Marcus Gronholm (Ford) has crashed out on the first day of the Irish rally, handing Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb a huge boost in his bid to win a fourth consecutive world championship.
Gronholm was four points ahead of Loeb at the start of 2007’s penultimate rally and led overnight after a short super-special stage in Belfast.
But Gronholm, who will hang up his helmet after the season-ending British round in November, lost control on the fourth Lough Gill stage and careered off into a stone wall, ripping the driver’s side wheels off the car. Alan Baldwin, Motoring.co
BP Ford’s Gronholm, who won Thursday’s opening superspecial stage at Stormont in Belfast, hit a wall in the fourth stage on Friday near Sligo while running third behind Citroen duo Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo. The race was brought to a halt as the Finn and his co-driver Timo Rautianinen were treated by medics, with Gronholm twice losing consciousness.
Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson told World Rally Radio: “At the moment they’re both in the ambulance heading for Sligo, but I don’t think there’s any need for any major concern.” ICWales.co
The Finn, who narrowly leads this year’s 16-race competition ahead of defending champion Sebastien Loeb of France, lost control of his Ford Focus as he tried to turn a corner less than two kilometres from the finish line of the fourth stage in western Ireland.
“I braked for the bend but it was extremely slippery and the car skated off the road.
Gronholm’s side of the car took the full impact, breaking off both tires. Gronholm reportedly twice lost consciousness after the crash, but both he and co-driver Timo Rautiainen were later released from Sligo General Hospital. CanadianPress.com
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