The BP-Ford World Rally Team achieved its hundredth consecutive points finish when drivers, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala ran a one-two for victory at the Rally of Turkey on Sunday.
Sebastien Loeb of Citroën-Total had an early lead by the end of the first day, as Ford opted to have its drivers back down while the reigning champion swept the gravel roads ahead of them. The strategy paid off, and by the end of the second leg Hirvonen and Latvala were comfortably in the lead with the split times while Loeb struggled for grip.
Hirvonen risked being the first one out on the roads, but his pace was enough to ensure the Finn his second win of the season (and regain the lead in the manufacturers’ championship) – eight seconds ahead of team mate Latvala.
“I promised Malcolm Wilson I would lead the championship going into my home rally in Finland next month and I am. It was an incredibly hard weekend for drivers, cars and tyres and a great battle with Jari-Matti, which I’m so happy to win. It was the right moment for a win because we struggled on the last round in Greece and this is perfect timing. It feels very special to beat a four-time world champion in a straight fight,” said Hirvonen.
While Latvala seemed, at times, likely to take the lead, his inexperience with fresh roads cost him time. He may have been uncomfortable sweeping the Turkish roads, but Latvala’s pace quickened enough for him to win the final stage – and help keep Ford ahead of Citroën in the chase for the manufacturer’s title.
“I came here wanting a top three finish so I’m pleased I was able to fight for victory said Latvala. I lacked experience of these roads but that wasn’t as big a disadvantage as I thought. We played good tactics and it was a big risk, but a good decision. I’ve learned to keep my driving tidy. I was kind on my tyres for the first half of the final stage and that paid off. This has given a major boost to my confidence,” Latvala stated.
Loeb’s car proved reliable and it helped that he didn’t put a foot wrong the entire weekend. His third place finish is purely a result of being the first driver out on the field in the hard, dry conditions in the Turkish event – similar (if not worse) to those experienced in Greece.
“I cannot say I’m happy about finishing third and I’m no more pleased to have conceded the lead in the Drivers’ Championship,” admitted Loeb. For three days we have tried everything. We often exceeded our limits, using every bit of the car’s potential and that of the Pirelli tyres, which stood up well to the risk of punctures. Except maybe for New Zealand, we should no longer have to worry about the problem of ‘road-sweeping’ for any of the seven rallies that remain, and that can only be a good thing. We know that we’re ready for what’s coming, the points difference in the two championships are minimal and there will doubtless be more fights to close these gaps. I can take a break in the knowledge that the rest of the season promises to be very exciting … And we’ll soon be back in Finland, too.
Loeb’s Citroën team mate, Sordo, had a fantastic weekend as the Spaniard had experienced car-trouble on leg one and came back from eighth, fighting Stobart M-Sport’s Henning Solberg on the way to finish fourth. Stobart had two cars in the top four on the first day, but weren’t fast enough on leg two and lost a car as a dehydrated Gigi Galli retired early on Sunday. Solberg’s brother, former champion Petter Solberg, couldn’t manage any better with the new Impreza WRC than where he had started – sixth.
WRC goes on somewhat of a summer break before the teams head for Finland for what is arguably the fastest event on the calendar – the gravel grand prix of Rally Finland, an event notorious for favouring drivers of Scandinavian origin. Perhaps we can expect another one-two from the Flying Finn duo from Ford?
