The Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart crew of François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup maintained position throughout the leg to return to Auckland in ninth position. "There was a lot of loose gravel on the stages this morning and the long one (SS20) was the most difficult stage of the rally because there was so much dust and the roads are very narrow", commented François. "Running just one car back makes a difference, although we were still cleaning the roads of loose gravel. We backed off in the last couple of stages because there was no sense in pushing to the very end. Having looked at the data to analyse Jani’s driving style here, we’ve now learned more about the technique that works best with the Mitsubishi in these conditions".

Adding to François’ comments, Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart team manager Derek Dauncey said: "Jani’s performance and his series of exceptional stage times has been the highlight of the season so far. He approached the event with a very mature attitude and did exactly what the team asked of him, and more. His brief was to set competitive stage times and he performed that task perfectly. Obviously it was disappointing to lose him, but we’ve now shown the car is competitive, with Jani consistently beating the Fords and Subarus. François lacked confidence in his driving in the first leg; he was happy with the car but his stage times didn’t reflect that. This meant he was first on the road for leg two, which obviously had a huge effect from there on. However, he used the rest of the event to gain knowledge and experience that he and the team can take forward to Australia".

Meanwhile...

Just 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship contenders finished Rally New Zealand, some of the event’s legendary winners crashing out, including Colin McRae (Ford) and Richard Burns (Peugeot). Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) however went on to win for the fourth time this year. Team-mate Harri Rovanperä maintained second position but a late scare with hydraulic problems in stage 24 slowed the Finn significantly and he was relieved to make the finish. Third-placed Petter Solberg was forced into a heart-wrenching retirement in the penultimate stage, the engine in the Subaru expiring after the Norwegian was almost guaranteed a podium position for the fourth time this year. Team-mate Tommi Mäkinen therefore inherited third, notching up his fourth points finish of the season. Carlos Sainz (Ford) too had a scare in stage 24, the Spaniard going off the road, hitting a tree and damaging the suspension. Fortunately repairs were facilitated at the end of the stage and the Madrid-based driver finished fourth overall. Hyundai recorded its best performance of the year, the Korean manufacturer claiming points with Juha Kankkunen and Freddy Loix, both of whom also picked up the last drivers’ points.

Italy’s Giovanni Manfrinato put in another strong showing in his Lancer Evolution to take third in the World Championship running. "Today has been very good and I think this has been one of best results of the season. It has certainly been a tough rally", Manfrinato said.

Local star Reece Jones split the World Championship regulars, just beating Manfrinato to take fourth in the class on the rally, while former World Champion Stig Blomqvist belied his 54 years to finish just behind Manfrinato, with Italian Alex Fiorio close behind and adding to his points tally. All of them drove Lancer Evolutions.

Coming next...

The FIA World Rally Championship contenders remain in the Southern Hemisphere for the penultimate round, Rally Australia (31 October-3 November). Based in Perth, the remotest city in the world, the event is one of the highlights of the year, despite the exacting challenge of precision car control over fast narrow stages covered in unique marble-shaped gravel.

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