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 Hirvonen wins Neste Oil Rally Finland and extends championship lead!
Ford Team boss reflects on dream weekend
Keith Cronin to prove his mettle on Finnish gravel roads
Gardemeister to drive in Vetomies 2009 competition
Grönholm to drive in WRC support event
Ford team boss reflects on a 'dream weekend' in Finland
The boss of Ford's rally team, Malcolm Wilson, has praised the efforts of his drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala on Rally Finland, saying their first and third places made it a 'dream weekend' for Ford.
Rally winners Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen won by 25.1sec to extend their lead in the FIA World Rally Championship to three points with three rounds remaining. It was Hirvonen's third straight rally win and Ford's fourth consecutive victory of the 2009 season.
Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila joined their fellow Finns on the podium by claiming third in their Focus RS WRC. Latvala also topped the top speed chart by winning the penultimate special stage at a remarkable average of 131.56kph.
The results enabled Ford to close the gap on the leaders Citroen in the manufacturers' world title fight to 14 points, and capped a perfect week in which Ford announced it would extend its commitment to WRC for a further two years into 2010 and 2011.
"It's been a dream weekend for Ford," said Wilson. "After the results we've had it's something else to build on for the remaining part of the season. Both drivers did exactly what we were looking for."
Wilson summed-up Hirvonen's performance as 'absolutely outstanding'. "Without question, it was his best drive," he said. "Every stage he was always consistent. It was a big step even from last year, to the point where he said he was taking fewer risks this weekend than last year when he finished second. I think that's a message to Sebastien - there's a little bit more still to come."
Wilson said that his second driver, Jari-Matti had driven superbly in difficult circumstances. "I can't remember anybody else being under as much pressure going into a world championship rally - particularly their home event. So to come on the podium is a great turnaround from where we were in Poland."
Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe's senior manager for motorsport said: "Victory in the country that is regarded as the spiritual home of rallying is a tremendous achievement. Four consecutive wins in conditions ranging from the blisteringly fast roads in Finland to the rock-strewn tracks and searing heat in Greece demands a blend of strength, speed and reliability from both man and machine and I look forward to us challenging in Australia next month." 1. Finland M. HIRVONEN 68
2. France S. LOEB 65
3. Spain D. SORDO 44
4. Finland J-M LATVALA 31
5. Norway H. SOLBERG 27
6. Norway P. SOLBERG 25
Hirvonen wins Neste Oil Rally Finland!
Mikko Hirvonen's resurgent form in the 2009 World Rally Championship continued today when the Ford Focus RS driver scored a dominant maiden victory on his home round of the series, Neste Oil Rally Finland.
The result was Hirvonen's third consecutive victory this season, the tenth of his career, and moved him further ahead at the top of the FIA drivers' championship standings, three points clear of defending champion Sebastien Loeb, who finished second today.
Victory on Rally Finland, the fastest round of the World Rally Championship, is seen by most drivers as the ultimate prize in the championship calendar - but it was especially sweet for Hirvonen, 29, who lives in host city Jyvaskyla and was tackling the event for the eighth time.
On last year's event he finished second, trailing his Citroen rival Loeb by nine seconds. However this year Hirvonen led from the second stage in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi team car, beating his rival fair and square by 25.1 seconds.
Hirvonen climbed onto the roof of his car at the finish control and punched the air in celebration, "I've been watching this rally since I was a kid, and now I've won it myself it's an absolutely fantastic feeling!" he said. "The rally went exactly like we planned. I always knew it would be close with Sebastien. I've enjoyed myself all weekend. It's absolutely fantastic!"
Five time champion Sebastien Loeb was Hirvonen's biggest threat throughout the rally but said his challenge effectively ended after he dropped a wheel into a pot-hole on SS15, pushing the tyre off the rim.
"It was a good battle with Mikko, but he was really fast here," said Loeb. "It was looking good for Mikko to begin with but after my puncture it was over. I lost too much time and it was not possible to come back - the gap was too much. But okay, we are here, we lost two points in the championship - but it's better than losing ten like we did on the last couple of events! It will be an interesting end to the championship I think."
After moving ahead of Dani Sordo on Saturday, Hirvonen's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala took a well deserved third place, 24.8sec behind Loeb, and was relieved to make the podium after his last stage disaster on the previous round in Poland.
"I've never had to fight so hard for third place!" said Latvala. "I had extremely big pressure on Friday because of what happened in Poland, then I was really, really sick on Friday and had to fight Dani - who was driving his best ever Rally Finland - then finally I had to keep the position to the end"!
Sordo finished fourth, 16.2sec behind Latvala, after one of the best drives of his career. Once known more for his ability on sealed surfaces than gravel, Sordo marked himself out as a true all-rounder after an amazing performance on all three days. Sordo didn't put a foot wrong all weekend and played the perfect team role on the final day when he was asked to safeguard Citroen's manufacturers' series points position rather than going after Latvala. Click here for all the times from the weekend!
Seeded Entry List available here Full Rally Itinerary here Current Drivers Standings 1. Hirvonen 58
2. Loeb 57
3. Sordo 39
4. H.Solberg 27
5. Latvala 25
6. P.Solberg 25
7. Wilson 19
8. Villagra 14 Ford pair bid to extend victory run
The Ford team's Finnish driver line-up tackle their home fixture this week determined to maintain the momentum that has propelled them to three straight WRC wins and the lead of the drivers' series.
Victories in Greece and Poland last month for BP Ford Abu Dhabi team leader Mikko Hirvonen have put him one point clear of arch rival Sebastien Loeb at the top of the drivers' standings going into this ninth round of the 12-rally campaign.
Hirvonen's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala won in Italy in May - starting a hat-trick of triumphs which has revitalised both Hirvonen's title fight with Loeb and Ford's battle with Citroen in the manufacturers' championship.
Now both drivers are preparing to take to the high-speed roads on which they grew up, impatient to secure a maiden victory on their home event.
The team completed a four-day test in Finland last week to finalise set-up. Hirvonen covered 554km on Monday and Tuesday while Latvala racked up 520km (read more in Latvala's blog).
Hirvonen has twice finished second from seven starts in Finland and a good performance this week would boost his challenge for the drivers' title. "The view I'm taking is that the season is now a mini-four round championship with three rallies on gravel and one on asphalt. I'm leading by a point so the outcome is in my own hands," said Hirvonen, who celebrates his 29th birthday on the first day.
"First in the start order for the opening leg isn't the easiest position to be, but I'll have to deal with that. I lost the rally last year by dropping time from the same position on the opening leg so I need to overcome that," he added.
This will be Latvala's seventh Finland start and the 24-year-old acknowledges he will feel more pressure here than at other rounds - especially after his calamitous last stage mistake in Poland.
"Driving in Finland brings more excitement than elsewhere. Huge numbers of fans line the stages hoping to see their own drivers do well. That brings more pressure, but it's a special feeling to experience that encouragement. I also have a little more pressure after my mistake in Poland, but I have the support of the whole team and that makes me relaxed," he said.
"I have a job to do here and that is to score solid points to help Mikko in his challenge for the title. Poland was a fast rally, so it should be okay to find the speed in Finland to do that. There are several new stages, which I'm looking forward to. It's sad we're not driving the famous Ouninpohja stage but Myhinpää is on the schedule for the first time in many years and that's also a legendary test," he added.
Khalid Al Qassimi will drive a third Focus RS WRC, the third Finnish start for the Abu Dhabi driver. "Finland will be another great test," he said. "It's always an incredible experience with some extremely technical stages, and if we can do well it will really show the progress we are making." Stars of the future prove their mettle on Finnish gravel roads
The Pirelli Star Driver programme has been initiated by the tyre manufacturer in co-operation with the FIA to find nationally successful young drivers, who will be given an opportunity to take a major step in their careers. Drivers for this scheme are chosen on the basis of regional competitions. The qualification Shoot Out for northern European contestants will take place in a couple of weeks´ time in Jyväskylä, on the eve of Neste Oil Rally Finland.
All drivers taking part in the Shoot Out organized in conjunction with Finland´s FIA World Rally Championship event, Neste Oil Rally Finland, have been nominated by their national sporting authorities. The five best from this Shoot Out will qualify for the European Finals in Austria, on 26-27 September. Winners of the regional finals will be awarded with participation in 2010 WRC events, courtesy of Pirelli.
The Shoot-Out organized in Jyväskylä on 29-30 July will boast entries from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Great-Britain and Ireland. All competitors will be using their own cars.
The outcome of the contest is not determined by the clock alone; instead the winner will be nominated by a panel of stewards consisting of internationally acknowledged rally experts. The contest begins on 29 July with a thorough fitness test. This will be followed by interviews, where the contestants´ linguistic aptitude, eloquence and media skills are appraised. The driving part of the contest takes place on Thursday 30 July in the vicinity of the Ruuhimäki special stage, which is famous from the WRC event. A stage just under four kilometers of length is to be tackled, comprising both gravel- and asphalt sections.
Participants in Pirelli Star Driver Shoot Out
Ireland Keith Cronin Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
UK Kris Hall Ford Fiesta S.T
Latvia Maris Neiksans Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
Lithuania Vytautas Svedas Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
Norway Anders Kjaer Subaru Impreza WRX STi
Sweden Victor Henriksson Ford Fiesta
Finland Joonas Lindroos Honda Civic Type R
Estonia Ott Tänak Subaru Impreza STI More information about the drivers from http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/en/competitors/pirelli/default.html
In 2008 the European section of Pirelli Star Driver competition was won by Jarkko Nikara. That success got this AKK-Motorsport Coaching Team member an entry in six qualifying rounds of this year´s FIA World Rally Championship. Gardemeister to drive in Vetomies 2009 competition
After one gap year, the national Group F cars are making a return into Neste Oil Rally Finland. Vetomies 2009 support competition takes place on Saturday and is driven on the same stages as the main event, following the WRC entries.
The service park and the start of Vetomies 2009 is in Jämsänkoski . The competitors will drive 5 Special Stages and the total special stage distance will be approximately 95 kilometres. The special stages are:
SS 14 Leustu
SS 15 Himos
SS 17 Urria
SS 18 Kavala
SS 19 Väärinmaja
The finish is in Jyväskylä, where the first car is expected to arrive at 22:00 on Saturday evening.
There are 70 entries accepted into the competition. The Vetomies competition has been organised in conjunction with Neste Oil Rally Finland 4 times. All the winners from previous years are chasing the title of Vetomies 2009, among them is the previous winner Toni Gardemeister. Grönholm to drive in WRC support event
Former world champion Marcus Grönholm will take part in a special rallysprint competition in Jyväskylä during the forthcoming Neste Oil Rally Finland. The Saturday sprint takes place on the same 2 km Killeri track, which hosts the WRC event´s Superspecial Stage.
Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer EvoIX, Grönholm will face opposition from some 50 competitors, mostly specialists of the rallysprint discipline, including four-time Finnish champion Tomi Hallia, who makes a come-back just to be able to challenge the rally superstar. The entries are divided into separate categories for 4-wheel-drive and 2-wheel-drive cars.
As in the rally Superspecial Stage, two cars will run on adjacent lanes in each heat. All competitors first participate in qualifying runs against the clock. The fastest eight from each category then proceed into elimination run-offs, with the winners eventually pitched in a duel in the finals.
Killeri Rallysprint takes place on Saturday 1.8. from 17.00. Event Website |
