Dale pulls further ahead
Peugeot arrived in Kent determined to consolidate their leading position in both the Manufacturers and Driver's Championship.
Sixteen gruelling stages over 68 miles confronted the TOTAL supported team on their arrival in Kent for the fifth round of the Formula Rally Championship.
Fog and mist greeted the crews on the opening stage, Grain West 1, Justin Dale was quickest off the mark taking the Peugeot through the stage four seconds faster than Belgian Duval in the Ford. Dale commented that the stage was "incredibly slippy". Dale's teammate Martin Sansom, who is leading the Privateers Championship, was third with Martin Rowe setting an identical time in a Puma.
Dale and Rowe swapped fastest times over the next two stages with Dale fastest on Stage 5. Before Duval posted his first fastest time of the day on Stage 6 Hemsted. It was extremely tight at the front of the field with Dale seven seconds ahead of Duval and Rowe a further eight seconds back.
Dale slipped back through stage eight Bedgebury after an overshoot and such was the close nature of the competition that it cost him both first and second places.
The next two stages followed suit with Dale commenting, "There's not much in it. With running at the front and with so little time between the stages I didn't really know the Ford's times until it was too late. That last stage was banzai - I was surprised to drop 5 seconds to Duval. The car was in the bracken half the time, if there had been a tree in there..."
Mere seconds split the leading crews through stage eleven. Stage twelve saw drama with Dale fastest equal with Duval who claimed a mysterious problem. Rowe meanwhile had visited the scenery and lost five seconds to Dale as well as gaining some suspension damage. With no service left for the remainder of the rally the result was far from certain.
Grain East 3, Stage 13 saw Dale again fastest one second up on Rowe and two seconds clear of Duval. At this stage Duval's lead looked unattainable. However Rowe was well within range and on Stage 14,Grain West 3 Dale hauled him in. A full blooded attack at the stage saw Dale three seconds up on Rowe and five seconds up on Duval. After 14 stages Dale was now second behind Duval. A mere one second up on his championship rival Rowe.
Stage 15 Grain East 4 saw Dale fastest again, increasing the gap on Rowe to two seconds. He took one second off Rowe but four from Duval.
Entering the final stage Duval led by ten seconds from Dale with Rowe two seconds back. In an all out effort through the 4.14 mile Grain West 4 stage Dale was five seconds faster than Rowe and six seconds quicker than Duval. Amazingly after the sixteen stages Dale missed out on victory be a mere four seconds.
Dale was delighted to have beaten Rowe and said, "I couldn't have pushed any harder. We knew we had to get in front of Martin and we've done that. We are just disappointed about our overshoot earlier"
Dale now leads the drivers championship by eight points from Rowe and the manufacturers title could not be closer with both Peugeot and Ford tied split by 2 points.
Mick Linford, Peugeot UK Motorsport Manager, "Obviously Justin suffered a little in the forest, with traction out of slow corners, but more than made up for it in the last four stages. This keeps the battle open for the last two rounds."
13th October 2001
