SS5, Vizo 2: Sainz fastest despite complaints

Continuous heavy rain has turned the Portuguese stages into mud-baths making driving conditions extremely difficult. However, two-time world champion Sainz, who lies third overall, managed to set the fastest time just 4.2s ahead of Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm.

"It's the worst I've ever seen in Portugal. In fact it's the worst I've seen on many rallies," said Sainz at the service area before SS5. "It's a problem just to keep the car on the road and I don't think we should go back into these stages - it's not the Safari."

Brit Richard Burns sneaked in with a late time to grab third spot which moves the Subaru star up to fifth place overall ahead of Freddy Loix. Swedish winner Harri Rovanpera took fourth.

SS5 is the second running of the 11.84km-Vizo stage and while the excess mud is treacherous, conditions are now more equal for all the drivers and as a result the times have closed up.

Peugeot is the only team to have opted for mud tyres, but so bad are the conditions that the specialised rubber has proved ineffective with Gronholm the highest placed 206 WRC in fourth place overall.

British driver Natalie Barratt is out of the event after rolling her Group N Mitsubishi eight times. After being classified 97th overnight, Barratt had risen to 41st overall. The car, new for the Swedish Rally, is a right-off.


Carlos Sainz, Ford, 8m17.0s
Marcus Gronholm, Peugeot, 8m21.2s
Richard Burns, Subaru, 8m21.7s
Harri Rovanpera, Peugeot, 8m22.4s
Tommi Makinen, Mitsubishi, 8m23.2s
Colin McRae, Ford, 8m28.4s


Tommi Makinen, Mitsubishi, 51m44.41s
Harri Rovanpera, Peugeot, +22.3s
Carlos Sainz, Ford, +38.3s
Marcus Gronholm, Peugeot, +1m17.9s
Richard Burns, Subaru, +1m58.8s
Freddy Loix, Mitsubishi, +2m13.2s
Colin McRae, Ford, +2m28.6s
Francois Delecour, Ford, +2m51.1s
Kenneth Eriksson, Hyundai, +3m25.6s
Markko Martin, Subaru, +3m48.1s