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Rally Wales 30-11 t/m 02-12-2007.
De eindstand:
2.12.2007 - Grönholm
finished his incredible rally career into 2nd position
FIA World Rally champions* BP-Ford ended the 2007 campaign in perfect
style by claiming first and second on Rally GB in Wales today. Mikko
Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen led from start to finish to score their
third victory of the season in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.
Team-mates Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen were second in another
Focus RS on their 150th and final WRC start before retirement.
It was the eighth victory of the season for BP-Ford World Rally Team,
which clinched its second consecutive manufacturers' world title on the
previous round in Ireland last month, and Ford's first 1-2 finish in GB
since 1979. The 212 points scored in the manufacturers' series is the
highest in Ford's WRC history.
During the 16 rallies spanning five continents on surfaces as diverse as
snow, dry asphalt and rough gravel, the Focus RS has been a model of
reliability. On a championship acknowledged as the toughest for
production-based cars, the team has not suffered a single retirement due
to mechanical problems after more than 5600km of flat-out competition.
This 16th and final
round of the series was characterised by awful weather. Torrential rain
and thick fog on Friday's opening leg reduced drivers to first gear in
places as the visibility dropped to just a handful of metres. Although
the fog disappeared, heavy rain continued throughout the second and
third legs to leave the gravel forest roads in south Wales in
treacherous condition. Drivers covered a total of 17 speed tests
covering 359.54km.
Grönholm's thoughts were
concentrated on a third drivers' world title but to achieve that he was
reliant on Loeb encountering problems. So the 39-year-old Finn drove at
a pace that put him in a position to capitalise on any troubles for the
Frenchman, but one that was also risk-free. He settled into second on
the opening morning and remained there throughout. Grönholm won the
super special stage inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium last night in
front of a 26,500 crowd and was given a standing ovation there by fans
in recognition of an outstanding career that brought two drivers' titles
and 30 WRC wins.
"We were both very emotional at the end of the final stage," said
Grönholm, who was runner-up in the drivers' championship. "To end my
career in a team like this is a wonderful feeling. I've enjoyed two
years at Ford with almost no problems and had a great car to drive.
Although I'm disappointed that I couldn't win the championship, it was
clear before I started this rally that it would be difficult.
"This was an incredibly
hard weekend. Driving in fog, rain and darkness at the same time was so
difficult and as I'm newly-retired, I'm so happy that I don't have to
drive in those conditions any more! I did all I could but it wasn't here
that I missed out on the title, it was when I crashed on the previous
round in Ireland," he added.
BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted with his team's end
to the season. "Mikko and Marcus could not have done any better. We've
won every gravel event since May and to end the year with a 1-2 finish
is a perfect result. Mikko drove a great rally but sadly Marcus didn't
win the drivers' championship on his final event. It was a great season
for the sport with a thrilling battle for the drivers' title that went
down to the final round."
Ford TeamRS director Jost Capito celebrated his final rally in charge of
the team. "It's fantastic to end a season in which Ford has again won
the manufacturers' world title with a double podium. I'm sorry Marcus
and Timo couldn't finish their career with a third world title, but it's
great that Mikko and Jarmo are proving themselves ready to challenge for
top honours next year. The targets set for our four-year programme with
the new-generation Ford Focus have been achieved in just three years,
and that's the ideal way to hand over my responsibilities and take on
new challenges in the company."
The world’s first mud message, spelling out 'WE DID IT!' in letters
replicating the tyre tracks from BP-Ford's Focus RS was created
alongside yesterday's Halfway stage to celebrate the team's
manufacturers' title. The message was written in letters made of mud,
10m tall and stretching across 65m of hillside, to thank those that were
involved in this year’s success. To mark Grönholm's retirement, BP
Ultimate and Ford teamed up to create a sea of Marcuses, by handing out
5,000 specially-made Grönholm face masks to fans during the event.
News from our Rivals
Third place was sufficient for Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) to claim his
fourth successive drivers' title, equalling the winning record of Juha
Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen. Behind the BP-Ford duo, team-mates Petter
Solberg and Chris Atkinson (Subaru) finished fourth and seventh
respectively to assure their team of third in the manufacturers' series.
Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) won every stage again today, giving him a 100
per cent win record on the final two legs over the forest tests.
Final positions
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 22min 50.9sec
2. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 23min 06.1sec
3. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 3hr 24min 23.9sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 3hr 25min 48.2sec
5. D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen C4 3hr 26min 05.2sec
6. M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 3hr 30min 23.8sec
7. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 3hr 31min 20.4sec
8. M Stohl/I Minor A Citroen Xsara 3hr 31min 45.5sec
9. X Pons/X Amigo E Subaru Impreza 3hr 32min 39.7sec
10 J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 33min 33 
De stand na dag 2:
Rally GB – after stage
9, Halfway 1
Just five of the original 108 competitors failed to restart from Swansea
this morning for the second day of this final round of the FIA World
Rally Championship. Of the 103 starters, 21 are competing under
SupeRally regulations having retired in yesterday's dreadful weather.
The survivors face two identical loops of three speed tests near the
Epynt military land before a spectacular end to the day with a special
stage inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium – a total of 104.48km.
Conditions were much improved from yesterday. Strong winds kept the fog
away but temperatures were just 3ºC as the cars began the opening test.
However, as the morning progressed the skies turned darker and heavy
showers ensured the gravel forest tracks remained muddy and slippery.
Overnight leaders Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have not driven
today's stages since 2004 so the BP-Ford World Rally Team driver was
lacking in experience. However, the 27-year-old Finn was fourth fastest
on the opening 19.56km Crychan test in his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car
before setting second quickest time in the following 13.76km Epynt. He
ended the morning with second through the 18.37km Halfway to return to
service with his overnight 39.6sec lead reduced to 32.6sec.
"I've not been on these roads for several years and I was too careful up
to the midpoint of the first stage. Halfway was difficult because there
were many hairpins and tight junctions and my handbrake wasn't working
properly. I'm driving at a pace I'm happy with but if Marcus decides to
push, I may not be able to hold him. Conditions are easier and I've
found a good rhythm today," he explained.
BP-Ford team-mates Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, competing on
their 150th and final WRC event, also made a cautious start in their
Focus RS. Second overnight, the Finns have no reason to push as their
hopes of landing a third drivers' world title depend as much on the
fortunes of arch-rival Sébastien Loeb as their own. The 39-year-old Finn
was second in Crychan and Epynt and third in Halfway to extend his
advantage over Loeb from 18.3sec to 33.9sec.
"There's no stress and no pressure as I can do nothing but wait and see
what happens to Loeb," he said. "Today and tomorrow are long days but
I'm not enjoying driving at a steady pace. There's no plan to push to
catch Mikko. It would be stupid for me to do that and make a mistake. My
plan is to stay in second. It would be good to win my final rally but
that's not my priority – the title is."
Leaderboard after SS9
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1h 46m 12.4sec
2. M Gronholm/T RautiainenFIN Ford Focus RS +32.6se
3. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 +1m06.5sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza +2m13.3sec
5. D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen C4 +2m45.2sec
6. C Atkinson/S Prevot AUS Subaru Impreza +5m28.3sec
7. M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS +5m31.4sec
8. M Stohl/I Minor AUT Citroen Xsara +6m23.0sec
9. X Pons/X Amigo E Subaru Impreza +7m18.8sec
10. J Kopecky/F SchovanekCZ Skoda Fabia +8m37.1sec
Bron: M-Sport 
Stand
na dag 1.
Hirvonen stars on opening
leg of Rally GB as Ford holds 1-2.
BP-Ford World Rally Team dominated today's opening leg of Rally GB to
hold first and second with its Focus RS World Rally Cars. Mikko Hirvonen
and Jarmo Lehtinen were outstanding in dreadful weather conditions to
win five of the day's six speed tests in south Wales and build a 39.6sec
lead. Team-mates Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen shared fastest time
on the other special stage to end the day in second.
After last night's start ceremony in Cardiff, the action on this final
round of the FIA World Rally Championship moved west to Swansea this
morning. It was from here that competitors left for two identical loops
of three speed tests covering 140.80km high in the Vale of Neath forests.
Rain over the last few days left the gravel tracks muddy and both
Hirvonen and Grönholm opted for BFGoodrich's extra soft compound tyres
on their Focus RS cars, with extra cuts carved into the rubber to help
clear the mud.
The opening 17.41km Port Talbot test in Margam Forest was shrouded in
thick fog, although the weather improved for the remaining two tests of
the opening loop in Resolfen and Rheola. However, heavy rain this
afternoon caused the conditions to deteriorate and the final stage in
Rheola – held in the dark, in torrential rain and thick fog – was evil,
forcing drivers to little more than walking pace on the highest parts of
the test.
Hirvonen was a fast starter this morning and quickest time on the
opening three tests allowed him to build a 21.4sec lead. He was beaten
into third on the middle stage of the afternoon loop but quickest time
on the other two stages enabled the 27-year-old Finn to extend that
advantage into a comfortable overnight lead.
"I couldn't see more than a handful of metres on the final stage, it was
the worst I can remember," he said. "It was like having a white wall in
front of the car and in some sections it was easier to drive with no
lights at all. Driving in the dark, the fog and the rain was scary. I
tried to drive through the conditions. My pace notes were perfect all
day and I trusted them 100 per cent. I've not taken split times for the
other drivers because there was enough work to do keeping the car on the
road.
"I guess I took more risks than the others and I felt confident with the
car and tyres. That allowed me to keep pushing and build my lead.
Tomorrow I will try to maintain it, but I've not driven those stages for
a few years so it won't be easy," he added.
Grönholm, making his 150th WRC start on his final rally before
retirement, was focused more on the battle for the drivers' title in the
championship. The 39-year-old Finn's hopes of a third crown depend on
the fortunes of arch-rival Sébastien Loeb, and he made a cautious start
in the fog. However, he quickly climbed to second and remained there
this afternoon to end the day ahead of the Frenchman.
"I was too cautious at the start of the first stage this morning because
it was uncomfortable in the fog and I couldn't see much," he said. "I
don't have to take risks and I didn't drive flat out. I didn't try to
catch Mikko, I was just trying to control my pace, but my confidence
wasn't so good because the weather this afternoon was some of the worst
I can remember in my career. There was water on the car, under the car
and all around the car – there was even water in the car!"
BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson described his drivers' performances
as 'perfect'. "They couldn't have done better. This was exactly what I
expected of Mikko. He has a good lead and Marcus is in the ideal
position if anything happens to Loeb over the next two days," he added.
News from our Rivals
Behind the BP-Ford duo, Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) drove cautiously with
the world title on his mind, but the Frenchman had problems on the final
test when his fog lights didn't work and he drove part of the test with
no lights at all. Petter Solberg (Subaru) lies fourth despite a big spin
early in the first stage and a broken shock absorber on the final test.
Dani Sordo (Citroen) and Matthew Wilson (Ford) completed the top six.
Henning Solberg (Ford) had a torrid day. The Norwegian dropped a minute
with a first stage puncture and a broken heater matrix this afternoon
caused his demister to fail and he drove all three stages with a fogged
up windscreen. After dropping over 12min on the final stage, he opted to
retire and restart tomorrow under SupeRally rules. Jari-Matti Latvala
(Ford) was fourth until a broken windscreen wiper on the final test cost
more than 16min and he too retired. Sebastian Lindholm (Suzuki) retired
with brake problems after the second stage.
Tomorrow’s Route
The second leg is located further north, close to the Epynt military
land. After leaving Swansea at 08.00, drivers face two identical loops
of tests, split by a return to the city for service. The day ends with a
spectacular test at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, where the arena's
sliding roof will be closed. Competitors arrive back in Swansea for the
overnight halt at 20.55 after 104.48km of competition.
Leg 1 leaderboard
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1h 17m 21.3sec
2. M Gronholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS +39.6sec
3. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 +57.9sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza +1m34.0sec
5. D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen C4 +2m37.9sec
6. M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS +5m01.3sec
7. C Atkinson/S Prevot AUS Subaru Impreza +5m02.3sec
8. M Stohl/I Minor AUT Citroen Xsara +5m37.9sec
9. X Pons/X Amigo E Subaru Impreza +5m57.5sec
10. A Mikkelsen/O Floene N Ford Focus RS +6m41.8sec
15. J M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS +10m46.3sec
35. H Solberg/C Menkerud N Ford Focus RS +19m52.1sec
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