World rally championship leader Marcus Gronholm posted the fastest time on the opening stage of the Rally of Australia today, as the leading drivers came through the 2.2kilometre run unscathed.
The Finn powered through the final straight in his Peugeot to win his head-to-head battle with title rival Richard Burns in a Subaru in the floodlit super-special stage in downtown Perth. "That was a fun start to the rally, but the real action begins in the forests on Friday," Gronholm said. "It was a good show for the fans and I hope I can finish on top after the final leg."
Frenchman Francois Delecour was second quickest, 0.7 seconds behind team mate Gronholm, with four times world champion Juha Kankkunen and SEAT's Didier Auriol equal third fastest. Ford's Colin McRae went above team mate Carlos Sainz in the closing stages of the run despite being bogged down in the slippery mud on the inside track. The Scot was equal fifth quickest with Sainz in equal ninth with Burns.
The top 10 drivers were separated by less than two seconds and they move on to tackle eight stages in the forests near Mundaring on Friday.
Filed by Shane Murray
