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| 2008 Rally New Zealand : WRC Round 11 of 15 : 29th - 31st August In this issue: 1. Final Unofficial Leaderboard 2. Final News 4. Final Team by Team News 5. Championship Points 6. Next Event 1. Final Unofficial Leaderboard Final positions 1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 3hr 59min 18.9sec 2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 59min 36.4sec 3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 00min 00.4sec 4. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 4hr 02min 07.8sec 5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 4hr 02min 49.6sec 6. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 4hr 06min 56.3sec 7. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 4hr 07min 13.8sec 8. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 4hr 07min 53.9sec 9. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 4hr 08min 34.1sec 10 M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Mitsubishi Lancer 4hr 13min 07.9sec 2. Final News Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) appeared to have lost his victory chance when he spun on the morning's opening stage, losing 10sec and dropping to fourth. However, he profited from the drama and moved ahead of team-mate Dani Sordo on the penultimate stage to win by 17.5sec. Stobart driver François Duval (Ford) was on course for fourth until he crashed out in the Whaanga Coast test. So Norway's Petter Solberg (Subaru) took fourth ahead of Urmo Aava (Citroen), despite the Estonian spinning on the opening stage. Munchi's driver Henning Solberg (Ford) recovered from first day power steering problems to win seven stages and climb to ninth, taking the final manufacturers' point. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) retired on the second stage after nudging a bank, the impact causing an oil leak in the engine. 4. Team by Team News BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished third on Rally New Zealand today as, for the second consecutive season, the event provided a finale that could have come straight from a story book. The Finns drove their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to the Hamilton finish ceremony more in disappointment than celebration after a dramatic ending that also saw team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retire and the team lose a possible 1-2 finish. #3 : Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "I was confident I could drive at normal pace through that stage and win but it wasn't to be because we handed Loeb victory. It's not looking so good for either championship now but it's not impossible. An eight-point gap in the drivers' standings will be difficult to make up and it's annoying to end like this after a great weekend. But I finished on the podium and what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. The positive from this event is that I know I can win gravel rallies. " #4 : Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila: "I approached a long left bend where the later cars in the first pass had created a narrow line. I lost grip at the rear and the car went sideways. I floored the throttle to try to straighten up, but it turned and I went into the inside of the corner. I hit a bank, which had a rock buried in the sand, and the impact broke the radiator and the cooler. I knew straight away that it was over because the oil temperature and water warning lights came on. I'm disappointed because I lost points for myself and the team. I was going so well and was pleased with my driving here so I thought I could finish second. It's a bad feeling but after my problems in Germany, I've learned that I have to pick myself up and carry on," Citroen Total World Rally Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 The 11th round of the 2008 World Rally Championship in New Zealand produced a breathtaking finale which saw Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena clinch the spoils to secure a landmark 50th WRC success for Citroën at the end of the three-day event. Today's result takes the defending champions further clear at the top of the provisional Drivers' standings, while a magnificent second place for Dani Sordo/Marc Martí made it a resounding one-two finish for Citroën Total which has comforted its lead in the Manufacturers' points table. #1 : Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "We were aware that this was probably too big a gap to bridge in normal circumstances but we never gave up, and our efforts ended up paying! It's becoming something of a tradition for the last day of this rally to produce nail-biting finishes. I am obviously delighted to have won this event which I really enjoy and which has taken me further clear at the top of the championship." #2 : Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: "It's fantastic to have contributed to a one-two finish for the team and to have played a part in what has turned out to be a big points haul for Citroën. I'm also delighted with the feeling I had here in New Zealand. I still lack experience of this terrain, but I was able to see that I have made progress since last year's visit. My feeling with the C4 is improving all the time and my times are getting closer and closer to those of the top loose surface experts. The bottom line of our weekend here could hardly be better!" Subaru World Rally Team http://subaru.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=5 Petter Solberg and Phil Mills finished the 38th running of Rally New Zealand in fourth position overall after a dramatic re-shake of the leaderboard on the rally's penultimate stage. The Whaanga Coast test was the most beautiful of the rally, skirting the Pacific Ocean, but proved a bitter femme fatale for three of the leaders as the competition at the front raged to a nail-biting conclusion. #5 : Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "What an incredible finish, the Whaanga stage was like a scrap yard! Today the car felt the best it has this weekend, so we are definitely making steps in the right direction but it's taking a little time. Of course, we are here for winning though so we have some more steps to take, but we have to lift our heads now and keep working so we can start to fight at the front." #6 : Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot: "It's disappointing that we had to retire today. We were testing some suspension components, and under braking the car slid straight on and we nosed into a bank and damaged the radiator, so that was it. Now we have a little gap to look at what we can do ahead of Spain." Stobart VK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 It has been an unfortunate final day of Repco Rally New Zealand with François Duval/Patrick Pivato bowing out on the penultimate stage after looking promising for a fifth place finish. #7 : Francois Duval/Patrick Pivato: "It was a second gear corner near the end of stage 17 and we caught a little bit of loose gravel and slid off the road. The car was not damaged but it became stuck and we were unable to get it out of the ditch. We were taking no risks on this stage so it was unlucky that our rally ended this way. We were starting to set some good times and my feeling was getting better each day after such a long time out of a WRC car on gravel. The next event for me is Spain and I am looking forward to getting back on asphalt again." #8 : Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin: "I really enjoyed the rally this weekend but obviously we are disappointed with what happened on Friday as we would be in a great position now. Having a 'pressure-free' run over the last two days allowed me to drive my own race and try a few different things and we have set some great stage times in the process which I am really happy with. I have learnt a lot this weekend and I will take a lot away from our performance here. This is a fantastic rally with some amazing stages and I'm looking forward to hopefully coming back in the future." Suzuki World Rally Team http://suzuki.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=12 Both Suzuki drivers Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson were looking forward to the stages, which are as much a treat for the drivers as they are for the spectators. And they turned out to be a fitting setting for Suzuki's best World Rally Championship finish yet, with Andersson climbing the leaderboard through the final day to sixth and his team-mate Gardemeister finishing just one place further back in seventh place. It was no wonder the drivers received such a rapturous welcome back into Hamilton from the local Kiwi fans and everybody in the Suzuki World Rally Team. A trouble-free run to seven points on one of the toughest rallies in the world was the perfect result for everybody. #11 : Toni Gardemeister/Tomi Tuominen: "I really enjoy these roads and today, like every day on this rally, the SX4 WRC worked very well. I had a spin on the long one this morning, it was quite tough to find the feeling on the gravel in there, but after that the day has been getting better and better. The team has worked really hard for this and we deserve the points and the finish. I'm really happy." #12 : Per-Gunnar Andersson/Jonas Andersson: "I drove a little bit like my grandmother this morning! I knew there was so much to lose by making a mistake today, which meant there was quite a lot of pressure. The car was really good, but it was tough to find a rhythm and get into the morning stages, they were really loose at times. As well as that, I was struggling a little bit with the pace notes, they were too fast for the corners. It was such a shame for the last run through Whaanga Coast, that's a great stage, but a couple of kilometres into the stage we got a puncture, so we had to do the whole stage like that. Then later on, we got another puncture and dropped more time. Okay, this wasn't the best way to end it, but it has been a great rally for the whole team - and our faultless SX4 WRC." 5. Championship Points Full championship points can be found here: http://www.rallye-info.com/points.asp 6. Next Event The World Rally Championship heads to Spain next for Rally Catalunya Costa Daurada, round 12 of the series. A flat-out blast through the fast and flowing mountain stages of Tarragona, Catalunya is the quickest asphalt rally of the year and also the most similar to a circuit race, characterised by wide smooth roads and sweeping corners. The event is based in the coastal resort town of Salou, further south along the coastline from Barcelona in the Tarragona region. The service park is based in the PortAventura holiday theme park, though eighteen stages and 353.62 kilometres of competition won't give the drivers much time to enjoy the roller-coasters. |