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Worried Ford watch Loeb leap ahead on Rally GB in Wales
publication date: Oct 24, 2009
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author/source: Robin Roberts
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Reigning World Rally Champion Citroen driver
Sebastien Loeb is leading a worried Ford team on Rally GB this morning
as it moves into the critical longest day.
The flying Frenchman dramatically held the lead with Ford top
driver Mikko Hirvonen close behind but the blue-oval has been hit by
driveshaft failures on two of its other team cars and must be worried
about the same fate befalling the No.1 driver who is a point ahead in
the championship with only a few hours driving left today and tomorrow.
Citroen already has the manufacturers’ title in the bag but Loeb must finish ahead of Hirvonen to take the drivers’ crown.
Loeb
took the lead in the first stage, 1.7 seconds up on Hirvonen through
Hafren 1. The Frenchman then raised his cushion in SS2 and SS3 to head
into the mid-day halt 8.9 seconds ahead.
But after lunch on the
repeat loop, Loeb saw his lead trimmed to 4 seconds in SS4 and while he
increased the margin to 6.4 seconds in SS5, he lost out again in SS6.
Consequently he ended the opening day only 5.3 seconds ahead and as such Hirvonen remains a big threat.
“I
thought I was much more slower in SS6 than that. I found no grip in the
middle of the stage but was determined to be first on the road
tomorrow,” said Loeb.
Hirvonen said, “It is getting very exciting
and it was slippery towards the end of the last stage today when the
rain started falling. It looks set for a good fight tomorrow.”
The
immensely popular Petter Solberg with his Welsh co-driver Phil Mills is
third and set for the final place on the podium in their second outing
in the Citroen C4 WRC.
Solberg battled with Dani Sordo for P3 all
day long, and following the first 130-odd kilometres, just 1.1 seconds
separates the two,
After last night's start ceremony in the Welsh
capital, drivers faced the long journey north to tackle two identical
loops of three special stages covering 130.30km in the classic forests
of central Wales. The gravel tracks were muddy and slippery after rain
throughout the week, and fog in the morning ensured all the ingredients
for a classic Rally of Great Britain were in place.
Latvala's
hopes were dented on the opening stage in Hafren when a front left
driveshaft broke, which in turn damaged the pipe containing the fluid
for the front brakes. The fluid leaked out leaving the 24-year-old Finn
with no braking at the front as well as only rear-wheel drive.
He
dropped four minutes to reach Builth Wells in 10th. The brakes were
repaired, but Latvala's Focus RS WRC did not have a replacement
driveshaft onboard and regulations allowed teams to only use
replacement parts that are carried in the rally car. He drove the
afternoon with just rear-wheel drive, losing a further 2min 30sec.
"It
was a frustrating morning," said Latvala. "After about 24km of the
first stage I turned into a corner and the front left driveshaft broke
and the car spun. I don't know how it happened.
Abu Dhabi's Khalid
Al Qassimi and Michael Orr lost more than 10 minutes on the morning's
final test with a broken driveshaft in the team's other Focus RS WRC.
Like
his team-mate, Al Qassimi did not have a replacement in the rally car
and although he left the Builth Wells service, the 37-year-old Emirati
retired on the liaison section shortly afterwards.
Kick Energy
rally driver Steve Perez put in a flawless performance to end up in a
fine 16th place overall after the opening leg of the final round of the
FIA World Rally Championship on Rally GB today.
Driving the ex
Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus WRC 07 and along with Welsh co-driver Paul
Spooner, their only problem of the day was a puncture and had the
satisfaction of beating some works cars on certain stages.
Today’s
second leg is the longest of the rally at almost 140km, mixing the long
Rhondda test in the Vale of Neath with the traditional second day tests
further north, near Brecon.
After leaving Cardiff at 07.10,
drivers face two loops of three identical forest stages, before
returning to the Welsh capital for the final overnight halt at 20.18.
Today could clinch the World Rally Championship for drivers. © Images Gary Jones
| | Day 1 leaderboard |
| 1. S Loeb/D Elena | | Citroen C4
| 1hr 15min 22.1sec | 2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen
| | Ford Focus RS | 1hr 15min 27.4sec | 3. P Solberg/P Mills
| | Citroen C4 | 1hr 16min 02.6sec | | 4. D Sordo/M Marti | | Citroen C4
| 1hr 16min 03.7sec | 5. S Ogier/J Ingrassia
| | Citroen C4 | 1hr 18min 03.4sec | 6. H Solberg/C Menkerud
| | Ford Focus RS
| 1hr 18min 12.2sec | | 7. M Wilson/S Martin Ford | | Focus RS
| 1hr 18min 45.1sec | | 8. C Rautenbach/D Barritt | | Citroen C4 | 1hr 20min 16.7sec | | 9. J-M Latvala/M Anttila | | Ford Focus RS | 1hr 22min 12.2sec | | 10 E Brynildsen/D Giraudet | | Skoda Fabia | 1hr 23min 14.1sec | | | | |
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