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Peugeot 206 WRC

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Peugeot 206 WRC
CategoryWorld Rally Car
ConstructorPeugeot
PredecessorPeugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2
SuccessorPeugeot 307 WRC
Technical specifications
Length4,005 mm (157.7 in)
Width1,770 mm (70 in)
Height1,300 mm (51 in)
Wheelbase2,486 mm (97.9 in)
Engine2.0 L (122 cu in) 4-cylinder, 16-valve
Weight1,230 kg (2,712 lb)
TyresMichelin
Competition history (WRC)
Notable entrantsFrance Peugeot Sport
DebutFrance 1999 Tour de Corse
First winSweden 2000 Swedish Rally
Last winSpain 2003 Rally Catalunya
Last eventFrance 2008 Tour de Corse
WinsPodiumsTitles
24655
Constructors' Championships3 (2000, 2001, 2002)
Drivers' Championships2 (2000, 2002)

The Peugeot 206 WRC is a World Rally Car based on the Peugeot 206. It was used by Peugeot Sport, Peugeot's factory team, in the World Rally Championship from 1999 to 2003. The car brought Peugeot the manufacturers' world title three consecutive years (2000 to 2002). Marcus Grönholm won the drivers' title in 2000 and 2002.

History

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Juuso Pykälistö driving a 206 WRC at the 2003 Swedish Rally.

In 1999, Peugeot Sport unveiled the 206 WRC, and it competed for the first time in that year's World Rally Championship, with French tarmac veteran and long-time marque stalwart Gilles Panizzi narrowly failing, against a resurgent reigning champion in Mitsubishi's Tommi Mäkinen, to win the Rallye Sanremo. The car was soon a success, however, and won both the manufacturers' and drivers' championships in 2000, Peugeot's first such accolades since their withdrawal from the WRC after Group B was banned after the 1986 season, and achieved in the hands of Panizzi, Francois Delecour and Mäkinen's successor as drivers' world champion, Marcus Grönholm.

For 2001, Grönholm competed alongside two refugees of SEAT's exit from the championship at the end of 2000; compatriot Harri Rovanperä and the French 1994 world champion, Didier Auriol. Rovanperä and Auriol each contributed single wins, on Swedish Rally and Rally Catalunya respectively (the former to be a sole career win for the Finn, and the latter victory helped by assorted problems for the blisteringly quick debuting Citroën Xsara WRCs), before Auriol left the team at the end of the season. Grönholm, meanwhile, suffered sufficient reliability woes in the first half of the year such that he could manage no higher than fourth overall in the series, although Peugeot did fend off Ford, with a 1-2 result by the two Finns on the season-ending Rally of Great Britain to successfully defend the constructors' championship title.

Grönholm's 206 WRC from the 2003 season on display.

In 2002, Grönholm – despite now being paired in the factory line-up with defending 2001 champion from Subaru, the Briton Richard Burns – led Peugeot to a repeat of the WRC title double aboard his 206 WRC. His dominance that year was compared to Michael Schumacher's dominance of Formula One. In summary, Peugeot won two drivers' championships, in 2000 and 2002, and three manufacturers' titles in a row between 2000 and 2002. However, by 2003 the 206 WRC was beginning to show its age and was less effective against the competition, notably the newer Xsara WRC and the Subaru Impreza WRC, so it was retired from competition at the end of the season, to be replaced with the 307 WRC, albeit, unlike its predecessor, based not on the production version's hatchback, but its coupé cabriolet body style.

The Peugeot 206 WRC was awarded the Autosport "Rally Car of the Year" in 2002, preceded by the Ford Focus RS WRC and followed by the Citroën Xsara WRC. Peugeot GB created a Peugeot 206 rally championship aimed at young drivers. The championship was created to help young drivers develop their careers. The cars were built by Vic Lee Racing and drivers such as Tom Boardman, Luke Pinder and Garry Jennings all drove in the championship.

WRC victories

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No. Event Season Driver Co-driver
1 Sweden Swedish Rally 2000 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
2 New Zealand Rally New Zealand 2000 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
3 Finland Rally Finland 2000 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
4 France Tour de Corse 2000 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
5 Italy Rallye Sanremo 2000 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
6 Australia Rally Australia 2000 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
7 Sweden Swedish Rally 2001 Finland Harri Rovanperä Finland Risto Pietiläinen
8 Spain Rally Catalunya 2001 France Didier Auriol France Dennis Giraudet
9 Finland Rally Finland 2001 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
10 Italy Rallye Sanremo 2001 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
11 Australia Rally Australia 2001 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
12 United Kingdom Rally of Great Britain 2001 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
13 Sweden Swedish Rally 2002 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
14 France Tour de Corse 2002 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
15 Spain Rally Catalunya 2002 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
16 Cyprus Cyprus Rally 2002 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
17 Finland Rally Finland 2002 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
18 Italy Rallye Sanremo 2002 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi
19 New Zealand Rally New Zealand 2002 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
20 Australia Rally Australia 2002 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
21 Sweden Swedish Rally 2003 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
22 New Zealand Rally New Zealand 2003 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
23 Argentina Rally Argentina 2003 Finland Marcus Grönholm Finland Timo Rautiainen
24 Spain Rally Catalunya 2003 France Gilles Panizzi France Hervé Panizzi

WRC results

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Year Team Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Points Pos
1999 Peugeot
MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN CHN ITA AUS GBR 11 6
Finland Marcus Grönholm Ret 4 8 5 Ret
France Gilles Panizzi Ret 33 2 7
France François Delecour Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret Ret
2000 Peugeot
MON SWE KEN POR ESP ARG GRE NZL FIN CYP FRA ITA AUS GBR 111 1
Finland Marcus Grönholm Ret 1 Ret 2 5 2 Ret 1 1 Ret 5 4 1 2
France Gilles Panizzi Ret Ret 6 1 1 Ret 8
France François Delecour Ret 7 5 7 13 9 Ret 6 3 2 2 3 6
Finland Sebastian Lindholm 5
2001 Peugeot
MON SWE POR ESP ARG CYP GRE KEN FIN NZL ITA FRA AUS GBR 106 1
Finland Marcus Grönholm Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 5 7 Ret 1 1
France Didier Auriol Ret Ret 8 1 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 6 3 3 3 7
France Gilles Panizzi Ret 2 1 2 9
Finland Harri Rovanperä 1 Ret Ret Ret 3 2 4 3 4 2
HF Grifone SRL France Gilles Panizzi 12 Ret Ret 14 Ret 0 -
Finland Harri Rovanperä 11 7
F.P.F. Sport Italy Renato Travaglia 5 2 20
Simon Jean-Joseph France Simon Jean-Joseph 9 Ret 8 10 0 -
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Autosport
Rally Car of the Year

2002
Succeeded by