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You are in: Special Events: 2000: Rally of Great Britain |
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Thursday, 23 November, 2000, 22:00 GMT
Burns pleads for fairness
Richard Burns in the Welsh forests last year
Richard Burns has asked British fans not to indulge in dirty tricks to boost his chances of becoming world champion.
Some reports have indicated supporters are ready to throw logs or stones in the way of his solitary rival Marcus Gronholm of Finland as he roars through the forests of Wales. Burns has to win the Network Q Rally of Britain for a third year in a row and hope Gronholm finishes outside the top five to snatch the championship. But 29-year-old Burns was clearly alarmed at the lengths to which some fans would go.
"I have no control about what could happen and will just go out and do my own thing. "But I will not be very happy if I win the championship because Marcus has had problems which were nothing to do with him and were not in his control. It would not be fair," he warned. "We have had 13 other rallies and hopefully it is going to be completely fair right until the end," Burns pleaded. Dirty tricks There were claims of similar dirty tricks when Colin McRae won the world title in 1995 ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz. But Burns was sceptical. "I don't think it has happened before. In 1995 Carlos thought it had but there was no real evidence that it did," he said. Gronholm, for his part, is confident his dream of being the latest driver to add his name to the roll-call of greats from his rally-mad country will not be scuppered by unsporting fans.
"I do not think there will be a problem, but there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to concentrate on my own rally," he said. At one stage this season Gronholm was 14 points behind Burns, but has clawed his way back to bring his destiny back into his own hands. Victory in Australia last time out moved him nine points clear. "We came straight here from Australia so I have not thought about the championship," added Gronholm, who was on for a podium finish in Britain last year before rolling out on the final day.
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See also:
21 Nov 00 | Rally of Great Britain
23 Nov 00 | Rally of Great Britain
13 Nov 00 | Motorsport
22 Nov 00 | Rally of Great Britain
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