SS1: 0833 St Sauveur Sur Tinee Beuil 1 (22.23km)
The 2006 FIA World Rally Championship started with the St Sauveur sur Tinee – Beuil stage, last used in the rally in 1994. Only 11 cars passed through the stage before it was cancelled due to heavy traffic at the start, with the remainder of the field returning to parc fermé. The wide and flowing road was extremely icy, making tyre choice very difficult. On a winter studded tyre Sébastien Loeb had the edge over championship rivals, setting a time 25secs faster than second-placed Gilles Panizzi’s Skoda. Gigi Galli, in a privately entered Mitsubishi Lancer, was third fastest while Subaru’s Chris Atkinson recorded the fifth fastest time on his Rallye Monte Carlo debut. Both Sarrazin and Solberg had gambled on a slick tyre but found the going tough and finished eighth and eleventh fastest respectively.
Fastest Time: Loeb (Kronos) 15:14.0

SS2: 0941 Guillaumes – Valberg (13.60km)
The disruption caused by traffic before the start of SS1 delayed the start of the second special stage and again only 11 cars passed through the speed test as the rest of the field continued to return to Monte Carlo. SS2 was yet another new-for-2006 stage and featured tight uphill hairpin bends as the road climbed to finish next to a ski station. Ford’s Gronholm was quickest through the icy stage to take third overall from Galli, while rally leader Loeb was second fastest, only 2.5sec slower than the Finn. Subaru’s youngest driver, Chris Atkinson, was an impressive fifth quickest to maintain fifth overall, with team-mates Sarrazin seventh and ninth fastest to remain eighth and eleventh in the overall classification.
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Ford) 9:37.2

SS3: 1032 Pierlas – Ilonse 1 (23.22km)
Having seen the variations in times of the 11 cars that had passed through the first two stages, the 23km speed test from Pierlas to Ilonse was cancelled to enable FIA stewards to take a decision on the notional times to be awarded to the rest of the field. The stage was run only as a liaison section and all cars returned to Monte Carlo for a 30 minute service. After considering the matter, it was decided to award those who had not completed SS1 and SS2 a combined time of 27min 52.7sec for both stages. The overall times for the 11 cars that had finished the speed tests were upheld.
Stage cancelled

SS4: 1438 St Sauveur Sur Tinee Beuil 2 (22.23km)
After a 30 minute service halt in Monte Carlo, crews headed back to the mountains for the 22km pass from St Sauveur sur Tinee to Beuil. Stage conditions had improved from the early morning, but the road remained wet and icy in places, with several drivers, including Gronholm, reporting low grip. Loeb was once again fastest through the stage, over 30secs faster than the earlier run, with Skoda privateer François Duval second and Gronholm third. Subaru’s Petter Solberg was fifth fastest in the new Subaru Impreza WRC2006. Italian Galli retired from the Leg with a broken steering arm after hitting an object on the stage, while WRC newcomer Pieter Tsjoen went off on a patch of ice and hit a snow bank. He eventually rejoined to finish the stage nearly six minutes slower than Loeb.
Fastest time: Loeb (Kronos) 14:43.9

SS5: 1536 Guillaumes – Valberg 2 (13.60km)
The short 13km stage of the event climbed to the highest altitude of any of the stages of the rally with a series of tight, uphill hairpin bends. Duval recorded the fastest time, only 5.7secs faster than Subaru’s asphalt specialist Sarrazin, whose slick tyre choice suited the stage conditions particularly well. Petter Solberg was fifth quickest, while Atkinson had a steady run to maintain the overall fourth position he had inherited following Galli’s retirement from the previous stage. Toni Gardemeister, fifth in the overall classification, however closed the gap to Atkinson to just over seven seconds as the Finn posted a time just 9secs slower than Duval.
Fastest time: Duval (Skoda) 9:43.3

SS6: 1624 Pierlas – Ilonse (23.22km)
There was drama and disappointment in the challenging, twisty final stage of the Leg. Rally leader Loeb spun at a fourth gear corner and his car slid 10 metres off the road. Both Loeb and co-driver Elena were uninjured, but retired from the Leg. Loeb’s retirement elevated Gronholm to first overall, but there were further changes in the order as Panizzi reported handling problems with his Skoda and dropped to fourth. Subaru’s young charger Atkinson graduated to second overall in his first-ever Monte Carlo rally, although Gardemeister closed the gap to the Australian to just over three seconds. Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen also encountered problems when he spun and stalled at a hairpin close to the stage start, reporting handbrake problems. Petter Solberg achieved his best stage finish of the day with the second fastest time, but disappointment soon followed when his engine developed an oil leak on the road section 47km from Monte Carlo. The Norwegian stopped on the road, but the engine was irreparably damaged and he retired from the Leg and the rally.
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Ford) 18:47.6


Tags: subaru, impreza, sti, peter-solberg, stephane-sarrazin, chris-atkinson, monte-carlo, leg-1,