- Title: ITALY: AURIOL TAKES LEAD IN PENULTIMATE STAGE OF SAN REMO RALLY
- Date: 11th October 1994
- Summary: VARIOUS, ITALY (OCTOBER 11, 1994) 1. CARLOS SAINZ RACING (NO 10) 2. DIDIER AURIOL (8) 3. MIKI BIASION (5) 4. COLIN MCRAE (4) 5. BRUNO THIRY (9) 6. JUHA KANKKUNEN (3) 7. KANKKUNEN FOLLOWED BY MALCOLM WILSON (15) 8. ARMIN SCHWARZ (7) Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 26th October 1994 12:00
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- Location: VARIOUS, ITALY
- City:
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVACEAAFPEMB0E9QS6HVUDXGDZUH
- Story Text: Frenchman Didier Auriol took the lead in the San Remo rally on Wednesday (October 12) during the penultimate stage of the event.
He took an eight second lead over Spain's Carlos Sainz, who had led from the start but suffered a misfire problem in his Subaru on the final day.
Sainz's lead was halved to 38 seconds on the first three stages of the seven-stage closing leg. The Subaru team threw everything into fixing the leader's car, changing the fuel tank and pumps, and much of the electronics.
Toyota driver Auriol steadily gained on Sainz and could extend his world championship lead from six to 11 points with one round left.
After the 25th stage, Auriol held a 41 second lead over third placed Miki Biaison of Italy in a Ford and was one minute 09 seconds ahead of fourth placed Bruno Tiry of Belgium, also driving a Ford.
Biasion experienced brake trouble on the 40 km first stage of the morning, but he remained satisfied with progress, saying the car was not 100 per cent right but was quite good.
British champion Malcolm Wilson skidded off the road on the first stage and dropped an agonising eight minutes while spectators pushed his Ford back, leaving him in 10th place.
The mistake left him no chance of battling the Subaru of compatriot Colin McRae, who in turn lost fourth place to the Ford of in-form Thiry.
Leading standings after 25 stages: 1. Didier Auriol (France) Toyota five hours 44 min 14 secs 2. Carlos Sainz (Spain) Subaru eight seconds behind 3. Massimo Biasion (Italy) Ford 0:41 secs behind 4. Bruno Thiry (Belgium) Ford 1:09 5. Colin McRae (Britain) Subaru 1:25 6. Gianfranco Cunico (Italy) Ford 1:49 7. Juha Kankkunen (Finland) Toyota 4:05 8. Armin Schwartz (Germany) Mitsubishi 6:49 9. Piero Longhi (Italy) Toyota 8:46 10. Malcolm Wilson (Britain) Ford 10:39
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