Spain Subaru Review

McRAE RETIRES IN SPAIN

Rally of Spain - Final information - 22 April, 15:40 +0100 The third and final Leg of the Rally of Spain saw yet more disappointment for the 555 Subaru World Rally Team. 1996 event winner Colin McRae was forced into retirement after the second stage of the day when a small component came off the output shaft on the rear differential of the Subaru Impreza 555. "It has just been one of those rallies where nothing has gone as we planned," said the Scot. "The car had really run faultlessly but we have had other difficulties throughout the event. We then had a problem with the rear left drive-shaft before the opening stage this morning and then the output shaft in the first kilometre of the following section. It’s one of those things that could have been patched together to finish the rally, but we had dropped so much time that it seemed silly to risk anything more, especially from a safety point of view," said a disappointed Colin. "The whole event has been a bit of a surprise. We knew the Formula 2 cars would be competitive, especially as it has been dry, but we have always run well in Spain and the team has probably one of the best records out of the current manufacturers. It’s one of those events we have to put behind us and learn from, but it is obviously a massive disappointment after winning in Portugal and renewing our Championship hopes. Fortunately the points situation isn’t too desperate because other teams had their own problems, but it’s an event where we could have had a pretty good result," he concluded. In much the same manner as Legs 1 and 2, the final day has seen close-fought action as the crews have diced for positions, trading times on the asphalt roads ensuring the outcome went down to the wire. Didier Auriol’s victory for Toyota is the Frenchman’s first World Championship win since Corsica in 1995, however his ten valuable points do not count towards the all-important Manufacturers’ Championship as he was not registered by the team. The World Rally Championship teams now head to Corsica (4-6 May) for the next all-asphalt rally of the series. It was here in 1997 that Colin McRae notched up the 555 Subaru World Rally Team’s fourth victory of the season in emphatic and commanding style. Rally of Spain - Final Results

DRIVER CAR TOTAL TIME DIFF STAGES WON 1 Didier Auriol Toyota Corolla World Rally Car 4.18.36.9 2,3,4,5,10,12,15,17,19 2 Freddy Loix Toyota Corolla World Rally Car 4.19.30.3 53.4 =8,13,14,18 3 Tommi Makinen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 4.19.46.3 1.09.4 =8,16 4 Richard Burns Mitsubishi Carisma GT 4.20.10.4 1.33.5 5 Philippe Bugalski Citroen Xsara Kit Car (F2) 4.20.28.3 1.51.4 11 6 Gilles Panizzi Peugeot 306 Maxi (F2) 4.20.44.0 2.07.1 9 7 Carlos Sainz Toyota Corolla World Rally Car 4.21.05.7 2.28.8 8 Francois Delecour Peugeot 306 Maxi (F2) 4.21.24.6 2.47.7 9 Uwe Nittel Mitsubishi Carisma 4.22.45.6 4.08.7 10 Rui Madeira Toyota Corolla World Rally Car 4.25.24.5 6.47.6 Note: Colin McRae won SS6, Jesus Puras (Citroen) won SS7