Wales Rally GB - WRC

h3000

Full stages kick off this morning. Should be a great rally, a lot of drivers should be fighting for the win here.

I am hoping for Petter to take the win and Hirvonen to take the championship.

h3000

Top ten after Fridays morning loop
Pos No Driver Time Diff Next Diff 1st
1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 37:23.2 0.0 0.0
2. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 37:32.1 +8.9 +8.9
3. 2 Dani SORDO 37:50.9 +18.8 +27.7
4. 11 Petter SOLBERG 37:54.3 +3.4 +31.1
5. 12 Sébastien OGIER 38:33.2 +38.9 +1:10.0
6. 6 Henning SOLBERG 39:09.5 +36.3 +1:46.3
7. 5 Matthew WILSON 39:15.8 +6.3 +1:52.6
8. 14 Mads OSTBERG 40:05.5 +49.7 +2:42.3
9. 8 Conrad RAUTENBACH . 40:30.0 +24.5 +3:06.8
10. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 41:36.4 +1:06.4 +4:13.2

Full stage times here

wrc.com wrote:

Update after SS2: Loeb leads but Latvala's in trouble


World Rally Championship title contenders Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen were the pace-setters on the opening two stages of the Rally of Great Britain, but the initial 37km of the rally brought problems for Jari-Matti Latvala - one of the other drivers aiming for victory this weekend.

After heavy rain on Thursday, skies were clear as competitors left the Cardiff Service Park from 0600hrs to drive north to Friday's opening loop of stages. However 160km away, where today's stages are based, conditions were far gloomier with low cloud, showery rain and a chilly winter temperature of nine degrees Celsius.

Championship leader Hirvonen is the first to tackle today's stages and, as promised, set off at a furious pace. Arriving at the time control after SS2, the Ford Focus RS WRC driver reported a trouble-free start but felt he could have been quicker. "It’s not been the fastest, perhaps we were a little too hesitant on the first one and a bit careful in there too, but it's not been too bad."

Reigning World Champion Loeb was next to arrive at the control and, after setting the fastest time through SS1 and SS2, held the rally lead - 2.9sec ahead of Hirvonen. "The conditions are really slippery and difficult but it's okay. On the first stage I concentrated only on my own time," he said. "I wasn't following Mikko's lines in the road - they were too wild."

Third overall after SS2, but 12.4sec adrift of Hirvonen, was Citroen Junior Team driver Petter Solberg, who moved ahead of factory Citroen driver Dani Sordo on SS2.

The opening section of the rally proved to be a nightmare for BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala - one of the manufacturer team drivers aiming to round off the 2009 season with a win in Wales this weekend. The Finn dropped 50 seconds to his team-mate on the opening stage, and more than 40 on the second.

"We may have hit something on the SS1," he explained. "We were approaching a junction, braking and turning in when suddenly we lost drive and the left-hand drive shaft broke. It seems that in the second stage the drive shaft has broken the pipe for the front brakes, so now we only have the rears."

Latvala has one more stage to complete before his team can work on the car - using only the spare parts carried on board - at the 15 minute service in Builth Wells.

Another Ford driver in trouble was Henning Solberg of the Stobart VK M-Sport team. The Norwegian dropped more than one minute to the leaders on the opening test when his engine lost a cylinder. Solberg said his engine was back on song for SS2, but he had dropped to ninth place overall.

LINKY

wrc.com wrote:

SS3: Advantage Loeb


Defending World Champion Sebastien Loeb reached the midpoint of Friday's competition on Rally GB with an 8.9second lead over his title rival Mikko Hirvonen - and after 65 competitive kilometres at a furious pace, the lead pair had already pulled more than 18 seconds clear of the rest of the field.

As he bids for a record breaking sixth consecutive world title, Loeb attacked hard from today's opening test and continued his blistering pace on SS3 with a third-consecutive stage win in foggy and rainy conditions.

Before he left for the 15 min remote service after SS3, Loeb said he was satisfied with his morning's work. "It’s been a really, really good stage and a good day so far,” he explained. “We’ve been flat out this morning and we are feeling really happy with the car. This stage was perfect - the brakes are good, the lines have been good, we are really happy”

Loeb's Finnish rival Mikko Hirvonen came off second best to the Frenchman on each of the morning's stages but lost the most (six seconds) on SS3.

He arrived at the finish control 9.9sec adrift in the standings, but remaining upbeat about his chances. “It’s not going as well as I hoped, but it’s not too bad," he said. "There are still some places where I'm braking too early - taking it too steady. Now we have to try again, but no worries. I didn’t do this stage so well last year and it seemed to happen again this year."

LINKY


Craig Breen is leading the Fiestas too, lets hope he can keep it that way.

smooch71

Great post.

Keep us updated.

There was talk of some of the stages being shown live over the weekend.

Anybody have any info on this?

h3000

Top 10 after day1
Pos No Driver Time Diff Next Diff 1st
1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 1:15:22.1 0.0 0.0
2. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 1:15:27.4 +5.3 +5.3
3. 11 Petter SOLBERG 1:16:02.6 +35.2 +40.5
4. 2 Dani SORDO 1:16:03.7 +1.1 +41.6
5. 12 Sébastien OGIER 1:18:03.4 +1:59.7 +2:41.3
6. 6 Henning SOLBERG 1:18:12.2 +8.8 +2:50.1
7. 5 Matthew WILSON 1:18:45.1 +32.9 +3:23.0
8. 8 Conrad RAUTENBACH 1:20:16.7 +1:31.6 +4:54.6
9. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA . 1:22:12.2 +1:55.5 +6:50.1
10. 39 Eyvind BRYNILDSEN 1:23:14.1 +1:01.9 +7:52.0
Full stage times here



Mikko is fighting back against Loeb and Petter is up to third, I hope they keep it up:D:D
I really taught Latvala would be up in the top 4 or 5 fighting, maybe he did not get all the damage fixed in this mornings service.

wrc.com wrote:

Loeb the leader after tense opening day in Great Britain

The head-to-head showdown for the 2009 drivers' title between Mikko Hirvonen and Sebastien Loeb was the star billing before the Rally of Great Britain, and on today's opening day the fight certainly lived up to the hype.

Five-time World Rally Champion Loeb got his quest for a sixth crown off to a great start, ending the opening day as rally leader, but after a thrilling nip and tuck scrap for the lead only 5.3 seconds separates him from Hirvonen in second place.

Loeb began the day the stronger driver, winning the opening three gravel stages in a classic mix of rain, mud and fog for which the rally is renowned. The Frenchman brought his Citroen C4 WRC to the midday service with a lead of 8.9 seconds over Hirvonen in second. The afternoon, however, was a different story, with Hirvonen quicker on the repeat passes through Hafren (SS4) and Myherin (SS6) to keep himself firmly in winning contention.

As he completed the day's final stage, Loeb was happy to be leading but baffled by his speed on the repeated stages. "It's been difficult this afternoon, I don't really understand why I was slower here and on the first one," he said. "On both occasions I didn't get the grip, and the car was understeering. Still, I'm happy to be first on the road tomorrow. Mikko is very fast, though, and it's a really exciting fight. The important thing is I'm in front for the moment, we'll see what we can do tomorrow."

With no split times available from Loeb's car on the final stage, Hirvonen had no idea how quick he was until the finish control. Told that he had narrowed the gap on Loeb by another two-tenths, Hirvonen laughed. "I tried to fight back but I didn't know how close I’d be," he said. "It was so slippery in there and we had a lot of moments, but now it’s going well. It’s a great fight. I've really enjoyed myself. Okay, my driving wasn't perfect this morning but it’s been better this afternoon. Now I must keep this up tomorrow."

LINKY




Craig Breen seems to have run into some problems on the last spilt of stage 6, he has dropped about 10 mins to Patrick ANGLADE. Don't know what has happend yet just looking at the split times. Bollox I was really hoping he would do well.


.

h3000

Top ten after Saturday morning's loop
Pos No Driver Time Diff Next Diff 1st
1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 1:53:48.5 0.0 0.0
2. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 1:54:13.5 +25.0 +25.0
3. 2 Dani SORDO 1:54:51.0 +37.5 +1:02.5
4. 11 Petter SOLBERG 1:55:14.6 +23.6 +1:26.1
5. 12 Sébastien OGIER 1:57:33.1 +2:18.5 +3:44.6
6. 6 Henning SOLBERG 1:58:15.5 +42.4 +4:27.0
7. 5 Matthew WILSON 1:59:09.8 +54.3 +5:21.3
8. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 2:01:28.9 +2:19.1 +7:40.4
9. 8 Conrad RAUTENBACH 2:02:51.4 +1:22.5 +9:02.9
10. 16 Aaron BURKART 2:05:53.0 +3:01.6 +12:04.5
Full stage times here

wrc.com wrote:

SS9: Hirvonen frustrated as Loeb stretches ahead

Sebastien Loeb completed Saturday morning's loop of stages on the Rally of Great Britain with a 25 second overall lead - thanks largely to two stunning performances on SS8 and SS9 which left his title rival Mikko Hirvonen completely stumped.

Ford Focus RS WRC driver Hirvonen was quickest on Saturday's opening test, the longest of the event, to narrow the gap to Loeb to just 2.9sec. But on each of the two muddy, rain-lashed stages which followed Loeb was quicker than the Finn - by 10.2sec on SS8 and a massive 11.9sec on SS9.

Before heading back to Cardiff for the midpoint 30-minute service, Loeb said he was surprised to see Mikko's recent times and was happy to have achieved his own morning's objective. "I don't know if he's done a mistake anywhere, or something like that, but I had always planned to push hard and this stage [SS9] was really, really good - I was flat-out," he said. "The rain this morning made the roads good for me, I had plenty of grip, but yesterday Mikko was faster in the afternoon, so I needed to push hard and make the most of it."

Hirvonen was clearly frustrated as he arrived at the end of SS9; the Finn shaking his head as he tried to understand what was going on. "I'm not sure if someone is wrong, I just don't know. For some reason I just can’t do the times. I'm trying but it’s just not going anywhere," he said.

After driveshaft-related problems sidelined his two BP Ford Abu Dhabi team-mates on Friday, Hirvonen couldn't rule out a similar problem with his car today. "In some places the car feels like it’s not turning-in and it's oversteering. It could be the driveshaft, I don't know," he said.

Third place overall, 37.5sec behind Hirvonen, lies Loeb's Citroen Total team-mate Dani Sordo. The Spaniard moved in front of Petter Solberg on today's opening stage, and pulled steadily ahead on the two which followed. "At the moment everything feels great," said Sordo, who was enjoying the challenge of the wet and slippery stages. "I like these roads a lot, they’re fast and exciting to drive - in some places they’re so clean it's almost like tarmac. We have had no problems with the car, everything is okay."

After wiper problems hampered his charge on all three of the morning stages, Solberg rounded off the morning loop 23.6sec adrift of Sordo, but determined to fight for the place again after his mechanics have fixed the problem. "We kept the wipers on slow for the first two stages but on this one we just put it on full speed and let it happen," he said. "I had to give it a good go and actually, considering the problem, my times haven't been bad on the last two stages. I must say Loeb's attack is impressive. Now I need to do the same this afternoon."

Solberg's team-mate at the Citroen Junior Team, Sebastien Ogier, rounded off the top five places, the Frenchman adopting a cautious approach on stages he made his World Rally Car debut on last year. "The conditions this morning have been very tricky indeed - and I think maybe the drivers ahead of us in the order have a better road surface," he explained.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson hold sixth and seventh places respectively. Solberg completed SS9 with broken wipers. "They got stuck half way through the stage, so we did about 10km without them - that's not easy," he said. Wilson, meanwhile, had a solid morning after handing issues on Friday were fixed last night after a gearbox and differential swap

More news stories here


Loeb really pushed hard on this morning's final two stages, I am really hoping Mikko can push a bit harder and try and close the gap in this afternoons loop.

Petter had wiper motor problems this morning and lost his third place to Dani Sordo (his bad luck never ends:() .

Craig Breen ran into some trouble* in the fiestas yesterday and is still over 8 minutes down on Patrick ANGLADE, sadly it is not looking good for Craig to take the championship victory. I still reckon he could be a big talent up and coming.

*Does anyone know what problems he ran into yesterday.

.

h3000

Loeb won yet again . Congrats to him but I really hope someone can beat him next year. He has huge speed and is extremely talented but I just think he is a twit:D

Mikko was pushing well this morning but disaster struck on SS15 when a bonnet pin failed and the bonnet flew up onto the windscreen losing him over a minute. I was really hoping he could have taken the win and title here.

I would say Petter would have got third only for his wiper problems yesterday. He could be a real contender for the title as well next year.
I would love to see the WRC back to the days when three or four drivers are going into the last rally with the possibility of winning the championship.

Craig Breen finished behind Patrick Anglade which I think hands Anglade the Fiesta title.

WRC.COM wrote:

Disaster for Hirvonen puts Loeb in the clear

Mikko Hirvonen's chances of catching rally leader Sebastien Loeb were dealt a devastating blow on the penultimate stage of the season.

After setting off a blinding pace, and being 1.1sec up on Loeb at the 1.1km split, the Finn was forced to stop mid-stage to rip off his car's bonnet after it flipped up.

The incident cost the Finn more than a minute, handing Loeb a comfortable 1min 25sec lead with just one more stage of the rally to go.

"Now I need a miracle," said a dejected Hirvonen as he reached the finish control. "Just after a jump the pin came loose and the bonnet began to get lots of air underneath. Then on a straight section it flew up and blocked the windscreen - I had to stop, I couldn't see anything. I've tried everything; gone as hard as I can - now we have to wait and see what happens on the last stage."

Loeb was surprised, and relieved, to hear the news of Hirvonen's problems, and revealed that his morning hadn't been quite as trouble-free as he had let on. "It’s great news because I had to go flat-out again in there and now I can take it much easier in the next one. Hopefully we don't have to push too hard. It’s great also because we have a little problem with the turbo and I don't have the full amount of response from the engine."

Loeb's team-mate Dani Sordo set the third fastest time, pulling three seconds ahead of the chasing Solberg, and ending up 0.9sec behind Hirvonen's second place. "After a difficult morning, the Spaniard was far happier with his performance on the first repeated stage. "My split time to Petter was good," he said. "I'm pushing really hard but there was a lot of rain in there - especially in the first few kilometres. It was very difficult to drive, but okay, I'm happy."

Solberg too was troubled by a torrential downpour. "There was so much rain at the start it was almost unbelievable," said the Norwegian, who has 17.9seconds to find on the final stage if he is to beat Sordo. "That’s how it is, I suppose. I tried all I could. I will push on the last stage now, but I've given everything."

The penultimate stage also proved disastrous for Citroen Junior team driver Sebastien Ogier, who crashed out of fifth place, badly damaging the front end of his C4 WRC. The Frenchman eventually got his car to the finish line, with the loss of more than 11 minutes, but the 2008 Junior Rally Champion admitted his rally was over. "The cars in front had kicked out some big rocks in the road near the start and it was impossible to miss them," he said. "I went off because of that. I think that's it. We're finished now."

Ogier's exit promoted Stobart Ford driver Henning Solberg into fifth, with his British team-mate Matthew Wilson sixth. Jari-Matti Latvala nursed his damaged car through to hold seventh overall, while Citroen Junior team driver Conrad Rautenbach is eighth in the final points winning position.

Top 10 after rally end
Pos No Driver Time Diff Next Diff 1st
1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 3:16:25.4 0.0 0.0
2. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 3:17:31.5 +1:06.1 +1:06.1
3. 2 Dani SORDO 3:17:32.5 +1.0 +1:07.1
4. 11 Petter SOLBERG 3:17:53.5 +21.0 +1:28.1
5. 6 Henning SOLBERG 3:22:53.4 +4:59.9 +6:28.0
6. 5 Matthew WILSON 3:24:11.4 +1:18.0 +7:46.0
7. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 3:28:37.3 +4:25.9 +12:11.9
8. 8 Conrad RAUTENBACH 3:30:53.2 +2:15.9 +14:27.8
9. 39 Eyvind BRYNILDSEN 3:38:48.1 +7:54.9 +22:22.7
10. 47 Armindo ARAÚJO 3:40:44.2 +1:56.1 +24:18.8
FULL STAGE TIMES

WRC.COM wrote:

BREAKING NEWS: Loeb the big winner!

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb cruised through the final stage of the Rally of Great Britain today to take victory in his Citroen Total team C4 WRC and wrap up a remarkable sixth World Rally Championship title.

The result, the seventh victory of the 12-round season for Loeb and his co-driver Daniel Elena, was the 54th of his record-breaking WRC career.

Loeb and Elena climbed onto the roof of their car at the end of the decisive 27km Rheola stage, and punched the air as they celebrated their victory in front of a crowd of fans and journalists.

Loeb clinched his sixth title by the closest of margins - just one point ahead of his arch rival Mikko Hirvonen of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team. "It's been an incredible season," said a delighted Loeb. "We made a good start then we lost everything and we came here one point behind Mikko. Finally we've done it and I'm really happy but Mikko has been extremely strong. I know it will be tough next year for sure.

"This has been one of my best title wins; the battle was so intense - going almost until the end of the last rally. It was incredible. We have had some highs and some lows this year but we finished with the victory. It’s an incredible feeling!" he added.

Ford Focus RS WRC driver Hirvonen, and his co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen, were next to reach the finish control, and were two of the first to congratulate Loeb and Elena. After his problems on the penultimate test, Hirvonen did enough over the final 22.51km to secure second place in Wales, and get closer to Loeb in the Drivers' fight than anybody since Marcus Gronholm in 2006.

"Well, the bonnet pin was the last of our problems but I really lost the rally yesterday when I couldn't find the speed on those two stages," said Hirvonen. "Now I need to go back to work and find more speed for next year. It was definitely the best year I've ever had, though. We're really close now to his speed and that feels good. It’s been a great year, but of course a big disappointment at the end."

Loeb's Citroen Total team-mate Dani Sordo finished third, taking the final step on the podium and securing third place in the 2009 Drivers' Championship.

MORE NEWS STORIES HERE


Good rally all in all I can't wait to see the coverage on Dave later(6pm Sunday)

Grim.

fair play to seb epic driving

matty55

Hav 2 say loeb 1 of a kind! gettin kinda sick of him winnin every year!!!:D

EvilMonkey

Congratulations to Loeb, pity he wont get to drive in Abu Dhabi F1.

Bobby04

EvilMonkey wrote: »

Congratulations to Loeb, pity he wont get to drive in Abu Dhabi F1.

+1

Would have really been a great end to the F1 season if Loeb had been racing.

Super finale today in Wales, and all credit to Loeb again, but also to Hirvonen for really putting it up to him this year.

As for Petter, fantastic to see him fighting for a podium. There has been no mention that I've seen or heard this weekend of the difference in spec of Petter's car compared to Loeb's. Is there much difference, and what's it worth per km does anyone know? He was damn close to Loeb's times alot of the way. He should really be in the thick of it next year if he gets a decent car again. Fingers crossed!

h3000

h3000 wrote: »

Craig Breen finished behind Patrick Anglade which I think hands Anglade the Fiesta title.

WooHoo I was wrong because of the fancy points system he actually won the title.

Started a new thread here with more info