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FIA PRODUCTION CAR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 3: RALLY ARGENTINA
MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOLUTION MAKES PRODUCTION PODIUM ON RALLY ARGENTINA  
30 APRIL 2006 FINAL LEG 3 RELEASE
 
PWRC FINAL RESULTS
OVERALL FINAL RESULTS

Mirco Baldacci / Giovanni Agnese
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
 

Mirco Baldacci / Giovanni Agnese
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
 

Federico Villagra / Diego Curletto
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII
 
San Marino driver Mirco Baldacci guided his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX through a trouble-free final leg of Rally Argentina to clinch a podium finish on the South American round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship. Today’s dry but cloudy and cool third leg included four stages, two to the west of Cordoba – the world-famous Mina Clavero and El Condor – and two in Cordoba stadium, which was also the venue for the rally finish.

Mitsubishis had set the pace through the typically tough Argentine stages for much of the event, with Baldacci, Gabriel Pozzo and Sebastian Beltran all using their Lancer Evolutions to great effect to lead at some point. Eventually, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Leszek Kuzaj (driving Subarus) edged them out of the first two places, but Baldacci made third.

Baldacci’s effort in Argentina means he moves into a podium spot in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship standings. The former JWRC frontrunner was pleased with his third place – which matches his third place on Corona Rally Mexico.

"It’s been a very tough rally, I have to say," said Baldacci, who is co-driven by Giovanni Agnese. "I still don’t have so much experience of the Lancer, this is only my second event in the car – but it works well. The Mitsubishi is great to drive, but this event has been technically quite difficult. The weather made it really hard, too. The fog at the start of the second leg was incredible, so bad. You just couldn’t see anything at all. Then we had the rocks, uncovered by the cars ahead, it was hard to see where to go around them. After such a difficult rally, I am definitely happy to make the finish. It’s also very nice for me to be on the podium on both of my first two rallies – this is good."

Beltran, who finished fifth in Production Car, said: "It’s a shame that we haven’t won this rally. That was possible for us in this Mitsubishi. The stages today have been fantastic, so exciting and such tough roads – really they are incredible. Now the Tango Rally Team has to focus on its next outing in the Production Car WRC and go there to try and win."

Italian driver Stefano Marrini finished just behind Beltran in the Production standings, taking a solid top six finish in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

The outright speed of the Mitsubishi was demonstrated perfectly by local driver Federico Villagra. He and co-driver Diego Curletto realized one of their rallying dreams when they won the Group N category of their home round of the World Rally Championship. Villagra’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution ran without fault for the three days, allowing him to take a comfortable victory – ahead of all of the Production Car WRC runners.

"It’s been such a good rally, the Mitsubishi has been perfect – no trouble at all. I was quite confident I could get this result, once we got out into the front. I was driving without pressure and I was able to take no risks," said Villagra.

At the front of the field, Sebastien Loeb clinched his 24th World Rally Championship victory and his second Rally Argentina win in succession. The Citroen Xsara WRC driver was followed home by Subaru’s Petter Solberg, while Gigi Galli clinched third in his Peugeot 307 WRC.
 PWRC FINAL CLASSIFICATION
Pos Driver
Co-Driver		 Vehicle Total
Time		 Diff
Leader
1 Nasser Al-Attiyah
Chris Patterson		 Subaru Impreza 4:32:44.0 **:**.*
2 Leszek Kuzaj
Maciek Szczepaniak		 Subaru Impreza STI 4:34:14.4 +1:30.4
3 Mirco Baldacci
Giovanni Agnese		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 4:46:52.2 +14:08.2
4 Nigel Heath
Steve Lancaster		 Subaru Impreza 4:55:10.2 +22:26.2
5 Sebastian Beltran
Ricardo Rojas		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 4:55:12.2 +22:28.2
6 Marcos Ligato
Ruben Garcia		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 5:03:36.7 +30:52.7
7 Stefano Marrini
Tiziana Sandroni		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII 5:08:32.4 +35:48.4
8 Arai Toshi
Tony Sircombe		 Subaru Impreza STI 5:10:21.0 +37:37.0
9 Sergey Uspenskiy
Dmitry Eremeev		 Subaru Impreza STI 5:10:37.1 +37:53.1


 OVERALL FINAL CLASSIFICATION
Pos Driver
Co-Driver		 Vehicle Grp
Pos		 Total
Time		 Diff
Leader
1
M1		 Sebastien Loeb
Daniel Elena		 Citroen Xsara WRC A
1		 4:06:51.3 **:**.*
2
M1		 Petter Solberg
Phil Mills		 Subaru Impreza WRC 2006 A
2		 4:07:35.9 +44.6
3 Gigi Galli
Giovanni Bernacchini		 Peugeot 307 WRC A
3		 4:10:15.6 +3:24.3
4
M2		 Manfred Stohl
Ilka Minor		 Peugeot 307 WRC A
4		 4:10:31.3 +3:40.0
5 Daniel Sordo
Marc Marti		 Citroen Xsara A
5		 4:12:31.5 +5:40.2
6
M1		 Chris Atkinson
Glenn Macneall		 Subaru Impreza WRC 2006 A
6		 4:12:35.1 +5:43.8
7
M2		 Henning Solberg
Cato Menkerud		 Peugeot 307 WRC A
7		 4:16:20.0 +9:28.7
8
M2		 Matthew Wilson
Michael Orr		 Ford Focus RS WRC 04 A
8		 4:17:25.9 +10:34.6
9
M2		 Luis Perez Companc
Jose Maria Volta		 Ford Focus RS WRC 04 A
9		 4:17:43.6 +10:52.3
10
M1		 Marcus Gronholm
Timo Rautiainen		 Ford Focus RS WRC 06 A
10		 4:21:00.0 +14:08.7
11 Gareth MacHale
Paul Nagle		 Ford Focus RS WRC 04 A
11		 4:23:11.7 +16:20.4
12 Federico Villagra
Diego Curletto		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
1		 4:29:41.1 +22:49.8
13 Eduardo Yoma Omar
Santiago Garcia		 Subaru Impreza N
2		 4:30:56.6 +24:05.3
14 Claudio Menzi
Miguel Vera		 Subaru Impreza N
3		 4:32:20.1 +25:28.8
15
P		 Nasser Al-Attiyah
Chris Patterson		 Subaru Impreza N
4		 4:32:44.0 +25:52.7
16
P		 Leszek Kuzaj
Maciek Szczepaniak		 Subaru Impreza STI N
5		 4:34:14.4 +27:23.1
17
M1		 Xavier Pons
Carlos Del Barrio		 Citroen Xsara WRC A
12		 4:34:22.5 +27:31.2
18 Nicolas Madero
Guillermo Piazzano		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
6		 4:42:43.5 +35:52.2
19
J		 Guy Wilks
Phil Pugh		 Suzuki Swift S1600 A
13		 4:44:46.9 +37:55.6
20 Marco Gomez
Pascual Julia		 Subaru Impreza N
7		 4:45:30.8 +38:39.5
../
21
P		 Mirco Baldacci
Giovanni Agnese		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX N
8		 4:46:52.2 +40:00.9
24
P		 Sebastian Beltran
Ricardo Rojas		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX N
10		 4:55:12.2 +48:20.9
26 Daniel Marrocchi
Carlos Chioli		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI N
12		 4:57:37.8 +50:46.5
28
P		 Marcos Ligato
Ruben Garcia		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX N
14		 5:03:36.7 +56:45.4
29
P		 Stefano Marrini
Tiziana Sandroni		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII N
15		 5:08:32.4 +1:01:41.1
32 Matias Sas
Ricardo Kember		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
18		 5:11:00.5 +1:04:09.2
33 Michael Kahlfuss
Ronald Bauer		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI N
19		 5:13:01.4 +1:06:10.1
36 Gerardo Klus
Cristian Ravaza		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
21		 5:16:47.0 +1:09:55.7
38 Jose Luis Gonzalez
Hugo Oropel		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI N
23		 5:27:03.0 +1:20:11.7
39 Rodrigo Alenaz
Laureano Grigera		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
24		 5:28:16.6 +1:21:25.3
40 Jorge Marcheto
Alejandro Elvira		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
25		 5:32:30.5 +1:25:39.2
41 Diego Stroessner
Fabrizio Cabello		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI N
26		 5:33:16.0 +1:26:24.7
42 Paulo Nobre
Paula Edu		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII N
27		 5:34:58.1 +1:28:06.8
43 Luis Barbery Paz
Daniel Marcelo		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
28		 5:35:24.7 +1:28:33.4
46 Luis Monteiro
Diego Cagnotti		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII N
30		 5:43:24.4 +1:36:33.1
51 Arturo Abella Nazar
Roberto Bulacio		 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI N
33		 6:27:27.5 +2:20:36.2



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