BUENOS AIRES, 18 July 2004 — Peugeot’s Marcus Gronholm fended off a fierce challenge from Citroen’s Carlos Sainz to lead the Rally of Argentina on Friday as two of the title challengers retired.
Norwegian world champion Petter Solberg stopped when his Subaru’s engine caught fire on stage nine while Ford’s Estonian Markko Martin was taken to hospital for checks after a big accident on stage five.
By the end of stage 10, with just two short superspecials remaining to close the leg, the tall Finn led Spaniard Sainz by 5.2 seconds.
Sebastien Loeb, the leader of the championship after seven rounds, was in third place for Citroen and 33.2 seconds off the lead.
Martin and Solberg’s misfortunes worked to Loeb’s advantage, the Frenchman able to relax knowing that his closest rivals would be taking no points home from Argentina.
Gronholm seized the rally lead from Solberg on the fifth stage, lost it to Sainz after the long stage eight but regained the upper hand on the ninth in a tightly-balanced battle between the former champions. Estonian Martin, second overnight, was the first retirement of the major players when his car flipped and landed on its roof off a jump on the fifth stage.
Neither he nor his British co-driver Michael Park were injured but both were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
“It appears that this was a very violent accident indeed,” the official rally website quoted Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson as saying.
“It was a kilometer-long straight toward the end of (the fifth stage). They were flat in sixth and then Michael said the car took off and they jumped so far that it felt like it landed on its roof.
“They then went over numerous times.”
Solberg lost time when he drove too aggressively into a water-splash on the fifth stage.
“I made a mistake and misjudged my speed before going into the water-splash flat out,” said Solberg, winner of the first, third and fourth stages. “The engine seemed to drop to two cylinders and I couldn’t see over the bonnet as it was so badly bent. I stopped for about 20 seconds and then continued.”
Loeb leads the championship with 53 points to Solberg’s 44 with Martin third on 34. Gronholm, a twice world champion, is fourth with 32.
Argentina marks the halfway stage in the season.
