Burns takes lead on Leg Two - a tactical error?
Richard Burns came out of the blocks fighting this morning setting two fastest times on the first three stages to lead by 29 seconds after SS13. Tommi Makinen was quickest on SS12 and the Mitsubishi driver is hoping to keep his slim title hopes alive as he runs second overall
Overnight leader Juha Kankkunen is third for Subaru, and championship leader Marcus Gronholm has slipped to fourth having suffered some hydraulic problems. The Peugeot driver reports that all is now fine with his car.
Naturally, talk still lingers of Carlos Sainz's exclusion for tactically stopping on a stage to get himself a better starting position for the second leg. New leader Burns said: "I'm disappointed about the situation, because what he did was a breach of the rules and you can't condone it.
"But the reason he was doing it was caused by the fact that no-one wanted to run first. The pressures are the same no matter how many people are in contention for the Championship."
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Remember, the times in our live rally table are in local time in Perth, which is eight hours ahead of GMT.
Visit the official Telstra Rally Australia website at www.rallyaustralia.com.au
Sainz thrown out of Rally Australia
Rally Oz, Leg Two: Burns set to pounce
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