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Tuesday, 14 November, 2000, 18:05 GMT
Hard road to Rally GB
A win in Australia has set Gronholm up for the title
Round 1 - Monte Carlo Rally, 20-22 Jan
Click here for report Tommi Makinen wins the first rally of the year after mechanical troubles strike most of the leading contenders. All three Peugeots, as well as the Subaru of Richard Burns, retire when they fail to start on the morning of the second day. Colin McRae loses third place within 12 miles of the finish when his Ford's engine fails, the latest in a long run of poor reliability.
Results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 2 - Swedish Rally 10-13 Feb Click here for report Marcus Gronholm dominates the Swedish Rally to kick-start his title campaign, holding off fellow Finn Tommi Makinen. Colin McRae finishes his first rally since the Corsican event in May 1999.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 3 - Safari Rally, Kenya, 24-27 Feb Click here for report Richard Burns takes his second consecutive win on the demanding Safari Rally, heading home Juha Kankkunen to a Subaru one-two.
The other leading teams struggle as their Michelin tyres shred in the heat, and Didier Auriol's Seat takes third place.
Results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 4, Portugal Rally, 16-19 March Click here for report Richard Burns takes his second win in succession, this time in an impressive debut for the new Subaru Impreza WRC 2000. Burns dominates the event, taking a comfortable win from Marcus Gronholm's Peugeot, despite a series of problems with teething troubles with his new car. Colin McRae retires with engine failure, leaving third place to team-mate Carlos Sainz.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 5 - Catalunya Rally, Spain, 30 March - 2 April Click here for report Colin McRae takes his first win of the season after a tough battle with fellow Briton Richard Burns, finally ending the Scot's run of terrible reliability. Carlos Sainz is third for Ford, with Tommi Makinen an uncompetitive fourth.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 6 - Argentina Rally, 11-14 May Click here for report Richard Burns utterly dominates the event in the Andean foothills around Cordoba, making himself a favourite for the world championship.
Marcus Gronholm takes second place and Tommi Makinen third, following yet another retirement for Colin McRae.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 7 - Acropolis Rally, Greece, 8-11 June Click here for report Colin McRae takes his second win of the year in searing conditions in Greece. McRae dominates the event, held in temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius.
Team-mate Carlos Sainz is second as all the other leading contenders fell foul of the heat and rocky terrain.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round eight - New Zealand Rally, 13-16 July Click here for report Marcus Gronholm holds off challenges from both Richard Burns and Colin McRae to take his second win of the year.
Burns eventually retires with a broken engine, while McRae survives a spin to take second place, ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round nine - Rally of Finland, 17-20 August: Click here for report Marcus Gronholm joins a long line of Finns who have won their home event when he took his second win in a row on the rally formerly known as the 1,000 Lakes. Gronholm dominates the rally for Peugeot, leading home Colin McRae and fellow Finn Harri Rovanpera in a privateer Toyota. Richard Burns crashes out after trying to take a corner too fast.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 10 - Cyprus Rally, 7-10 September Click here for report
Sainz heads home a Ford one-two, with Peugeot's Francois Delecour third. Marcus Gronholm retires with electrical failure, while Richard Burns survives broken suspension to finish fourth.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 11 - Tour of Corsica, 28 September - 1 October: Click here for report Colin McRae is lucky to emerge with a broken cheek bone from a terrifying roll down a 40-foot cliff, after which he is trapped in his car for 40 minutes. The Peugeots of Gilles Panizzi and Francois Delecour dominate the event, succeeding in keeping Marcus Gronholm's title rivals from making up too much ground on the Finn. Carlos Sainz and Richard Burns are third and fourth, and Gronholm fifth.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 12 - San Remo Rally, 19-22 October Click here for report Gilles Panizzi and Francois Delecour give Peugeot its second one-two in two weeks after dominating the event, but not without controversy. Leading drivers claim that Panizzi had done some illegal reconnaissance on the rally, a charge that was never proven. Burns dents his title chances along with his car when he crashes out, but the damage is not too bad, as Gronholm can manage only fourth, with Sainz fifth and an heroic McRae, driving in pain, sixth.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 13 - Rally of Australia, 10-12 November Click here for report
Marcus Gronholm all-but ties up the rally title with victory after rally winner Tommi Makinen is disqualified for a technical infringement. The final position are settled after a cat-and-mouse game in which all the leaders had tried to ensure that they are not leading going into the decisive final day so that they do not have to wipe clean the slippery stages. Gronholm, despite starting first on the road, holds on to his advantage over Burns, who cannot gain on the Finn despite better conditions. Gronholm thus opens a seven-point lead in the championship over the Englishman. Both Ford drivers fall out of the title chase after Colin McRae's Focus breaks down, and Carlos Sainz is disqualified for breaking the rules while trying to lose time.
Leading results:
Leading championship positions:
Round 14, Rally of Great Britain, 23-26 November Follow BBC Sport Online for stage-by-stage coverage of the event. Click here for a report of last year's Rally of Great Britain |
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