Sweden Rally 2006: Kronos Citroën WRT - FinishIf speed-skating in a World Rally Car were an Olympic sport, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena would have been deserving recipients of a silver medal. And thanks to an excellent seventh place from Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio, the Kronos Citroen World Rally Team would have taken a gold medal, for scoring more constructors` points in Sweden than any other team.
« Right up to the start of the last stage we tried everything: absolutely everything! Today Marcus [Grönholm] was quicker than us. » Seb`s laconic summary of the day`s events neatly encapsulates the disappointment of a fierce competitor who was unable to gain the upper hand. « This morning, when Marcus`s car had a problem and we closed to within 15 seconds, we tried a daring tyre choice. We‘ve got no regrets about the outcome. Another second place, with eight drivers` and constructors` points, is a good start to a season which is going to be fascinating. All the signs are there for a good fight ! »
A delighted Xevi Pons joked: « On my fourth Swedish Rally – but the first in a WRC car – I learnt…that I still have a lot to learn about Sweden ! I achieved the goal that the team set for me : to finish the rally and bring back as many constructors points as possible. I`m very happy not to have made mistakes and I`m also pleased that I have been able to see my progress on many of the stages. On top of that, I scored two drivers` points. All in all, I`ll have some very good memories of this event ! »
« Bring on Mexico ! » said Dani Sordo, pleased at having passed the gruelling test of Sweden. « Doing your first Swedish Rally in a World Rally Car is an extremely difficult challenge. Without experience of the conditions, how are you meant to use two passages at 70km/h to make pace notes that you will sometimes rely on while travelling at 180km/h? But I think now that I have found some answers to those questions. The team has done a fantastic job, giving me a trouble-free car that allowed me to accumulate the maximum experience. I am just annoyed with myself for having made the mistake which cost me seven minutes. »
Team principal Marc van Dalen was delighted by a very positive rally. « We are very happy, » he said. « As usual, Sébastien has been superb. He was the only person able to keep up with Marcus Grönholm, who was undoubtedly the quickest driver here. Xevi`s performance has surpassed my expectations. He`s been entirely consistent and not made a single mistake, to bring us a result that we thought was impossible given the high number of local specialists in World Rally Cars. He can quite rightly feel proud of himself. Dani made a small mistake, but he has brought the car back in one piece. Finally, the team has once more functioned without the slightest hiccup – as was also the case in Monte Carlo. This was a rally that many of our people were unfamiliar with, so their excellent performance was fantastic, and very encouraging as we all head off to Mexico for the first time. »
Tags:
rally,
