|
| Gönderilecek Foto-Haber |
|
| 14.10.2006 |
Rally of Turkey 2006 Photos - BP-Ford World Rally Team |
| |
Grönholm leads for BP-Ford as rain creates Turkish mud-bath
BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen mastered treacherous conditions to lead the Rally of Turkey after today's weather-hit opening leg.
The Finns hold a 26.1sec advantage in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car following a day in which more than half the competitive distance was cancelled, as torrential rain turned the mountain gravel tracks in the south of the country into a muddy mess.
Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen lie third. Their similar BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS World Rally Car is involved in a battle with the Solberg brothers. The Finns are 26.1sec behind Petter and just 0.7sec ahead of Henning.
Drivers were due to tackle nine speed tests covering 152.94km, the bulk high in the Toros mountains, with a spectacular super special stage ending the action on the edge of Antalya. However, three days of torrential rain transformed the dry roads into swamps. The service park in Kemer was flooded while organisers cancelled the first two speed tests for safety reasons as the medical helicopter could not land due to fog and rain. Continued bad weather led to the scrapping of a third stage and half of another due to excessive mud, leaving just 70.71km of competition.
It all seemed very appropriate in a country reputed to be the final resting place of Noah's Ark while the superstitious pointed out that today is Friday the 13th and this is the 13th round of the FIA World Rally Championship! |
|
|
