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Dramatic opening day to Wales Rally GB
publication date: Dec 6, 2008
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author/source: Robin Roberts & Gary Jones
 | | Ice and rain completely upset the form book on the first day of Wales Rally GB.
Atrocious weather conditions in Mid Wales saw two special
stages in the same forest cancelled which took about 48 miles out of
the competitive route before the crews arrived from their early morning
Swansea start.
Competitors tackling the stages in the mountains east of
Aberystwyth reported patchy ice, huge water splashes and muddy tracks.
Many complained about poor visibility and one section was held up after
a marshal sustained facial injuries when hit by a flying stone from a
competitor’s car wheels.
Ford’s lead driver Mikko Hirvonen will want to forget this
year’s event after rolling his car (above) and sustaining problems with it as a
result which put him well down the running order as the day dragged on
for the crews and teams.
There was consolation for the BP-Ford team as colleague
Jari-Matti Latvala put in a calculated run through the treacherous
tracks in his Focus RS and finished the shortened day over 12secs up on
this year’s WR champion Sebastien Loeb’ Citroen Total WRT C4.
Citroen is chasing the manufacturer’s title in Wales but the
real pressure is on Ford which must finish 1st and 2nd to stop the
French manufacturer scooping that as well after Loeb grasped his fifth
WRC Driver’s crown in Japan last month.
Turkish duo Koray Muratoglu and Caglar Suren in one of the
Castrol Ford Team Turkiye Ford Fiesta ST were both taken to hospital
following a collision with a Range Rover on a road stage during the
non-competitive liaison section from SS2 (Sweet Lamb) to SS3 (Myherin).
Muratoglu was transported by ambulance to Bronglas Hospital in
Aberystwyth, with co-driver Suren being airlifted to Princess Royal
Hospital in Shrewsbury. The driver sustained a broken ankle and his
co-driver suffered multiple injuries but was last night said to be
stable. There are no reported injuries amongst the four people in the
private car.
Australian Chris Atkinson, Subaru WRT driver, crashed in
Walters Arena early yesterday afternoon and sustained a severe blow to
his crash helmet. Chris was been taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea
for a precautionary medical check although conscious and lucid and was
kept in Hospital overnight for observation.
The Production World Rally Championship title is also up for grabs on Wales Rally GB.
Juho Hanninen (Mitsubishi Lancer) was points leader coming into
the event but he endured a miserable day. First he was slowed by a
suspected driveshaft problem, and then he got stuck in a watersplash in
stage six.
In contrast, title rival Andreas Aigner (Mitsubishi Lancer)
had a good day, ending it in third in the PWRC standings – a position
that could win him the title, depending where his rivals finish.
Guy Wilks (Mitsubishi Lancer) leads the Production category – and could
become British Rally Champion on the event.
He
is currently 29.4s ahead of second-placed Patrik Flodin (Subaru
Impreza)
Title rival Mark Higgins (Subaru Impreza) slid off on stage three
today, seriously damaging his car.
That means the battle for the British crown is likely to be between
Wilks and David Higgins (Subaru Impreza), who currently lies in fifth
place in the Production class and third in the British Rally
Championship standings.
Intense,
fast stages in forests north of Swansea will be testing the crews today
along with the championship’s only closed stage in the Millennium
Stadium, Cardiff and tomorrow’s sting in the tail comes with tests in
South Wales.
| | Wales Rally GB Day 1
| | 1 Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Focus WRC) 31m20.5s
2 Sebastien Loeb (Citroen C4 WRC) +12.9s
3 Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki SX4 WRC) +22.5s
4 Mads Ostberg (Subaru Impreza WRC) +24.0s
5 Petter Solberg (Subaru Impreza WRC) +27.4s
6 Dani Sordo (Citroen C4 WRC) +32.2s
7 Francois Duval (Ford Focus WRC) +52.0s
8 Sebastien Ogier (Citroen C4 WRC) +54.8s
9 Henning Solberg (Ford Focus WRC) +1m04.7s
10 Mathew Wilson (Ford Focus WRC) +1m33.0s | | Saturday 6 December: Day 2
Start Swansea 07.15
Serv C Swansea (15 mins) 07.25
SS9 Resolfen 1 30.68km 08.18
SS10 Halfway 1 18.57km 09.47
SS11 Crychan 1 14.86km 10.13
Serv D Swansea (30 mins) 12.13
SS12 Resolfen 2 30.68km 13.21
SS13 Halfway 2 18.57km 14.50
SS14 Crychan 2 14.86km 15.16
SS15 Cardiff 0.99km 18.15
Serv E Swansea (45 mins) 19.23
Finish Swansea 20.18
Sunday 7 December: Day 3
Start Swansea 06.50
Serv F Swansea (15 mins) 07.00
SS16 Rheola 1 27.96km 07.55
SS17 Port Talbot 1 20.09km 09.03
Serv G Swansea (30 mins) 10.00
SS18 Rheola 2 27.96km 11.10
SS19 Port Talbot 2 20.09km 12.18
Serv H Swansea (10 mins) 13.03
Finish Law Courts, Cardiff 14.56
| | ©Image courtesy of Gary Jones Rally Pic | | To keep up to date with news and information about Wales Rally GB visit www.walesrallygb.com
To book tickets call the booking hotline on 0844 8472251. | |
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