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Burns lashes out at critics

Richard Burns has hit back at critics who claim he is not trying at Peugeot. The Englishman has yet to a win an event since joining the Peugeot squad at the beginning of 2002, but despite this year Burns has enjoyed one of his best ever starts to a season, finishing on the podium on the last four rallies

He heads into next week's Acropolis Rally leading the championship by two points from team-mate Marcus Gronholm, who has won three rallies already this season.

"I am leading the championship," Burns told Autosport. "Of course I never expected to be finishing my 19th rally with Peugeot still not having won one, but it is worth pointing out that I could have won three times last year, if things had been slightly different.

"What I am really getting pissed off with is people saying that I am not trying," he continued. "That's bullshit. It's not like Robert and I are in the car saying, 'Hmm, we're going slowly, aren't we?'

"We are not settling for second on third place. We are going to every rally to win it. I'm not leading the championship because other drivers have been unlucky - I'm leading because I've banged in the results."

Gronholm was quoted in Argentina as saying he has yet to see Burns push this season. However the reigning world champion said that he was misquoted: "Sometimes Richard gets upset when I say some stupid things. That's not so nice. The time in Argentina was not what I meant to say. I was saying it more against the journalist who asked the question.

"Things like this haven't helped and I can understand Richard being upset. Last year there were some difficult times between Richard and I, but that is history now."

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