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Sunday, 26 November, 2000, 16:25 GMT
Gronholm: From zero to hero
World champion Gronholm - a revelation this season
Marcus Gronholm was a relative unknown until this year but his name will now be known far and wide after he claimed the world championship crown.
The 32-year-old Finn clinched the title in his first full championship season after finishing second in the Rally of Great Britan. His efforts in the UK should come as no surprise having performed excellently, like his car, during the whole of 2000. After a slow start to the campaign and an excellent start by Briton Richard Burns, he won his first WRC event in Sweden in February. Gronholm then begun to turn on the power with wins in New Zealand and Finland. As the season headed into its home stretch Gronholm's championship hopes were given a huge boost after being handed victory in Australia, following Tommi Makinen's disqualification. Favourite With the increased lead Gronholm was the firm favourite as the climax of the championship headed for the mountainous terrain of Wales.
He had a nine-point lead as he begun the rally, the final event of the championship, knowing that close rival Burns had to win, and a place fifth or better was enough to take the world crown back to his homeland. Burns duly won the rally, but Gronholm cruised round, in his own words driving like his granny, to finish safely in second place. Gronholm is the sixth Finn to win the world championship and he succeeds compatriot Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi). The Finn made his rally debut in the Finnish Championship in 1987 and his progress was confirmed claiming the Scandinavian rally championship just two years later. His debut in the Network Q Rally of Great Britain was in 1997 achieving an impressive fifth place. Having made his first appearance in the world championship in 1995, and a mixture of success, mainly in his homeland and Sweden, he joined Peugeot's world championship team in 1999. The year 2000 now stands as a monumental year for the new world champion.
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See also:
26 Nov 00 | Rally of Great Britain
24 Nov 00 | Photo Galleries
13 Nov 00 | Motorsport
14 Nov 00 | Motorsport
19 Oct 00 | Motorsport
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