Gronholm races to victory

Marcus Gronholm successfully completed his Rally of Finland hat-trick with a crushing victory yesterday.

The Finn, winning in his homeland for the third straight year, is now 17 points clear of second-placed Colin McRae in the championship race after the Scot's car went up in flames. Gronholm's closest challenger in Finland was his Peugeot team-mate and reigning world champion Richard Burns. But this time Gronholm roared home relatively easy, finishing 1 minute 27.3 seconds ahead.

Although all three Peugeots hit trouble during the event, Gronholm's woes were fewer than those of Burns and fellow Finn Harri Rovanpera.

Peugeot held a big advantage and were beaten only five times on stage wins over the three days, four of those coming on the final day when it was clear that Gronholm and Burns had eased off to preserve their one-two finish.

Burns was leading before he slammed his car into the ground after a big jump and suffered a loss of power. From that moment he was thrust into Gronholm's shadow.

When Rovanpera was forced to retire with mechanical problems, it handed third place to McRae, but his good fortune turned sour on the third to last stage when his Ford Focus caught fire.

Gronholm and Peugeot have now regained a strong advantage in the championship with five rounds to go.

After a run of gravel rallies, the series turns to asphalt in Germany and San Remo before heading to New Zealand and Australia. The final rally is in Wales this November.