O'Donovan/Lordan Win Police Rally - 29 May '99

Posted: June 6, 1999 2:52 AM

They led briefly early on, but lost a lot of time when their Sierra developed a misfire. It took much of the day to trace the cause (crankshaft sensor), but once solved, they were able to reel in the leaders. They regained the lead with three stages to go, and eventually won by 54 seconds. Finland's Erkki Vikman (with Belgian co-driver Willy Klein) was thus demoted to second, a repeat of his 1998 result on the event.

The host country, Belgium, plus Finland, France, Great Britain and Sweden were represented among the entry. The machinery available to the opposition included seven and six speed Escort Cosworths, Evolution 5 Mitsubishi Lancers and some very quick Mark 2 Escorts.