, SS15)
Dallavilla (no.1, SS16)
Baldacci (no.1, SS2)
Valimaki (no.1, SS12)
Stenshorne (no.1, SS5)

Stages won by cars

Citroen Saxo (no.8, SS2, SS7, SS8, SS9, SS11, SS12, SS13, SS16)
Ford Puma (no.4, SS1, SS3, SS4, SS6)
Fiat Punto (no.2, SS14, SS15)
Opel Corsa (no.1, SS5)

Citroen Junior team - report day 3: Another One-two for the Citroen Saxos

(courtesy of www.rally-action.com)

The Finn Janne Tuohino and the Italian Andrea Dallavilla presented the Citroen Saxo, last year's Super 1600 Championship winning car, one consecutive one-two victory. Janne's and Andrea's performance in Greece, together with the fourth position of the Catalan Dani Sola, promoted the three drivers to the top three places of the 2002 JWRC.
The rally has been very tough for all Junior crews. 23 cars started the Greek event on Friday morning and only 12 came back to the Parc Ferme that evening. The amazingly high attrition rate continued all along the second leg, and included the retirement of Francois Duval (Ford Puma), leader since the start.
Saturday night, just eight cars remained in the competition, half of which were Saxos. Only six drivers reached the finish on Sunday.
In the Citroen camp, the rally commenced with the withdrawal of the German Sven Haaf, who was suffering with a back injury. Jussi Valimaki lost some time following Albert Llovera in the dust (SS1). Andrea Dallavilla had to drive part of the SS3 and 4 in third gear, a stone having broken the gear box linkage. Dani Sola suffered a puncture (SS4), and Mirco Baldacci was forced to retire when his car broke a wheel (SS5).
The second day was positive for the Saxos. The drivers of the Citroens shared all the fastest times, even if they were experiencing slight incidents. Andrea Dallavilla got stuck behind the dust of Nicola Caldani with broken power steering (SS8). Jussi Valimaki had the same problem (SS12), while Janne Tuohino's car was problem free, and changes to its set-up improved its performance. The two Finns were then fighting for victory.
2001 Finnish Rally Champion Janne, drove very cautiously when Jussi Valimaki retired with an electrical failure in SS14. Andrea Dallavilla benefitted from the puncture of Martin Rowe (Ford Puma) and stood second (SS14). Having changed his wheel, Rowe started again in front of Spaniard Dani Sola; who lost his podium chance following him in the dust.
The Saxo Super 1600 of Citroen Hellas, driven by Nikos Tsadaris finished seventh in the 1600 class.

Pictures

Basso at shakedown	Caldani debuts with Punto	Galanti	The winner Tuohino
Chemin just just before retire	Valimaki first but unlucky	Jean Joseph competing too	Caldani again	Caldani from Procar site

This is a photographic scoop I got from Pavlos Paschopoulos, Greece. The pictures show the recovery of Christian Chemin's Punto Rally after a roll out and the subsequent engine failure, due to the increase of oil and water temperatures, because of some broken hose.

Picture no.1	Picture no.2	Picture no.3	Picture no.4	Picture no.5	Picture no.6
Picture no.7	Picture no.8	Picture no.9	Picture no.10	Picture no.11	Picture no.12