Post-event press conference - Rally Argentina.

Drivers / Co-drivers: Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen (Peugeot), Carlos Sainz and Marc Marti (Citroen), and Richard Burns and Robert Reid (Peugeot).

Team Principal: Corrado Provera (Peugeot).

Post-event press conference - Rally Argentina.

Drivers / Co-drivers: Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen (Peugeot), Carlos Sainz and Marc Marti (Citroen), and Richard Burns and Robert Reid (Peugeot).

Team Principal: Corrado Provera (Peugeot).

Interviewer: Anthony Peacock.

Press conference:

Anthony Peacock:
Marcus, congratulations. Did you think you might be over with your chances to win after you hit a rock in SS9?

Marcus Gronholm:
Yes, I think I was quite lucky because it was a quite hard touch. We could finish the stage and I couldn't imagine that we were going to win.

AP:
Timo, You were alongside Marcus all along the Rally, without that problem you would have had a difference of about 2 minutes. Was it one of the best rallies?

Timo Rautiainen:
No, I wouldn't say that. You never know what can happen in a Rally. If we didn't hit the stone may be something else would have happened. We got a very good competition from Carlos, Markko [Martin], from Richard and we really would have to fight hard even if we hadn't hit the stone.

AP:
Carlos, congratulations on your second position that should have been first. Please, tell us about the mistake that means you are not first.

Carlos Sainz:
Actually, I think it was Marc was mistaken. Maybe he can explain better. It has been a misunderstanding between us. I arrived there and understood to stop, I watched Marc and I understood that he was waving me to go and then obviously that wasn't. For me, that's history and I'm more positive. I've been in difficult situations before. Last year, we won here because Marcus-Peugeot had technical problems. This year I think the chances have been the other way round.

AP:
Marc, as Carlos suggested, can you explain what happened? How could that been avoided?

Marc Marti:
It was really my mistake. But it can happen in the rallies. It was my mistake and I will try to do my best in the rest of the season. We must think now about the Acropolis Rally.

AP:
Richard, You just lost the second place on the last stages?

Richard Burns:
Yes, this morning we were 26 seconds behind Markko and the intention was to go out and try to do the best today, the five stages today, to see what we could do. It became pretty clear after the first stage that it was going to be very difficult to get nearer Marcus and from then on the battle was just to try to get in front of Carlos. In the last stages we had problem with the turbo but we managed OK. Unfortunately you cannot plan mechanical problems like that. This is now history. We can look forward to Greece.

AP:
The situation this morning of the two stages that should have taken place yesterday. Was that switch well handled and was it the right decision to take?

Robert Reid:
Yes, I think it was. Because already the stage we did last night one hour and a half behind schedule had a lot of dust. It would have been very dangerous to run the other two stages in the dark as well. The only thing maybe is the question of why we ended up being so delayed.

AP:
Marcus, You had to push hard to achieve this victory, of course. Subaru and Ford gave you some difficult moments. Do you think it is time for Peugeot to have a new car?

MG:
No, not yet. We are winning Rallies with this one, so it's good. Let's see in the future. I don't know anything about a new car.

AP:
Timo, Marcus started today 15 seconds behind Markko. You were in the lead after his car stopped, but you think you would have beaten him on time anyway if he had carried on going?

TR:
That's quite difficult to say. If you look at the times of yesterday evening, Markko lost 10 or 11 sec. Today maybe he wouldn't have lost so much, but a few seconds anyway. We had five stages, plus this long one. I think, I would have caught him without his problem, also. OK, the fight would have been a tougher one. We would have had to drive flat out the last stage, as well.

AP:
Carlos, The man sitting next to you has won three rallies out of five. What does it take to beat him?

CS:
Well, I think it's no news. Marcus has been in terrible form during the last couple of year! He is at the moment unbeatable with his car and he is driving a Peugeot. Indeed, I I'm optimistic and positive because, if you think that we joined Citroen at the end of last year, a car that has not much experience on gravel, I must say I'm not faster than him for sure. I think we have been competitive. Also, we take quite a lot of risk to manage to do that. I think, the car is getting better all the time. You must think as well that for Citroen to come here without testing is not so easy. To arrive and be competitive straightaway, so... I'm a little bit optimistic for the future and I hope we can stop Peugeot and Marcus from winning but I know it's not going to be easy at all for anybody.

AP:
Marc, Citroen was here for the first time in Argentina and the car was capable of winning running at the front. How big an improvement do you think the car has made now on rough gravel? Are you confident for Greece?

MM:
We are testing in Spain for Acropolis. We are trying to do the best work with the engineers to put the car competitive, also fast on gravel, and I hope it will be a good car for Acropolis, because it is a strong car. Normally, we don't have any problems. I'm confident for Acropolis and Cyprus as well.

AP:
Yesterday, I mean the first day, a lot of drivers were faced with the situation of being given inaccurate stage times. Not really acceptable, isn't it?

RB:
This is the World Championship and it's really strange. We have a room full of computers and cars full of computers but we cannot time how fast a car goes through the stage accurately, it's a little bit bizarre.

AP:
Robert, do you agree on that?

RR:
I would have to say Friday was one of the most difficult days I've had in a long time. Almost in more than half of the stages the times seemed wrong, a lot of trouble with time control, with clocks. I don't understand how the system is meant to work, but it is obvious that it didn't work.

AP:
Corrado, Were you surprised by Marcus's ability to fight back from the sixth place and eventually win here today?

Corrado Provera:
No.

AP:
Could you tell us why?

CP:
Because we know him and you know him, and when he is in a good mood as he is and when he is given a car which is performing... I'm not surprised, I'm happy and I'm happy that he is working with us. As I'm happy because the other drivers are working with us. Let me just tell that I'm happy even though the technical scrutineering has not been announced yet. So... (laugh)

AP:
You were one of the people who were saying on the second day there had been a number of organization difficulties about the times and the fact that Marcus was running in stages which were subsequently cancelled, do you think now that the decision made by the organization to run the stages today, saved the situation a little bit?

CP:
Definitely, yes. What I said on Friday, if I recall well, and I think I do, is that obviously it is difficult to be in the World Rally Championship which is organized in order to have a single car on the stage facing a chronometer and not having a correct timing. I didn't complain with the organizers I complained with the system, which was not working, so I don't know why. It seems some technical or customs reasons have forbidden the equipment to arrive on time. And it's dually difficult for the drivers not to have right times and not to have them in the right time. But I have to tell you that the organizers here must be congratulated because after the decision of canceling the stages on Saturday and with the help and support of the FIA, which is very good, they succeeded in giving the world rally a very acceptable length. I'm not saying this because we have done well in the rally, but because I think that the Rally Championship event must be driven on an acceptable length, around 400 km, everybody knows, giving each driver and each team the possibility of fighting . Again congratulations on the organizers and the FIA.

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