Rally Jordanië van 24 t/m 27-04-2008

Stand na dag 2 slaan we even een keertje over en heeft u elders misschien al kunnen achterhalen wat daarvan de uitslag was. Belangrijk is dat we de eindstand na dag 3 al kunnen melden en dat Mikko Hirvonen eerste is geworden, dat is toch zeer prettig nieuws voor het Ford Team.

Hirvonen sweeps to Jordan win as Ford extends world series lead:

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed their first victory of the season on an enthralling Jordan Rally today. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pair returned to the lead of the drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship after winning by 1min 15.7sec in a Focus RS World Rally Car. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were seventh in another Focus RS, as reigning world champion Ford extended its lead in the manufacturers' championship to seven points.

Jordan's debut in the WRC marked the first Arab rally to appear in the series since 1976. Blistering temperatures, which hovered just below 40ºC for much of the three-day event, and hard-packed gravel speed tests in the Jordan Valley made it a punishing event for man and machine. However, the Focus RS excelled and showed a blend of speed, strength and reliability to fill seven of the top nine places.

This fifth round of the series was based on the shores of the Dead Sea, and competitors raced through the earth's lowest land point at more than 400 metres below sea level. They tackled 22 speed tests covering 359.26km, the bulk of which were on purpose-built roads amid stunning Jordanian scenery.

Tactics played a huge part in BP Ford Abu Dhabi's success. After Latvala and Hirvonen climbed to first and second yesterday afternoon, they slowed during the final metres of yesterday's last special stage to allow main rival Dani Sordo to hold the overnight lead. In doing so, the Focus RS drivers forced the Spaniard into first in today's start order, handing him the disadvantage of sweeping slippery loose gravel from the roads to allow the Finnish pairing a cleaner and faster line behind.

Their strategy worked perfectly and both Latvala and Hirvonen leapfrogged Sordo on the first stage this morning. When Latvala suffered suspension problems, 27-year-old Hirvonen broke clear and went into the final stage along the border between Jordan and Israel's West Bank with a 23.7sec advantage over Sordo, which he extended during that final test.

"My strategy paid off but I was nervous in the final stage," said Hirvonen. "No split times were available for Sordo and I didn't know how hard he was pushing. I really needed these 10 points and this is a great result for my championship challenge. I need to keep my feet on the ground and continue trying to find more speed and more wins. I've learned how important it is to consistently score points on every rally but 10 is perfect. It was a tough rally but it's good to lead the series again.

"When I woke up it was raining but as we were in Jordan I hoped it wouldn't last so that the gravel wasn't dampened down. It stopped quickly, although I expected the driving line to be cleaner. It was really slippery, just like the ball-bearing surface in Australia, and hard to keep on the road," he added.

Latvala's victory hopes ended when he dropped almost a minute in today's second stage with broken rear left suspension. The crew worked feverishly to bind the suspension together sufficiently for the next marathon 41km stage and they did a superb job to simply complete the test. They dropped 10 minutes to fall to eighth and returned to the service park where the mechanics did an equally impressive job to replace the gearbox, rear differential and rear suspension and keep 23-year-old Latvala in the points. He climbed to seventh during the final loop.

"In the morning's first stage I hit a rock, but felt nothing," he said. "Halfway through the next test the support link in the rear left suspension snapped. After the stage we tried to strap the suspension together but it wouldn't hold and I had to drive many kilometres with the tyre bent in. I was lucky to get back. I had two perfect days on Friday and Saturday but today was a long one. I need to be more consistent and concentrate without making mistakes. I'm disappointed not to score more points."

Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr finished ninth in another Focus RS. Al Qassimi was seventh and on course to score his first points until punctures on the final stage cost two places. However, it was still his best WRC finish. "I’m happy but also a little disappointed because I suffered two flat tyres on the last stage when I was fighting for a drivers’ point. I had to stop and fix both tyres, which cost me lots of time. I’ve never been in a points scoring position before and unfortunately luck wasn’t on my side.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: "It was almost a dream weekend, but it was a fantastic team performance. Our strategy worked perfectly and it's great for Mikko to claim his first win this season and for us to lead both championships again. Full credit to Jari-Matti for nursing the car back to the service park after his problems. Compliments to the rally organisers - on their first time in the WRC, they created a classic event."

A spectating Ford of Europe President and CEO John Fleming said: "For the past three days I've seen just how demanding this rally is. The heat was intense, the stages were tough and only the fittest survived. But we did more than survive – we won the rally and the Focus RS packed the leaderboard. It's great to see the Blue Oval back on top of both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings.

Ford of Europe's motorsport director Mark Deans said: "Despite the high temperatures and arduous road conditions, to place seven cars in the top nine is a tribute to the performance and durability of the Ford Focus."

News from our Rivals

Starting first on the road cost Dani Sordo (Citroen) valuable time today. He had to settle for second after a spin on the final stage cost more than 40sec. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) scored his fourth podium in five events in third with Stobart's Henning Solberg (Ford) in fourth. Fifth-placed Matthew Wilson (Ford) clipped a bridge parapet on the final stage this morning and punctured the rear left tyre. The Stobart driver had to stop and replace it, losing two minutes and fourth place. He held off the challenge from Munchi's Federico Villagra (Ford), who equalled a career-best sixth. Urmo Aava (Citroen) retired from fifth after breaking his car's front right suspension in the second stage this morning, while Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) retired on the next test after sliding into a ditch.

Next round

Following three rounds outside Europe, the championship returns there next month for Rally d'Italia Sardegna. The all-gravel event is based in Olbia on 15 - 18 May.

Final Leaderboard
1. M Hirvonen/J LehtinenFIN Ford Focus RS 4h02m47.9s
2. D Sordo/M MartiE Citroën C4 +1m15.7s
3. C Atkinson/S Prevot AUS Subaru Impreza +4m59.5s
4. H Solberg/C MenkerudN Ford Focus RS +7m35.8s
5. M Wilson/S Martin GB Ford Focus RS +10m41.7s
6. F Villagra/J Perez CompancRA Ford Focus RS +11m22.2s
7. J-M Latvala/M AttilaFIN Ford Focus RS +12m15.6s
8. G Galli/G BernacchiniI Ford Focus RS +12m24.4s
9. K Al-Qassimi/M OrrUAE Ford Focus RS +19m05.7s
10. S Loeb/D ElenaF Citroën C4 +23m38.1s

FIA WRC Manufacturer Standings
1. BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT – 57 pts
2. Citroën Total WRT – 50 pts
3. Subaru WRT – 39 pts
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford – 29 pts
5. Munchi’s Ford WRT – 14 pts
6. Suzuki WRT – 6 pts

FIA WRC Driver Standings * Results subject to routine fuel analysis
1. M Hirvonen – 35 pts
2. S Loeb – 30 pts
3. C Atkinson – 28 pts
4. J-M Latvala – 18 pts
5. D Sordo – 17 pts
6. G Galli – 12 pts
7. H Solberg – 9 pts
8. P Solberg – 9 pts

Bron: M-Sport

De stand na dag 1 van Rally Jordanië die dit jaar voor het eerst in de Rally Kalender voorkomt. Dus nieuw voor alle rijders en bijrijders. We zijn benieuwd hoe het ze deze nieuwe rally zal vergaan in deze nieuwe omgeving.

Bovenstaande foto is gemaakt in Spanje eerder deze maand.

Hier het officiële persbericht na dag 1:

Clever tactics put Ford's Finns into perfect position in Jordan:

Measured performances in the furnace of the Dead Sea valley placed BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in the ideal position following the opening day of the Jordan Rally. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila lie third on this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, with team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen fourth after an enthralling day's competition on the WRC's first visit to an Arab country since 1976. Both pairings are driving Ford Focus RS World Rally Cars.

The early starters are disadvantaged by slippery loose stones on top of the hard-packed gravel roads south-west of the capital city of Amman. By ending the first leg of this three-day rally in third and fourth, just a few seconds behind the leading pair, BP Ford Abu Dhabi's duo will inherit those positions in the start order tomorrow morning. Their rivals ahead will face the worst of the conditions, sweeping away the gravel to leave a cleaner and faster driving line for the Focus RS pair behind.

As a newcomer to the WRC, none of the front-running drivers had competitive experience of Jordan's speed tests, most of which have been purpose-built for the rally. Also new to most were the extreme temperatures. Shade temperatures hovered just below 40ºC for the past two days and several degrees higher in the sun. Although 36ºC was today's high, it was still uncomfortably hot inside the cars as competitors tackled eight special stages covering 115.18km. Three were held below sea level and one reached the world's lowest land point at more than 400 metres beneath sea level.

Latvala settled into third this morning before climbing to second on the final special stage of the loop. The 23-year-old Finn admitted he was finding it tricky to acclimatise to the roads. "They were more slippery than I thought and it was hard to be fully confident," he said. "The gravel roads are as hard as asphalt so the tyres were spinning because they didn't break the surface. I spent too much time sideways, which was wearing my tyres, so I tried to change my driving style. It's so different from any other event and they're not my favourite roads, but I need to be able to drive on every surface."

He opened the afternoon with fastest time on the stage along the shore of the Dead Sea before settling for top three times on the final three tests. He is 8.5sec behind leader Dani Sordo.

"It's an interesting battle and I didn't expect it to be this close. My speed is good and I have a great start position tomorrow so I'll see how things go in the morning, before deciding whether to push in the afternoon or steady my pace. My confidence improved this afternoon but I'm still working my tyres too hard. I tried to brake softly and be more precise in my driving but I have more to do," he added.

Hirvonen ended the morning fifth. Because he was second in the start order, the 27-year-old Finn had to cope with slippery gravel on the surface but a more serious hazard arose 7km from the finish of the second stage, the 20.00km Mahes.

"I had one of the luckiest escapes ever," he said. "My pace notes were too optimistic and I came over a crest too fast and went off when the road turned immediately afterwards. There were some huge rocks which I just managed to avoid but I slightly damaged the rear right suspension. It didn't cost much time but the handling felt strange afterwards."

On this afternoon's repeat stages Hirvonen climbed to fourth, winning the final test and lying just 13.4sec from the lead. "Everything went to plan this afternoon. I didn't push too hard because there were many loose rocks in the road and I didn't want to hit one and damage the tyres. I attacked on the last gap to ensure the gap wasn't too large tonight and I'm happy with how it went today," he added.

Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and co-driver Michael Orr are 10th in another Focus RS, despite stalling several times at the start of the second stage and a small fire. “This hasn't been a good day for me," said Al Qassimi. "The back of the car caught fire at the end of stage six. The fire brigade had to put it out and although the next stage went OK, the flames were back at the end of stage eight." The problem was traced to a turbo sensor failure, which allowed the turbo to become too hot.

News from our rivals

Dani Sordo (Citroen) led from the start, the Spaniard winning three stages to lead team-mate Sébastien Loeb by 1.1sec. The Frenchman also claimed three stage wins. Behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi duo, Chris Atkinson (Subaru) held fifth with Urmo Aava (Citroen) an impressive sixth. The remaining four places in the top 10 were all claimed by Focus RS cars, headed by Stobart's Matthew Wilson in seventh. Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) retired after going off on the opening stage while team-mate Toni Gardemeister stopped with engine problems after stage 2. Petter Solberg (Subaru) retired from fifth with broken front suspension after stage six and Stobart driver Gigi Galli (Ford) retired from sixth after the same test. The Italian slid into a bank, damaging the rear differential cooler and exhaust, and the differential seized in the high temperatures. He will restart tomorrow under SupeRally rules.

Tomorrow’s route

The second day follows a similar format, with drivers again facing two identical loops of four stages, the bulk of which are north-east of the Dead Sea service park and close to the capital city of Amman. After restarting at 08.00, drivers tackle 109.94km of competition before returning for the final overnight halt at 16.29.

Leaderboard after Day 1

1. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 16min 53.7sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 16min 54.8sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 17min 02.2sec
4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 17min 07.1sec
5. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 18min 01.7sec
6. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 1hr 18min 53.0sec
7. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 1hr 19min 46.4sec
8. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 16.0sec
9. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 52.9sec
10 K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 58.1sec

Bron: M-Sport

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