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Germany · Ford · Markko Märtin · 27/07/2003 16:17:33
Markko Martin has picked up the Inmarsat Star of the Rally award for the second time this season, following his eventful fifth place in Rally Deutschland this weekend.
Martin was in the lead of Rally Deutschland by SS3 – not a bad performance on the Ford Focus RS WRC 03’s first outing on asphalt. However the Estonian driver lost his top two gears on Friday afternoon and dropped down to 10th overall.
On Day Two, Martin staged a fightback and clawed back seven places by the end of the day’s action.
More mechanical problems dogged his efforts on Sunday, however – this time, a transmission problem on the second stage reduced the Focus RS to two-wheel drive for half of that test and all the next.
The team fitted a new front and centre differential and Martin then posted fastest time on each of the final three stages. It wasn’t enough to keep him in third, but the panel of WRC experts said Martin’s performance and determination earned him the Inmarsat award and a US$5000 prize for charity for the second time this season.
"I was hugely impressed by the car this weekend," said Martin. "Together with Michelin's tyres, they make a great package on asphalt. It's been a difficult rally. Conditions were tricky but we made no mistakes. I'm disappointed we missed out on a podium place but luck went against us again. What does a man have to do to get some luck? God must have taken a weekend off on the Acropolis Rally last month when we had no bad luck and won!"
Co-driver Michael ‘Beef’ Park was feeling under the weather on Sunday, suffering from a fever. Martin handed the Inmarsat trophy to ‘Beef’, his tyre engineer George Black for his accurate selection in the changing weather and to his gravel crew, Henrik Lundgaard and Mike Corner, who drive the stages ahead of the competitors to provide an accurate update on conditions.
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