Rally Finland 2008

De eindstand:

Hirvonen claims second for Ford after epic battle in Finland:

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in Rally Finland today after a thrilling duel with arch-rival Sébastien Loeb during the four-day event. The Finns' seventh podium in nine rallies this year preserves their lead in the FIA World Rally Championship driver standings and keeps Ford on top in the manufacturers' series with the record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car.

Hirvonen and Loeb fought for every second over the blisteringly fast roller-coaster roads of central Finland. The gap between the duelling drivers never rose above 18.2sec over the 24 speed tests covering 340.42km, and despite Hirvonen's final day attack in the forest stages east of his home town of Jyväskylä, he ended this fastest round of the season just 9.0sec behind Loeb.

Finland is regarded as rallying's home and is one of the most specialised events of the season. Famous for its wide, hard roads and stomach-churning jumps, this year's rally also included several narrower sections to test the drivers. Precision driving and bravery are more important here than anywhere else as the fast roads offer little room for error. Such was the pace that average speeds topped 126kph and the fierce battle for victory left third-placed Chris Atkinson more than 3min 15sec adrift.

The battle produced a familiar pattern. As soon as one driver eked out a few seconds over his rival, the other would respond on the next stage to keep the margin stable. Hirvonen won six stages and relished the fight with Loeb, during which he made no mistakes despite constant on-the-limit driving.

"I'm pleased with my driving but I came here to win and Loeb found a few seconds more. We played cat and mouse all weekend and when I won a stage, he usually won the next. For there to be only nine seconds between us after all this crazy driving is amazing. I lost the time by not being brave enough in the narrow sections. It'll be difficult but we must now fight for the win on every round.

"It was a fantastic rally and an amazing fight and it's unfortunate I didn't win in front of my home fans. I pushed right to the end but it wasn't enough. I'm pleased to still lead the championship but one point isn't much. The speed was crazy. Sometimes we could have thrown our pace notes away and just gone for it and I've learned that I could have made my notes quicker," he added.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila finished 39th after a first day accident ended their chances of victory. After breaking a steering arm against a large rock and crashing off the road, the 23-year-old Finnish driver retired from the day, returning to the action yesterday under SupeRally rules with a 45 minute penalty. He concentrated on rebuilding his speed and confidence and went on to claim four stage wins.

"The rally didn't go as I expected unfortunately and I didn't achieve what I wanted, which was a podium. I feel quite empty. It ended for me on Friday morning and that was all due to an error I made on the recce when I didn't mark a rock in my pace notes. At least I got my confidence, rhythm and speed back and drove the new stages which is good for the future. It was difficult to be motivated but the best medicine after an accident is to get back behind the wheel. I know the speed is there so I hope that next year I'll have the chance to fight for a win here," he said.
Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr finished 11th in the team's other Focus RS. "This was an excellent result, especially as I haven't competed for over two months. It was difficult to find the required balance of attacking hard enough and being cautious over the huge crests. One error on the big jumps is enough to drain a drivers' confidence and this is the ultimate 'confidence' event. I'm looking forward to the next rally in Germany which is a very different kind of rally," said Al Qassimi.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: "This wasn't the result we were looking for but having lost Jari-Matti so early, it made it more difficult for Mikko because he had to think about both championships. He delivered an incredible performance and learned a lot having to battle with Loeb for three days, which will make him stronger. They were 0.5sec/km quicker than the rest of the field and I think Mikko drove better than last year which is a big achievement."

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "Tens of thousands of spectators packed the forests to see the action, while the service park in the centre of Jyväskylä provided great entertainment in itself for entire families and generated the kind of atmosphere for which Finland is renowned. Once again this rally has shown it is the championship's benchmark that every event must aspire to match."

News from our Rivals
Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) became only the seventh non-Finn to win the rally in 58 years. Behind the top two cars, Chris Atkinson (Subaru) completed the podium after extending his slender overnight advantage over Dani Sordo (Citroen). Stobart driver Henning Solberg (Ford) and brother Petter (Subaru) completed the top six. There were no major incidents or retirements today.

Next round
The championship returns to asphalt later this month for the first time since January's opening round. Rallye Deutschland is based in Trier on 14 - 17 August.

Bron: M-Sport

Stand na dag 2:

02.08.2008 - Hirvonen still second in Finland as duel reaches new intensity

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen maintained second place during today's second leg of Rally Finland after a titanic battle for the lead over the fastest and most challenging roads in the FIA World Rally Championship. The Flying Finns traded seconds with arch-rival Sébastien Loeb on every speed test to end the day 18.2sec off the lead in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.

The gripping duel drew tens of thousands of fans into the forests of central Finland for what is one of the most eagerly-anticipated days of the season. Such was the pace of the leading two drivers on what is affectionately known as the 'Finnish Grand Prix', that their closest rival is more than three minutes behind with just tomorrow's short day remaining in this ninth event of the 15-round series.

Today's 10 special stages covered 168.25km, almost half the rally's total distance. Based close to the town of Jämsä, south-west of the rally base in Jyväskylä, the action included some of the rally's legendary fast, wide roads and roller-coaster jumps, matched with new narrower sections. Cool temperatures but bright sunshine for much of the day dried the roads made wet by yesterday's showers.

Twenty-eight-year-old Hirvonen fought tooth and nail with Loeb as the two front-runners in the battle for the drivers' world title swapped seconds on every stage. The pattern became familiar. One driver would gain a few seconds, only for the tables to be turned on the following stage as the other driver hit back. Having started the day 14.4sec apart, Hirvonen reduced the gap to a fraction over 11sec with three stage wins, before the Frenchman extended his advantage on the final two tests.

"What an amazing day! It's been so enjoyable and the speeds were absolutely crazy. I was flat out everywhere, taking huge risks, and the pace today has been higher than last year. On one stage I set the record last year. This morning I was 10sec faster than that and then another seven seconds quicker on the second pass - and I still wasn't fastest. I followed Loeb's lines and I could see that he, too, was right on the edge. It's a fantastic fight and very intense," said Hirvonen.

"For every second I won, he took it back from me on the next stage. A lot can happen on tomorrow's fast stages but it will be hard to take that amount of time back on driving alone. Either I need some good luck or he needs some bad luck. A Frenchman on top of the podium in Finland wouldn't be good so I have to try to prevent that," he added.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on an enthralling day. "Jari-Matti took the chance to regain his confidence by winning stages which is good for the next round. Mikko drove at 100 per cent all day but unfortunately was unable to pull time back from Loeb. But it's not all over yet and it's going to be an exciting day tomorrow," he said.

News from our Rivals

Behind the leading two drivers, Stobart driver Gigi Galli (Ford) moved into third on the opening stage but rolled into retirement four stages later. Dani Sordo (Citroen) took over there but came under increasing pressure from Chris Atkinson (Subaru) this afternoon. After starting the day in seventh, the Australian overhauled Sordo on the final stage by just 1.0sec. Henning Solberg holds fifth ahead of brother Petter (Subaru), who overcame a clutch problem early this morning. Toni Gardemeister (Suzuki) had hydraulic problems this morning, causing the loss of power steering, which brought further pain to the Finn who is struggling with a shoulder injury. He is eighth. Team-mate Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) retired from ninth when he went off the road close to where Galli rolled. Munchi's driver Federico Villagra (Ford) rolled out on the penultimate test. Team-mate Luis Perez Companc retired following the final stage after a heavy collision with a rock which required co-driver Jose-Maria Volta to be airlifted to hospital for precautionary checks after experiencing pain in his ribs.

Tomorrow's Route

The final leg is a short, sharp affair. After leaving Jyväskylä at 08.20, drivers face just three stages east of the city covering 40.47km before the finish ceremony at 13.30. The opening stage at Lankamaa is the longest of the rally at 23.09km.

Leaderboard after Day 2
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 33min 43.5sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 34min 01.7sec
3. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 2hr 36min 47.1sec
4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 36min 48.1sec
5. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 37min 15.1sec
6. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 2hr 37min 42.2sec
7. M Rantanen/J Lönegren FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 39min 38.7sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 2hr 41min 12.1sec
9. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 2hr 41min 38.0sec
10 C Rautenbach/D Senior ZIM Citroen C4 2hr 43min 12.6sec

Bron: M-Sport

Stand na dag 1:

1.8.2008 - Hirvonen delights home town fans with fighting drive in Finland

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have been embroiled in a fierce fight for supremacy at the head of the leaderboard in Rally Finland today. The FIA World Rally Championship leaders hold second in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car after a captivating duel with arch-rival Sébastien Loeb over the roller-coaster forest roads of central Finland. The difference between the two drivers after the first of three legs is just 14.4sec.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retired their Focus RS this morning after crashing out of third place on the third stage. The Finns will return to the action tomorrow under SupeRally rules after the team repaired the car this afternoon.

The rally burst into action last night with a short speed test on the edge of the rally's host city, Jyväskylä. But the competition began for real this morning when it moved into the dauntingly fast forests west of the city. Drivers tackled a further 10 stages covering a total of 131.70km, on roads that ranged from tight and narrow sections to fast, wide and hard forest tracks - littered with the stomach-churning jumps for which this rally is so famous.

A heavy shower just before this morning's start was just what Hirvonen wanted. The rain bound together slippery loose gravel on the road surface which had formed after several days' hot weather, providing the 28-year-old Finn with good conditions. Showers continued throughout the day, ensuring that start position, which so often proves a handicap to the early starters on dry gravel roads, had less effect than expected.

"Everything is so close between us that I'm not going to take any gambles by changing the settings on the car. There are many new stages tomorrow so anything can happen on roads that we don't know so well," added Hirvonen.

Latvala held third after this morning's opening stage in his Focus RS but the 23-year-old crashed out about 4km after the start of the next test. "I approached a left-right-left combination of bends and decided to keep the car as straight as I could," said Latvala. "But I hit a rock, which wasn't in my pace notes, with the front right of the car. The handling felt strange immediately afterwards and suddenly I was thrown off the road into the ditch where the car half-rolled and hit a small tree. The data shows I was doing 117kph when I went off....."

The impact broke the front right steering arm and Latvala retired from the day but will return tomorrow with a 45 minute penalty. "I just thought this can't be happening to me again. I felt relaxed this morning and felt really confident in the opening stage and the early part of the next. I want to continue so that I can get my confidence back," he added.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: "I'm disappointed with Jari-Matti. He made a fundamental mistake in making his pace notes by not including the rock he hit. He put more pressure on Mikko, who has done an exceptional job from first in the start order. At the start of the day I felt if we could be within 15sec of the lead we would be in a good position tomorrow."

News from our Rivals

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) held the advantage over Hirvonen from the start and claimed 10 stage wins, two shared with the Finn. Dani Sordo (Citroen), Urmo Aava (Citroen) and Stobart driver Gigi Galli (Ford) all held third, before Henning Solberg (Ford) completed a remarkable progression from 10th this morning to take third on the penultimate test. Galli lies fourth, ahead of Sordo, who spun on stage eight. Aava went off the road on the following test while Andreas Mikkelsen (Ford), who was also in the fight for third this morning, retired on the penultimate stage. Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) spun early in the opening test, dropping nearly 30sec, but recovered to eighth. Team-mate Toni Gardemeister is 10th, despite hurting his right shoulder after going off the road in stage seven.

Tomorrow's Route

The second day offers one of the most eagerly awaited challenges of the season. Drivers face 10 more stages covering 168.25km, almost half the distance of the entire rally. The route heads south-west towards Jämsä and includes some of the event's legendary sections of road, as well as some new, and narrower, stages. Drivers restart at 06.00 and return for the final overnight halt at 20.36.

Leaderboard after Day 1
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 04min 57.9sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 05min 12.3sec
3. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 05min 51.0sec
4. G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 1hr 05min 54.1sec
5. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 06min 03.3sec
6. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 06min 35.7sec
7. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 06min 39.0sec
8. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 1hr 07min 18.3sec
9. M Rantanen/J Lönegren FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 07min 24.5sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 1hr 07min 25.1sec

Bron: M-Sport

01-08-2008 11:25 uur

Latvala out of Friday’s competition:

BP Ford Abu World Rally Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala has crashed out of Friday’s opening day of Rally Finland.

The Finn, who was one of the pre-rally favourites for a win this weekend, drove off the road immediately after a crest, 4.7km into the second stage of the day, the 11.38km Mokkipera.

Latvala’s Focus RS WRC is reported to have suffered frontal damage and is stuck off the road in a ditch.

A spokesperson from the team confirmed than Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila were uninjured, but would be unable to continue today.

Over cautious start for Hirvonen:

BP Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen says he gave away time to Sebastien Loeb through the opening four stages of Rally Finland by driving too cautiously.

The Finn, who currently leads the world championship, trails Loeb by 3.9sec after four stages. But in his team’s service area after SS4 he said he hoped to unlock more speed on the stages to come.

“I’m trying as hard as I can and I’ve been on the limit many times, but my driving hasn’t been consistent,” explained Hirvonen. Some sections have been absolutely perfect but in other places I’m too cautious, braking way too early for junctions and taking it too steady through the narrow sections. The car’s perfect but there is still room for me to improve. Following Jari-Matti’s retirement it’s even more important for me to win the rally and get the maximum points for Ford.”

Hirvonen said he had always anticipated a tough battle with Loeb, but was surprised by the pace of some of the WRC newcomers. “Loeb’s pace is pretty much as I thought it would be, but the time differences between us are small, and I expect it will be close all the time,” he said. “At this point in the rally I was expecting Petter, Chris and Dani to be closer to us, but in fact it’s Urmo Aava who’s third. I think he and Andreas Mikkelsen are both going well.”

Tekst Bron: wrc.com

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