The two Peugeot 307WRCs of Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin have finished the all-asphalt Rally Deustchland in third and fourth places, allowing Peugeot to stay in close touch with new championship leaders Citroen. Marcus consolidates his second place to Sebastien Loeb in the drivers' championship, while Markko is closing in on third-placed Petter Solberg.
The final 90 competitive kilometres of the Rally Deutschland saw no change in the order of the leading pair of Citroens and Peugeots. Although the final classification had been settled for a while, Markko Martin managed to set a fastest time in the closing stages of the Rally Deutschland this morning.
Marcus Gronholm: "I have to be pleased with third, as it was the best we could achieve here. Nobody could compete with the Citroens: they were in a class of their own here. Looking on the positive side, the car was totally reliable and we were faster than anybody else. Now I'm looking forward to getting back onto gravel. I think we have a better chance of winning there!"
Markko Martin: "This was quite a straightforward rally for me. I lost time on the first day when a tyre came off the rim, but by the end of it I was back to fourth again and from then on it was just a question of holding that position. I had a bit of excitement today when the Ford of Daniel Sola held me up in the morning and I had to overtake him, but apart from that we had no dramas. It was a good, solid performance from ourselves and the team."
Jean Pierre Nicolas : « Our objective was achieved on these very dry roads. We knew that it would be difficult to fight on equal terms with Citroen, so the most sensible course of action was to concentrate on securing third and fourth places. Our drivers had no mechanical problems throughout the rally. We are now six points behind the championship, but Marcus and Markko will approach the next round of the championship, Rally Great Britain, with a mindset that will allow them to fight for the win. »
Final classification : 1. Loeb Citroën 3h27'13''2 2. Duval Citroën at 37''4 3. Grönholm Peugeot at 2'04''8 4. Märtin Peugeot at 4'09''4 5. Galli Mitsubishi at 5'03''6 6. Kresta Ford at 5'12''3 7. Solberg Subaru at 7'48''1 8. Sarrazin Subaru at 8'34''1
World Championship classifications : Drivers 1. Loeb 93pts 2. Grönholm 61pts 3. Solberg 55pts 4. Märtin 53pts 5. Gardemeister 47pts 6. Rovanperä 22pts 7. Duval 16pts 8. Kresta 13pts
Constructors 1. Citroën 123pts 2. Peugeot 117pts 3. Ford 72pts 4. Subaru 62pts 5. Mitsubishi 47pts 6. Skoda 8pts
