MacCrone pays for 3km/h errorposted in WRC30 | 03 | 2012
THE FINE MARGINS which distinguish between success and failure at the highest levels of motorsport are miniscule, as both Scotland's John MacCrone and eight-times world rally champion, Sebastien Loeb, discovered in Portugal.
Both drivers, at opposite ends of their careers in the World Rally Championship, succumbed to mistakes in the opening two gravel stages of the Rally of Portugal.
But while the Frenchman inexplicably turned left instead of right as his Citroen topped a high-speed crest, rolling his car out of the rally, MacCrone's error was simply carrying 3km/h too much into a crest on Stage 2 at Gomes Aires.
"It was a very, very small mistake," the 22-year-old from the Isle of Mull, admitted this morning after his WRC Academy Ford Fiesta arrived back at rally HQ in Faro on the back of a flatbed truck.
"But we paid a heavy price. The nose of the Fiesta dug into the gravel and we badly damaged the front of the car."
That 'damage' to the Tunnocks and Pallet Force-backed car, ripped the sumpguard off the front of the Fiesta and damaged the oil cooler.
"It meant we couldn't continue," MacCrone, who had been just 6.5secs off the pace in after his opening stage in the WRC Academy, continued.
See more official photos of John in Rally of Portugal
"The guys checked the car overnight and thankfully the engine isn't damaged, so now the repairs have been carried out we're going to do the rest of the rally."
MacCrone can rejoin the rally, the opening round of the WRC Academy, under Super Rally rules: he started Friday's six stages with a 15 minute penalty.
"Of course I'm disappointed," the talented young Scot, co-driven by Glasgow's Stuart Loudon, admitted, "it's definitely not the way I wanted to start my first rally in the WRC Academy.
"But we're here to learn as well as compete. We've six stages today, plus the final three tests on Saturday morning.
"It's not over yet, and given the torrential rain we've had overnight, who knows what's going to happen to the guys in front of me.
"There's a long way to go, and it's definitely not over yet."
In contrast, Loeb's rally is most definitely over. While MacCrone's car was repairable, the Citroen suffered a badly damaged rollcage in the impact which happened on Stage 3.
"They went off in a situation when the road turned on the top of a crest," Citroen team principal Yves Matton explained.
"The road turned to the right and Sebastien turned to the left. The pace note was good, but he didn't follow the indication.
"Just before the top, the road was going a little bit to the left and we think he was looking more to the road and he didn't follow the note.
"Sebastien said the impact was not heavy. We don't know how many times the car rolled, but enough to make sure it won't start on Friday."
Ford duo Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg started the second day leading the event, separated by just 2.6secs, with the Citroen of Mikko Hirvonen third, 5.0s behind Latvala.
Scot John MacCrone set for WRC Academy debut
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Jim McGill