SS15: Makinen completes the job

Sainz set the fastest time on the day's final stage, six seconds ahead of Makinen, with the privateer Peugeot of Toni Gardemeister coming home second fastest on the 16.55km test, giving the Finn a respectable fifth place overall in his debut event for the French marque.

Makinen, who finished fourth fastest on the final stage of the day, was never really threatened once Scotsman Colin McRae was forced to retire with a seized throttle motor on the day's first stage.

The Finn finished exactly one minute ahead of McRae's team mate Sainz, while a further minute behind came the third Focus WRC of Francois Delecour.

Delecour continued his late charge by setting the third fastest time on SS15, ensuring the Frenchman retained his third place from Armin Schwarz, who has impressed throughout the event in his Skoda Octavia.

The German has not dropped out of the top ten all weekend, but he could not hold off a flying Delecour and set the fifth fastest time on the event's final section, leaving him in fourth spot overall.

Alister McRae continued a spirited fightback in his Hyundai after the Scotsman lost time this morning when he hit a wall, collapsing his Accent WRC's wheel. The 30-year-old younger brother of Colin managed to set the sixth fastest time on SS15, two places ahead of Mitsubishi's Freddy Loix, but could not wrest sixth place overall from the Belgian.

Full round-up to follow


1 Carlos Sainz (Ford), 14m09.5s
2 Toni Gardemeister (Peugeot), 14m15.1s
3 Francois Delecour (Ford), 14m15.5s
4 Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi), 14m16.2s
5 Armin Schwarz (Skoda), 14m18.0s
6 Alister McRae (Hyundai), 14m37.1s


1 Tommi Makinen (Mitsubishi), 4h38.04.3s
2 Carlos Sainz (Ford), 4h39m05.1s
3 Francois Delecour (Ford), 4h40m09.6s
4 Armin Schwarz (Skoda), 4h40m30.3s
5 Toni Gardemeister (Peugeot), 4h43m56.4s
6 Freddy Loix (Mitsubishi), 4h44m30.2s
7 Alister McRae (Hyundai), 4h47m08.3s
8 Bruno Thiry (Skoda), 4h51.m59.3s
9 Olivier Gillet (Mitsubishi - GpN), 4h54m28.2s
10 Manfred Stohl (Mitsubishi - GpN), 4h55m54.6s