Full story from wrc.com

OMV Peugeot driver Manfred Stohl grabbed another stage win as reigning champion Sebastien Loeb stole second place overall and works Ford star Marcus Gronholm cruised home to a brilliant rally victory on a dramatic final stage of the 2006 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo.

Stohl was an impressive 18.7 seconds quicker than anyone else over the crews' final crack at the classic Col du Turini on the 31.25-kilometre stage from La Bollene Vesubie to Sospel. The Austrian reckoned he'd been right to choose slick tyres for this loop, but that he'd taken too soft a compound to give him a real shot at catching Sebastien Loeb.

Loeb's second best time on studded winter tyres was perhaps even more impressive and it earned him second place overall. He was 27.5sec quicker than Toni Gardemeister on the stage to relegate the Peugeot privateer to third place. "That was extremely quick," said Gardemeister of Loeb's time. "He was pushing like hell, I think." The Finn was fourth best on the stage (the second best on winter tyres to Loeb) and still secured a superb third place overall on his first appearance in a Peugeot 307.

Subaru's Stephane Sarrazin - also on slicks - was third quickest on the stage to seal fifth place overall, while his team-mate Chris Atkinson was fifth on the stage and takes sixth place overall. Gronholm was a controlled sixth on the stage and wins the rally by just over a minute. His team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was eighth best on the stage to make sure of seventh place overall as Dani Sordo ran into trouble with a hydraulic leak on his Citroen. The young Spaniard will still hang on to eighth place overall as long as he reaches service safely.

-end story-

Final results:
1. M. GRÖNHOLM 4:11:43.9
2. S. LOEB 4:12:45.7 +1:01.8
3. T. GARDEMEISTER 4:13:07.0 +21.3
4. M. STOHL 4:13:26.2 +19.2
5. S. SARRAZIN 4:15:04.1 +1:37.9
6. C. ATKINSON 4:16:46.3 +1:42.2
7. M. HIRVONEN 4:18:03.4 +1:17.1
8. D. SORDO 4:18:59.1 +55.7
9. X. PONS 4:19:26.8 +27.7
10. G. PANIZZI 4:20:53.7 +1:46.9

 

It would be nice to be able to see this on TV, anywhere. The racing should be good with all of the privateer teams in the series now. The new Impreza looks great in tarmac trim.

 

What a road to drive on huh?

 

Anyone know where you can get full size images for backrounds?

 

wheres petter?

 

Retired at the end of day 1. They found an oil leak they didn't think they could fix in time to restart day 2

 

What the hell happened with Speed TV. They used to carry the WRC last year, and now nothing... Anyone know where I can download the programs, I don't mind..
It is really sad that we used to be able to get the USA Rally series, and WRC but now we are lucky to be able to see anything but NASCAR!!!!

 

AGREED! I like to watch right hand corners....with 1000 foot drops on one side and sheer cliff faces on the other side of the one lane road at 100+ mph

 

[QUOTE=dsilver668]What the hell happened with Speed TV. They used to carry the WRC last year, and now nothing... Anyone know where I can download the programs, I don't mind..


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