France 2007

IN THE EARLY STAGES, MARCUS GRÖNHOLM HAD THE EDGE OVER SEBASTIEN LOEB - QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS WAS ANOTHER RALLY ON TARMAC, SEBASTIEN'S PREFERRED SURFACE. BUT GRADUALLY, SEBASTIEN PULLED THE TIME BACK AND THEN WENT INTO THE LEAD AND KEPT IT TO THE FINISH.

UNLIKE SPAIN LAST WEEKEND, CITROEN'S OTHER TARMAC SPECIALIST, DANIEL SORDO, WAS UNABLE TO GET IN FRONT OF GRONHOLM SO, BY FINISHING SECOND, THE FINN WAS ABLE TO LIMIT THE 'DAMAGE', IN TERMS OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS, TO A LOSS OF ONLY TWO POINTS TO SEBASTIEN. MIKKO HIRVONEN NEVER FEATURED BECAUSE HE CLIPPED A WALL VERY EARLY ON, REMOVING THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL, AND WAS FORCED TO RETIRE AND RE-ENTER UNDER THE SUPER RALLY RULES, EVENTUALLY FINISHING 13TH TO EARN A POINT FOR HIS TEAM.

AS MARCUS IS RETIRING AT THE END OF THE SEASON, SPECULATION IS MOUNTING ABOUT HIS REPLACEMENT AND JARI-MATTI LATVALA DID HIMSELF NO HARM BY FINISHING FOURTH IN THE 'SISTER' STOBART VK FORD CAR. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS AT THE EXPENSE OF FRANCOIS DUVAL WHO WAS FIRMLY IN FOURTH UNTIL THE END OF DAY 2 WHEN A GEARBOX PROBLEM LED TO HIS RETIREMENT. THE SUBARUS WENT REASONABLY WELL BUT THE CAR IS NOT YET BACK TO ITS COMPETITIVE BEST.

IF GRONHOLM'S LEAD CONTINUES TO SUFFER AT ITS CURRENT RATE THEN WE MAY BE IN FOR A GRANDSTAND FINISH AT THE LAST RALLY OF THE SEASON IN WALES. THE PENDULUM MAY SWING IN FAVOUR OF MARCUS IN JAPAN, BACK TO SEBASTIEN IN IRELAND AND THEN IT MAY BE ALL UP FOR GRABS IN WALES. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF SEBASTIEN WINS THEM ALL, THEN HE WILL BE WORLD CHAMPION AGAIN! WHO KNOWS - WE CAN ONLY WAIT AND SEE.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
15th October 2007

  The HTML code for this page has been validated by the World Wide Web Consortium.