Rally Monte Carlo 2008 - 24 t/m 27 januari 2008

27-01-2008 - Hirvonen begint dit seizoen met een podiumplaats in Monte Carlo.

Hirvonen begins WRC campaign with podium in Monte Carlo

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen produced their best performance on the legendary Rallye Monte Carlo to finish second when the tough four-day event ended in Monaco today. The Finns, driving a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, have never claimed a podium position on this opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship in four previous starts but held a top three place from the very first kilometre.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila finished 12th in another Focus RS after a troubled rally, with Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr taking 16th in a third BP Ford Abu Dhabi car. Both finished after restarting under SupeRally rules having retired earlier in the rally. Five Fords finished in the top 10 with Focus RS cars also claiming six, ninth and 10th.

The asphalt event comprised three days of competition in the Vercors and Ardèche mountains before today's final leg in the Alpes-Maritimes, high above the rally's traditional home in Monaco. The 19 speed tests covered 362.09km and while conditions were generally kind to competitors, patches of snow and ice lay in wait on exposed north facing slopes ready to trap the unwary.

Hirvonen claimed a secure third on the opening day before climbing to second yesterday morning. With no pressure behind and with no opportunity to chase down the leader, he eased through today's final five special stages, which included two passes over the famous Col de Turini and a spectacular test around the harbour area of Monaco's Formula 1 race circuit. He stepped onto the podium at Monaco's palace in front of Prince Albert with a 24.2sec advantage over third-placed Chris Atkinson.

"Second is a great result for me and a perfect start to the season," said 27-year-old Hirvonen. "I've never had a good rally here so to take a podium is fantastic and it almost feels as good as a win. I started the season how I wanted to with a good result. I didn't know what to expect from this rally but my plan for the year is to finish second if I can't win a rally. When I moved into second I eased off because I was under no pressure from behind. I was uncertain how the news tyres from Pirelli would work. They were good but it's up to me to be careful on the recce when making the pace notes."

Latvala lost time when he had to change a wheel on Thursday after clipping a wall and was forced to retire yesterday afternoon after hitting a stone and breaking his car's front suspension. He restarted this morning in 14th and posted three top three times to climb to 12th. For Anttila the event marked his 50th world rally alongside Latvala and his 150th career start.

"I made two mistakes and it was a long and difficult weekend, but I found good speed today and I was happy with my times," said 22-year-old Latvala. "It's unfortunate they came three days too late. I've learned much about cutting corners with the new tyres - I can't afford to do that if I want to finish rallies. Today I also learned I have to be aggressive in turning for the tyres to work to their best."



Al Qassimi, making his debut here, retired on Friday after hitting a bank and breaking his car's suspension before recovering from 26th to 16th. "It was an incredibly difficult and technical rally but I compared my times to those of other drivers and was encouraged. I was delighted to be in the top 10 before I made my mistake and spent the rest of the event rebuilding my confidence. My relationship with my new co-driver was excellent and his WRC experience helped me with my pace notes."

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson was pleased with the team's start. "There was a lot of pressure on Mikko but he filled the slot left by Marcus Grönholm and I'm impressed with the job he did. I couldn't have asked more in terms of the result. It was a steep learning curve for Jari-Matti but he has drawn experience from the weekend and will feel the benefit later in the season," he said.

Mark Deans, Ford of Europe's motorsport director, said: "To finish the most famous rally in the championship with five cars in the top 10 leaderboard was a great result for Ford. It sets the level that we must aspire to for the rest of the season, and I'm confident we can live up to that."



News from our rivals

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) clinched a record fifth Rallye Monte Carlo win, the Frenchman 2min 34.4sec ahead of Hirvonen. The final podium place went to Chris Atkinson (Subaru) after a thrilling final day battle with François Duval (Ford). Duval began the day 20.1sec behind the Australian and won three of the four mountain tests to start the final Monaco stage just 1.1sec behind Atkinson. Racing head-to-head, the duo set identical times to allow Atkinson to hold onto third. Petter Solberg (Subaru) and Gigi Galli (Ford) rounded off the top six. Eighth place for Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) brought a drivers' point and manufacturers' points for the team on its championship debut. Dani Sordo (Citroen) finished 11th to claim the final manufacturers' point. Toni Gardemeister (Suzuki) retired last night before the transit to Monaco with engine overheating problems.

Next round

The championship's only all-snow rally is next on the calendar for competitors when Karlstad hosts the Swedish Rally on 7 - 10 February.

Final positions

1. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 3hr 39min 17.0sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 41min 51.4sec
3. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 3hr 42min 15.6sec
4. F Duval/E Chevailler B Ford Focus RS 3hr 42min 16.7sec
5. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 3hr 43min 57.9sec
6. G Galli/G Bernacchini I Ford Focus RS 3hr 48min 03.5sec
7. J-M Cuoq/P Janvier F Peugeot 307 3hr 49min 41.8sec
8. P-G Andersson/J Andersson S Suzuki SX4 3hr 50min 36.5sec
9. H Solberg/C Menkerud N Ford Focus RS 3hr 52min 00.6sec
10 M Wilson/S Martin GB Ford Focus RS 3hr 53min 17.1sec

Drivers

1. S Loeb 10pts
2. M Hirvonen 8pts
3. C Atkinson 6pts
4. F Duval 5pts
5. P Solberg 4pts
6. G Galli 3pts

Manufacturers

1. Citroen Total 11pts
2. Subaru 10pts
3. BP Ford Abu Dhabi 8pts
4. Stobart VK M-Sport 8pts
5. Suzuki 2pts

Bron: M-Sport

26-01-2008

Het volgende teleurstellend bericht gaat over Latvala, die er nu definitief uit is:



Latvala out of Monte day three
Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala has retired from the third day of Rallye Monte Carlo after his car’s suspension was damaged on SS12.
The Finn stopped near the middle of 19km stage to change what he thought was a broken front-left wheel. But it turned out that the front-left track control arm of his Ford Focus RS WRC was broken, meaning he could go no further.

Latvala had been in tenth place overall, having make a spirited fight back following a puncture on the first day. Latvala’s car will be brought back to service later today and is expected to be out on the stages tomorrow under SupeRally regulations.

Bron: www.wrc.com

De stand na dag 3:

Hirvonen climbs to second as Monte Carlo Rally heads for home
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen ended the penultimate day of Rallye Monte Carlo in second place following another strong performance in the French mountains. The Finns' consistent pace enabled them to climb from third this morning in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car and they will start tomorrow's tricky final leg in the foothills of the Alps almost a minute ahead of their closest rivals.

Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were less fortunate in the second BP Ford Abu Dhabi-entered Focus RS. They were in a points-scoring ninth position, despite hydraulic difficulties this morning, before hitting a stone and breaking their car's suspension. They retired and hope to restart tomorrow's final leg under SupeRally rules.



The third day of this opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship was the longest of the event. It returned to the Ardèche mountains near the rally base of Valence, although the competition was further north than yesterday's action. After an early start, drivers tackled two identical loops of three speed tests covering 132.78km. Ice was a constant threat on the opening special stage in the half-light this morning, but temperatures quickly rose under clear skies and the huge crowds that flocked into the mountains enjoyed glorious winter sunshine.

Hirvonen kept the pressure on second-placed Dani Sordo throughout the morning and was rewarded when Sordo retired, allowing the 27-year-old Focus RS driver to climb from third to second. He maintained a consistent pace this afternoon to end the day 52.0sec ahead of Chris Atkinson in third.

"When I woke up this morning I was hoping that I could take second, but I didn't think it would happen like that," said Hirvonen. "Dani's retirement really helped me and I want to keep this position now because the two extra points for second would be good. I hoped to be closer to Loeb's pace but that wasn't possible here. I was happy with Pirelli's tyres, they worked well in the cold, dry conditions.



"There are still four more stages to come tomorrow so I will try to keep the car on the road and take no risks because I have a good lead over Atkinson in third. I don't have huge experience of tomorrow's stages and I can expect anything on the Col de Turini. There is usually snow, ice or fog at the top and it is dry then black ice will be a concern, so it will be a tricky day," he added.

Team-mates Latvala and Anttila suffered a hydraulic problem on the opening test and had to drive the rest of the loop using the manual gearchange system and without the normal differential performance. Despite losing about 50sec, Latvala remained ninth but the 22-year-old Finn hit a stone on the afternoon's opening stage. The impact broke the front left track control arm and he had to sit out the rest of the day.

"I made some small changes to the differential set-up at the midday service and the stage started well," explained Latvala. "I felt confident with the car and my split times were good. About halfway through on a narrow road I came to a left hand corner and tried to follow the line of the cars ahead. I must have taken a slightly tighter line because I hit a concrete stone which broke the suspension. I drove on for another 500m until I found somewhere wide enough to stop."



Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr restarted under SupeRally rules in 26th position after breaking the suspension on their Focus RS last night. They climbed to 24th, despite spinning on the final stage this morning and dropping about 20sec. "I've been trying to rebuild my confidence after last night and that was hard this morning because the first stage was frosty and foggy in places," said Al Qassimi. "This afternoon I had difficulties with my brakes and had to bleed them in between the stages. But I'm still here and learning all the time."

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson was full of praise for Hirvonen. "He drove superbly to keep the pressure on Sordo this morning and kept out of trouble to move into second. I'm disappointed that Jari-Matti dropped out of the manufacturers' points but hopefully he can challenge again tomorrow. It will be a difficult day with some classic stages to come," said Wilson.

News from our rivals

Overnight leader Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) extended his advantage by winning four of the six stages and he journeyed to Monaco tonight with a 2min 10.6sec lead. The French team's hopes of a one-two finish ended when team-mate Dani Sordo retired with engine problems on the final stage of the morning loop. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) climbed to third, winning the penultimate test and stretching his advantage over François Duval (Ford) to 20.1sec. Petter Solberg (Subaru) is fifth with Italian Gigi Galli (Ford) moving into the top six. It was a good day for championship debutants Suzuki with Per-Gunnar Andersson moving into the drivers' points in eighth and Toni Gardemeister in 10th, despite a clutch problem this morning.

Tomorrow’s route

After a free transit section to Monaco this evening, the final day is based in the mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes, high above the Principality. After a 07.50 start, drivers face four tests, including two passes over the famous Col de Turini, before a short service break at Gilette. They then return to Monaco for a super special stage around the harbour area of the Grand Prix circuit. The finish is at the palace in Monaco in late afternoon after 66.65km of competition.

Leaderboard after Day 3

1. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 2hr 50min 38.8sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 49.4sec
3. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 2hr 53min 41.4sec
4. F Duval/E Chevailler B Ford Focus RS 2hr 54min 01.5sec
5. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 2hr 54min 50.6sec
6. G Galli/G Bernacchini I Ford Focus RS 2hr 58min 18.5sec
7. J-M Cuoq/P Janvier F Peugeot 307 2hr 58min 58.5sec
8. P-G Andersson/J Andersson S Suzuki SX4 3hr 00min 10.6sec
9. H Solberg/C Menkerud N Ford Focus RS 3hr 01min 55.8sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 3hr 02min 02.2sec

Stage Times

Stage 9: 1. Sordo 11min 18.1sec; 2. Loeb + 2.0; 3. Atkinson + 6.3; 4. Hirvonen + 14.5; 5. Andersson + 12.5; 6. P Solberg + 15.8; 13. Latvala + 52.1; 15. Al Qassimi + 1:05.4.
Overall: 1. Loeb 1hr 48min 05.0sec; 2. Sordo + 54.6; 3. Hirvonen + 1.27 6; 4. Atkinson + 2:32.9; 5. Duval + 3:00.5; 6. P Solberg + 3:23.4; 11. Latvala + 7:45.9; 26. Al Qassimi + 22:49.4.

Stage 10: 1. Loeb 12min 39.0sec; 2. Sordo + 1.2; 3. Duval + 6.0; 4. Hirvonen + 7.8; 5. P Solberg + 9.3; 6. Atkinson + 10.7; 12. Latvala + 37.1; 16. Al Qassimi + 1:15.4.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 00min 44.0sec; 2. Sordo + 55.8; 3. Hirvonen + 1.35 4; 4. Atkinson + 2:43.6; 5. Duval + 3:06.5; 6. P Solberg + 3:32.7; 10. Latvala + 8:23.0; 25. Al Qassimi + 24:04.8.

Stage 11: 1. Loeb 12min 59.8sec; 2. Duval + 8.9; 3. Hirvonen + 18.1; 4. P Solberg + 21.1; 5. Atkinson + 21.7; 6. Galli + 24.1; 11. Latvala + 52.9; 16. Al Qassimi + 1:33.8.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 13min 43.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 1.53 5; 3. Atkinson + 3:05.3; 4. Duval + 3:15.4; 5. P Solberg + 3:53.9; 6. Galli + 6:53.5; 9. Latvala + 9:15.9; 24. Al Qassimi + 25:38.6.

Stage 12: 1. Loeb 11min 12.0sec; 2. Atkinson + 2.6; 3. Duval + 6.1; 4. Hirvonen + 6.6; 4. P Solberg + 7.3; 6. Galli + 9.5; ??. Al Qassimi + 1:10.2.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 24min 55.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.00 1; 3. Atkinson + 3:07.9; 4. Duval + 3:21.5; 5. P Solberg + 4:01.2; 6. Galli + 7:03.0; 24. Al Qassimi + 26:48.8.

Stage 13: 1. Atkinson 12min 23.9sec; 2. Duval + 7.5; 3. Loeb + 10.7; 4. P Solberg + 11.9; 5. Hirvonen + 12.7; 6. Gardemeister + 27.1; 14. Al Qassimi + 1:33.0.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 37min 30.4sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.02 1; 3. Atkinson + 2:57.2; 4. Duval + 3:18.3; 5. P Solberg + 4:02.4; 6. Galli + 7:20.7; 24. Al Qassimi + 28:11.1.

Stage 14: 1. Loeb 13min 08.4sec; 2. Duval + 4.4; 3. Atkinson + 5.4; 4. Hirvonen + 8.5; 5. P Solberg + 9.4; 6. Galli + 19.0; 12. Al Qassimi + 1:24.3.
Overall: 1. Loeb 2hr 50min 38.8sec; 2. Hirvonen + 2.10 6; 3. Atkinson + 3:02.6; 4. Duval + 3:22.7; 5. P Solberg + 4:11.8; 6. Galli + 7:39.7; 23. Al Qassimi + 29:35.4.

Bron: M-Sport

Eindstand na dag 1:

24.1.2008 - Hirvonen lies third for Ford after icy start to new WRC season.

Ice, snow and darkness combined to provide a tricky opening to Rallye Monte Carlo tonight for the new-look BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen ended today's opening action in third place in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, while debutant team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are 18th in a similar Focus RS after hitting a rock and stopping to change a wheel.

The opening round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship is renowned for its unpredictable road conditions and tonight's opening two speed tests in the Vercors mountains, east of the rally base of Valence, proved the point. Held on blisteringly fast and predominantly wide roads, most of the 45.70km of competition was on dry asphalt. However, snow thrown onto the stages from the side of the roads by spectators and icy patches made life difficult for drivers in the gloom.



With average speeds approaching 120kph, Hirvonen was third fastest on both stages to return to Valence for the overnight halt 44.0sec behind the leader. The 27-year-old Finn admitted to being cautious when he discovered ice on both tests.

"There was a lot of ice in the final 10km of the second stage and I had a couple of scares, so I took it steadily after that," he said. "I was worried about the damp patches and the black ice and had no confidence when it looked slippery, so I eased off too much. Although I may have lost the fight tonight, the main battle isn't over yet. Temperatures were -3ºC so it was hard to get heat into the Pirelli tyres but they worked well and I was pleased with them.

"There are three more days of rallying in daylight to come so that will be better and I will feel more confident. I'm sure I can go faster tomorrow when I have a clearer view of the conditions and can pick out the bad areas," added Hirvonen.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on the opening day of the new season. "I'm surprised Mikko dropped so much time on the second stage but it's good he knows where and how" he said.



News from our Rivals

World champion Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) opened a 12.7sec lead over team-mate Dani Sordo after they shared a stage win each. Sordo lost time on the second stage when he damaged his spotlights. Behind Hirvonen, Chris Atkinson (Subaru) headed François Duval (Ford) with Petter Solberg (Subaru) rounding off the top six. Duval had no information from his safety crew after their car broke down and he slid off the road several times on the opening stage, while Solberg spun on the same test. Toni Gardemeister (Suzuki) was eighth despite clutch and intercom problems, while team-mate Per-Gunnar Andersson broke a rear driveshaft on the opening stage and had to tackle the rest of the leg with front-wheel drive only.

Tomorrow's Route

The second day's action takes competitors into the Ardèche mountains, south-west of Valence, for two identical clockwise loops of three stages which are split by a return to the Valence service park. After an early-morning 06.50 start, they return to the town for the second overnight halt at 19.56 after 116.96km of competition.

Leaderboard after Day 1
1. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen C4 23min 38.4sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen C4 23min 51.1sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 24min 22.4sec
4. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 24min 37.0sec
5. F Duval/E Chevailler B Ford Focus RS 24min 51.9sec
6. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 24min 52.9sec
7. G Galli/G Bernacchini I Ford Focus RS 25min 04.5sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 25min 31.5sec
9. J-M Cuoq/P Janvier F Peugeot 307 25min 47.6sec
10 F Romeyer/T Fournel F Peugeot 206 26min 29.1sec

Dag 1. 16:50 uur

Khalid al Qassimi van BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team is uitgevallen op de eerste dag van de Rally Monte Carlo door een ongeluk op de SS6.

Al Qassimi's Ford Focus kwam in een slip terecht in een rechtse bocht van de 29 km tellende proef en kwam tot stilstand tegen een muur. Zowel rijder Khalid al Qassimi als co-piloot Michael Orr bleven ongedeerd, maar hun auto heeft flinke schade opgelopen aan een schokbreker en konden niet verder rijden.

Hun auto wordt terug gebracht naar het Ford Servicepark later vandaag voor een technisch onderzoek. Ook zullen ze proberen de ontstane schade te repareren. Al Qassimi en Michael Orr zullen naar alle waarschijnlijkheid morgen wel weer aan de start verschijnen op dag 2.

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