2008
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2008
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BP-FORD ABU DHABI
CONTINUE TO LEAD
Sheikh Khalid finishes 11th in Rally Finland
IN
one of the most fiercely contested battles of the 2008 FIA World Rally
Championship season, BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Mikko
Hirvonen didn’t have enough on his final day to claim his maiden Rally
Finland victory on August 3.
Citroen’s six-time WRC title
winner, Sébastien Loeb – now one of only a handful of non-Finns to win
the event in its 57 year history – eventually held off the surging Abu
Dhabi Tourism Authority-backed Hirvonen to cut the Finns’ championship
lead to a single point.
The result means that BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team retains its
lead in the manufacturers’ championship. Hirvonen’s eight points for
finishing second means the UAE-capital-supported outfit heads to the
next WRC round in Germany on August 15 armed with a three-point cushion
over rivals Citroen.
“I'm pleased with my driving but I came here to win and Loeb found a
few seconds more. We played cat and mouse all weekend and when I won a
stage, he usually won the next. For there to be only nine seconds
between us after all this crazy driving is amazing. I lost the time by
not being brave enough in the narrow sections. It'll be difficult but
we must now fight for the win on every round,” said Hirvonen.
"It was a fantastic rally and an amazing fight and it's unfortunate I
didn't win in front of my home fans. I pushed right to the end but it
wasn't enough. I'm pleased to still lead the championship but one
point isn't much. The speed was crazy. Sometimes we could have thrown
our pace notes away and just gone for it and I've learned that I could
have made my notes quicker.”
Having started the day 18.2sec apart, Hirvonen needed to pull out all
stops on the final three stages on August 3 to have any chance of
catching Loeb and claiming victory. After trading fastest bragging
rights with the Frenchman throughout the weekend, the dynamic Hirvonen
did not disappoint.
On stage 23, Hirvonen recorded the exact same time as his arch rival,
before a solid run on the penultimate 10.92km Hannula stage saw him
reduce the deficit to 11.8sec.
And despite a strong showing on the short, final Ruuhimaki stage,
bringing him to within 9.9secs of Loeb after 340 kilometres of
relentless, high speed competition, Hirvonen ran out of road and –
after finishing second last year – again narrowly missed out on an
elusive Finland win.
“I wanted to win here, but it was still a fantastic event. The
championship fight is not over, but of course all the rallies coming up
are more important now. It’s not over yet!” added the 28-year-old Finn.
Elsewhere, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi had a rollercoaster weekend as he
marked his one-year WRC anniversary with the ADTA-sponsored team with
an impressive 11th place finish.
After spinning out on day two, then recording the longest jump of the
event with a breathtaking 55m leap, Sheikh Khalid narrowly missed out
on a second top-ten finish of the season. However, he remained upbeat
about his performance as he readies for Rally Germany in 10 days time.
“The event on the whole was really good and I was extremely happy with
how everything went. We were cautious in some places and then had to
lift the pace in other areas, because that’s how you have to be here.
It is all about balance. We had a couple of moments and it could have
gone either way for us. This is a very competitive event and everyone
is fighting for those precious seconds. To clock up an 11th place
finish, especially as I have limited experience in this region, is
great,” said Sheikh Khalid.
“Germany is a tarmac event and it has been quite a while since I
competed on that surface. It will be interesting; you have to change
your driving style considerably, as it requires a different set of
lines and approaches, so we will see how it goes.”
Rising star, Jari-Matti Latvala, finished 39th after a first day
accident ended their chances of victory. After breaking a steering arm
against a large rock and crashing off the road, the 23-year-old Finnish
driver retired from the day, returning to the action yesterday under
SupeRally rules with a 45-minute penalty. He concentrated on
rebuilding his speed and confidence and went on to claim four stage
wins.
"The rally didn't go as I expected unfortunately and I didn't achieve
what I wanted, which was a podium. I feel quite empty. It ended for
me on Friday morning and that was all due to an error I made on the
recce when I didn't mark a rock in my pace notes. At least I got my
confidence, rhythm and speed back and drove the new stages, which is
good for future efforts. It was difficult to be motivated but the best
medicine after an accident is to get back behind the wheel. I know the
speed is there so I hope that next year I'll have the chance to fight
for a win here," he said.
Finland is regarded as rallyings home and is one of the most
specialised events of the season. Famous for its wide, hard roads and
stomach-churning jumps, this year's rally also included several
narrower sections to test the drivers. Precision driving and bravery
are more important here than anywhere else as the fast roads offer
little room for error. Such was the pace that the fierce battle for
victory left third-placed Chris Atkinson more than 3min 15sec adrift.
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