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2009 Production Car World Rally Championship – Round 6, after 17 stages
Acropolis Rally 2009, 11-14 June 2009
Loeb out, Sandell way back – Greece was not the Red Bull Rally Team’s event . . .
He tried everything, but to no avail: Sandell finishes the Acropolis in P12, Al-Attiyah second – title chances gone! It was not the Red Bull Rally Team’s rally: Sebastien Loeb out following an accident, Patrik Sandell far back after technical problems.
And: Any chance at a successful title defence in the PWRC is already gone! Patrik Sandell/Emil Axelsson (SWE) – Skoda Fabia S2000 – tried everything on today’s final leg, constantly in the top three, including a fastest time – but it just did not help, the deficit after their technical problems on Friday was simply too enormous.
In the end it amounted to P12 in the PWRC – and the certainty that any chance at the title is now surely gone.
The man responsible for that is Nasser Al-Attiyah in second place, who now has 39 points and cannot be caught by Sandell (28) in the only remaining event in Wales, not even theoretically!
The PWRC victory in Greece went to local hero Lambros Athanassoulas, Araujo finished in third place.
Patrik Sandell: “To be quite honest: I still cannot believe it. It has been a very dismal weekend, the bad part of the game, so to speak. We were all extremely motivated and in high spirits – and then a mass-produced part brakes and robs us of success – really annoying.”
Team boss Raimund Baumschlager: “We really tried everything in our power today. Unfortunately it didn’t work out. But we certainly won’t hang our heads now, we’ll focus on the final event of the season in Wales, where we want to say goodbye to this year’s championship with a top result.”
Final PWRC standings, Acropolis Rally, after 17 special stages:
P1 Athanassoulas/Zakheos (GRE) Skoda Fabia S2000 4:22:30.1 hrs
P2 Al-Attiyah/Bernacchini (QAT/I) Subaru Impreza + 22.3 sec
P3 Araujo/Ramalho (POR) Mitsubishi EVO IX + 2:16.9 min . . . . . .
P12 Sandell/Axelsson (SWE) Skoda Fabia S2000 + 32:38.1 min
Daily log of Sandell/Axelsson: PWRC/overall
SS 13: Loutraki 1 / 08.98 km - P 01/10
SS 14: Aghii Theodori 1 / 33.00 km - P 03/13
SS 15: New Pissia 1 / 11.30 km - P 02/12
SS 16: Loutraki 2 / 08.98 km cancelled
SS 17: Aghii Theodori 2 / 33.00 km - P 02/12
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