# 2006 Rallye Deutschland

The 2006 OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over three days between 11 and 13 August 2006. It marked the 25th running of the Rallye Deutschland, and was the ninth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season. The event was also the sixth round of the 2006 Junior WRC. The 2006 event was based in the city of Trier in Germany and was contested over nineteen special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 349.11 km (216.93 miles).
Marcus Gronholm, along with BP Ford World Rally Team were the defending rally winners, trailing championship rival Sebastien Loeb in the championship by 29 points. OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team would not participate in the round as a manufacturer.
Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena won the rally, their first rally win since the 2006 Rally d'Italia Sardegna and their sixth win of the season.

## Background
### Entry List

The following crews were set to enter the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship and its support category, the Junior WRC, as well as privateer entries that were not registered to score points in the manufacturer's championship. Twenty Four were entered under World Rally Car regulations, as were thirteen in the Junior WRC category.
World Rally Car entries competing in the World Rally Championship :
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car | Tyre |
| 1 | Sebastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | Citroën Xsara WRC | BF |
| 2 | Dani Sordo | Marc Martí | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | Citroën Xsara WRC | BF |
| 3 | Marcus Gronholm | Timo Rautiainen | BP Ford World Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 06 | BF |
| 4 | Mikko Hirvonen | Jarmo Lehtinen | BP Ford World Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 06 | BF |
| 5 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | Subaru World Rally Team | Impreza WRC 2006 | P |
| 6 | Stephane Sarrazin | Stephane Prevot | Subaru World Rally Team | Impreza WRC 2006 | P |
| 7 | Manfred Stohl | Ilka Minor | OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team | Peugeot 307 WRC | BF |
| 9 | Matthew Wilson | Michael Orr | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 04 | BF |
| 10 | Jari-Matti Latvala | Miikka Anttila | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 04 | BF |
| 11 | Mattias Ekstrom | Jonas Andersson | Red Bull Škoda Team | Škoda Fabia WRC | BF |
| 12 | Andreas Aigner | Klaus Wicha | Red Bull Škoda Team | Škoda Fabia WRC | BF |
Super 1600 entries competing in the Junior WRC :
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car |
| 32 | Kris Meeke | Glenn Patterson | PH Sport | Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 36 | Luca Betti | Piercarlo Capolongo | Autorel Sport | Renault Clio S1600 |
| 37 | Pavel Valoušek | Zdeněk Hrůza | Suzuki Sport Europe | Suzuki Swift 1600 |
| 39 | Conrad Rautenbach | David Senior | Barroso Sport | Renault Clio 1600 |
| 42 | Julien Pressac | Jack Boyere | PH Sport | Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 44 | Michał Kościuszko | Jaroslaw Baran | Suzuki Sport Europe | Suzuki Swift 1600 |
| 49 | Martin Prokop | Jan Tománek | Jipocar Czech National Team | Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 50 | Kalle Pinomäki | Jani Laaksonen | Clio Junior Team | Renault Clio 1600 |
| 51 | Fatih Kara | Cerm Bakancocuklari | Renault Sport | Renault Clio 1600 |
| 52 | Bernd Casier | Frédéric Miclotte | Renault Sport | Renault Clio 1600 |
| 53 | Barry Clark | Scott Martin | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Fiesta ST |
| 54 | Aaron Burkart | Tanja Geilhausen | OMV Rally Team | Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 55 | Brice Tirabassi | Gabrice Gordon | PH Sport | Citroën C2 R2 |
Other major entries :
| No. | Driver | Co-Driver | Entrant | Car |
| 14 | Toni Gardemeister | Jakke Honkanen | Astra Racing | Citroën Xsara WRC |
| 15 | Xavier Pons | Carlos del Barrio | Kronos Racing | Citroën Xsara WRC |
| 16 | Chris Atkinson | Glenn Macneall | Subaru Rally Team Australia | Subaru Impreza S11 WRC 05 |
| 17 | Jan Kopecký | Filip Schovánek | Czech RT Škoda Kopecký | Škoda Fabia WRC |
| 18 | François Duval | Patrick Pivato | First Motorsport Škoda | Škoda Fabia WRC |
| 20 | Gareth MacHale | Paul Nagle | Tom Hogan Motors | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 21 | Matthias Kahle | Peter Göbel | Skoda Auto Deutschland | Škoda Fabia WRC |
| 22 | Pieter Tsjoen | Eddy Chevaillier | Pieter Tsjoen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 23 | Štěpán Vojtěch | Ernst Michal | Štěpán Vojtěch | Peugeot 307 WRC |
| 24 | Kristian Poulsen | Ole Refsgaard Frederikson | Kristian Poulsen | Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 25 | Erik Wevers | Filip Godde | Erik Wevers | Toyota Corolla WRC |
| 61 | Mark van Eldik | Erwin Mombaerts | Mark van Eldik | Subaru Impreza S10 WRC 04 |
| 62 | Gareth Jones | David Moynihan | Gareth Jones | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC 03 |

### Itinerary

All dates and times are CEST (UTC+2).
| Date | No. | Time span | Stage name | Distance |
| 10 August | — | After 8:00 | Bosen [Shakedown] | 3.35 km |
| 11 August | | 8:30 | Service A, Trier | — |
| 11 August | SS1 | After 9:23 | Ruwertal / Fell 1 | 24.40 km |
| 11 August | SS2 | After 10:06 | Dhrontal 1 | 11:14 km |
| 11 August | SS3 | After 10:51 | Grafschaft Veldenz 1 | 17.12 km |
| 11 August | SS4 | After 11:41 | Moselwein 1 | 16.97 km |
| 11 August | | 11:58 | Service B, Trier | — |
| 11 August | SS5 | After 14:34 | Ruwertal / Fell 2 | 24.40 km |
| 11 August | SS6 | After 15:17 | Dhrontal 2 | 11:14 km |
| 11 August | SS7 | After 16:02 | Grafschaft Veldenz 2 | 17.12 km |
| 11 August | SS8 | After 16:52 | Moselwein 2 | 16.97 km |
| 11 August | | 18:07 | Service C, Trier | — |
| 12 August | | 7:55 | Service D, Trier | — |
| 12 August | SS9 | After 8:36 | Bosenberg 1 | 22.52 km |
| 12 August | SS10 | After 9:44 | Panzerplatte 1 | 30.65 km |
| 12 August | | 10:44 | Service E, Trier | — |
| 12 August | SS11 | After 12:17 | Erzweiler 1 | 18:21 km |
| 12 August | SS12 | After 12:55 | Panzerplatte 2 | 30.65 km |
| 12 August | | 13:55 | Service F, Trier | — |
| 12 August | SS13 | After 15:28 | Erzweiler 2 | 18:21 km |
| 12 August | SS14 | After 16:31 | Bosenberg 2 | 22.52 km |
| 12 August | SS15 | After 17:19 | OMV SS St. Wendel | 5.84 km |
| 12 August | | 17:59 | Service G, Trier | — |
| 13 August | | 7:55 | Service H, Trier | — |
| 13 August | SS16 | After 8:38 | Freisen / Westrich 1 | 19.60 km |
| 13 August | SS17 | After 9:23 | Birkenfelder Land | 13.68 km |
| 13 August | SS18 | After 10:11 | St. Wendeler Land | 16.37 km |
| 13 August | SS19 | After 10:44 | Freisen / Westrich 2 | 19.60 km |
| Source: |||||

## Report
### Overall
#### Summary

Thursday's shakedown would be a dramatic one, with Petter Solberg crashing out due to setup-related understeer. His mechanics were able to rebuild the car in time for the event. His teammate Sarrazin would win the shakedown.
Friday would see Loeb take an early lead and extend it throughout the morning, whle his biggest competitor was Sordo in second. Gronholm would have a mediocre start, going off the road multiple time sin the opening stage. by the end of the day, Loeb would pull a gap of over forty seconds to the Spaniard.
It would be up to Sordo to close the gap on Saturday, which would see changing weather conditions. While he was able to bring the gap down to under thirty seconds, he was unable to truly compete for the win at the beginning of the weekend. Gardemeister would hold a comfortable third ahead of Gronholm, who was hindered by a poor tyre choice. Solberg would suffer from engine issues and retired from the second day. Privateer Jan Kopecky would take a surprise win in the ninth stage, while Pons went off the road and dropped to twelfth. Gronholm would make a recovery to third by the end of the day, as Gardemeister struggled. The leading duo were ordered to hold position and cruise to a 1–2.
Sunday would have very little change in the points paying positions, as Loeb and Sordo cruised home in their previous positions. Loeb had led the rally on every stage, and by winning the rally, equaled the record for the most World Rally wins at twenty six. Gronholm would finish third ahead of Gardemeister and Hirvonen. Skoda rookie Aigner would book an impressive sxth, along with privateer Kopecky in seventh.

#### Classification

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Sebastien Loeb | Daniel Elena | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | Citroën Xsara WRC | 3:28:34.1 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | Dani Sordo | Marc Martí | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | Citroën Xsara WRC | 3:29:07.9 | +33.8 | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | Marcus Gronholm | Timo Rautiainen | BP Ford World Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 06 | 3:30:53.3 | +2:19.2 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 14 | Toni Gardemeister | Jakke Honkanen | Astra Racing | Citroën Xsara WRC | 3:31:07.9 | +2:33.8 | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | 7 | Manfred Stohl | Ilka Minor | OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team | Peugeot 307 WRC | 3:33:00.0 | +4:25.9 | 4 |
| 6 | 6 | 12 | Andreas Aigner | Klaus Wicha | Red Bull Škoda Team | Škoda Fabia WRC | 3:34:16.7 | +5:42.6 | 3 |
| 7 | 7 | 17 | Jan Kopecký | Filip Schovánek | Czech RT Škoda Kopecký | Škoda Fabia WRC | 3:34:19.9 | +5:45.8 | 2 |
| 8 | 8 | 16 | Chris Atkinson | Glenn Macneall | Subaru Rally Team Australia | Subaru Impreza S11 WRC 05 | 3:35:59.1 | +7:25.0 | 1 |
| 9 | 9 | 4 | Mikko Hirvonen | Jarmo Lehtinen | BP Ford World Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 06 | 3:36:59.8 | +8:25.7 | 0 |
| 10 | 10 | 20 | Gareth MacHale | Paul Nagle | Tom Hogan Motors | Ford Focus RS WRC | 3:41:30.2 | +12:56.1 | 0 |
| 11 | 11 | 11 | Mattias Ekstrom | Jonas Andersson | Red Bull Škoda Team | Škoda Fabia WRC | 3:46:14.0 | +17:39.9 | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | 9 | Matthew Wilson | Michael Orr | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 04 | 3:47:09.0 | +18:34.9 | 0 |
| 13 | 13 | 25 | Erik Wevers | Filip Godde | Erik Wevers | Toyota Corolla WRC | 3:47:57.0 | +19:22.9 | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | 15 | Xavier Pons | Carlos del Barrio | Kronos Racing | Citroën Xsara WRC | 3:50:43.7 | +22:09.6 | 0 |
| 15 | 15 | 24 | Kristian Poulsen | Ole Refsgaard Frederikson | Kristian Poulsen | Toyota Corolla WRC | 3:52:37.8 | +24:03.7 | 0 |
| 24 | 16 | 61 | Mark van Eldik | Erwin Mombaerts | Mark van Eldik | Subaru Impreza S10 WRC 04 | 3:59:40.7 | +31:06.6 | 0 |
| 34 | 17 | 10 | Jari-Matti Latvala | Miikka Anttila | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Focus RS WRC 04 | 4:17:31.3 | +48:57.2 | 0 |
| 43 | 18 | 62 | Gareth Jones | David Moynihan | Gareth Jones | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC 03 | 4:26:01.1 | +57:27.0 | 0 |
| Retired SS16 | Retired SS16 | 6 | Stephane Sarrazin | Stephane Prevot | Subaru World Rally Team | Impreza WRC 2006 | Gearbox | Gearbox | 0 |
| Retired SS14 | Retired SS14 | 21 | Matthias Kahle | Peter Göbel | Skoda Auto Deutschland | Škoda Fabia WRC | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS11 | Retired SS11 | 22 | Pieter Tsjoen | Eddy Chevaillier | Pieter Tsjoen | Ford Focus RS WRC | Mechanical | Mechanical | 0 |
| Retired SS10 | Retired SS10 | 23 | Štěpán Vojtěch | Ernst Michal | Štěpán Vojtěch | Peugeot 307 WRC | Accident | Accident | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 5 | Petter Solberg | Phil Mills | Subaru World Rally Team | Impreza WRC 2006 | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 18 | François Duval | Patrick Pivato | First Motorsport Škoda | Škoda Fabia WRC | Retired | Retired | 0 |

#### Special Stages

All dates and times are CEST (UTC+2).
| Day | Stage | Time | Name | Length (km) | Winner | Time | Rally leader |
| 1 (11 August) | SS1 | 9:23 | Ruwertal/Fell 1 | 20.04 | Sébastien Loeb | 11:44.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS2 | 10:06 | Dhrontal 1 | 11.14 | Daniel Sordo | 7:18.7 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS3 | 10:51 | Grafschaft Veldenz 1 | 17.72 | Sébastien Loeb | 10:49.8 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS4 | 11:41 | Moselwein 1 | 16.97 | Daniel Sordo | 10:23.3 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS5 | 14:34 | Ruwerthal/Fell 2 | 20.04 | Sébastien Loeb | 11:34.3 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS6 | 15:17 | Dhrontal 2 | 11.14 | Daniel Sordo | 7:18.2 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS7 | 16:02 | Grafschaft Veldenz 2 | 23.76 | Marcus Grönholm | 16:54.1 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 1 (11 August) | SS8 | 16:52 | Moselwein 2 | 16.97 | Sébastien Loeb | 10:20.4 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS9 | 8:36 | Bosenberg 1 | 22.52 | Jan Kopecký | 13:02.7 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS10 | 9:44 | Panzerplatte 1 | 30.65 | Daniel Sordo | 18:09.5 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS11 | 12:17 | Erzweiler 1 | 18.21 | Mikko Hirvonen | 10:46.0 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS12 | 12:55 | Panzerplatte 2 | 30.65 | Marcus Grönholm | 18:03.5 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS13 | 15:28 | Erzweiler 2 | 18.21 | Marcus Grönholm | 10:42.4 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS14 | 16:31 | Bosenberg 2 | 22.52 | Jan Kopecký | 12:45.0 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 2 (12 August) | SS15 | 17:19 | OMV SS St Wendel | 5.84 | Sébastien Loeb | 3:05.0 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (13 August) | SS16 | 8:38 | Freisen/Westrich 1 | 19.06 | Toni Gardemeister | 11:40.4 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (13 August) | SS17 | 9:23 | Birkenfelder Land | 13.68 | Daniel Sordo | 7:52.3 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (13 August) | SS18 | 10:11 | St Wendeler Land | 16.37 | Toni Gardemeister | 9:08.6 | Sébastien Loeb |
| 3 (13 August) | SS19 | 10:44 | Freisen/Westrich 2 | 19.06 | Toni Gardemeister | 11:50.8 | Sébastien Loeb |

#### Championship Standings

| Pos. | Drivers' Championship | Drivers' Championship | Drivers' Championship | Manufacturers' Championship | Manufacturers' Championship | Manufacturers' Championship |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | | Sébastien Loeb | 84 | | Kronos Citroën World Rally Team | 114 |
| 2 | | Marcus Gronholm | 51 | | BP Ford World Rally Team | 91 |
| 3 | | Dani Sordo | 41 | | Subaru World Rally Team | 63 |
| 4 | 1 | Manfred Stohl | 24 | | OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team | 41 |
| 5 | 1 | Mikko Hirvonen | 21 | 1 | Red Bull Škoda Team | 22 |

### Junior WRC
#### Classification

| Position | Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| Event | Class | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| 16 | 1 | 32 | Kris Meeke | Glenn Patterson | PH Sport | Citroën C2 S1600 | 3:54:00.7 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 17 | 2 | 52 | Bernd Casier | Frédéric Miclotte | Renault Sport | Renault Clio 1600 | 3:54:39.3 | +38.6 | 8 |
| 19 | 3 | 37 | Pavel Valoušek | Zdeněk Hrůza | Suzuki Sport Europe | Suzuki Swift 1600 | 3:55:29.4 | +1:28.7 | 6 |
| 20 | 4 | 42 | Julien Pressac | Jack Boyere | PH Sport | Citroën C2 S1600 | 3:55:33.2 | +1:32.5 | 5 |
| 25 | 5 | 49 | Martin Prokop | Jan Tománek | Jipocar Czech National Team | Citroën C2 S1600 | 3:57:09.6 | +3:08.9 | 4 |
| 23 | 6 | 54 | Aaron Burkart | Tanja Geilhausen | OMV Rally Team | Citroën C2 S1600 | 3:59:23.5 | +5:22.8 | 3 |
| 25 | 7 | 51 | Fatih Kara | Cerm Bakancocuklari | Renault Sport | Renault Clio 1600 | 4:05:50.5 | +8:49.8 | 2 |
| 26 | 8 | 36 | Luca Betti | Piercarlo Capolongo | Autorel Sport | Renault Clio S1600 | 4:03:48.7 | +9:48.0 | 1 |
| 33 | 9 | 39 | Conrad Rautenbach | David Senior | Barroso Sport | Renault Clio 1600 | 4:15:22.1 | +21:21.4 | 0 |
| 35 | 10 | 53 | Barry Clark | Scott Martin | Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team | Ford Fiesta ST | 4:18:13.7 | +24:13.0 | 0 |
| 46 | 11 | 44 | Michał Kościuszko | Jaroslaw Baran | Suzuki Sport Europe | Suzuki Swift 1600 | 4:29:17.3 | +35:16.6 | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 50 | Kalle Pinomäki | Jani Laaksonen | Clio Junior Team | Renault Clio 1600 | Engine | Engine | 0 |
| Retired SS9 | Retired SS9 | 55 | Brice Tirabassi | Gabrice Gordon | PH Sport | Citroën C2 R2 | Accident | Accident | 0 |

#### Championship Standings

| Pos. | Drivers' Championship | Drivers' Championship | Drivers' Championship |
| Pos. | Move | Driver | Points |
| 1 | | Patrik Sandell | 26 |
| 2 | | Jonas Andersson | 21 |
| 3 | | Urmo Aava | 20 |
| 4 | | Conrad Rautenbach | 17 |
| 5 | 4 | Kris Meeke | 16 |