12-08-06 Volkswagen-föraren
Ogier tog klasseger i finska VM-rallyt
Volkswagens fabriksteam tog i helgen en ny klasseger i rally-VM (WRC),
då föraren Sébastien Ogier och kartläsaren
Julien Ingrassia vann S2000-klassen i Rally Finland i sin Skoda Fabia.
Den franska duon, som från och med 2013 kommer att delta i WRC:s
toppklass i den nyutvecklade rallybilen Polo R WRC, kom på tionde
plats totalt bakom vinnaren Sébastien Loeb. Klassegern var
den sjunde för Ogier/Ingrassia i årets upplaga av FIA World
Rally Championship.
Jag är nöjd med tionde plats totalt. På de
snabba grusvägarna tog vi ut absolut allt som var möjligt
ur vår Skoda i konkurrens med de betydligt mer kraftfulla WRC-bilarna.
Självklart siktar vi nästa år på att vara högre
upp med Polo R WRC, säger Sébastien Ogier.
I Rally Finland för exakt ett år sedan gjorde Volkswagen
Motorsport sin första VM-rallytävling sedan 1991. Under
det senaste året har man deltagit i S2000-klassen med två
270 hästkrafter starka Fabia från koncernmärket Skoda.
Detta för att förbereda sig inför deltagandet i WRC
nästa år med den nyutvecklade rallybilen Polo R WRC.
Årets upplaga av Rally Finland bjöd på hastigheter
upp till 200 km/h och hopp på nästan 50 meter, vilket ställde
stora krav på både människa och maskin. Nära
300 000 personer följde rallyt längs de 18 specialsträckorna
över 303 kilometer.
Det är mitt första besök i ett rally och jag
måste säga att jag är imponerad! Det är fascinerande
att se när fansen entusiastiskt hejar på sina hjältar
längs med specialsträckorna. Jag är naturligtvis mycket
nöjd med vad våra förarpar har presterat under det
krävande rallyt. Vi har samlat på oss viktiga erfarenheterna
inför nästa år, säger Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagens
utvecklingschef.
Teamkamraterna Andreas Mikkelsen och Ola Fløene från
Norge slutade tia i S2000-klassen, efter att ha drabbats av en del
tekniska problem och punktering på sista specialsträckan.
Med sina hårda och snabba grusvägar hör Rally
Finland till de mest utmanande och spektakulära rallytävlingarna.
Hela teamet förtjänar stort beröm för deras jobb
att snabbt lösa de små problem som uppstått. Förarparen
var i god form och vi har fått många värdefulla erfarenheter
att ta med oss i vårt WRC-program nästa år, instämmer
Jost Capito, chef Volkswagen Motorsport.
12-08-06
Pontus Tidemand tvåa i Rally Finland
Efter en trevande start på torsdagen för en febersjuk Pontus
så avslutande han Rally Finland på bästa möjliga
vis och vann alla av lördagens specialsträckor och slutade
på en andra plats totalt i tredje deltävlingen av WRC Academy.
- Lördagen var klart bästa dagen för mig, jag har slitit
hårt med koncentrationen hela helgen på grund av att jag
har en kraftig förkylning. Men det kändes som jag kom upp
i mitt vanliga tempo sista dagen, berättar Pontus
Under lördagen så kördes de avslutande sex sträckorna
och sista sträckan var den legendariska Ounienpohja, där
Pontus vann sin femte sträckvinst i rad.
Just sträckvinster är en viktig del i WRC Academy på
grund av att man får en poäng för varje sträckvinst
utöver poängen man får för placeringen.
- Jag överladdade inte alls för jaga sträcksegrar utan
sträcktiderna kom automatisk när jag börja känna
mig bättre och orkade ladda på som jag brukar göra,
berättar Pontus
Med sex sträckvinster som ger en poäng styck och 18 poäng
för andra platsen så gick Pontus upp till en total fjärdeplats
i sammandraget för 2012-års Junior-VM
- Nästa tävling är Rally Tyskland och det blir min
första VM-deltävlig på asfalt och det kommer bli ännu
hårdare att vara med i topp då, då det är flera
av de andra som är asfalts-specialister, avslutar Pontus
12-08-05
Våldsam krasch för Åhlin, andraplats för Tidemand
i WRC Academy - Finland
I helgen avgjordes det finska VM-rallyt Neste Oil Rally i trakterna
kring Jyväskylä. I JVM-klassen WRC Academy skulle de båda
svenska landslagsförarna Fredrik Åhlin och Pontus Tidemand
försvara de svenska färgerna. För Fredriks del slutade
rallyt abrupt redan på den tredje sträckan då han
rullade våldsamt fem och ett halvt varv i full fart. För
Pontus del blev det en stor framgång då han körde
sig till en andra plats i JVM-rallyt.
Fredrik Åhlin som haft en tung säsong fram till det finska
VM-rallyt hade förberett sig väl inför starten, och
han var ordentligt revanschsugen efter att han tvingats bryta i Akropolisrallyt
senast. Men det blev ett riktigt antiklimax för honom och hans
norske kartläsare Morten Abrahamsen. Rallyt tog slut med en våldsam
krasch redan på den tredje sträckan.
- Det var det absolut värsta som någonsin hänt
i hela mitt liv berättar Fredrik för Sportbladet.
- Vi körde väl i 155-160 km/timmen mot ett krön,
och gick fullt på femmans växel. Vi gick ner till fyran
och jag körde på noterna, men när vi kom ner efter
krönet så kände jag hur bakdelen av bilen vandrade
ut och jag trodde att vi skulle ta maxbredd på vägen, inte
mer berättar Fredrik vidare.
Men i stället slog det i ordentligt i diket och bilen slog runt
med våldsam kraft. Varv efter varv tills bilen slutligen stannade,
upp och ner.
- När man hänger i bältet upp och ner efter en
sån här våldsam smäll, och kroppen är fullproppad
med adrenalin, så känner man inte om man har ont eller
om man är skadad på något sätt. Det gäller
bara att få ut mig och Morten så snabbt som möjligt
från bilen, sen får man kolla om man är skadad
säger Fredrik som trots den våldsamma kraschen klarade
sig bra, och likaså hans kartläsare.
- Efter ett tag så kände jag att jag hade ordentligt
ont i högerarmen och även om bilen gått att köra
vidare med så hade det nog inte funkat eftersom armen blivit
rejält mörbultad säger en bedrövad Fredrik.
Men jag är glad att både jag och Morten står
upp efter det här avslutar Fredrik som räknar med
att vara tillbaka igen till Tysklands VM-rally som startar i slutet
av augusti.
Pontus Tidemand och hans norske kartläsare Stig Rune Skjaermoen
var också revanschsugna efter deras drivaxelbrott under Akropolisrallyt.
- Jag kände mig förberedd trots att vi har haft lite
otur med tävlingarna senaste tiden, så jag har inte fått
så mycket SS-kilometer i mig som jag hade velat. Vi var och
körde test här i Finland för en månad sedan och
då tyckte jag det funkade riktigt bra berättar Pontus.
Och funkade riktigt bra, det gjorde det! Efter en lite trevande inledning
på torsdagen, som resulterade i en sjätteplats, blev det
ordentlig fart på ekipaget under fredagen. Det var en mycket
mer fokuserad Pontus som var med i topp direkt på första
sträckan där han presterade tredje bästa tid. Under
dagen fortsatte han i det höga tempot vilket resulterade i en
sträckvinst och tre andraplatser. Detta gjorde att han avancerade
till en andraplats i rallyt inför lördagens avslutande sträckor.
- Fredagen gick riktigt bra, körningen stämde mycket
bättre även fast jag var lite sliten och inte kände
att jag presterade på topp berättar Pontus som hade
startat rallyt med en ordentlig förkylning i kroppen. Dessutom
hade jag tre förare som flåsade mig i nacken så det
gällde att försöka behålla koncentrationen och
farten under lördagen fortsätter Pontus.
Och visst gjorde han det. Under lördagen vann Pontus alla fem
sträckor och det resulterade i en total andraplats i WRC Academy-klassen.
Just sträckvinster är en viktig del i WRC Academy eftersom
man får en poäng för varje sträckvinst utöver
poängen man får för placeringen.
- Lördagen var klart bästa dagen för mig, jag
har slitit hårt med koncentrationen hela helgen på grund
av den kraftiga förkylningen. Jag överladdade inte alls
för jaga sträcksegrar utan sträcktiderna kom automatisk
när jag började känna mig bättre och orkade ladda
på som jag brukar göra avslutar Pontus.
Rallylandslagets förbundskapten Anders Dawidson lider med Fredrik
och gläds med Pontus. Det blir lite kluvet när det
blir så här säger Anders. Jag gläds
med Pontus och jag lider enormt med Fredrik fortsätter
han.
- Först och främst är jag glad för att både
Fredrik och hans kartläsare Morten klarade sig bra från
den vådliga vurpan säger Anders. Det är
otroligt tråkigt för Fredrik med det som hände. Han
är inne i ett motlut som heter duga, med sprängda motorer
och rullningar under tävling. Så det är klart att
det är tufft. Men han har rätt inställning och är
av det rätta virket, och han har tidigare tagit tuffa smällar
på ett bra sätt. Dessutom har han bra folk kring sig så
även om det är tungt nu så är jag övertygad
om att han kommer igen säger Anders.
Vad gäller Pontus så kan jag inte säga annat
än att jag är imponerad över det han gjort i Finland.
Han körde upp sig från en sjätteplats på torsdagen,
till en andraplats på fredagen, och andraplatsen behöll
han sedan hela vägen in till mål. Dessutom tog han alla
sträcksegrar på lördagen. Mycket starkt jobbat
säger Anders som nu blickar fram mot det Tyska VM-rallyt i slutet
av augusti.
- Det ska bli spännande att följa grabbarnas fortsatta
kamp i WRC Academy i Tyskland. Pontus kommer att vara ordentligt laddad
efter framgången här i Finland och Fredrik kommer garanterat
att stånga sig blodig för att nå framgång igen
avslutar Anders.
WRC Academy-klassen vanns av den brittiske föraren Elfyn Evans,
en dryg minut före den svenska landslagsföraren Pontus Tidemand,
som i sin tur tog målflagg åtta sekunder före australiensaren
Brendan Reeves.
I JVM-tabellen parkerar Pontus på en sammanlagd fjärde
plats med sina 41 poäng, och Fredrik befinner sig på en
nionde plats med sina 11 poäng.
Nästa VM-rally avgörs i Tyskland den 24-26 augusti.
Poängställning WRC Academy 2012 Junior VM, efter tre
av sex VM-rallyn:
Pos. Driver / Points
1. Elfyn Evans / 70
2. Brendan Reeves / 52
3. Alastair Fisher / 49
4. Pontus Tidemand / 41
5. Jose Suarez / 34
6. John MacCrone / 25
7. Timo van der Marel / 18
8. Christopher Duplessis / 16
9. Fredrik Ahlin / 11
10. Joao Silva / 10
11. Ashley Haigh-Smith / 4
12-08-04
Feaarless in Finland: Evans makes it two
As one of the most eagerly awaited rounds on the FIA WRC Academy calendar,
every driver dreams of lifting the trophy at rallyings spiritual
home in Finland. But as the 2012 Neste Oil Rally Finland came to a
close in Jyväskylä this evening, there could be only one
winner.
In another dominant performance, Elfyn Evans added the Gravel
Grand Prix to his tally of victories with seven stage
wins and assumed control at the head of the WRC Academy standings.
Rounding off the top-three, Pontus Tidemand claimed second with Brendan
Reeves third.
Day 1 saw the crews travel south for three stages around the picturesque
harbour city of Lahti where a real battle emerged between Evans, Tidemand
and Alastair Fisher -each claiming a provisional stage win on the
opening tests.
Unfortunately, the three-way battle was cut short after Tidemand was
awarded a 10 second time penalty for jumping the start on SS2, demoting
the Swede to sixth place and awarding the stage victory to an ever
improving Jose Suárez on the Spaniards least preferred
surface.
Elsewhere, there was misfortune for Ashley Haigh-Smith 5km into SS1
when the South African incurred damage to the gear lever of his Ford
Fiesta R2. Despite forfeiting more than 12 minutes to the leaders,
the 19-year-old put his bush mechanics training to good
use to get his Fiesta back to service where the M-Sport team were
able to return the car to full working order.
More heartache followed for Swedens Fredrik Åhlin whose
birthday celebrations were cut short with an accident on SS3. Carrying
too much speed into a tight left-hander, the 22-year old rolled his
Fiesta R2. Both crew members avoided serious injury in the spectacular
incident, but too much damage to the rollcage put an untimely end
to the youngsters charge.
Day 2, and as the competition moved closer to the rally base in Jyväskylä,
the dominance Evans showcased at the Acropolis Rally shone through
once more with six out of a possible nine stage wins. What is more,
with Fisher forced to Rally 2 after a puncture caused electrical damage
to the wiring for the fly by wire throttle of his Fiesta, Evans extended
his lead to more than a minute over his nearest rivals.
Despite Evans control of the event, the battle for the final
podium positions was one of the closest and most thrilling in WRC
Academy history with four drivers separated by just 12.3 seconds heading
into the final five tests.
Recovering well from his earlier penalty and having been suffering
from flu earlier in the rally, Tidemand secured a stage victory on
SS6 and was rarely out of the top three on individual stage
times to hold the runner-up spot going into the final day.
Claiming the final two stage wins over Lankamaa 2 [SS11] and the second
pass of the Killeri Super Special [SS12], Reeves was just a further
8.3 seconds adrift in third. Just 3.9 seconds behind the Australian,
Van der Marel continued his strong performance on what had been a
good event for the KNAF supported driver with Suárezs
ever improving technique on gravel bringing the youngster into contention
for his first WRC Academy podium a mere 0.3 seconds behind in fifth.
Day 3 saw the crews embark on what is arguably the most challenging
day of competitive driving the WRC Academy crews have ever faced in
their rallying careers featuring some of Finlands classic
tests with wide roads, fast jumps and the infamously demanding Ouninpohja
stage.
Rising to the challenge, a composed drive from Evans saw the 23-year-old
maintain his lead whilst a clean-sweep of fastest stage times from
Tidemand - including glory on the legendary Ouninpohja stage
saw the Swede consolidate his second place. But it was not enough
to topple Evans whose faultless drive saw the Welshman claim his second
successive win in as many events to assume the lead of the championship.
Elsewhere, the battle for the final podium position played host to
some thrilling driving Reeves, Van der Marel and Suárez
separated by just 1.8 seconds at the end of SS13. The battle was so
intense, that SS14, SS15 and SS16 each saw the final podium place
occupied by a different driver Reeves on SS14, Van der Marel
on SS15 and back to Reeves at the end of SS16.
The final podium position was settled on the classic Ouninpohja stage
when Van der Marel went off the road 3km into the final test, thus
handing third place to Reeves. Suárez decided to settle for
fourth when he encountered Van der Marels stricken Fiesta, but
with a strong improvement on gravel the 21-year-old will be well placed
ahead of the upcoming asphalt events.
A solid drive from Scotlands John MacCrone saw the youngster
secure a strong fifth place with Chris Duplessis enjoying the stages
and bringing his Fiesta home in sixth. Portugals João
Silva secured seventh, with a recovering Haigh-Smith and Fisher claiming
the final points in eighth and ninth respectively.
1st Elfyn Evans said:
I am very happy to take the victory and make it to the finish
on such a prestigious rally, it is such a good feeling. We held it
together throughout the event and got the reward. We take away vital
points towards the championship, especially after our pace yesterday,
and I am very pleased to take seven stage wins.
We had to look after the car today so I did not push for more
points. But it was a great haul of points over the event and our championship
attack is back on track, brilliant!
2nd Pontus Tidemand said:
I am really happy with second place and six stage wins throughout
the rally. I was not feeling well on Day 1 and struggled to find a
good rhythm, but my pace and consistency has improved over the past
two days. I am very happy to take away so many points towards the
championship and I will take away some confidence in my pace from
this event.
3rd Brendan Reeves said:
We are very happy to be on the podium at the finish. It has
been a great battle right from the start, so it was a real shame that
Timo [Van der Marel] went out like that, but we managed to keep Jose
[Suarez] at bay and kept pushing on.
Our outright time was really good it the last stage [SS17],
which was a great way to finish. We have consistently improved over
the course of the event and have gained some great experience. We
will go away very happy and confident ahead of the change to Tarmac
in Germany.
4th Jose Suárez said:
I am happy with our progress over the event and with fourth
position. It is an incredible feeling to get to the finish of such
a famous event. I have learnt a lot over the event and found a good
pace. We have collected good points towards the championship, which
I am also very happy about. I go to the next round on Tarmac with
a big smile on my face.
5th John MacCrone said:
We said before the start of the rally that we would be happy
with a top five finish and we take away fifth place. We were in the
mix pretty much all of today, apart from two stages. I do not really
understand where we lost the time, maybe our pace notes where a little
cautious.
We always knew this would be a difficult event, and are delighted
that we can take away strong points towards the championship. It was
all about learning and gaining experience on this event and we certainly
did that. The stages where exceptionally fast, but great fun. We will
come back here next year and hopefully be able to challenge for a
podium finish. This result was a great confidence boost ahead of Germany
in a few weeks time.
6th Christopher Duplessis said:
This event has been so much fun and it is great to be here at
the end of such a challenging event, especially after the hard work
which went into making sure we could compete here! There were some
stages where we pushed hard and had some good times, but we need some
practice to match the pace of the front runners, it is an honour to
race against them.
Unfortunately this is my last event in the [FIA] WRC Academy
as I am out of budget. I have had an absolute blast and for sure I
have learnt a lot and gained invaluable experience. I have loved every
minute of it, what better way to finish than on Rally Finland!
7th João Silva said:
This has been a really tough event, but I guess without any
kind of experience on a surface with the characteristics of Rally
Finland, we managed to pass through all of the stages without any
major problems, which is a great achievement for us. OK the pace in
the last stage [SS17] was not so great for us, but we just wanted
to take our car to the finish safely.
I have learnt the most from of all rallies to date from this
event and we take away some great experience and driving confidence.
I have really enjoyed the stages and leave here happy. Hopefully we
will be in Germany to make good use of what we have learnt here.
8th Ashley Haigh-Smith said:
This has been a really challenging event for us, which I have
learnt a lot from. It really has been a character building rally.
We have suffered some issues over the rally, but have really enjoyed
the stages and I am happy to still be here at the finish.
The stages were fantastic today, although a little rough on
the second pass, but we expected this when we started. Otherwise,
we found a good rhythm this morning and were going well, but unfortunately
we had a gearbox issue on the second pass which resulted in us loosing
time to the others.
Craig deserves a lot of praise on this event, I am so glad he
was sat next to me, he has helped me to get the car to the finish
that is for sure.
We have a lot of work to do in preparation for Germany in just
over two weeks time, but I will use the experience from here to build
confidence.
9th Alastair Fisher said:
I have mixed feelings at the end of this rally. We started very
well lying second going into Day 2, with a very strong pace and rhythm
shown on Day 1 leaving us just 5 seconds behind the lead. Then we
got a puncture and decided to continue, but unfortunately encountered
issues with the throttle and had to retire from the rest of the day
two stages.
Today we returned under Super Rally regulations and found it
a little difficult to push on the limit, but we are here at the end
and I really enjoyed the stages. They certainly live up to their reputation!
I am obviously disappointed to finish at the back of the field
on this event after such a competitive start, but we will take away
some good experience from the event in preparation for Germany, where
we will be looking for maximum points towards the championship.
12-08-04 Elsewhere,
End of Day quotes, Rally Finland Day 3
Mads Østberg, Adapta World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (5th)
said:
The rally has been quite good. I am not so pleased with what
we have done, but it was OK. We had too many small problems and havent
been able to fight where we wanted to fight throughout the entire
event.
We stayed in touch with the top guys for a while, but we lost
some time with the brake problems and after that it was a little bit
disappointing. Then again we had the fight with Thierry [Neuville],
but then he rolled, so there was a gap again.
It wasnt the way we hoped it would be. I am happy with
the result, but I wanted to be closer to the top.
Matti Rantanen, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (7th) said:
The rally was quite OK. Not what I was looking for, as I wanted
to compete against Ott [Tänak] and Mads [Østberg], but
I think I had too little experience because this was my first rally
of the year! They are going so fast that it was really difficult [to
match their speed].
I really enjoyed the last stages. But then on the first pass
of Ouninpohja, the first four or five kilometres were really slippery
and we went off a little. Apart from that, it was a really fun rally.
Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8th) said:
This was for sure our best rally of the whole season so I am
very satisfied with that. The team did a very good job. We
had a two day test beforehand and I was very happy with the cars
set-up.
Ouninpohja was a bit difficult, but we learnt something new
and next time on this stage we will be better.
Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (9th) said:
The rally was not as good as we wanted it to be, but every stage
was better and on Ouninpohja we had a really good feeling. We had
a good fight with Jari [Ketomaa], but in the end we are losing 2.4
seconds to him, so I was a bit unhappy with that. But we spent some
time in the car and got some good data and information for next year.
The last stage was crazy. Ouninpohja is the hardest stage in
the world and the speed there is something else! But we enjoyed driving
it, and it was not so bad.
Karl Kruuda, Ford Fiesta S2000 (12th) said:
I think the rally was great. We achieved a good result after
a long period of not being in the car. OK, we could have been a little
bit faster in the beginning, but at least we were on the road. If
you go at high speeds there is a good chance that you wont finish,
so we are quite happy.
Ouninpohja was the most difficult stage I have ever driven
it took all of my knowledge of driving. It is very hard to drive the
stage if you have never experienced it before. But I think that with
a couple of years experience, you can drive it with more speed and
a lot more confidence.
Sebastian Lindholm, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (14th) said:
It was a pleasure to do this rally once more. We were driving
at a steady pace all the time and our main goal was to finish
it wouldnt be very nice if you were to go off the road when
you are just doing it for fun!
Ouninpohja is so incredible and so fast. For sure it is so difficult
that it is so easy to make a mistake as we saw this year
because the margins are so small. But I had a lot of fun and I really
enjoyed my time here.
Yazeed Al Rajhi, Ford Fiesta RRC (17th) said:
The rally was really nice and I finished in a good position
with a good time. We had no mistakes and I really enjoyed my first
time on this event. Ouninpohja was too difficult! You must keep a
clean line and make no mistakes which is not easy on such a hard stage.
Edoardo Bresolin, Ford Fiesta RRC (20th) said:
I am happy, but in the last stage [SS18] I felt a puncture in
the front and I had to slow towards the end of the stage. But for
me, the rally has been fantastic. M-Sport are a fantastic team and
my Italian support is so good I am very happy and have a big
smile.
Maciej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (23rd) said:
The rally for me was maybe not perfect, but for the team I think
it was great because we got a lot of points and we are actually now
leading the [S-WRC] championship. I am not so happy with my driving,
because for me it was far too slow. I think there is still in my head
some memories from New Zealand where we crashed three times. But I
hope in GB it will be OK.
Eskapekka Lappi, Ford Fiesta S2000 (25th) said:
The rally was very nice, very unbelievable actually. OK, we
had a few problems but still it was very good and I got a lot of self
confidence because I know now that we have the speed and I know where
we are [compared to the other drivers on the event].
Kari Hämäläinen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (28th) said:
The rally has been very nice and it is very good to be here.
I enjoyed it a lot and hope to be here again next year. Ouninpohja
was unbelievable, but a lot of fun!
12-08-04 Speed and
Maturity pays dividends in Finland as Tänak takes sixth
M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams Ott Tänak showcased a blend
of speed and maturity over the final day of competition at Neste Oil
Rally Finland today to claim vital points and sixth place overall.
Encompassing six stages and 139.8 competitive kilometres south-west
of the rally base in Jyväskylä, Day 3 of Rally Finland was
arguably the most challenging yet. Featuring some of Finlands
classic stages with wide roads and fast jumps, the crews then tackled
two passes of one of the most daunting stages in the championship
the legendary Ouninpohja which, run in its entirety for the
first time since 2007, made up 20 per cent of the rallys total
distance.
With a better road position going into the morning stages, Tänak
showed his pace behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC with two
top-four stage times. Challenging the front runners, the Estonian
was 3.2 seconds faster than Ford World Rally Teams Petter Solberg
on the opening test [SS13] and split the two factory Fords through
Leustu 1 [SS14].
The top-five times continued for Tänak and co-driver Kuldar Sikk
over the second pass as the 24-year-old built his speed throughout
the course of each stage. Following a loss of rear-wheel drive for
Mads Østberg on SS16, Tänaks speed paid dividends
as the Estonian climbed to fifth place 2.1 seconds up on the
Norwegian going into the final two tests.
Despite losing out to a resurgent Østberg on the penultimate
test, Tänak showed his maturity with a composed drive through
the two passes of Ouninpohja securing sixth place and valuable
championship points.
Elsewhere, disadvantaged running his Ford Fiesta RS WRC first on the
road, Novikov concentrated on maintaining yesterdays speed and
making it to the end of the challenging event. After overshooting
some junctions in search of a clean line through the lose gravel on
the opening test [SS13], the Russian was back in the top-ten stage
times through SS14.
Not giving the stages their usual dose of maximum attack
so as not to risk further injury to co-driver Denis Giraudets
back, Novikovs composure continued over the afternoon loop.
Setting the ninth fastest time through SS15 4.6 seconds up
on Thierry Neuville who was also recovering from a roll on Fridays
stages the 21-year-old climbed another four places in the overall
standings.
Taking the two passes of Ouninpohja in his stride, Novikov climbed
another 17 places for 36th place overall and gained valuable experience
of one of the most challenging tests on the WRC calendar.
Ott Tänak (6th) said:
The rally was quite OK. It was a bit frustrating in the beginning
but I think that had a lot to do with our starting position. This
morning we just decided we had to push a bit harder and we
did and everything was going well. The first stages went well, but
for sure Ouninpohja is a very difficult stage and I have never been
there before so we took it a bit easier just to make sure that everything
is OK in the pacenotes.
At the moment, sixth place was the maximum we could have achieved,
so I am happy with that.
Evgeny Novikov (36th) said:
The rally was OK. Not so great but I am satisfied and we are
at the finish. We got some good experience from all the stages and
I feel much more confident and ready for next year.
12-08-04 A Finnish
Finish
Hi everyone,
'Once again - and for the last time - Max and Marco live from Neste
Oil Rally Finland reporting you about the third and last day of the
WRC Team MINI Portugal squad's MINI adventure here.
'Armindo, Miguel, Paulo and Edu already left the last ten minute service
and they're waiting to go over the ramp. It's always a good feeling
when a car successfully leaves service - especially the last one in
a rally. When everyone's has been totally focused and working flat
out and then the car starts up, pulls away and everything's gone OK.
Here in Finland it was even better because we had some blaring music
over the tanoy next to our service area. We're now listening to Finnish
rock while we pack our big structure and wait for the cars to be released
from Parc Fermé.
'After a full week of hard work we're really pleased that both crews
finished such a difficult rally! Here's a bit more about our last
day here in Finland.'
Max
'Today was a pretty straightforward day. The aim for Armindo was to
finish the rally without major delays and get as much experience at
Rally Finland as possible.
'The only hiccough in an otherwise positive day happened on SS16 when
Armindo was pushing to try and catch Sebastian Lindholm - who was
just in front of him in the overall standings - when he damaged a
tyre on his MINI after skidding over to the opposite side of the road
and sliding into a ditch. He had to run the rest of the stage with
a puncture and lost some time. It's a shame because he was doing a
good job on the first half of the stage and he was pulling back some
seconds.
'I'm really proud of Armindo this weekend. He doesn't find Rally Finland
easy but he got through the whole event without making any major mistakes!
Finland's always a tough rally, because you have to take jumps you've
recced at under 18kmph at over 180kmph! This means you have no idea
how far you'll fly or where you land. We really hoped that coming
back to Rally Finland this year in the same car would make it easier
for Armindo, but still with the 'flying Finns' careering through the
stages, he had to keep to his own pace. It's a huge challenge here
and the terrain is really alien for a Portuguese driver, so it was
an event of endurance and survival for us and we did it! Germany is
one of Armindo's strongest events, so we now can hope to be back inside
the top 10 as we his Trier - can't wait! ;-)
'The rally is now finished but the team still has the big job of packing
everything up to be ready to leave tomorrow. When we go back to in
Italy we have a couple of busy weeks waiting for us. We have to prepare
the new MINI for Rallye Deutschland and before that we have a four
day test with Armindo to make sure everything is spot on for the first
Tarmac rally of the season and his first event in an 01B.
'Some of my Portuguese colleagues will join us in the workshop to
help out as there's a lot of work to do. It's nice for me to work
in a mixed nationality team - I have the maximum respect for all my
colleagues. I try to get along with everyone as long as they work
properly. We have to stay together for 10 days per event on 13 rallies
a year, that plus tests means almost half the year - we almost see
each other more than we see our families!
'I'm quite satisfied with what I have achieved so far in my career
but there are still a few dreams that I would like to realize before
I retire (I know I still have many years ahead). I would love to have
worked on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, because that's one of the most
important races in the world. Interms of rallying, I'd like to win
Rallye Monte-Carlo. There are three or four races which are the most
prestigious in the world and those are among them!
'Even if we'll be pretty busy I'll try to take some time to relax
as well - I like to go out on my motorbike, go cycling or taking a
boat tour. I also love old cars, especially I have a passion for Lancias.
I built an old Lancia Fulvia and I'm very proud of it.'
Marco
'Ha, the first time I saw Max's Lancia, the only thing I could say
was, "Wow!" It's seriously impressive - the boys and I reckon
it's better now than it would have been when it was new!!
'That said, back to Rally Finland. Last night we - the other mechanics
on Paulo's car and I - had our hands pretty full. After our trip to
retrieve him, we took the MINI back to service and started working
to get it fixed and ready to go this morning. After three hours it
was as good as new. :-)
'When Paulo set off this morning he was smiling again and I love it
when my driver is happy and in a good mood - it keeps the morale of
the team high. He loved the stages and he even said he was going to
try and be a bit more aggressive as he had a good feeling about today's
stages. However, he was very careful on the second passes through
the stages as the roads were more worn away and stones were coming
to the surface. Meanwhile he says the Ouninpohja stage is like doing
the Col de Turini in Monte-Carlo - you have to respect the stage otherwise
you won't see the end of it. However, on the second pass in Ouninpohja
he really went at his limit, the fastest he could ever imagine going
and he says it was 'amazing, amazing, amazing!!!!'
'Seeing Paulo reach the end of the rally is always great, for him
each rally completed is a big achievement and boy does he know how
to celebrate. ;-) For us, as we pack up the trucks to go back home
our heads are already on the next round ADAC Rallye Deutschland, where
we head later this month. We have to prepare Paulo's car for Tarmac
- surely it's not his favourite surface but I hope he'll enjoy it.
'Tomorrow I go back to Portugal to spend a few days with my kids and
beloved wife. I really want to spend more time with them but I have
a pretty busy life and it's not always easy. I don't think too much
about the future. I live day-to-day, 'carpe diem' is what I say. I
don't make long-term plans often, but I'd like to start! One plan
of course is to be at home (or away!) with my family more. For the
rest, I do what I like and I like what I do. :-)'
'Well we'd better get back to work now, we still have a lot of work
to finish and our colleagues will start complaining soon.
'Thank you for following us throughout the weekend, it was a pleasure
to be your hosts and to tell you all the behind-the-scenes live from
the WRC Team MINI Portugal service area. I hope you enjoyed our columns.
'WRC Team MINI Portugal will be back later this month when we compete
in ADAC Rallye Deutschland and your host there will be a special guest
- watch this space...
'Stay tuned and thank you for the support,'
Max & Marco
Final Overall Classification Rally Finland
1.S. Loeb (FRA)/ D. Elena (MCO) Citroen 2:28:11.4
2.Hirvonen (FIN)/ J. Lehtinen (FIN) Citroen +6.1
3.J.M Latvala (FIN)/ M. Anttila (FIN) Ford +35.0
?4.P. Solberg (NOR)/ C. Patterson (GBR) Ford +56.1
5.M. Ostberg (NOR)/ J. Andersson (SWE) Ford +2:32.1
6.O. Tanak (EST)/ K. Sikk (EST) Ford +2:47.6
7.M. Rantanen (FIN)/ M. Lukka (FIN) Ford +4:51.7
8.J. Ketomaa (FIN)/ M. Stenberg (FIN) +6:01.9
9.M. Prokop (CZE)/ Z. Hruza (CZE) Ford +6:04.3
10.S. Ogier (FRA)/ J. Ingrassia (FRA) Skoda +8:46.0
15.A. Araújo (PRT)/ M. Ramalho (PRT) MINI +12:43.7
38.P. Nobre (BRA)/ E.Paula (BRA) MINI +36:28.6
2012 FIA Drivers' Championship Standings
S. Loeb 171/ M. Hirvonen 128/ P. Solberg 104/ M. Ostberg 90/ J.M.
Latvala 69/ E. Novikov 55 / M. Prokop 38/ T.Neuville 32/ D. Sordo
29/ O.Tanak 26/ N. Al-Attyiah 23/ S. Ogier 23/
A. Araújo
11...M. Stohl 1
12-08-04 Latvala claims
Rally Finland podium for Ford on home ground
Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila claimed a podium finish for
Ford World Rally Team on their home round of the FIA World Rally Championship
in Finland today. They crewed a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car to
third in Rally Finland, while team-mates Petter Solberg and Chris
Patterson finished fourth in a similar car.
Fiesta RS WRCs packed the leaderboard with seven finishing this eighth
and fastest round of the season inside the top 10 as a fleet of privately-entered
cars followed the official Ford entries.
Rally Finland is one of the jewels in the WRC crown. Based in picturesque
forests near Jyväskylä, 270km north of Helsinki, the three-day
rally was the equivalent of athletics 100 metres sprint, with
just 303.52km of competition over 18 speed tests. It was one of the
shortest rounds in the WRCs history and was fought at a furious
pace, with average speeds nearing 130kph.
Huge crowds packed the forests, especially at the classic Ouninpohja
special stage which closed the event tonight. Blisteringly fast roads
and stomach-churning jumps over blind crests make this the toughest
challenge in the sport and two passes over the 33.01km test provided
a fitting finale.
Latvala ended Thursdays short opening leg tied in second, but
the 27-year-old was unable to match the pace of the leaders yesterday.
He was initially frustrated at being unable to perfect the set-up
on his Fiesta RS WRC. However, once he achieved that, he grew in confidence
and pulled away from his team-mate during the final leg to secure
third.
As a Finn competing in Finland, a win is always the target,
but I said before the rally that if I finished on the podium I would
be happy, said Latvala. I enjoyed a clean weekend with
no mistakes and no mechanical issues and I cant say that about
many other rallies this year, so thats a good feeling.
I wasnt at my best in the early part of the event, but
I battled hard to get the set-up right and that paid off as I found
a feeling with which I was happy. Our pace was strong, but not quite
strong enough, so we must all go away and work hard to put that right.
Were not far away, he added.
Solberg set a fastest time during each of the opening two legs and
started the final day just 1.1sec behind his team-mate. A set-up change
to his Fiesta RS WRC to try to further improve performance failed
to pay off and he reverted to his original settings as he settled
for fourth, finishing 21.1sec behind Latvala.
I pushed very hard for the first two days, said Solberg.
This morning we agreed that I would try some different settings
to see if it would allow us to close on the guys ahead. I was looking
for the magic set-up, but it didnt work. The car
was too low and the sump guard was hitting the road so I reverted
back to my original settings.
Jari-Matti and I had exactly the same speed for the first two
days but unfortunately it wasnt fast enough to win. I tried
really hard on the final Power Stage to try to take maximum bonus
points, but I missed out by half a second. That seems to be the story
of the weekend! he added.
Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson was pleased with a podium,
but admitted he had hoped for more. We lost ground during Thursdays
short leg and given the pace of Rally Finland we knew it would be
difficult to pull time back. That proved to be the case and we werent
able to claw back the seconds we lost. However, we had no problems
with either car and it was also encouraging to have seven Fiesta RS
WRCs in the top 10, he said.
Ford Racings European motorsport manager Gerard Quinn said:
I have huge respect for Jari-Matti and Petter for the tremendous
effort they put in this weekend. Its not the result we wanted
but they faced a difficult challenge to regain time, and did a great
job over the fastest roads in the WRC. We now look forward to Germany,
where I hope we can claim a good result on asphalt.
News from other Ford teams
Adapta World Rally Teams Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson
finished fifth in a Fiesta RS WRC, regaining the place in the penultimate
test after losing time with a broken propshaft in the previous stage.
They edged out M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams Ott Tänak
/ Kuldar Sikk, who enjoyed a troublefree rally en route to sixth.
Matti Rantanen / Mikko Lukka claimed seventh, moving ahead of fellow
Finns Jari Ketomaa / Mika Stenberg when they lost time with a puncture.
Czech Ford National Team drivers Martin Prokop / Zdenek Hruza were
ninth and Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet recovered to 36th after
rolling yesterday. Ken Block / Alex Gelsomino went off the road in
the opening stage today and retired on the following test when broken
suspension pitched them off the road after a heavy landing over a
jump. The rally was also the third round of the Ford Racing-supported
FIA WRC Academy and Britons Elfyn Evans / Phil Pugh claimed their
second straight win in a Fiesta RS to move to the head of the championship.
Next round
The series heads to Germany later this month for the first traditional
asphalt encounter of the season. Rallye Deutschland is based in Trier
on 23 - 26 August.
Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 2hr 28min 11.4sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 2hr 28min 17.5sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 28min 46.4sec
4. P Solberg/C Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 29min 07.5sec
5. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 30min 43.5sec
6. O Tänak/K Sikk EST Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 30min 59.0sec
7. M Rantanen/M Lukka FIN Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 33min 03.1sec
8. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 34min 13.3sec
9. M Prokop/Z Hruza CZE Ford Fiesta RS 2hr 34min 15.7sec
10 S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Skoda Fabia S2000 2hr 36min 57.4sec
Drivers
1. S Loeb 171pts
2. M Hirvonen 128pts
3. P Solberg 104pts
4. M Østberg 90pts
5. J-M Latvala 69pts
6. E Novikov 55pts
Manufacturers
1. Citroen Total WRT 280pts
2. Ford WRT 171pts
3. M-Sport Ford WRT 115pts
4. Qatar WRT 49pts
5. Citroen Junior WRT 48pts
6. Adapta WRT 37pts
Stage Times
Stage 13: 1. Loeb 8min 05.7sec; 2. Latvala + 1.2; 3. Hirvonen + 3.9;
4. Tänak + 9.0; 5. Østberg + 11.0; 6. P Solberg + 12.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 28min 36.1sec; 2. Hirvonen + 8.9; 3. Latvala
+ 21.5; 4. P Solberg + 33.6; 5. Østberg + 58.7; 6. Tänak
+ 1:45.4.
Stage 14: 1. Hirvonen 10min 25.8sec; 2. Loeb + 1.5; 3. Latvala + 4.9;
4. Tänak + 7.8; 5. P Solberg + 7.9; 6. Østberg + 9.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 39min 03.4sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.4; 3. Latvala
+ 24.9; 4. P Solberg + 40.0; 5. Østberg + 1:06.4; 6. Tänak
+ 1:51.7.
Stage 15: 1. Loeb 8min 00.3sec; 2. Latvala + 0.5; 3. Hirvonen + 1.9;
4. P Solberg + 5.1; 5. Tänak + 5.8; 6. Østberg + 8.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 47min 03.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 9.3; 3. Latvala
+ 25.4; 4. P Solberg + 45.1; 5. Østberg + 1:14.6; 6. Tänak
+ 1:57.5.
Stage 16: 1= Latvala, Loeb 10min 20.2sec; 3. Hirvonen + 0.1; 4. P
Solberg + 0.3; 5. Tänak + 4.2; 6. Neuville + 11.1.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 57min 23.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 9.4; 3. Latvala
+ 25.4; 4. P Solberg + 45.4; 5. Tänak + 2:01.7; 6. Østberg
+ 2:03.8.
Stage 17: 1. Hirvonen 15min 26.9sec; 2. Loeb + 2.2; 3. Latvala + 5.8;
4. P Solberg + 13.4; 5. Østberg + 16.3; 6. Rantanen + 30.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 12min 53.0sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.2; 3. Latvala
+ 29.0; 4. P Solberg + 56.6; 5. Østberg + 2:17.9; 6. Tänak
+ 2:30.1.
Stage 18: 1. Hirvonen 15min 17.3sec; 2. P Solberg + 0.6; 3. Loeb +
1.0; 4. Latvala + 7.0; 5. Østberg + 15.3; 6. Tänak + 18.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 28min 11.4sec; 2. Hirvonen + 6.1; 3. Latvala
+ 35.0; 4. P Solberg + 56.1; 5. Østberg + 2:32.1; 6. Tänak
+ 2:47.6.
12-08-04
P-G Andersson upp i ledning i Rally-VM för Super 2000 efter segern
i Finland!
Per-Gunnar "P-G" Andersson och hans co-driver Emil Axelsson
kammade hem segern i Rally-VM i Finland för Super 2000-bilar
tillsammans med Protons Fabriksteam. På dagens andra sträcka
övertog P-G och Emil ledningen i rallyt och körde sedan
sekundjämnt med Craig Breen. På sextonde sträckan
fick P-G och Emil problem problem och tappade sin ledning:
- "Drivaxeln gick av höger fram" säger P-G.
De sista två avgörande sträckorna var den klassiska
33,01 km långa Ouninpohja. Inför den sträckan ledde
Breen med 13,3 sekunder:
- "Det är ingen omöjlighet att ta in den tiden på
den här sträckan" säger P-G "Ouninpohja är
verkligen spektakulär. Det är en klassisk sträcka med
hopp och sprätt i varenda kurva. Den är mycket speciell
och svårkörd, speciellt om man inte kört här
förut".
Där hade P-G och Emil en klar fördel. P-G har kört
flera gånger under sin Junior VM-tid. För Craig Breen var
det första gången. Och dessvärre rullade engelsmannen
där inne och tvingades bryta
- "Jag är verligen ledsen för Craigs del. Han gjorde
en riktigt stark insats i rallyt. Mycket tråkigt för deras
del" säger P-G.
Därmed var segern ett faktum för svenskarnas del som vann
rallyt med drygt tre minuter före Yazeed Al Rajhi och drygt fem
minuter före teamkollegan Juho Salo. I och med segern klättrar
de upp i ledning i SWRC, som är Rally-VM för Super 2000-bilar.
- "Det känna otroligt skönt att vinna igen. Vi har
haft en lite problemfylld säsong, så det här känns
j-kligt skönt" skrattar P-G "Vi har verkligen kämpat
hårt i helgen och det gav resultat".
WRC-klassen vanns av Sebastien Loeb, före Mikko Hirvonen och
Jari-Matti Latvala slutade trea. P-G och Emil slutade på en
hedervärd elfte plats totalt.
Nästa tävling för P-G´s del blir VM i England
13-16 september.
Mer info, hittar du på
www.pgandersson.se.
Där vi följt rallyt, sträcka för sträcka.
Rally-VM Finland, SWRC
1. P-G Andersson 2:39:01.2
2 Yazeed Al Rajhi (KZ) 2:42:19.0 +3:17.8
3. Juho Salo (Fin) 2:44:47.9 +5:46.7
4. Maciej Oleksowicz (PL) 2:50:34.6 +11:33.4
5 Esapekka Lappi (Fin) 2:51:19.0 +12:17.8
-. Hayden Paddon (NZ), Bröt
-. Craig Breen (GB), Bröt
Komplett resultat:
http://www.wrc.com/results/2012/neste-oil-rally-finland/stage-times/?stageno=3&category=swrc
VM-tabellen efter Rally Finland/SWRC
1. P-G Andersson 68 poäng
2. Hayden Paddon (NZ) 62 poäng
3. Majicej Oleksowicz (PL) 53 poäng
4. Craig Breen (GB) 243 poäng
5. Yazeed Al Rahji (Sau) 40 poäng
12-08-03 SS18; Loeb
vann i Finland
Mikko Hirvonen försökte in i det sista. Han kammade dock
hem sista sträcksegern och satte nytt sträckrekord, men
tyvärr räkte det inte till seger.
Förarkommentarer:
- "So kul att köra, även om det inte var på gränsen"
Atkinson
- "Bra att vi avslutade rallyt. Vi har fått erfarenhet
inför framtiden" Novikov
- "Vi är i mål, så vi är glada" Lindholm
- "Det har varit en bra helg för oss. Bra för framtiden"
Neuville
- "Sista sträckan var mycket bra. Rallyt var inte så
bra, vi har inte kunnat matcha de andras fart" Prokop
- "Jag lyckades hålla Prokop bakom, det var nära.
Det var en riktigt bra helg" Ketoma
- "Vägarna är väldigt snabba här och jag
hade inte självförtroende. Vi jobbade med setup och ändrade
noterna på vissa ställen. Bra erfarenhet och possitivt"
Tänak
- "Okej. Vi borde vara nöjda. Det har varit ett långt
rally med många svåra sträckor. Femte plats är
inte så dåligt. Bra erfarenhet" Østberg
- "Det var renare, men jag brosmade för tidligt i en kurva
före start. Inga större misstag. Jari är på pallen,
det är viktigt. Jag försökte ta rekordet på sträckan"
Petter
- "Det är en liten besvikelse. Vi skulle gett mer. Problem
från början av rallyt, när vi inte hade rätt
inställningar" Latvala
- "Vi hade en fantastiskt fight. Har Seb en ren körning,
slår man honom inte" Hirvonen
- "Väldigt tillfredställande att vinna i Finland. Det
var väldigt svårt, vi hade en bra fight med MIkko. Vi körde
för fullt hela tiden. Inga större misstag" Loeb
På SS18
1. Hirvonen, 15:17.3
2. Petter, +0,6
3. Loeb, +1,1
4. Latvala, +7,1
5. Østberg, +15,3
6. Tänak, +18,6
7. Rantanen, +22,8
8. Neuville, +25,5
9. Aktinson, +29,5
10. Prokop, +32,4
Efter SS18:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 2:28:11.4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 2:28:17.5 +6,1
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 2:28:46.4
4. Petter Solberg (N), 2:29:07.5
5. Mads Østberg (N), 2:30:43.5
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 2:30:59.0
7. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 2:33:03.1
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 2:34:13.3
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 2:34:15.7
10. Sebastien Ogier (F),
12-08-03 SS17; Hirvonen
tog in 2,2 sekunder!
Sträckan stod still en stund sedan Tahku kört av så
att hans bil hindrade efterföljande bilar. Besättningen
okej. Sträckan vanns av Hirvonen, 2,2 sekunder före Loeb
och 5,8 före Latvala.
En sträcka återstår nu av rallyt och det är
den här sträckan som körs om en avslutande gång
som Powerstage.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag kan inte säga hur svårt det var. Jag tappade
krön och hopp i noternern som aldrig tidigare" Prokop.
- "Jag är nöjd med tiden, men vi hade ett "big
moment" efter starten. Jag slog i något med bakdäcket"
Rantanen
- "Bilen fungerar. Men en sträcka kvar. Vi försöker
att göra lite ändringar på bilen" Østberg
- "En väldigt lös sträcka. Men okej, jag trodde
vi skulle vara snabbare" Petter
- "Vi hade ett bra hopp, i diket. Jag var tvungen att rätta
noterna" Latvala
På SS17
1. Hirvonen, 15:26.9
2. Loeb, +2,2
3. Latvala, +5,8
4. Petter, +13,4
5. Østberg, +16,3
6. Rantanen, +30,0
7. Tänak, +30,6
8. Prokop, +50,6
Efter SS17:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 2:12:53.0
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 2:13:00.2 +7.2
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 2:13:22.0 +29.0
4. Petter Solberg (N), 2:13:49.6 +56.6
5. Mads Østberg (N), 2:15:10.9 +2:17.9
6. Ott Tänak (EE),2:15:23.1 +2:30.1
7. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 2:17:23.0 +4:30.0
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 2:18:17.9 +5:24.9
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 2:18:26.0 +5:33.0
10. Sebastien Ogier (F), 2:20:57.0 +8:04.0
12-08-04 Elsewhere,
Midday quotes, Rally Finland day 3
Mads Østberg, Adapta World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (6th)
said:
The morning has been quite OK. We tried a few small adjustments
on the car and have just been playing it safe really.
But then about eight kilometres before the end of the last stage
[SS16], the propshaft came lose on a fast section and we lost rear-wheel
drive. But the worst thing was that the propshaft itself was banging
around in the tunnel. I was getting very worried that it might come
through so I look it very steady for a while. Then I tried to increase
the speed a bit more even though we only had front-wheel drive
I didnt want to loose too much. We came through, but we lost
a lot of time so we need to gain that back now.
Matti Rantanen, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (7th) said:
The morning stages have been good. I really enjoyed the second
loop and we had a lot of fun. The car is good and when there is a
clean line it is much easier to drive. Now we just have Ouninpohja
I think there might be some excitement on the start line for
this one!
Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8th) said:
We had a puncture in the last Surkee stage [SS15]. Surkee was
not so good for us on both passes so we lost some time there. But
the stages have been very enjoyable with some very fast roads and
now I am looking forward to Ouninpohja which I am sure will be interesting!
Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (9th) said:
Today has been much better than yesterday. It was a shame that
I didnt have the speed yesterday, but I can feel the improvement
and the last two stages [SS15 and SS16] were very good. We enjoyed
that [the last two stages] and the speed was much better so we are
going in the right direction.
Craig Breen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (11th) said:
It was unfortunate what happened to P-G [Andersson, who lost
time with a suspected broken driveshaft], but looking on the splits
I think we were possibly going to overtake him in the stage anyway.
I stepped my pace up a little bit, but I am still not taking any risks
at all really I am on about 90 per cent.
We will see what happens. I need to be quite careful on Ouninpohja.
It is obviously a very technical stage with lots of places to make
a mistake. Ill go for the first pass and see what time we can
do. If we can stay ahead of P-G that would be great, but if not, it
is still mission accomplished for us.
Karl Kruuda, Ford Fiesta S2000 (13th) said:
On the first stage [SS13] I made two mistakes I missed
two junctions so I lost the stage win there. Then on the second [SS14],
it was quite good although it got quite scary in the middle.
On the second loop I dont know what happened on the first
stage [SS15]. I was driving quite normally, but maybe too carefully
in some places. Then on the last one [SS16], I had a really good feeling
in the car but it is just impossible to match the pace of Ogier. But
we are trying to do out best so we will just see how it goes.
Sebastian Lindholm, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (15th) said:
The stages have been quite OK. I thought that I had a puncture
on the second stage this morning [SS14] so I slowed down for the rest
of the stage, but in fact we didnt. Then now we had a problem
on the first stage [SS15] because we put new brake pads in the car
and I didnt warm them up enough so for three kilometres
we had no brakes really. Otherwise we had no problems.
Now we can get to Ouninpohja which is the one I have been waiting
for! I didnt want to retire from the rally before this stage
and I am really looking forward to it.
Yazeed Al Rajhi, Ford Fiesta RRC (18th) said:
The stages have all been really nice today and I am really enjoying
it. On the second loop I pushed a little bit more and improved my
time a lot. Everything with the car is perfect and everything is working
well I hope it continues for the last stages!
Edoardo Bresolin, Ford Fiesta RRC (22nd) said:
Today I am very happy. I am in still in the rally and taking
everything stage by stage. The car is perfect and M-Sports engineers
have been fantastic all weekend. Ouninpohja will be very difficult,
as for me it will be the first time. We will use the first pass to
judge the road, and then try and push a little more through the second.
Maciej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta S2000 (24th) said:
The stages have been a pleasure to drive. The second loop was
a lot easier for me and I was starting to get some rhythm. Now that
the rally is almost over, I think I know how to drive fast here in
Finland! So when we come back, for sure we will be richer for the
experience we have gained here.
Eskapekka Lappi, Ford Fiesta S2000 (35th) said:
The stages have been quite OK today. I dropped the speed a little
bit from yesterday, but it has been quite a relaxed day really. I
could push a little bit more, but we will see how we go. The car is
working well. We changed quite a few parts after yesterday, and it
feels really good. Of course I am looking forward to the final stages
now. That was our main target for the day to make it through
to Ouninpohja.
12-08-04 M-Sport
Ford WRT, Midday Quotes, Rally Finland Day 3
Ott Tänak (5th) said:
The second pass was OK. It is quite a bit rougher now, and there
are some quite nasty places with lots of lose gravel, but it is OK.
It looks as though we have been a bit slow in the beginning of the
stages, but we are improving during the stages so our pace is not
so bad.
I am looking forward to the next one [Ouninpohja] but it will
be tricky because I have never been there before. For sure I want
to get to the end of the stage and gain as much experience as I can.
Evgeny Novikov (53rd) said:
The second pass was OK: nothing special and no big moments.
The stages are pretty much the same as they were this morning. It
was maybe not so nice at the start of the first stage [SS15] for Denis
[who is having some discomfort with his back], but the rest is fine.
There is a little more grip, but there are also some lines which
makes it a little trickier. But the car is good, everything is fine
and it is just a case of making sure we get through all the stages
and make it to the end of this rally.
12-08-03 SS16; Loeb
och Latvala snabbast
Sebastien Loeb och Latvala satte samma tid på den här sträckan.
0,1 sekund före Hirvonen och 0,3 före Petter. Østberg
tappade sin femteplats.
Nu är det service och sedan avslutas dagen med den 33,01 km långa
klassiska Ouninpohja. När den körs om andra gången,
går den även som Powerstage.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Vi har skadat något. Det är kraftiga vibrationer
från bilen" Østberg
- "Jag har en bra känsla, men det var en dålig sträcka"
Latvala
- "Jag kommer att försöka till slutet. Jag vill vinna
det här rallyt" Hirvonen
- "Vi får se, men vi vill behålla ledningen"
Loeb
På SS16
1. Loeb, 10:20.2
1. Latvala, +0,0
3. Hirvonen, +0,1
4. Petter, +0,3
5. Tänak, +4,2
6. Atkinson, +11,1
7. Neuville, +16,9
8. Rantanen, +17,5
9. Ketomaa, +18,2
10. Prokop, +20,6
Efter SS16:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:57:23.9
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:57:33.3 +9.4
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:57:49.3 +25.4
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:58:09.3 +45.4
5. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:59:25.6 +2:01.7
6. Mads Østberg (N), 1:59:27.7 +2:03.8
7. Matti Rantanen (Fin) 2:01:26.1 +4:02.2
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 2:01:56.7 +4:32.8
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 2:02:08.5 +4:44.6
10. Sebastien Ogier (F), 2:04:28.8 +7:04.9
12-08-03 SS15; Loeb
slår tillbaka
Sebastien Loeb slår tillbaka och kammar hem sträcksegern
igen. Han var 0,5 före Latvala och 1,9 före Hirvonen.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Vi fick köra en mil med punktering" Ketomaa
- "Jag försöker verkligen. Men en del ställen
är tuffa och där kör iv inte max" Tänak
- "Vi testar lite inställningar. Det går inte att
köra ikapp de framför. Vi testar och får erfarenhet"
Østberg
- "Det har blivit väldigt tufft" Petter
- "Vi föröker hålla upp pressen. Om det händer
något. Men körmässigt når jag dem inte"
Latvala
- "Vi tappar lite till Loeb här, men jag ska kämpa.
Vi får se. Tre sträckor kvar" Hirvonen
- "Det var tufft på en del ställen. Men jag hade en
bra sträcka. Mikko har inte gett upp" Loeb
På SS15:
1. Loeb, 8:00,3
2. Latvala, +0,5
3. Hirvonen, +1,9
4. Petter, +5,1
5. Tänak, +5,8
6. Østberg, +8,2
7. Rantanen, +12,5
8. Prokop, +14,7
9. Novikov, +16,5
10. Neuville, +21,1
Efter SS15:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:47:03.7
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:47:13.0 +9.3
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:47:29.1 +25,4
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:47:48.8 +45.1
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:48:18.3 +1:14.6
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:49:01.2 +1:57.5
7. Matti Rantanen (Fin) 1:50:48.4 +3:44.7
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:51:18.3 +4:14.6
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:51:27.7 +4:24.0
10. Sebastien Ogier (F), 1:53:35.2 +6:31.5
12-08-04 M-Sport Ford
WRT, Mid-morning quotes, Rally Finland Day 3
Ott Tänak (6th) said:
The morning stages have been quite OK. We have a better starting
position today and things are looking better for us so I am quite
happy.
We made some small changes on the car yesterday and it is feeling
OK at the moment. I am a bit more confident today, and I am looking
to push a bit more. For sure the gap in front of us is too big [to
think about taking another position], so it is just about stage times
for now.
Evgeny Novikov (57th) said:
The morning has not been so bad. Now we have experience of being
[the] first car on the road so everything is fine. We are just going
at the same speed as yesterday, hoping everything will be fine and
we make it to the finish to get through all the stages.
The car is working well, but of course it is difficult running
first on the road. It is slippery, but we are in that position and
I cant complain, it is just the way it is.
12-08-03 14; Hirvonen
knappar in
Mikko Hirvonen vann sträckan och knappade in xx sekunder på
Loeb.
Ken Block har åkt av och skadat bilen så det är färdigkört
för deras del.
Nu är det dags för service. 10:18 körs sedan morgonens
sträckor om en gång.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag blev lite hindrad av Ken Block. Han hoppade lite för
mycket, men är okej" Prokop
- "Vi hade ett ganska stort hopp, et var trevligt" Rantanen
- "Nu är det mycket bättre. Vi har gjort lite ändringar
i setupen" Ketomaa
- "Inte så dåligt. Ganska bra sträcka. Vi försökte.
Vi fick en stor överraskning över ett hopp. Men ganska bra"
Østberg
- "Vi försökte. Trixig sträcka. Jag tog det verkligen
lungt över hoppen. Okej sträcka" Petter
- "Jag försöker verkligen. Men jag vet inte var jag
kan ta in mer tid" Latvala
- "Jag trodde jag hade en punktering bak. Men det försvann"
Loeb
På SS14:
1. Hirvonen, 10:25.8
2. Loeb, +1,5
3. Latvala, +4,9
4. Tänak, +7,8
5. Petter, +7,9
6. Østberg, +9,2
7. Ketmomaa, +22,7
8. Neuville, +23,4
9. Rantanen, +24,5
10. Novikov, +30,3
Efter SS14:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:39:03.4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:39:10.8 +7,4
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:39:28.3 +24,9
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:39:43.4 +40.0
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:40:09.8 +1:06.4
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:40:55.1 +1:51.7
7. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:42:21.0 +3:17.6
8. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:42:35.6 +3:32.2
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:43:12.7 +4:09.3
10. Sebastien Ogier (F), 1:45:08.6 +6:05.2
12-08-03 13; Loeb
snabbast ut idag
Loeb var snabbast ut på första sträckan idag och utökar
därmed sin ledning en aning.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Det är okej, men bilen fungerar inte som jag hoppades.
Vi måste ändra lite på inställningarna inför
nästa sträcka" Petter
- "Jag är nöjd. Jag är mer avslappnad idag och
jag älskar den här sträckan" Latvala
- "Jag slog i en sten i början av sträckan och fick
en punktering. Fick köra så resten av sträckan"
Hirvonen (som hade hjulet fullt med trä...)
- "Jag försöker och är nöjd med starten idag.
Jag är nöjd att slåss om ledningen" Loeb
På SS13:
1. Loeb, 8:05.7
2. Latvala, +1,2
3. Hirvonen, +3,9
4. Tänak, +9,0
5. Østberg, +11,0
6. Petter, +12,2
7. Prokop, +21,5
8. Rantanen, +21,8
9. Neuville, +28,9
10. Ketomaa, 28,9
Efter SS13:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:28:36.1
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:28:45.0 +8,9
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:28:57.6 +21,5
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:29:09.7 +33,6
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:29:34.8 +58,7
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:30:21.5 +1:45,4
7. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:31:32.5 +2:56.4
8. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:31:45.3 +3:09.2
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:32:16.0 +3:39.9
10. Ken Block (USA), 1:33:52.9 +5:16.8
12-08-03
FIA WRC Academy, End of Day Quotex, Rally Finland Day 2
Elfyn Evans (1st) said:
Todays stages were good and I am really happy to hold
onto the lead after Day 2. Obviously Alastair [Fisher] went out quite
early on which was a big shame for him, and for me as I was really
enjoying the battle. We were then left with the difficult task of
balancing speed, looking after the car and being safe and I think
we have managed to do that reasonably well.
Generally things are working well, with only a few minor niggles
throughout the day. We have learnt a lot, but we are definitely still
learning. The big jumps do catch you by surprise out there
no matter how much we were prepared for them and we had quite
a heavy landing on one.
It has been really good fun out there and I have really enjoyed
it. I am really looking forward to tomorrow, but we must opt for the
safe approach as we have it all to loose!
Pontus Tidemand (2nd +1.10.1s) said:
I am feeling much better today as I was suffering from the flu
yesterday. We have had some really good stage times, but I feel we
have yet to reach a consistent rhythm and it has been a little up
and down today.
It has been hard to keep concentration, but I have really enjoyed
the stages and the battle with the other guys. Tomorrow I will look
to push enough to keep the second place.
Brendan Reeves (3rd +1.18.4s) said:
I am really happy with today. We dropped some time on the lead
in the first loop of stages after being handed the second spot as
a result of Alistairs [Fisher] misfortune, so we have been battling
all afternoon to make up the time we lost to the other guys.
I am absolutely over the moon to take the last stage from Elfyn
[Evans]. We have managed to take third place overall at the end of
Day 2, but I am very aware of how close Timo [Van der Marel] is behind
me.
It has been a cat and dog fight the whole way, but its really
good fun. The best thing is that the strong competition makes you
fight and be a better driver, consistently pushing hard all
of us our giving it our all out there!
I was surprised at how rough the second to last stage [SS11]
was in the forest, big rocks where pulled onto the road, but nothing
compared to Greece last month. The second place is still very much
within our reach so I will continue to push tomorrow and look to catch
Pontus [Tidemand].
Timo Van der Marel (4th +1.22.3s) said:
I have had a good day. We have continued to push very hard throughout
the day, but it is a really close battle for the podium spots
I think maybe even the closest battle in my rallying career! There
is only 12.5 seconds between 2nd and 5th positions which is really
incredible after two days.
We will approach the final day the same. I am happy with my
pace, but everyone is pushing very hard and the pace is incredible.
An accident or a little mistake could change everything, we had a
moment this afternoon and I actually do not know how we are still
driving. But we managed somehow to keep it on the road. Everything
is good and I am really looking forward to the final day of what has
been a great rally for us.
Jose Antonia Suárez (5th +1.22.6s) said:
I am very happy with today. The competition is very close between
us all, but I am happy with my pace and have really enjoyed the stages
out there. I have a podium in my mind, but I am not sure if it is
in my hand. I will continue to fight tomorrow and see what is possible
at the end of the rally.
John MacCrone (6th +2:09.6) said:
Today was quite good and we are still attacking and mixing it
up with those who competed here last year, which I am really happy
about.
We had two bad runs through Lankamaa experiencing a heavy
impact on the front left corner both times. We continued, but were
cautious of a potential puncture losing over 40 seconds overall from
the two runs.
I was impressed with our consistent pace over the stages today,
it is so fast out there and there are some very big jumps! The car
has been great all day, standing up to the challenging conditions.
It is really all about the experience we can gain from this event
and getting the car to the finish, but a top 5 finish would be a massive
bonus from this historic rally and anything higher would be a dream
result!
Christopher Duplessis (7th +4:16.5) said:
I have had a really good day and I am enjoyed every minute of
it. The roads just kept getting better and better and we got to run
each stage twice giving us the perfect opportunity to learn from the
first pass through the stage. This is such a fun rally!
We are getting used to the roads and learning all of the time.
Where we are sitting at the end of today, there is not so much room
to improve unfortunately. But we will continue to push with a cautious
approach and take the car to the finish line. Maybe the guys in front
will encounter issues as they battle for the podium, we will see.
João Silva (8th +7:56.7) said:
Today has been very difficult, but I am happy to be here at
the end of Day 2 in Finland. Our pace was a little slow this morning,
but we used the first pass to learn and improved considerably on the
second loop this afternoon.
Now I am starting to learn how to drive in Finland. Of course
I would like to see more improvement in my pace, but I am here to
gain experience. I am really happy with what I have achieved today
and I have really enjoyed the challenge of the stages. For the final
day, I will try to put into practice what I have learnt today.
Ashley Haigh-Smith (9th +23:10.6) said:
We had a good start to the morning with a confidence boosting
stage. However, errors began to creep in on the next two stages and
we lost considerable time in comparison to the guys ahead. We also
encountered further problems in the second loop loosing our
front right brake pipe when a stone got caught in the brakes.
Tomorrow we will try and overcome our issues and look towards
building confidence in preparation for Rally Germany. This rally has
definitely been a steep learning curve for me, but I have really enjoyed
the stages so far and will hopefully close in on Chris [Duplessis]
tomorrow.
Alastair Fisher (10th +39:58.3)
Fisher suffered a puncture near the start of SS5. After deciding to
continue, the Northern Irishmans Ford Fiesta R2 suffered electrical
damage which stopped the fly by wire throttle from working. Fisher
will restart under Rally 2 regulations tomorrow.
12-08-03 Elsewhere,
end of Day quotes, Rally Finland Day 2
Mads Østberg, Adapta World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (5th)
said:
The two first stages after service [SS9 and SS10] were really
tricky. We struggled a lot because I think we ran the car a bit too
low. I tried to run with the same ride-heights as Petter [Solberg],
but it didnt work that well for me so we lifted the car for
the last stages which helped a lot.
We have some small problems with the rear brakes, which we probably
had before service and was why I was not 100 per cent happy with the
car. We changed the set-up and it didnt work out, so we changed
it back again.
It has just not been perfect, and everything needs to be perfect
if you want to do well on this rally. Unfortunately there have been
a few small things that have made things a bit difficult. OK, it is
not hopeless, but it is not perfect either.
Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (7th) said:
This evenings stages have been much better than the other
ones. The car is working fine and the set-up is much better so everything
has improved a lot. Tomorrow we will just enjoy the stages and try
as hard as we can to set some good times.
Matti Rantanen, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8th) said:
The last real stage [SS11] was really good for us, but still
we lost quite a lot of time there and I dont really know why.
The other two [SS9 and SS10] were OK stages, but nothing special.
I still dont have much confidence in the rear of the car, especially
on the wide roads where you can find your own line it is difficult
to trust the grip levels. Tomorrow we will just try to enjoy the last
day.
Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (9th) said:
This evening has been a bit better again. We are improving with
every stage so the last one [SS12] was quite good and we really enjoyed
it. The speed was good and weve made up a bit of distance to
the other guys about a second per kilometre so it is
getting better, but still I am not happy with the speed.
I am happy with the car and our lines, it is just the pace we
need to work on. Well try a few things and see. The changes
we made in service worked well so the car is working much better for
me now. We will just try to be better tomorrow.
Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (10th) said:
I was able to go a bit faster this evening. The grip was better
and the stages were nice and swept so I had a lot more confidence.
I really enjoyed it they were some of the best stages I have
ever driven in my life, and even one of the best Super Specials I
have ever driven. So I can honestly say that it was one of the best
days of my rallying career as far as enjoyment goes. There were lots
of jumps and turns over crests really enjoyable stages. I like
going fast and these stages are definitely fast!
Craig Breen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (12th) said:
This evening went really well. Obviously Lappi fell into trouble
which was a bit disappointing, but I am pleased with our position.
I am just chuffed to get to the end of the day to be honest. We didnt
push the maximum, nowhere near the maximum anywhere really. The speed
is coming OK, and I think if we can keep at this speed and keep ahead
of P-G [Andersson] Ill be happy. I dont want to have to
go any faster because I am very much inside my comfort zone right
now.
We made some set-up changes on the car in service which has
really helped. We were having a lot of trouble with tyre wear on the
rears, so that has helped that out a lot.
Karl Kruuda, Ford Fiesta S2000 (14th) said:
The stages were very rough and I think I have a problem with
the rear differential, but I am not quite sure. There are some loud
noises when I accelerate and take right corners.
The first couple of stages were OK. We almost got a stage win
but in the end I spun, so I played that card out! The second one [SS10]
was OK, but Lankamaa [SS11] I have never liked that stage never
really suited me. Tomorrow our main goal will be to get to the finish
with the best time.
Sebastian Lindholm, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (15th) said:
This afternoon was OK and I was very surprised that the stages
were in such good condition. I expected that they would be in a bad
condition on the second run because normally that is the case, but
this year, not at all. I think it must be because of all the rain
we have had it has made the roads very strong!
The car is good, but tomorrow we have a long and difficult day.
I know a little of the stages [tomorrow], but most are completely
new to me and are driven in the opposite direction. They are really
difficult stages with some really fast, narrow sections so a lot will
still be happening!
Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Ford Fiesta RRC (20th) said:
For me this evenings stages have been really nice. I am
learning a lot and trying to push a little bit. OK, the car is a lot
softer after we made some changes, but I am really enjoying it. Tomorrow
we will just try to continue the way we have been going, but the last
stage is 32 kilometres. I hope everything goes OK and I clear that
stage with no problems but I am really looking forward to it!
Edoardo Bresolin, Ford Fiesta RRC (23rd) said:
I really liked the stages. It is very difficult, but I am happy
because the gaps [to the other competitors] are much smaller than
they were yesterday. The car is fantastic. Our M-Sport engineer has
been helping me with the set-up and today has been good.
I prefer rallying on gravel, but the gravel here is very different
to what I am used to. In Italy the gravel is not so fast and here
in Finland there are lots of jumps and the straights are so fast.
For me it is a fantastic experience.
Maciej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta S2000 (26th) said:
The last loop was very rough, but we are here and the car is
ok. We just still cant find the proper speed and we are just
trying to find the problem. I hope tomorrow we will find the solution
the car looks OK, so maybe it is me!
Tomorrow we will start comfortably. It is hard to say that we
will push because there is quite a big gap to the guys ahead, so we
will just try to keep the rhythm and see what happens.
Kari Hämäläinen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (32nd) said:
The car is much better now and this evenings stages have
been very nice and a lot of fun. The roads were not bad at all, and
tomorrow we will be aiming for a good finish.
Eskapekka Lappi, Ford Fiesta S2000 (50th)
After loosing power-steering on SS10, Lappi went off the road. Making
it back to service where the team could fully repair his Fiesta for
the final day, the Finn will restart under Rally 2 tomorrow.
12-08-03 Consistency
and determination pays dividends for M-Sport´s young guns in
Finland
In a dramatic day for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team at Neste Oil
Rally Finland, Ott Tänaks consistency paid dividends as
the Estonian claimed sixth place at the end of Day 2. Elsewhere, Evgeny
Novikov demonstrated his own style of sisu to effect an
impressive recovery following a big roll on SS5.
As the rally reconvened for 133.82 competitive kilometres close to
the rally base in Jyväskylä, the Estonian pairing of Tänak
and co-driver Kuldar Sikk put in a strong performance despite their
disadvantageous road position to climb three places in the overall
standings.
In spite of their Ford Fiesta RS WRC riding too low and limiting the
speed through the opening test [SS4], the 24-year-old was able to
set the seventh fastest time just 4.6 seconds adrift of pacesetter
Sébastien Loeb and close the gap to Qatar World Rally
Teams Chris Atkinson in eighth. Another seventh fastest time
through SS5 was enough to see Tänak move ahead of the Australian
to secure seventh position overall.
Disadvantaged playing sweeper running earlier on the road than his
rivals, Tänaks consistency continued over the afternoon
loop. Never out of the top-ten, the youngster was able to stay in
touch with those benefiting from running later in the order and was
just 1.7 seconds adrift of Ford World Rally Teams Petter Solberg
through Mokkipera 1 [SS6].
With improved grip on the stages over the evening pass, Tänaks
consistency saw the Estonian able to match the times of the front
runners just 0.2 seconds adrift of Mads Østberg through
SS9. Now, with a mature and composed drive granting the youngster
sixth place at the end of Day 2, Tänak will be well placed for
a strong haul of points when Rally Finland embarks on the final day
of competition tomorrow.
The morning loop was a dramatic one for Novikov and co-driver Denis
Giraudet. Setting the 6th fastest time over the opening test
encompassing one of the highest and most spectacular jumps in the
field the young Russian leapfrogged Atkinson to move up to
seventh place; less than 10 seconds adrift of the battle for fifth.
Unfortunately, there was heartache for the 21-year-old on Jukojärvi
[SS5] when his familiarity of the course saw him take a corner too
quickly. Running out of room by a mere half metre, Novikov was unable
to get his Ford Fiesta RS WRC straight and rolled off the stage.
Nevertheless, thanks to an heroic effort from the M-Sport mechanics,
the car was back on the stages for the afternoon loop and the team
avoided what would have been over 40 minutes worth of Rally 2 time
penalties.
Backing off over the crests and jumps through the afternoon
so as not to risk co-driver Giraudets back which was causing
the Frenchman some discomfort following their earlier excursion
Novikov impressed with a string of top-ten times.
Given the circumstances, the Russian continued his impressive performance
through the evening stages. Never out of the top-ten on individual
stage times, Novikov climbed 10 places; thus demonstrating the speed
and determination which makes him one of the most exciting young drivers
in the championship.
Ott Tänak (6th) said:
The stages were quite OK. They were very rough in places and
we clipped a rock and had a slow puncture on the first one [SS9] and
we didnt have a second spare so we tried to avoid all the rough
places as best we could. But we made it through OK, so there were
no major problems.
We are up to sixth now, but positions are not so important right
now, it is more about pace. We will just carry on and see how the
feeling is.
Evgeny Novikov (65th) said:
This evening was OK same as the earlier loop, nothing
special. We are just keeping the same speed and taking it very carefully
over the bumps and crests. The car is good and the mechanics did a
very good job in service. Tomorrow we will just see how we go
get some more good experience of the stages and try to set some good
times.
12-08-03 Friendly Policemen
and Mud Showers
'Hello,
'This is Max Pelucchi and Marco Moreiras again live from Jyväskylä,
home of Neste Oil Rally Finland. Day Two just came to an end and it
was a long day for the WRC Team MINI Portugal crews.
'Our alarms went off pretty early this morning at 5 o'clock and we
set off for the Service Park to start another day of MINI adventures.
Today's itinerary included eight Special Stages in the forest plus
the traditional Killeri Super Special Stage in Jyväskylä's
Trotting Track, totaling 133,82km.
'In the morning everything went smoothly. Armindo and Paulo completed
the first five stages of the day with no problems and brought both
their MINIs back to service twice without a scratch between them -
what a relief! Paulo enjoyed the stages so much that he even said
that he could feel the blood flowing through Porquinho Verde's pipes.
;-)
'Unfortunately Paulo hit a big rock and bent an arm on SS9 and when
he was hurrying to make up time on the road section to SS10, he was
stopped by the police... But low and behold, when he rolled down his
window he recognized the policeman as being the same one who fined
him back in 2010. It's a small world! The policeman recognized Paulo
too and even though he had to stick to the law (of course!) and give
him a fine for speeding they took a quick snap together (right).
'Paulo made it to SS10 on time, but his mind was elsewhere and unfortunately
he then went off the road again getting stuck in 50 or 60cm of mud.
It was a real effort to dig the MINI out and when Marco started the
engine and put the car into reverse, Rui got covered from head-to-toe
in mud! Finally though we recovered Porquinho Verde and now we have
three hours to work and get her in top form for tomorrow to restart
under Rally 2 regulations.
'Here's a little from our individual perspectives...'
12-08-03 Battling Ford
duo hold third and fourth in Finnish speedfest
Ford World Rally Teams drivers ended todays second leg
of Rally Finland separated by just 1.1sec in third and fourth. Jari-Matti
Latvala and Miikka Anttila hold third in their Ford Fiesta RS World
Rally Car in their home round of the FIA World Rally Championship,
while team-mates Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson are fourth in
a similar car.
Finland is the fastest round of the 13-event series and such is the
pace over the gravel roads in the forests near Jyväskylä,
270km north of Helsinki, that average speeds have neared 130kph. At
such high speeds time differences are small and the leading four cars
are covered by just 21.4sec going into tomorrows final leg.
Eight Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Cars are packed into the top 10 leaderboard,
with a group of privately-entered cars following the official Ford
team entries.
After yesterdays short and sharp opening leg, today was a much
longer and more demanding affair. Little more than seven hours after
turning their engines off last night, competitors were back on the
road at 06.30 this morning. They tackled eight speed tests in the
countryside before the action ended with a short special stage at
Killeris trotting track on the edge of Jyväskylä.
The nine tests covered 133.82km over a mix of narrow tracks and the
fast, wide, roller-coaster roads for which this rally is so famous.
While the day offered a mix of sunshine and clouds, the rain stayed
away. It meant those starting further down the running order benefited
from cleaner and faster conditions, as the early starters swept the
road surface clear of slippery gravel.
Latvala was tied for second last night, with Solberg just 1.9sec behind.
The gap between the Ford pairings never rose to more than 3.8sec today
as they set a strong and consistent pace. However, Latvala and Solberg
were unable to prevent their two rivals ahead from opening a narrow
advantage as the day progressed.
Twenty-seven-year-old Latvala made modifications to his cars
set-up overnight but slipped behind Solberg during the opening two
stages. Further changes improved his confidence and feeling with the
Fiesta RS WRC. He moved back in front during the second group of stages,
an advantage he held during the final four tests this evening, when
conditions became rutted and rough.
The morning was frustrating because I wasnt happy with
the cars set-up, said Latvala. But once I got that
right then my confidence increased and my driving improved. Im
still further behind the leaders than I want to be, but everything
is still open and Ill keep pushing tomorrow on roads that I
know and enjoy. The trophies arent given out until the end so
theres still plenty to fight for.
Because the set-up wasnt perfect, I couldnt settle
into a good rhythm. I wasnt relaxed and I perhaps pushed too
hard to try to force the times. My driving wasnt clean enough
and that cost fractions of a second, which all added up, explained
Latvala.
Solberg relished the close battle at the head of the leaderboard during
a relatively untroubled day. The 37-year-old Norwegian, who won a
stage during yesterdays leg, added a second fastest time on
the final country test this afternoon and ended the leg with a 26.3sec
advantage over his closest pursuer. His only issue was an overshoot
after a crest in the final loop.
I settled into a good rhythm and set good times, said
Solberg. I was happy to win the penultimate stage but its
incredible that after more than 23km of competition, the difference
between the first two drivers was just one-tenth of a second.
I would like to be closer to our rivals ahead but we werent
able to match them for outright speed. The gaps were close though,
and there is still another long day tomorrow. The final two stages
comprise such a large proportion of the rally that nothing is going
to be certain until we are through both those tests, added Solberg.
Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson said the team was still
in the victory fight. The most difficult day of the rally lies
in wait and we remain in the battle at the top of the leaderboard.
I would have liked our cars to be closer to the front to really put
the pressure on, but there remains plenty to drive for. There are
eight Fords inside the top 10 and thats something we can be
proud of tonight, he said.
News from other Ford teams
Adapta World Rally Teams Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson
duelled with Belgian Thierry Neuville for fifth and overcame handling
and brake issues to claim the spot in their Fiesta RS WRC when Neuville
rolled in the penultimate test. His demise promoted M-Sport Ford World
Rally Teams Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk to sixth, having started
in ninth. Team-mates Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet rolled in the
second stage, but the damage to the car was mainly cosmetic and they
continued, despite losing almost half an hour. Jari Ketomaa / Mika
Stenberg are seventh, despite a morning-long misfire, ahead of fellow
Finns Matti Rantanen / Mikko Lukka and Czech Ford National Team drivers
Martin Prokop / Zdenek Hruza. The leaderboard is rounded off by Ken
Block / Alex Gelsomino in 10th on their first visit to Finland.
Tomorrows Route
The final leg features classic Rally Finland stages, encompassing
wide roads and big jumps. After a 07.00 restart, competitors face
two identical loops of two tests south-west of Jyväskylä.
The route then heads to the Ouninpohja stage, near Jämsä,
regarded as the most challenging in the sport. Two passes over the
33.01km test cover more than 20 per cent of the rallys distance
and provide a tough finale. The second pass comprises the Power Stage,
with bonus points on offer to the fastest three drivers. The finish
is in Jyväskylä after six tests covering 139.80km.
Leaderboard after Day 2
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 1hr 20min 30.4sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 1hr 20min 35.4sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 20min 50.7sec
4. P Solberg/C Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 20min 51.8sec
5. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 21min 18.1sec
6. O Tänak/K Sikk EST Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 22min 06.8sec
7. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 22min 58.7sec
8. M Rantanen/M Lukka FIN Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 23min 17.8sec
9. M Prokop/Z Hruza CZE Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 23min 48.8sec
10 K Block/A Gelsomino USA Ford Fiesta RS 1hr 25min 17.4sec
Stage Times
Stage 4: 1. Loeb 5min 59.5sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.3; 3. Latvala + 0.9;
4. P Solberg + 1.4; 5. Neuville + 4.1; 6. Novikov + 4.3.
Overall: 1. Loeb 21min 06.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 7.6; 3. Latvala + 8.2;
4. P Solberg + 10.6; 5. Østberg + 12.1; 6. Neuville + 13.1.
Stage 5: 1. Hirvonen 10min 34.0sec; 2. Loeb + 3.2; 3. P Solberg +
4.9; 4. Østberg + 6.9; 5. Latvala + 7.4; 6. Neuville + 9.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 31min 43.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 4.4; 3. P Solberg +
12.3; 4. Latvala + 12.4; 5. Østberg + 15.8; 6. Neuville + 19.4.
Stage 6: 1. Hirvonen 5min 29.6sec; 2. Loeb + 0.6; 3. Latvala + 2.4;
4. P Solberg + 4.7; 5. Østberg + 5.1; 6. Neuville + 6.3.
Overall: 1. Loeb 37min 14.0sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.8; 3. Latvala + 14.2;
4. P Solberg + 16.4; 5. Østberg + 20.8; 6. Neuville + 25.1.
Stage 7: 1. Loeb 7min 08.8sec; 2. Latvala + 1.9; 3. P Solberg + 2.2;
5. Østberg + 3.8; 6. Neuville + 5.1.
Overall: 1. Loeb 44min 20.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 6.2; 3. Latvala + 16.1;
4. P Solberg + 18.6; 5. Østberg + 24.1; 6. Neuville + 30.2.
Stage 8: 1. Hirvonen 11min 11.4sec; 2. Latvala + 0.2; 3. P Solberg
+ 0.5; 4. Loeb + 1.2; 5. Østberg + 6.8; 6. Neuville + 7.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 55min 33.4sec; 2. Hirvonen + 5.0; 3. Latvala + 15.1;
4. P Solberg + 17.9; 5. Østberg + 29.7; 6. Neuville + 36.5.
Stage 9: 1. Hirvonen 5min 26.8sec; 2. Loeb + 1.7; 3. Latvala + 3.5;
4. P Solberg + 3.7; 5. Neuville + 5.2; 6. Østberg + 7.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 01min 01.9sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.3; 3. Latvala
+ 16.9; 4. P Solberg + 19.9; 5. Østberg + 35.2; 6. Neuville
+ 40.0.
Stage 10: 1. Loeb 7min 01.7sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.4; 3. Latvala + 1.0;
4. P Solberg + 1.8; 5. Neuville + 2.5; 6. Østberg + 5.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 08min 03.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.7; 3. Latvala
+ 17.9; 4. P Solberg + 21.7; 5. Østberg + 40.4; 6. Neuville
+ 42.5.
Stage 11: 1. P Solberg 11min 03.2sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.1; 3. Loeb +
0.8; 4. Latvala + 2.9; 5. Østberg + 5.8; 6. Ketomaa + 11.6.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 19min 07.6sec; 2. Hirvonen + 3.0; 3. Latvala
+ 20.0; 4. P Solberg + 20.9; 5. Østberg + 45.4; 6. Tänak
+ 1:34.8.
Stage 12: 1. Loeb 1min 22.8sec; 2. Latvala + 0.3; 3. P Solberg + 0.5;
4. Novikov + 1.3; 5. Tänak + 1.6; 6. Hirvonen + 2.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 20min 30.4sec; 2. Hirvonen + 5.0; 3. Latvala
+ 20.3; 4. P Solberg + 21.4; 5. Østberg + 47.7; 6. Tänak
+ 1:36.4.
12-08-03 P-G Andersson
avancerar i Rally-VM i Finland - Tvåa med bara 3,7 sekunder
upp till första platsen!
Redan under rekogonseringen innan rallyt, förutspådde
Per-Gunnar "P-G" Andersson och hans co-driver Emil Axelsson
att dagen sträckor skulle bli utslagsgivande.
- "Det just det här som vi förutspådde. Eftersom
vägarna var rätt mjuka insåg vi att det skulle bli
tufft med stenar somskulle komma fram. peciellt på de sträckor
som kördes två gånger. Vi bestämde därför
redan inför rallyt att försöka köra smart och
använda huvudet lite, eftersom bilen inte riktigt har rätt
fart än" skrattar P-G.
Svenskarna höll upp ett högt och stabilt tempo och såg
till att undvika stenarna. Rallyts tvåa, Hayden Paddon, tvingades
bryta efter sträcka fem.När sedan rallyt ledare Eskapekka
Lappi tvingades bryta efter att ha slagit sönder bilen efter
ett hopp på tionde sträckan, var de åter med på
allvar i tätstriden. Inför morgondagens rally ligger de
tvåa, bara 3,7 sekunder upp till ledaren Craig Breen.
I morgon körs sex avgörande sträckor med start 06:56
svensk tid. Rallyt avslutas med att den klassiska Ouninpohja, som
är 33,01 km, körs två gånger.
- "Sista sträckorna är verkligen spektakulära"
berättar P-G "Det är en klassisk sträcka med hopp
och sprätt i varenda kurva".
I morgon kommer rallyt att gå på lite blandat underlag:
- "Vi kommer att gå för fullt i morgon och försöka
ta full pott här. Men eftersom Hayden Paddon inte startar om
i morgon, är det nu väldigt jämnt i VM-tabellen, så
vi kommer inte att ta alltför stora risker".
Mer info, hittar du på
www.pgandersson.se. Där kommer vi att följa rallyt,
sträcka för sträcka.
Rally-VM Finland, SWRC efter dag 2
1. Craig Breen (GB) 1:26:03.5
2. P-G Andersson 1:26:07.2 +3,7
3. Juho Salo (Fin) 1:27:14.4 +1:10.9
4. Yazeed Al Rajhi (KZ) 1:28:03.2 +1:59.7
5. Maciej Oleksowicz (PL) 1:32:10.7 +6:07.2
6 Esapekka Lappi (Fin) * 1:39:44.4 +13:42.2
* = Superrallytid
12-08-03 SS12; Loeb
vann sista sträckan
Loeb vann sista sträckan, 0,3 sekunder före Latvala och
0,5 före Petter.
Det var allt för idag. I morgon återstår sex sträckor,
med start 06:56 svensk tid.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Det har varit en svår dag, men lite olika problem. När
allt fungerar kör vi fort. Men jag tror vi tog det lite för
lugnt. Men det har varit en okej dag så får vi ta i mer
imorgon" Østberg
- "Vi har ett bra rally. Kul fight med Hirvonen. Vi får
se i morgon" Loeb
- "Det var en bra superspecial för mig. Jag tappade lite
i en kurva. Men jag är närmare än nånsin på
en superspecial" Latvala
På SS12:
1. Loeb, 1:22.8
2. Latvala, +0,3
3. Petter, +0,5
4. Novikov, +1,3
5. Tänak, +1,6
6. Hirvonen, +2,0
7. Østberg, 2,3
8. Prokop, +2,6
9. Ketomaa, +2,6
10. Araujo, +2,6
Efter SS12:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:20:30.4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:20:35.4 +5,0
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:20:50.7 +20,3
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:20:51.8 +21,4
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:21:18.1 +47,7
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:22:06.8+1:36.4
7. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:22:58.7 +2:28.3
8. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:23:17.8 +2:47.4
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:23:48.8 +3:18.4
10. Ken Block (USA), 1:25:17.4 +4:47.0
12-08-03 SS11; Petter
vann sin första sträckseger
Petter Solberg vann sin första sträckseger i årets
Finlands-tävling och var 0,1 sekund före Hirvonen och 0,8
före Loeb.
Neuville har rullat och är kvar på sträckan
En superspecial som startar 19:00 är allt som återstår
av dagens rally.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag körde hårt. Jag missade lite i en kurva, men
jag kunde annars inte gå så mycket fortare. Är Mikko
snabbare, är han snabbare. Det blir en hård kamp även
i morgon" Loeb
- "Allt kan hända, men jag hittar ingen mer fart någonstans.
Men förhoppningsvis kommer vi på något i natt"
Latvala
- "Vi har en dag kvar att ta sekunder. Det här är verkligen
rally. Jag tar lite tid och det blir en stor fight i morgon"
Hirvonen
- "Jag är nöjd, men jag hade lite problem med växeln
på sträckan. Vi hade kanske kunnat gå fortare, får
se vad vi kan göra" Petter
På SS11:
1. Petter, +11:03,2
2. Hirvonen, +0,1
3. Loeb, +0,8
4. Latvala, +2,9
5. Østberg, +5,8
6. Ketomaa, +11,6
7. Tänak, +13,2
8. Novikov, +16,0
9. Rantanen, +20,2
10. Prokop, +22,6
Efter SS11:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:19:07.6
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 01:19:28.5 +3,0
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:19:27.6 +20,0
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:19:28.5 +20,9
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:19:53.0 +45,4
6. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:20:42.4 +1:34,8
7. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:21:33.3 +2:25,7
8. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:21:51.6 +2:44,0
9. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:22:23.4 +3:15,8
10. Ken Block (USA), 1:23:51.9 +4:44,3
12-08-03 SS10; Loeb
snabbast
Sebastien Loeb drog längsta strået på den här
tuffa sträckan och var 0,4 sekunder före Hirvonen och 1,0
före Latvala.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Vi hade en smygpunktering på förra och är
utan reservdäck nu" Tänak
- "Greppet är okej, men bitvis är det stora stenar
och trixigt. Jag var lite försiktig på vissa partier. Jag
hade en bra sträcka, men vi får se. Förhoppningsvis
blir nästa mindre tuff" Loeb
- "Jag är nöjd med bilen. Vi har testat med inställningen.
Vi tappade en sekund igen. Det är svårt. Loeb är stark
nu" Latvala
- "Vi tappade lite, men inte som i morse, så jag är
nöjd. Jag ska komma nära till i morgon. Alla sträckor
och alla sekunder räknas" Hirvonen
- "Jag gillade sträckan men tappade lite tid. Jag hade hoppats
ta lite. Vi hade inga problem, men det är detaljer" Petter
- "Vi har ett oljud bak. Jag vet inte vad det är och handbrosmen
fungerade inte" Østberg
På SS10:
1. Loeb, 7:01.7
2. Hirvonen, 0,4
3. Latvala, +1,0
4. Petter, +1,8
5. Neuville, +2,5
6. Østberg, +5,2
7. Tänak, +8,4
8. Ketomaa, +10,2
9. Rantanen, +16,2
10. Novikov, +16,7
Efter SS10:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:08:03.6
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:08:07.3 +3,7
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:08:21.5 +17,9
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:08:25.3 +21,7
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:08:44.0 +40,4
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 1:08:46.1 +42,5
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:09:26.0 +1:22,4
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:10:18.5 +2:14,8
9. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:10:28.2 +2:24,6
10. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:10:57.6 +2:54,0
12-08-03 Elsewhere
, Midday Quotes, Rally Finland Day 2
Mads Østberg, Adapta World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (5th)
said:
We are struggling a bit with the set-up. I felt on the second
stage that the car was understeering a lot so I couldnt push
so much. Then on the last stage [SS8] we tried to change the car a
bit, but it just oversteered so much that I was not able to push at
all and I was not able to go on the throttle. It was definitely a
tricky last stage and I understand why we lost time.
Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (8th) said:
Everything has been OK. The morning was very good but then we
had a small misfire through the afternoon which lasted the whole loop.
We will have a look and see what we can do.
Matti Rantanen, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (9th) said:
Today has been a little bit better than yesterday, but still
I am struggling with the driving because it is really hard to find
the right rhythm. Sometimes I go too slowly into the corners and sometimes
I go too fast.
We will make some small changes in service, but there isnt
really a lot we can do. This afternoon should be better though as
there should be some better grip on the stages.
Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (10th) said:
Things have been better today. We changed a few things on the
car this morning and the feeling has been much better. We just had
a small problem on the middle stage [SS7] with the pacenotes so I
did a few mistakes on the high-speed sections. But we are OK and we
will continue. I enjoyed the last stage [SS8] a lot and we will amend
the pacenotes for the second pass.
Eskapekka Lappi, Ford Fiesta S2000 (12th) said:
I am so happy! The result is so good at the moment, and to be
on the pace of [Sebastian] Ogier is super! I dont know these
stages all that well these last three [SS6, SS7 and SS8] are
quite unknown to me but we have some really good pacenotes.
Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (14th) said:
I really like these stages and I think they are a lot of fun.
I just want to finish this rally and learn as much as I can here but
it is a bit frustrating that I am loosing the amount of time that
I am especially to the [Fiesta] S2000s. But it is what it is
and Im here to learn and get as many miles under my belt as
I possibly can.
It is fun though, these stages really are awesome and the last
one [SS8] was one of the most fun stages I have ever driven.
Craig Breen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (16th) said:
The back end of the car is a little bit loose and the pacenotes
for the last stage [SS8] were maybe a little overly cautious. But
well have a look and hopefully get it sorted for the second
pass.
Kark Kruuda, Ford Fiesta S2000 (17th) said:
The first and second stages on the second loop [SS7 and SS8]
were quite ok, but I dont know what happened on the last one
[SS8] really. For me the driving was OK, the speed was good, but the
time was bad. I dont know where to find the other 0.6 seconds
per kilometre.
Maybe Ill try a different driving style this afternoon
and see if that helps. Im not going to change anything on the
car. In the last service I adjusted the differentials a little. It
was a little bit better for the first couple of stages. But like I
say, everything seems OK, it is just the speed that isnt.
Sebastian Lindholm, Ford Fiesta RS WRC, (20th) said:
The stages have been very slippery today, especially the last
one [SS8] which was incredibly slippery. There is no problem with
the car, just the driver but it is a lot of fun.
This weekend has been more difficult that I had expected, but
of course that is due to not being so well prepared with only a 40km
test and no rallies for many years. It would have been easier had
I had a proper test and maybe one small rally beforehand to understand
again what it is all about.
This afternoon we will just continue the way we have been going.
Enjoy our time here and run our own race.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Ford Fiesta RRC (22nd) said:
The stages have been very nice. On the second stage after service
[SS7] I lost a little concentration on one corner, and then the last
one [SS8] was a little too fast for me. But I am learning a lot on
this rally and will just try and do the same this afternoon.
Maciej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta S2000 (28th) said:
The roads are a little bit rougher today, like everyone was
expecting. But it is fine and the car is working perfectly
except for a small problem on the last stage [SS8] when the shift
lights started to flash constantly, but it is not a big problem.
We need to work a bit on our speed, because the times are not
what I want them to be just yet. We will lift the car a little in
service because the stages will for sure be even rougher. And then
just try to continue and improve a little bit
Kari Hämäläinen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (35th) said:
The stages have been very good, but there is something not quite
right with the car. Im not quite sure what is wrong. In the
morning everything was great, but this afternoon it has not been so
good. We will just have to check it in service and see what we can
do for the afternoon.
12-08-03 M-Sport Ford
WRT, Midday Quotes, Rally Finland Day 2
Ott Tänak (7th) said:
The stages have been quite nice very Finnish stages
but there was a lot more loose gravel on the stages than there has
been previously so it was quite tricky in places. I hope it will be
raining on the second loop and that we can go a bit quicker because
we didnt do too well with our starting position. We were hoping
for lots of rain, but it was completely dry. So for sure sixteenth
would have been the better option. But OK, we will see what this afternoon
brings.
Evgeny Novikov (74th) said:
The car is fine no problems but it is quite difficult
to drive at the maximum speed and to concentrate because I have to
slow down over the crests so as not to risk Denis [Giraudet]
back. But it is better to do the stages than not to do them at all.
12-08-03 SS9; Mikko
fortsätter ta hem sträcksegrar
Mikko Hirvonen forstätter knappa in på Loeb och tog hem
en ny sträckseger. Han var 1,7 sekunder före Loeb och 3,5
före Latvala. Det skiljer nu bara 3,3 sekunder mellan Hirvonen
och Loeb.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Bilen är bra, men vägen börjar bli dålig.
Det är mycket stora stenar på vägen. Lätt att
få punktering. Inte lätt" Loeb
- "Jag är nöjd med bilen. Men vägen var inte alls
bra. Jag hade kunnat köra bättre, men vägen var så
dålig" Latvala
- "Jag fick ta i. Men det är mycket stenar" Hirvonen
- " Jag gjorde ett misstag bland stenarna. En del ställen
är rätt dåliga" Petter
På SS9:
1. Hirvonen, 5:26,8
2. Loeb, +1,7
3. Latvala, +3,5
4. Petter, +3,7
5. Neuville, +5,2
6. Østberg, +7,2
7. Tänak, +7,4
8. Ketomaa, +10,9
9. Rantanen, +11,2
10. Prokop, +11,2
Efter SS9:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 1:01:01.9
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 1:01:05.2 +3,3
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 1:01:18.8 +16,9
4. Petter Solberg (N), 1:01:21.8 +19,9
5. Mads Østberg (N), 1:01:37.1 +35,2
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 1:01:41.9 +40,0
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 1:02:15.9 +1:14,0
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 1:03:06.6 +2:04,7
9. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 1:03:10.3 +2:08,4
10. Martin Prokop (CZ), 1:03:36.6 +2:34,7
12-08-03 SS8; Hirvonen
snabbast igen
Mikko Hirvonen vann sin tredje sträckseger. Han var 0,2 sekunder
före Petter och 0,5 före Loeb.
Chris Atkinson har åkt av vägen på sträckan
och föröker starta igen och kom sent om sider i mål.
Nu är det dags för service och SS9 startar 15:08 svensk
tid.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag har problem med bakdiffen. Hög temperatur, vi förlorar
olja. Bilen sladdar överallt" Loeb
- "Äntligen. Skönt att vi i mitten av rallyt inte tappar
mer. Jag har en bra Sisu-känsla nu" Latvala
- "Slog i en sten i en kurva. Jag trodde jag fick en punktering.
Men det vara bara halt" Hirvonen
- "Väldigt nära. Jag försöker allt jag kan"
Petter
- "Det är svårt. Vi förökte göra lite
förändringar innan, men det fungerade inte. Bilen understyr.
Bakändan glider ut i varje varje kurva" Østberg
På SS8:
1. Hirvonen, 11:11,4
2. Latvala, +0,2
3. Petter, +0,5
4. Loeb, +1,2
5. Østberg, +6,8
6. Neuville, +7,5
7. Tänak, +16,3
8. Rantanen, +20,3
9. Ketomaa, +28,2
10. Prokop, +28,2
Efter SS8:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 55:33.4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 55:38.4 +5,0
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 55:48.5 +15,1
4. Petter Solberg (N), 55:51.3 +17,9
5. Mads Østberg (N), 56:03.1 +29,7
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 56:09.9 +36,5
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 56:41.7 +1:08,3
8. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 57:28.9 +1:55,5
9. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 57:32.3 +1:58,9
10. Martin Prokop (CZ), 57:56.1 2:22,7
12-08-03 SS7; Loeb
snabbast igen
Sebastien Loeb vann åter sträckan, 1,9 sekunder före
Latvala och 2,2 före Petter.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Vi får försöka. Jag försökte igen.
Mikko har hittat en snabb rytm. Hade några misstag på
förra, men den här kändes bättre" Loeb
- "Det är inte possitivt just nu, men vi närmar oss.
Det är nu bara några sekunder." Latvala
- "Det var okej. Det var stenigt. Vi försöker igen
på nästa" Hirvonen
- "Det verkar som Seb drar ifrån. Vi måste forsätta
pressa, inge annat" Petter
På SS7:
1. Loeb, 7:06.8
2. Latvala, +1,9
3. Petter, +2,2
4. Hirvonen, +2,4
5. Østberg, +3,8
6. Neuville, +5,1
7. Atkinson, +9,8
8. Tänak, +10,1
9. Rantanen, +16,5
10. Ketomaa, +19,0
Efter SS7:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 44:20.8
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 44:27.0 +6,2
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 44:36.9 +16,1
4. Petter Solberg (N), 44:39.4 +18,6
5. Mads Østberg (N), 44:44.9 +24,1
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 44:51.0 +30,2
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 45:14.0 +53,2
8. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 45:16.3 +55,5
9. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 45:49.3 +1:28,5
10. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 46:00.6 +1:28,5
12-08-03 M-Sport Ford
WRT, Mid-morning quotes, Rally Finland Day 2
Ott Tänak (7th) said:
We were struggling a bit with the set-up on the first stage
this morning [SS4]. The car was too low at the back and it was touching
the road a lot and killing the speed. But we made some adjustments
and made the car a bit higher for the second one [SS5] and it was
OK.
The second stage was very loose and for sure at the moment we
are not in the perfect position. But maybe if we get some rain this
afternoon it will get better for us.
We are not pushing, but the feeling is OK so we will see how
this afternoon goes.
Evgeny Novikov (78th) said:
On the first stage [SS4] there was nothing special. We had a
big jump over the crest with a heavy landing and Denis [Giraudet]
hurt his back a bit, but he is OK.
Then on the second stage [SS5] we were driving at the same speed.
We were pushing on a very fast corner I remember it well from
the recce but I was too fast. I put the car sideways and at
the end of the corner we were half a metre short and I couldnt
get the car straight.
We rolled two times, but we will fight to keep going and I hope
12-08-03 SS6; Ny sträckseger
för Hirvonen
Mikko Hirovnen kammade hem sin andra raka sträckseger. Han var
0,6 sekunder före teamkollegan Loeb och 1,8 sekunder före
Latvala. Latvala klev åter förbi Petter och tog tillbaka
tredje platsen.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Mikko var väldigt snabb på förra. Men jag
körde hårt här. Några problem, körde lite
för hårt, men inga större misstag" Loeb
- "Vi har ändrat lite i bilen. Det känns lite bättre.
Men bilen var nog lite för låga för sträckan.
- "Jag trodde inte det gick så bra. Det var bra en bra
tid" Hirvonen
- "Vi provade att ändra lite, men jag tappade. Jag vet inte
vad. Vi hade lite rytmproblem i början på sträckan"
Petter
På SS6:
1. Hirvonen, 5:29.6
2. Loeb, +0,6
3. Latvala +2,4
4. Petter, +4,7
5. Østberg, +7,4
6. Neuville, +6,3
7. Atkinson, +6,7
8. Tänak, +7,4
9. Rantanen, +9,9
10. Ketomaa, +13,7
Efter SS6:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 37:14.0
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 37:17.8 +3,8
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 37:28.2 +14,2
4. Petter Solberg (N), 37:30.4 +16,4
5. Mads Østberg (N), 37:34.3 +20,3
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 37:39.1 +25,1
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 37:57.1 +43,1
8. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 37:59.7 +45,7
9. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 38:23.5 +1:09,5
10. Matti Rantanen (Fin), 38:37.3 +1:23,3
12-08-03 SS5; Hirvonen
slår tillbaka
Mikko Hirovnen har hittat rytmen och vann sträckan, 3,2 sekunder
före Loeb och 4,9 sekunder före Petter. Petter klättrade
förbi Latvala och ligger nu trea.
Novikov har åkt av och är kvar på sträckan.
Besättningen mår bra, men bilen är för skadad
för att fortsätta.
Nu är det dags för service. SS6 startar 10:38.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag gillar det verkligen. Men jag gjorde några mistag
i en kurva, där det var mycket folk och jag fick motorstopp"
Block
- "Det går bättre och bättre. Den här sträckan
var bra" Prokop
- "Bra tid, men vi hade några problem med motorn på
slutet. Den misstände" Ketomaa
- "Det känns bra i bilen. Jag är nöjd med min
fart" Loeb
- "Jag försöker verkligen. Jag kan inte matcha Loeb,
han är väldig snabb. Jag föröker köra renare,
men inget hjälper nu" Latvala
- "Jag gjorde lite småjusteringar. Resten sitter mellan
öronen. Vi hade en bra rytm" Hirvonen
- "Seb gör ett väldigt bra rally. Det är inte
lätt" Petter
- "Nu funkar intercomen. Men tiden är inte bra. Det är
synd att förlora så mycket tid. Vi får fundera på
service" Atkinson
På SS5:
1. Hirvonen, 10:34.0
2. Loeb, +3,2
3. Petter, +4,9
4. Østberg, +6,9
5. Latvala, +7,4
6. Neuville, +9,5
7. Tänak, +13,8
8. Ketomaa, +16,8
9. Atkinson, +19,2
10. Rantanen, +20,8
Efter SS5:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 31:43.8
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 31:48.2 +4,4
3. Petter Solberg (N), 31:56.1 +12,3
4 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 31:56.2 +12,4
5. Mads Østberg (N), 31:59.6 +15,8
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 32:03.2 +19,4
7. Ott Tänak (EE), 32:20.1 +36,3
8. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 32:23.4 +39,6
9. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 32:40.2 +56,4
10. Martin Prokop (CZ), 32:58.6 +1:14,0
12-08-03 SS4; Loeb
visar styrka i Finland
Sebastien Loeb visar att han minsann vill vinna även i Finland.
Han vann första sträckan idag, 0,3 sekunder före Hirovnen
och 0,9 före Latvala.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Jag körde inte så bra på sträckan. Några
misstag. Ibland för sakta. Lite svårt att hitta rytmen,
men okej" Loeb
- "Jag är förvånad över hur snabb Loeb är
nu. Men det gick bättre den här gången" Latvala
- "Det är bättre nu. Vi sladdar lite för mycket"
Hirvonen
- "Väldigt jämt. Jag tappade lite tid, men jag är
nöjd. Det har varit en bra morgon" Petter
- "Jag är besviken. Jag försökte lite för
mycket och tappade linjen. Det betalade sig inte, tvärtom."
Østberg
- "Vi hade problem med intercomen. Jag hörde inte allt co-drivern
sa" Atkinson
På SS4:
1. Loeb, 5:59,4
2. Hirvonen, +0,3
3. Latvala, +0,9
4. Petter, +1,4
5. Novikov, +4,3
6. Novikov, +4,3
7. Østberg +4,6
8. Tänak, +4,6
9. Aktinson, +8,0
10. Ketomaa, +9,7
Efter SS4:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 21:06.6
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 21:14.2 +7,6
3 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 21:14.8 +8,2
4. Petter Solberg (N), 21:17.2 +10,6
5. Mads Østberg (N), 21:18.7 +12,1
6. Therrie Neuville (B), 21:19.7 +13,1
7. Eyvind Novikov (Rus), 21:29.1 +22,5
8. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 21:30.2 +23,6
9. Ott Tänak (EE), 21:32.3 +25,7
10. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 21:49.4 +42,8
12-08-03 WRC Academy,
End of Dya quotex, Rally Finland Day 1
Elfyn Evans (1st) said:
We started off quite well today. We struggled to get a rhythm
early on in the first stage [SS1], but we improved from there. I was
happy with the Super Special [SS2], although I could see room for
improvement. But then on the last stage [SS3], we found a good rhythm
and pace.
I am very happy to be on top after a long first day. The car
was fantastic with no problems at all. It was a great start, I just
need to maintain it tomorrow.
Alastair Fisher (2nd +2.8s) said:
The first stage [SS1] was OK, but I maybe didnt attack
it to its full potential as we were conscious that it was the stage
we had an accident on last year. Again we were lacking slightly in
confidence on the Super Special [SS2], but got into a really good
rhythm right from the start on the last stage [SS3] and we were happy
with the result. The car was perfect, well balanced and felt really
good."
Brendan Reeves (3rd +17.5s) said:
I am quite happy with today. We probably took the first stage
[SS1] a little conservative and lost a little time there it
is really dry and we have experienced a lot of sideways action. Then
we went into the Super Special [SS2] and had a good clean run there.
This evening we had our lights on and had the confidence to
attack the last stage [SS3] quite hard, but unfortunately we lost
a little time with a spin in one of the last corners. Apart from that
we showed good pace and rhythm in this stage which we will take into
the stages tomorrow. We are into third place after a great day of
competition and looking forward to the fight tomorrow.
Timo Van der Marel (4th +17.6s) said:
Today was a really good day with nice stages, although not so
stereotypical of the Finnish roads with not so many jumps but
this actually worked to our advantage. Our pacenotes are working very
well, with only a few minor changes compared to last year and the
car is perfect. We will approach tomorrow the same as today. I am
happy with our pace, and with our fourth position. It is a long rally
and I predict the top four will not remain the same at the end of
this rally!
John MacCrone (5th +29.9s) said:
We had a good run in the first stage [SS1] and were very happy
with our pace. We made a few minor mistakes in the Super Special stage
[SS2], but got to the end. The last stage [SS3] was very fast, I was
maybe a little cautious and dropped some time there.
But we are very happy to be the highest of those competing for
the first time here and the car is spot on. We are having a great
battle with Pontus [Tidemand] and looking forward to the stages tomorrow.
Today has been a day of experience, which we will hopefully use to
our advantage tomorrow.
Pontus Tidemand (6th +34.8s) said:
Today was quite OK, but we were not pushing to our maximum.
The stages were as fast as I expected, and we are just finding the
rhythm of the front runners. I am really looking forward to the stages
tomorrow with some big jumps!
Jose Antonia Suárez (7th +38.8s) said:
It has been a good day overall. I have a really good feeling
with the car and I am happy with our pacenotes and preparations. The
stages were as we expected, very fast. I will take the experience
of today into tomorrow and hopefully improve our times against the
other guys with maximum attack!
Christopher Duplessis (8th +1:07.4s) said:
So far this rally has been awesome! The stages are really good
and the Super Special [SS2] was a blast. I made a small mistake on
the first stage [SS1] and lost some time [30 seconds], but brought
the car to the finish.
I am having a good time and the car is really good. Alex [Kihurani]
is great and we are happy with our pacenote preparation. We are learning
all of the time and really looking forward to the big jumps tomorrow.
I hope we can close in on the front runners with our pace.
João Silva (9th +1:48.3s) said:
It has been a good day with no problems on my debut here in
Finland. The first two stages were good. I made some changes to the
set-up on the car on the final stage [SS3], but unfortunately lost
some time and confidence so I will revert back to the original set-up
for tomorrow. We are learning all the time and tomorrow is a long
day, but we will approach it in the same way as today keep
calm and continue to learn step-by-step.
Fredrik Åhlin (10th +10:05.0s)
Retired on SS3 with an accident..
Ashley Haigh-Smith (11th +13:13.6) said:
The day started great but about 5km into the stage [SS1] the
gear lever snapped. We had to stop on the stage to see if we could
fix the problem, but in the end Craig [Parry] had to help by pulling
the gear shift for me. We stopped on the road section to work on the
car to make the gear shift work and arrived 4 minutes late at the
next control.
The stages were awesome. I was lacking in confidence early on,
but Craig reassured me. We will start again from scratch tomorrow
and take the experience from today to see how we can improve.
12-08-03 Elseewhere,
end of Day quotes, Rally Finland Day 1
Mads Østberg, Adapta World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (4th)
said:
Today has been a good day. We started off carefully on the first
stage [SS1], then on the Super Special [SS2], we had a lot of spray
on the windscreen from the car in front which totally destroyed it
[the visibility] and we lost a bit of time there.
We had a good run over the last stage [SS3] and we are still
in contact with the top guys which is what we wanted. OK, Sébastien
[Loeb] has pulled away a little bit but we are very close to Jari-Matti
[Latvala] and Mikko [Hirvonen] so we are very pleased with that and
we will try to fight with them tomorrow as well.
Jari Ketomaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (10th) said:
I am very happy at the moment. Compared to starts in other rallies
this year, this has been a lot better. I am feeling better in the
car and the cars set-up is much better basically everything
is much better than any other rally. We did two days testing which
is carrying us to the better results for sure. The car and the tyres
are working very well and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
Martin Prokop, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (11th) said:
I have to say that the start was not so good for me because
of our qualification. We have to clean the stages so we are losing
a lot of time. But OK, we are trying to improve and work on the car.
On our last rally in Estonia [auto24 Rally Estonia] we were losing
a lot of speed in the car so we still have a lot to learn.
I hope it will rain tomorrow. This will be good for us so maybe
we wont have to clean the roads so much!
Esapekka Lappi, Ford Fiesta S2000 (13th) said:
Today has been really good but still we have places to improve.
I am not yet 100 per cent satisfied, but it was a good start to the
rally. The car is fantastic no problems at all and the
stages have been great. The last stage was really good because it
hasnt been driven for almost 30 years and it was good to have
a fastest time there. I am looking forward to tomorrow and hoping
to continue the same.
Matti Rantanen, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (14th) said:
This afternoons stages were not so good for me. On the
first one [SS1] I stalled the engine on the start line it was
starting on Tarmac which I hadnt practised at all, but what
can you do. On the second one [SS2] I wanted to take it really carefully,
then on the third [SS3], we were just looking for a clean drive because
we have a long day tomorrow and I need to get my confidence back.
Ken Block, Monster World Rally Team, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (17th) said:
These were great stages, they were just really sandy and there
was a lot of gravel so being fourth on the road I was doing a lot
of sweeping today. I wish I had a better starting position, but it
is what it is and I am really looking forward to tomorrow. The roads
will be more of the traditional Finnish stages, whereas today they
were a lot flatter the same sort of roads you have all over
the world so I am really looking forward to tomorrow.
Craig Breen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (18th) said:
It has been an emotional day, but we are here. We survived and
got round which was good and the speed wasnt too bad so I am
pleased with that. Theres a lot of room for improvement so I
am looking forward to tomorrow and we will see how it goes.
Karl Kruuda, Ford Fiesta S2000 (19th) said:
This afternoon was quite ok. The first stage [SS1] wasnt
so good I took it as Shakedown because I was unable to do the
official one yesterday, so it was a bit sketchy. But the third one
was good. There were a couple of mistakes but we are heading upwards
and I am looking forward to tomorrow: bigger, faster, stronger.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Ford Fiesta RRC (22nd) said:
This was my first experience here in Finland so I tried not
to push and make too many mistakes. The first stage [SS1] was really
slippery but on the small stage [SS2] it was easy to see every corner
so I pushed a little bit. The third stage [SS3] had a lot of crests
and was really narrow totally new to me to we just took
it really carefully.
Everybody has competed here many times before, but for me it
is the first time. All the corners and crests are a totally new experience.
But I am learning all the time and really enjoying this rally.
Sebastian Lindholm, Ford Fiesta RS WRC (26th) said:
This is the first time I have competed here since 2005 and everything
is new. You dont remember the roads and you forget how to drive,
how to make pacenotes and then at this age you are not so brave!
For two years I have been thinking that it would be nice to
do this rally once more, but last year it was not possible for me,
but then this opportunity came. The stages were very slippery and
quite difficult this afternoon, but we are starting to have some fun
and learning a little bit more all the time. If we have rain tomorrow,
maybe we will be on a better position on the road which will make
driving nicer.
Maciej Oleksowicz, Ford Fiesta S2000 (28th) said:
The stages have been beautiful today. I wasnt expecting
the conditions to be so good so flat, so much grip, absolutely
perfect stages. The car is working well and we are just trying to
find the proper speed on these roads, The last stage [SS3] was good
and I think now we know how to go faster for tomorrow.
Edoardo Bresolin, Ford Fiesta RRC (31st) said:
For me, it is very difficult because the car and the stages
are so new to me. But we are working with our M-Sport engineer and
improving our understanding all the time. I am enjoying being here
in Finland and looking forward to tomorrow.
Kari Hämäläinen, Ford Fiesta S2000 (35th) said:
The stages were quite good this afternoon. OK, the last one
was a little bit different because it was getting a little bit darker,
but no problem. The car is very good and I am looking forward to tomorrow.
12-08-03 M-Sports Young
guns take Lahti stage in their stride
M-Sport Ford World Rally Teams Evgeny Novikov and Ott Tänak
completed a solid first day at the 2012 Neste Oil Rally Finland to
lay 8th and 9th respectively at the end of Day 1.
The rally started in Lahtis picturesque harbour, 170km south
of the rally base in Jyväskylä, before taking in three stages
on the return to service. Taking the challenging stages in their stride,
and getting into the rhythm of Finlands fast, flowing gravel
roads, the M-Sport duo set consistent top-ten times to secure their
position ahead of tomorrow's competitive stages and the return of
some of Rally Finlands most legendary roads.
With no testing in the lead up to the event, and admittedly not pushing
to the maximum behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Novikov
impressed over the opening stages with a 5th fastest time through
the Jokimaa [SS2] super special just 1.1 seconds adrift of
pace-setter Petter Solberg. Elsewhere, Tänak did well to maintain
his pace with gravel spray damaging the widescreen of his Ford Fiesta
RS WRC on SS2 and hindering the Estonians charge throughout
the evening.
Evgeny Novikov (8th) said:
The stages were ok. It was a long day with the big road sections,
but everything is fine. We didnt push to the maximum today,
but maybe tomorrow we will try and up our speed. I am happy with the
result for the moment and we will see what happens tomorrow.
Ott Tänak (9th) said:
The first stage was ok. I am not in the best condition at the
moment because I havent had any testing and the roads are really
fast so it is a bit difficult.
Then on the second stage [SS2] on the first corner, Sébastien
[Loeb] was on the inside and I was on the outside and I got all the
gravel in my windscreen which ruined it [the visibility] for the next
stage. On the third stage [SS3] there was quite low sun and we lost
a lot of time because the straights were in the sun and the corners
were in the shadow and we couldnt see anything [through the
damaged windscreen]!
But it is a long day tomorrow and for sure we will try to improve
and set some good times.
12-08-03 Let's Get
Rallying (Safely!)
'Hi everyone,
'And we're back - Max and Marco again reporting to you about the first
proper day of competition here at Neste Oil Rally Finland. The rally
schedule kicks off a daily earlier than other WRC events so the action's
already started with three stages completed.
'Although the competition only started this afternoon, this morning
Armindo and Paulo were busy doing PR activities with the other WRC
drivers. They both attended the 'WRC Drivers Meet the Kids' event
where the stars of the WRC showed the children how important road
safety is. The drivers endorsed two of the FIA Action for Road Safety's
Golden Rules - Belt Up and Wear a Helmet - and showed the children
the importance of those road safety rules and how to perform those
two actions properly.
'The kid driving with Armindo was the next rally driver-to-be. He
was taking shortcuts, shooting round and Armindo had to try to give
tips and stay balanced on the back of the car as the kid rocketed
away. Then he slammed the brakes on and Armindo nearly flew over the
bonnet - fortunately he'd helped the kid to fasten his seatbelt properly!
:-) Meanwhile the little boy paired with Paulo drove straight into
the back of Chris 'Atko' Atkinson, which really highlighted the importance
of him wearing his helmet!!
'Armindo and Paulo also signed autographs for the children and took
photos with them. At the end of the event everyone gathered for a
group photo. Oh and of course Armindo made sure his hair looked perfect
in every photo. ;-)
'After a busy morning of PR activities and some time to relax it was
back to business for Armindo and Paulo as they took off in their MINIs:
direction Lahti - 170km from Jyväskylä - where the Ceremonial
Start and Rally Show awaited them.
'What happened next is all to be revealed...
Max
'I don't really understand much about the PR things Armindo and Paulo
did today, they're a bit alien to me but I'm really happy to take
you into 'my world' and behind-the-scenes of our MINI family.
'We started the day quickly checking a few small things on the MINI
after yesterday's Qualifying Stage, just to be sure everything was
OK to start the rally. When Armindo and Miguel left for Lahti they
had a positive attitude even though they knew it was going to be a
tough task. Miguel is an excellent co-driver, he's very calm and good
influence in the car and he and Armindo have a great relationship.
'Marco and I drove to Lahti too, to meet the drivers. It was a very
nice trip - there were so many people on the street waiting for the
rally cars, it was pretty emotional. And when we arrived in Lahti
the atmosphere was crazy, thousands of fans came to the harbour to
see the WRC - I had never seen so many people, not even in Argentina
were the fans are also mega enthusiastic.
'We fitted the lamppod to the car before the last stage of the day
even though it wasn't really necessary. Here in Finland during summer
it's daylight until very late and it never gets completely dark even
during the night like in South Europe that's why they call it 'the
land of the midnight sun'.
'Armindo did a great job keeping his MINI in fine shape and didn't
do any damage which is always good news. The roads here are like a
motorway but on gravel ;-), which is very good for the cars. We didn't
have much work to do in flexiservice and we can go back to the hotel
now and relax (it's been a long time since I've been able to say that!!)
'That's all from my side, back to you Marco!'
Marco
'To relax a bit and take the tension of the rally away this morning
the boys and I decided to give Olympic style scores to the very (very)
attractive promo girls who were sashaying around the Service Park.
They were all very pretty and to be fair we gave a ten to all of them!!
;-)
'After making the final touches to Paulo's MINI and after he and Armindo
left for Lahti, Max and I took one of WRC Team MINI Portugal's road
car MINIs and we started our journey to Lahti where we met the drivers
before they set-off on the stages.
'Paulo did a good job on the stages. As always, he enjoyed himself
a lot - and for him that's the most important thing. These stages
are not at all what Paulo is used to, so I think that as he doesn't
have much experience he is doing a pretty good job so far. I hope
he won't fly too high in his MINI though - after all he is only a
'Flying Brazilian' not yet a 'Flying Finn'. ;-)
'Tonight we checked everything on Paulo's MINI during flexiservice,
everything looked good and we're ready to get going again tomorrow,
which will be a long, long day!
'One last thing - I mentioned before that last night Bruno and I went
on the WRC stage with Paulo and he introduced us to the crowd. It
was hilarious! Paulo called our Team Manager Bruno "Escorpião"
- which means 'scorpion' in Portuguese - because he runs a very tight
ship and he's always keeps a tight rein on the team and money to make
sure everything runs according to plan. He'll always laugh and joke
with the rest of us, but when we need to get down to business, nothing
gets past him!
'Paulo then told the crowd that with my new haircut I look a little
like a criminal (personally I liked it! ;-)) but in reality I'm a
nice guy. That Paulo - always joking! I love working with him, I can't
imagine working in a team where everyone wasn't friends and ready
for a joke as well as 'hard yakka'.
'Anyway that's all from our side for today, let's hope the WRC Team
MINI Portugal boys will make us proud tomorrow.
'Talk to you tomorrow.'
Max & Marco
12-08-02 Latvala tied
in second after quickfire opening day in Finland
Ford World Rally Team duo Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are
tied for second place after a fast and furious opening to Rally Finland
tonight. Driving a Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car, the Finns are 7.3sec
from the lead, with team-mates Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson
less than two seconds behind in sixth.
This eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship headed south
towards Helsinki from its traditional Jyväskylä base this
afternoon. After a regroup alongside the picturesque harbour in Lahti,
competitors tackled just three gravel speed tests before returning
to Jyväskylä late tonight for what will be a short nights
rest.
Two traditional forest special stages sandwiched a short test at Lahtis
trotting track, offering just 29.90km of competition ahead of two
longer days on more familiar Rally Finland territory. After yesterdays
thunderstorms, today remained dry and the Ford drivers decision
to start down the running order to avoid the worst of the slippery
loose gravel proved correct.
It took 27-year-old Latvala a while to find his rhythm in the opening
speed test. Third place around the trotting track calmed his nerves,
but Latvala admitted he was surprised to drop five seconds in the
final stage.
I was a little too careful in the opening stage, but the second
test was fine, said Latvala. I thought I drove well in
the last stage, but the clock showed that I dropped five seconds.
That was frustrating because I dont understand where the time
went.
I tried a new suspension set-up so perhaps I need to think if
that was the reason. I pushed hard, so I also need to consider whether
I drove too sideways as a result and lost time. The gap is small but
tomorrow is much longer and more demanding and I dont want to
concede more seconds in the morning, he added.
Solberg was quickly into his stride, setting second fastest time in
the opening stage before winning the trotting track test. The 37-year-old
Norwegian also dropped some seconds in the final test, but such was
the pace in this fastest round of the championship that just 9.2sec
cover the top six drivers.
The opening stage went well and the second test was even better,
because I was fastest, said Solberg. I decided to make
a small change to the cars set-up before the final stage, making
it slightly lower to try to improve the performance even further.
Unfortunately it didnt work and I lost a few seconds.
Because todays leg was so short, it was the right time
to try something like that. If it didnt work the time loss was
always going to be small. Tomorrow Ill go back to my previous
settings and Ill continue to push hard, he added.
Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson said: Im
pleased we have completed these three stages without problems. They
are of a different character to the rest of the rally and it was important
not to get caught out. We didnt and Im looking forward
to a full days driving tomorrow.
News from other Ford teams
Adapta World Rally Teams Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson
are fourth after a strong start in their Fiesta RS WRC. M-Sport Ford
World Rally Team duo Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet and Ott Tänak
/ Kuldar Sikk are eighth and ninth respectively, with the privately-entered
car of Jari Ketomaa / Mika Stenberg rounding off the top 10. Martin
Prokop / Zdenek Hruza are 11th in the Czech Ford National Team car,
with Finns Matti Rantanen / Mikko Lukka in 14th.
Tomorrows Route
The second leg is based much closer to Jyväskylä. Competitors
restart at 06.30 and tackle three loops of tests, mainly west of the
city. The final two loops are identical and the day then ends with
a short super special stage at the Killeri trotting track on the edge
of Jyväskylä. The action finishes at 21.15 after nine stages
covering 133.82km.
Leaderboard after Day 1
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen DS3 15min 07.1sec
2= J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Fiesta RS 15min 14.4sec
2= M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Citroen DS3 15min 14.4sec
4. M Østberg/J Andersson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 15min 14.6sec
5. T Neuville/N Gilsoul BEL Citroen DS3 15min 16.1sec
6. P Solberg/C Patterson NOR Ford Fiesta RS 15min 16.3sec
7. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Citroen DS3 15min 22.7sec
8. E Novikov/D Giraudet RUS Ford Fiesta RS 15min 25.3sec
9. O Tänak/K Sikk EST Ford Fiesta RS 15min 28.2sec
10 J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Ford Fiesta RS 15min 40.2sec
Stage Times
Stage 1: 1. Loeb 6min 59.8sec; 2. P Solberg + 1.6; 3. Neuville + 2.1;
4. Latvala + 2.2; 5. Østberg + 2.3; 6. Hirvonen + 2.4.
Stage 2: 1. P Solberg 1min 32.5sec; 2. Loeb + 0.1; 3. Latvala + 0.2;
4. Neuville + 0.6; 5. Novikov + 1.1; 6. Hirvonen + 1.5.
Overall: 1. Loeb 8min 32.4sec; 2. P Solberg + 1.5; 3. Latvala + 2.3;
4. Neuville + 2.6; 5. Hirvonen + 3.8; 6. Østberg + 4.3.
Stage 3: 1. Loeb 6min 34.7sec; 2. Østberg + 3.2; 3. Hirvonen
+ 3.5; 4. Latvala + 5.0; 5. Neuville + 6.4; 6. P Solberg + 7.7.
Overall: 1. Loeb 15min 07.1sec; 2= Latvala, Hirvonen + 7.3; 4. Østberg
+ 7.5; 5. Neuville + 9.0; 6. P Solberg + 9.2.
12-08-02
Tredje plats för P-G Andersson i Rally-VM i Finland efter första
dagen
Rally VM i Finland har startat och idag har Rally-VM förarna
hunnit avverka tre sträckor. Per-Gunnar "P-G" Andersson
och hans co-driver Emil Axelsson startar tillsammans med Proton-teamet
i SWRC, som är VM för Super 2000-bilar. Efter dagens tre
sträckor, ligger dem på tredje plats.
- "Dagens sträckor har gått på hårt och
mycket snabbt underlag och där hänger vi inte riktigt med
effektmässigt än" säger P-G "Vi har kört
i ett stabilt tempo och inte tagit några risker".
I morgon kommer sträckorna att vara lite mjukare och därmed
långsammare, efter allt regnande i sommar:
- "Då har vi större chans att hänga med. Risken
kommer säkert att bli stor för punkteringar, eftersom det
säkert kommer att komma fram stenar i kanterna. Men vi får
helt enkelt använda huvudet lite och försöka undvika
stenar och punkteringar" skrattar P-G.
Inför VM i Finland ligger P-G och Emil tillsammans med Craig
Breen på en delad andra plats i VM-tabellen för Super 2000-bilar
(SWRC).
- "Målet är att plocka så många poäng
som möjligt och vi ska göra allt för att få full
pott" avslutar P-G.
Leder rallyt kör Esapekka Lappi, före Hayden Paddon och
P-G och Emil ligger trea.
I morgon körs nio sträckor och på lördag körs
ytterligare sex avslutande sträckor.
Mer info, hittar du på
www.pgandersson.se. Där kommer vi att följa rallyt,
sträcka för sträcka.
Rally-VM Finland, SWRC efter dag 1
1 Esapekka Lappi (Fin) 15:51.8
2. Hayden Paddon (NL) 15:53.3 +1,5
3. P-G Andersson 16:04.4 +12,6
4. Craig Breen (GB) 16:07.7 +15,9
5. Juho Salo (Fin) 16:15.3 +23,5
6. Yazeed Al Rajhi (KZ) 16:28.8 +37,0
7. Maciej Oleksowicz (PL) 16:59.2 +1:07,4
Komplett resultat:
http://www.wrc.com/results/2012/neste-oil-rally-finland/stage-times/?stageno=3&category=swrc
VM-tabellen inför Rally Finland
1. Hayden Paddon (NZ) 62 poäng
2. P-G Andersson 43 poäng
2. Craig Breen (GB) 43 poäng
4. Majicej Oleksowicz (PL) 41 poäng
5. Yazeed Al Rahji (Sau) 22 poäng
12-08-02 Twenty nationalities
and 39 entries for Ford in Finland
The Blue Ovals ever growing Ford family reaches
new heights this weekend with no fewer than 39 drivers all taking
to the wheel of a Fiesta at the 2012 Neste Oil Rally Finland.
More than 20 nationalities will contest the fastest event on the World
Rally Championship (WRC) calendar, with each of the Fiestas from Fords
Ladder of Opportunity the Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Fiesta
RRC, Fiesta S2000, Fiesta R2 and Fiesta ST all present on the
entry list.
The feat showcases Ford and M-Sports commitment to fostering
the growth of national and international rallying from the grass routes
to the top echelons of the WRC.
Fourteen Finns, three Norwegians, two Americans, two Estonians, two
Spaniards, two Swedes, a Russian, Czech, Saudi Arabian, Italian, Irishman,
Pole, Ukrainian, Northern Irishman, Australian, Dutchman, Scot, Welshman,
South African and a Portuguese driver will all tackle Rally Finlands
legendary stages at the wheel of 10 Ford Fiesta RS WRCs, two Fiesta
RRCs, seven Fiesta S2000s, 19 Fiesta R2s and one Fiesta ST.
Malcolm Wilson OBE said:
It is great to see so many Fords on the entry list for
Rally Finland. It is especially good to see the range of cars and
nationalities which only goes to show the Fiestas popularity.
Lewis Booth [head of Ford of Europe at the time] challenged
us to increase the depth of entries in the WRC [World Rally Championship]
back in 2006, and this weekend has seen us take a good step towards
reaching that goal.
Competing crews:
Jari-Matti Latvala - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Finland
Petter Solbeg - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Norway
Ken Block - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - USA
Ott Tänak - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Estonia
Evgeny Novikov - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Russia
Mads Østberg - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Norway
Martin Prokop- Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Czech Prokop
Jari Ketomaa - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Finland
Matti Rantanen - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Finland
Sebastian Lindholm - Ford Fiesta RS WRC - Finland
Yazeed Al Rajhi - Ford Fiesta RRC - Saudi Arabia
Edoardo Bresolin - Ford Fiesta RRC - Italy
Craig Breen - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Ireland
Maciek Oleksowicz - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Poland
Esapekka Lappi - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Finland
Karl Kruuda - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Estonia
Mattias Therman - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Finland
Kari Hämäläinen - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Finland
Oleksii Tamrazov - Ford Fiesta S2000 - Ukraine
Jukka Korhonen - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Andreas Amberg - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Frank Tore Larsen - Ford Fiesta R2 - Norway
Niko-Pekka Nieminen - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Sami Sarjula - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Kari Hytönen - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Ilkka Kariste - Ford Fiesta ST - Finland
Nil Solans - Ford Fiesta R2 - Spain
Raimo Kaisanlahti - Ford Fiesta R2 - Finland
Chris Duplessis - Ford Fiesta R2 - USA
Jose Suárez - Ford Fiesta R2 - Spain
Alastair Fisher - Ford Fiesta R2 - Northern Ireland
Pontus Tidemand - Ford Fiesta R2 - Sweden
Brendan Reeves - Ford Fiesta R2 - Australia
Timo Van der Marel - Ford Fiesta R2 - Holland
John MacCrone - Ford Fiesta R2 - Scotland
Elfyn Evans - Ford Fiesta R2 - Wales
João Silva - Ford Fiesta R2 - Portugal
Ashley Haigh-Smith - Ford Fiesta R2 -South Africa
Fredrik Åhlin - Ford Fiesta R2 - Sweden
12-08-02 SS3: Loeb
avslutade med sträckseger
Sebastien Loeb hade en näst intill felfri sträcka och kammade
hem segern på sista sträckan med 3,2 sekunder före
Østberg och 3,5 sekunder före Hirvonen. Petter tappade
andra platsen och ligger nu sexa.
Det var alla sträckor för idag. I morgon drar det hela igång
06:42 svensk tid och då är det nio sträckor som ska
köras.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Bra känsla. Det är ett speciellt rally" Nobre
- "Sträckan var ganska lös. Det var kul. Jag försöker
bygga upp lite mer fart" Block
- "Våra noter var lite långsamma. I morgon kan vi
vara lite snabbare" Araujo
- "Vi kämpar lite med bakändan i hög föart.
Vi hade några moments" Ketomaa
- "Vi hade problem med att se genom vindrutan. Solen var ibland
så låg. Jag är inte nöjd" Tänak
- "Jag försöker. Jag kan inte köra fortare. Bra
sträcka, körde för fullt överallt. Känslan
var bra idag" Loeb
- "Det går inte bra för tillfället. Jag vet inte
varför. Jag tyckte det kändes bra, men fick ingen bra tid.
Jag har ingen ursäkt" Latvala
- "Min körning var inte så bra. Vi var nästan
i diket några gånger. I morgon får vi hålla
oss på vägen" Hirvonen
- "Det var väldigt trixigt i mitten. Men okej, inga problem"
Petter
- "Det var en bra sträcka för oss. Vi var lite vida
på ett ställe, men jag är nöjd med sträckan".
På SS3:
1. Loeb, 6:34,7
2. Østberg, +3,2
3. Hirvonen, +3,5
4. Latvala, +5,0
5. Neuville, +6,4
6. Petter, +7,7
7. Atkinson, +8,9
8. Novikov, +11,1
9. Tänak, +13,8
10. Ketomaa, +17,5
Efter SS3:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 15:07.1
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 15:14.4 +7,3
2. Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 15:14.4 +7,3
4. Mads Østberg (N), 15:14.6 +7,5
5. Therrie Neuville (B), 15:16.1 +9,0
6. Petter Solberg (N), 15:16.3 +9,2
7. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 15:22.7 +15,6
8. Eyvind Novikov (Rus), 15:25.3 +18,2
9. Ott Tänak (EE), 15:28.2 +21,1
10. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 15:40.2 +33,1
12-08-02 SS2: Petter
snabbast
Rallyts andra sträcka var en 2 km superspecial. Där var
det Petter Solberg som drog längsta strået och vann sträckan,
0,1 sekund före Loeb ohc 0,2 före Latvala.
Förarkommentarer:
- "Det gick ganska bra. Vi får se hur det går för
de andra gör" Loeb
- "Jag var lite vid på några ställen, men jag
är nöjd. Tappar man mycket, blir det tufft på de andra
sträckorna" Latvala
- "På den här sträckan tappade jag lite för
mycket, men den förra gick bra. Jag tog det lite för försiktigt"
Hirvonen
- "Fantastiskt tid. Jag måste vara smart nu" Petter
På SS2:
1. Petter, 1:32,5
2. Loeb, +0,1
3. Latvala, +0,2
4. Neuville, +0,6
5. Novikov, +1,1
6. Hirvonen, +1,5
7. Østberg, +2,1
8. Atkinson, +2,2
9. Tänak, +2,3
10. Ketomaa, +2,5
Efter SS2:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 8:32.4
2. Petter Solberg (N), 8:33.9 +1,5
3. Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 8:34.7 +2,3
4. Therrie Neuville (B), 8:35.0 +2,6
5. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 8:36.2 +3,8
6. Mads Østberg (N), 8:36.7 +4,3
7. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 8:39.1 +6,7
8. Eyvind Novikov (Rus), 8:39.5 +7,1
9. Ott Tänak (EE), 8:39.7 +7,3
10. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 8:48.0 +15,6
12-08-02 SS1; Loeb
snabbast ut i Finska VM-rallyt
Rally Finland är i full gång och WRC-bilarna har kört
igenom den inledande 13,68 km långa sträckan. Sebastien
Loeb vann sträckan, 1,6 sekunder före Petter och 2,2 före
Latvala. Mads Östberg fick femte bästa tid.
Förarkommentarer:
- " Väldigt halt och lös grus på vägen.
Fin sträcka, jag njöt" Lindholm
- "Fantastiskt" Nobre
- "Jag var för vid i några svängar och åkte
genom ett dike med bakändan av bilen" Block
- "Inte dålig start. Men det var fortfarande väldigt
väldigt halt. Jag är inte alls nöjd med några
kurvor" Prokop
- "Det gick ganska bra men jag fick motorsport på startlinjen"
Rantanen
- "Det var ganska okej. Men jag hade inte rätta självförtroendet
och bromsade lite för mycket" Tänak
- "Det var okej. Greppet var bra. Jag hade en bra sträcka
och inga misstag" Loeb
- "Jag hittade inte rytmen i mitten på sträckan. Det
tog lite för lång tid att få självförtroendet
och det förlorade jag tid på "Latvala
- "Han hade en bra början. Men jag tror inte rallyt avgörs
på den här sträckan" Hirvonen
- "Jag är mycket nöjd. Jag bytte dämpare från
igår och det fungerade bra. Bilen är helt fantastiskt"
Petter
- "Det var en bra sträcka. Vi hade några missar i
början och kunde inte ta igen tiden. En bra start på rallyt"
Østberg
- "Jag vet inte vad de andra har för tid. Men jag hade inte
alls självförtroende i bilen" Neuville
- "Fyra sekunder efter Loeb när jag inte kört på
länge. Jag är nöjd" Atkinson
Efter SS1:
1. Sebastien Loeb (F), 6:59.8
2. Petter Solberg (N), 07:01.4 +1,6
3. Therrie Neuville (B), 7:01.9 +2,1
4. Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin), 07:02.0 +2,2
5. Mads Østberg (N), 7:02.1 +2,3
6. Mikko Hirvonen (Fin), 7:02.2 +2,4
7. Chris Atkinson (Aus), 07:04.4 +4,6
8. Ott Tänak (EE), 7:04.9 +5,1
9. Eyvind Novikov (Rus), 7:05.9 +6,1
10. Jari Ketomaa (Fin), 7:13.0 +13,2
12-08-02
Pontus Tidemand redo för sitt första Rally Finland
På torsdag startar VM-deltävlingen Rally Finland med tre
sträckor i området runt Jyväskylä. På plats
finns den 21-åriga landslagsföraren Pontus Tidemand som
tillsammans med norska kartläsaren Stig Rune Skjaermoen skall
köra den tredje deltävlingen av 2012-års Junior-VM
i rally.
Totalt kör de 12 stycken Junior-VM ekipagen 17 specialsträckor
på de finländska VM-vägarna under torsdagen, fredagen
samt lördagen innan går i mål på lördag
eftermiddag efter ha kört den legendariska Ouninpohja som sista
sträcka . Totalt är det 270 km specialsträckor för
Junior-VM förarna.
- Jag känner mig förberedd trots att vi har haft lite otur
med tävlingarna senaste tiden så jag inte har fått
så mycket ss-kilometer i mig som jag hade velat. Vi var och
körde test här i Finland för en månad sedan och
då tyckte jag det funkade riktigt bra, berättar Pontus
Alla WRC Academy-ekipagen kör likadana Ford Fiesta R2 och bakom
Pontus satsning står Norska talangutvecklingsbolaget EVENrally.
Vägarna i området runt Jyväskylä samt Lahti är
kända för sina stora krön och snabbhet, Det är
inte utan anledningen rallyt kallas Formel-1 på grus.
- Det är en vägkaraktär som vi sällan ser i Sverige
så det gäller att ha perfekta noter så man kan åka
rätt över krönen när det går upp emot 170
km/h, fortsätter Pontus
I den senaste WRC Academy-deltävlingen Acropolis-rallyt så
såg Pontus ut att gå emot en andra plats då oturen
grinade han i ansiktet och en drivaxel gick rätt av.
- Jag var så besviken i Grekland, vi hade en plan att i första
två deltävlingar som var Portugal och Grekland att vi skulle
åka stabilt utan göra misstag och plocka värdefulla
poäng då det är lite av överlevandsrallyn
båda två. I Portugal funkade taktiken perfekt med en tredjeplats
och det såg även ut att funka i Grekland, men så
hände det som hände med bara ett par sträckor kvar,
förklarar Pontus
Med två av sex körda deltävlingar ligger Pontus på
en sjätte plats i sammandraget, där man får räkna
bort en deltävling. Leder gör Alistair Fisher före
Elfyn Ewans.
- Detta är ett rally där man måste köra flat-out
men marginalerna är minimala på tanke hur fort det går.
Nu skall vi verkligen försöka att vara med i topp och även
vinna sträckor då man får en poäng för
varje sträcka man vinner, avslutar Pontus
Ni kan följa Pontus under helgen på www.gopontus.com och
www.facebook.com/PontusTidemand där vi uppdaterar så fort
vi kan.
Rallyts hemsida:
http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/en/
Resultat:
www.wrc.com/wrc-academy/results/2012/neste-oil-rally-finland/stage-times/