Peugeot: We've got to close the gap.

Since its recent one-two finish in Catalunya, Peugeot has been busy preparing for Rally Argentina, the fifth round of this year's fourteen-round calendar and an event that poses a contrasting challenge to the asphalt of Lloret de Mar.

The South American rally's excellent gravel stages should once again see the Peugeot 206 WRC and its trio of drivers play a leading role. Didier Auriol (two-times previous winner of Rally Argentina) and Marcus Gr?nholm (2nd in 2000) have both proved their speed on this event in the past and both have been nominated as eligible to score manufacturers' points for Peugeot this time round. Meanwhile, Harri Rovanper? will be keen to build on his superb start to the year with Peugeot with another top performance in the Andean foothills.

In the fascinating mix of cultures, landscapes and terrains that make up the World Rally Championship, Argentina boasts unique appeal. Its all-gravel route traverses some of the year's most breathtaking scenery across the plains and mountains around Cordoba. Certain stages are fast and smooth, while others are littered with rocks that test the strength of suspensions and tyres alike. The drivers appreciate Argentina as much for the beauty of its stages as for the warm welcome they always find here. Over a million spectators follow the rally and the finish ceremony, which traditionally takes places in Cordoba's olympic stadium, offers the sort of atmosphere that is more associated with a top soccer match.

"Rally Argentina is an event that combines everything I like in rallying: a local population that make you feel very welcome, and a wide variety of fantastic stages, plus the atmosphere of the place in general," underlined Didier Auriol. "For sure, it's one of my favourites."

With the scrap for victory likely to be another fast and furious affair, Peugeot will be looking to build on the memorable one-two finish it secured a few weeks ago in Spain. "Last year in Argentina, for our first visit to this event with this car, we finished second," recalls Peugeot Sport Director Corrado Provera. "Following our one-two result in Catalunya, you can be sure we will be doing everything we can to keep the momentum of success going. It's an event that both Didier (Auriol) and Marcus (Gr?nholm) thoroughly enjoy, while Harri (Rovanper?) will also be looking to put in another top performance in South America."

Peugeot currently figures in third place in the Manufacturers' World Championship, just two points away from second place. Points so far for the team have come from Marcus Gr?nholm's result in Portugal (3rd), plus Didier Auriol and Gilles Panizzi's result in Spain. Harri Rovanper?'s win in Sweden failed to add to the French make's tally since the Finn had not been officially nominated by Peugeot to score championship points there.

Argentina is only the fifth of the 2001 calendar's fourteen rounds, so the championship chase is still very much an open affair, although every point promises to be decisive in the final reckoning: "We've got to close the gap that we allowed to build up in the early part of the championship," hammers home Jean-Pierre Nicolas, chief of Peugeot Sport's rallies division.

"Our one-two result in Spain did our points score a great deal of good but our outings on the first three rounds were marked by a run of technical problems and driver errors that were neither a true reflection of our car's potential nor that of our drivers. We are all totally focused therefore on our objective which is to score as many points as possible on each round. In a way, the problems we encountered at the beginning of the season have only served to make us react. The whole team is extremely motivated!"

Of the three 206 WRC drivers in Argentina, Didier Auriol is the one with the most experience of this event which he has finished five times on the podium (1st in 1992 and 1994; 3rd in 1990, 1991 and 1999). "I enjoy Argentina very much and I've often been in the thick of the fight for victory here. We have prepared hard for this one. The championship is far from over..."

Marcus Gr?nholm has only been to Rally Argentina on two previous occasions but both visits were rewarded with a top finish. In 1997, he took a privately-entered car to fourth overall, while his trip to South America in 2000 bagged second place for the 206 WRC. Like his teammate Didier Auriol, the defending World Champion has a soft spot for the country: "It's a very enjoyable rally all-round. Personally, I hope I will be more successful than I have been since the start of the year. I will be out to win. It's not too late to stage a come-back in the championship!"

Harri Rovanper? is also familiar with Argentina after his success in the 2-litre class there in 1997. After his win on his debut outing with the 206 WRC in Sweden, the Finn was in sparkling form again in Portugal before until he was forced out with mechanical problems and could well prove a valuable member of the Peugeot Sport line-up once more in South America.