1999 Rally China

Motor rally competition

1999 China Rally
555 China Rally 1999

Host country|  China
Rally base| Huairou
Dates run| September 17 1999 - September 19 1999
Length| 385.72 km (239.68 miles)
Stage surface| Gravel
Statistics
Crews| 67 at start, 25 at finish
Overall results
Overall winner|  Didier Auriol
Denis Giraudet
Toyota Castrol Team
Toyota Corolla WRC

The 1999 China Rally (officially 555 China Rally) took place from 17 September to 19 September 1999.[1] It was the 11th of 14 races of the 316th World Rally Championship (WRC).[2]

## Overview

[edit]

The 1999 China Rally was the 3rd edition of the rally, the surface was gravel, the road section distance was 1,037.66 km and the total distance was 1,357.24 km. There were 71 entries, 67 starters and 25 finishers, which was 37.3% of the starters.[2]

The rally is the only WRC Rally to be held in China, with the other China Rallies held in other years being APRC events. Ford’s Colin McRae was the pre-tournament favourite to win the rally, having won the first two events in 1997 and 1998.[3]

The winner was Didier Auriol on the 19th win and 47th podium, driving a Toyota Corolla WRC.[2] He and his French crew were dominamt in the third and final leg, and set fastest times in five of the six stages, claiming the win with almost a minute gap over Subaru's Richard Burns. The third position was also claimed by a Toyota team, consisting of Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya.[4]

In the final day of the rally, the Hyundai World Rally Team marked their most achievements of the rally, scoring its third one/two victory of the year in the FIA 2-litre World Cup for Manufacturers.[5] Then, it marked the first time the team has scored a top ten overall position and finally Hyundai won the 2-litre manufacturers class of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and the drivers' championship.[4] There were 22 stages, with the shortest being 7.00 km (SS4 Tou Dao Xue 1), the longest being 33.07 km (SS6 Zhung Hu Gou Men 2), slowest being 63.21 km/h (SS4 Tou Dao Xue 1) and the fastest being 124.13 km/h (SS13 Si Dao Dian 2).[2] There were 26 penalties in total.[6]

## Background

[edit]

### Itinerary

[edit]

All dates and times are CST (UTC+8) and the total distance was 385.12km.

Date  | Time  | No.  | Stage name  | Distance

|
|
|
|

Leg 1 -- 150.52 km (39%)
17 September  | 8:19  | SS1  | Qi Dao He 1  | 9.03 km
8:44  | SS2  | Zhung Hu Gou Men 1 (cancelled)  | 33.07 km
10:42  | SS3  | Da Xi Shan 1  | 26.16 km
11:31  | SS4  | Tou Dao Xue 1  | 7.0 km
12:44  | SS5  | Qi Dao He 2  | 9.03 km
13:09  | SS6  | Zhung Hu Gou Men 2 (cancelled)  | 33.07 km
15:07  | SS7  | Da Xi Shan 2  | 26.16 km
15:56  | SS8  | Tou Dao Xue 2  | 7.0 km
Leg 2 -- 148.14 km (38%)
18 September  | 8:48  | SS9  | Si Dao Dian 1  | 15.94 km
9:13  | SS10  | Di Shui Hu 1  | 12.47 km
11:29  | SS11  | Dao De Gou 1  | 19.78 km
12:05  | SS12  | Hei Niu Shan 1  | 25.88 km
13:45  | SS13  | Si Dao Dian 2  | 15.94 km
14:10  | SS14  | Di Shui Hu 2  | 12.47 km
16:26  | SS15  | Dao De Gou 2  | 19.78 km
17:02  | SS16  | Hei Nui Shan 2  | 25.88 km
Leg 3 -- 86.46 km (22%)
19 September  | 9:00  | SS17  | Cha Dao Kou 1  | 7.41 km
9:51  | SS18  | Bei Gou 1  | 19.15 km
10:19  | SS19  | Wu Ying Zi 1  | 16.67 km
12:16  | SS20  | Cha Dao Kou 2  | 7.41 km
13:07  | SS21  | Bei Gou 2  | 19.15 km
13:35  | SS22  | Wu Ying Zi 2  | 16.67 km
Source:[7]

### Entry list

[edit]

Number  | Driver  | Co-driver

|
|

1  | Mäkinen Tommi  | Mannisenmäki Risto
2  | Loix Freddy  | Smeets Sven
3  | Sainz Carlos  | Moya Luis
4  | Auriol Didier  | Giraudet Denis
5  | Burns Richard  | Reid Robert
6  | Kankkunen Juha  | Repo Juha
7  | McRae Colin  | Grist Nicky
8  | Rådström Thomas  | Gallagher Fred
9  | Rovanperä Harri  | Pietiläinen Risto
10  | Liatti Piero  | Cassina Carlo
11  | Isik Volkan  | Bodur Erkan
12  | Bakhashab Abdullah  | Park Michael
13  | Puras Jesús  | Martí Marc
14  | \-  | \-
15  | Trelles Gustavo  | Christie Martin
16  | Al-Wahaibi Hamed  | Sircombe Tony
17  | Kataoka Yoshihiro  | Hayashi Satoshi
18  | Kamada Takuma  | Oh Allen
19  | Guest Michael  | Green David
20  | \-  | \-
21  | Arai Toshihiro  | Freeman Roger
22  | Taguchi Katsuhiko  | Teoh Ron
23  | Konishi Shigeyuki  | Macneall Glenn
24  | Eriksson Kenneth  | Parmander Staffan
25  | Tajima Nobuhiro  | Sukosi Visut
26  | McRae Alister  | Senior David
27  | Ferreyros Ramón  | Saenz Gonzalo
28  | Mazlan Saladin  | Singh Jagdev
29  | Kahlfuss Michael  | Bauer Ronald
30  | Nutahara Fumio  | Odagiri Noriyuki
31  | Lu Ning Jun  | Ding Jian Ping
32  | Chan Chi Wah  | Tang Po Lin
33  | Wong Johnny (Yau Kwan)  | Lou Paulo
34  | Font Ferran  | Sureda Joan
35  | Sing Fui On  | Lau Shui Sang
36  | Ko Tim Tak  | Lee Man Ho
37  | Chan Yu Ping  | Siu Yim Fai
38  | Tsang Kwok Choi  | Lau Kan
39  | Chan Kam Cheong  | Leung Wai Ping
40  | Anzawa Takeshi  | Chuk Kowk Wai
41  | Huang Qingguo  | Zhang Wenmin
42  | Yao Jindong  | Fan Lei
43  | \-  | \-
44  | Lu Chengyi  | Lai Huan-shan
45  | Zhou Yong  | Xu Xin
46  | Kao Ching Lwan  | Chen Chien-O
47  | Feng Chun  | Lu Hui
48  | Ren Zhiguo  | Li Jia
49  | Bates Rick  | Brittan Jenny
50  | Wen Fan  | Zhong Guan
51  | Higgins David  | Patterson Chris
52  | Wang Rui  | He Qianjin
53  | Jin Xin  | Tan Xiaoqiang
54  | Hu Xian  | Li Xiaojing
55  | \-  | \-
56  | Yan Zhongmin  | Xie Cheng
57  | Hamréus Tommy  | Wallin Andreas
58  | Xue Lei  | Niu Yefang
59  | Xing Ming  | Xing Liang
60  | Cai Ming  | Zhu Chenguang
61  | Shaw Sabrina  | Xu Shouli
62  | Tang Guangren  | Wang Li
63  | Zeng Tao  | Zhuang Jia
64  | Lin Jiang  | Mei Jiangbang
65  | Wu Zhuang  | Zhang Jian
66  | Wang Dapeng  | Chen Yongqun
67  | Bai Jian  | Fu Hailun
68  | Zhang Hongjiang  | Sun Hui
69  | Yang Hong  | Zheng Rong
70  | Kwok Ngal Cho  | Tse Ying Wai
71  | Lin Jiaxue  | Liu Shuanquan
Source:[8]

## Results

[edit]

### Final Results

[edit]

Position  | Number  | Driver  | Co-driver  | Car

|
|
|
|

1  | 4  |  Didier Auriol |  Denis Giraudet | Toyota Corolla WRC
2  | 5  |  Richard Burns |  Robert Reid | Subaru Impreza WRC 99
3  | 3  |  Carlos Sainz Sr. |  Luis Moya | Toyota Corolla WRC
4  | 6  |  Juha Kankkunen |  Juha Repo | Subaru Impreza WRC 99
5  | 9  |  Harri Rovanperä |  Risto Pietiläinen | SEAT WRC
6  | 11  |  Volkan Isik |  Erkan Bodur | Toyota Corolla WRC
7  | 21  |  Toshihiro Arai |  Roger Freeman | Subaru Impreza WRX
8  | 15  |  Gustavo Trelles |  Martin Christie | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V
9  | 22  |  Katsuhiko Taguchi |  Ron Teoh | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
10  | 26  |  Alister McRae |  David Senior | Hyundai Coupé Kit Car Evo2
11  | 24  |  Kenneth Eriksson |  Steffan Parmander | Hyundai Coupé Kit Car Evo2
12  | 19  |  Michael Guest |  David Green | Subaru Impreza WRX
13  | 32  |  Chi Wah Chan |  Po Lin Tang | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V
14  | 28  |  Mazlan Saladin |  Jagdev Singh | Proton Wira 4WD
15  | 29  |  Alister McRae |  David Senior | Hyundai Coupé Kit Car Evo2
16  | 33  |  Johnny Wong |  Paulo Lou | Subaru Impreza WRX
17  | 42  |  Jindong Yao |  Lei Fan  | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III
18  | 41  |  Qingguo Huang |  Wenmin Zhang | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III
19  | 50  |  Fan Wen |  Guan Zhong | Peugeot 106 Rallye
20  | 37  |  Yu Ping Chan |  Yim Fai Siu | Subaru Impreza 555
21  | 58  |  Lei Xue |  Yefang Niu | Peugeot 106 Rallye
22  | 56  |  Zhongmin Yan |  Cheng Xie | Peugeot 106 Rallye
23  | 66  |  Dapeng Wang |  Yongqun Chen | Peugeot 106 Rallye
24  | 62  |  Guangren Tang |  Li Wang  | Peugeot 106 Rallye
25  | 61  |  Sabrina Shaw |  Shouli Xu | Peugeot 106 Rallye
Source:[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Photos Rally China". Auto Sport. September 19, 1999.
2. ^ a b c d "Rallies - China 1999". www.juwra.com.
3. ^ Hassan, Umar (September 6, 2016). "Revisiting 1999 Rally China: Auriol victorious in only WRC event held in China". The Checkered Flag.
4. ^ a b "Car Enthusiast - 1999 Rally of China - by CAINT.COM". www.carenthusiast.com.
5. ^ a b "1999 Itinerary". juwra.com. Independent WRC archive. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
6. ^ "Penalty 555 China Rally 1999". eWRC-results.com.
7. ^ "Maps | China Rally 1999 [WRC] | Rally-Maps.com".
8. ^ "Entry list 555 China Rally 1999". eWRC-results.com.