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| 2009 Rally Norway : WRC Round 2 of 12 : 13th - 15th February In this issue: 1. Leg 1 Unofficial Leaderboard 2. Leg 1 News 4. Leg 1 Team by Team News 5. Remaining Event Schedule 1. Unofficial Leaderboard 1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 13min 41.7sec 2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 13min 44.3sec 3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 14min 07.9sec 4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 14min 50.3sec 5. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Citroen Xsara 1hr 15min 13.2sec 6. P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson SWE Skoda Fabia 1hr 15min 13.3sec 7. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 15min 21.1sec 8. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 1hr 15min 45.0sec 9. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Citroen C4 1hr 16min 22.9sec 10 U Aava/K Sikk EST Ford Focus RS 1hr 16min 23.2sec 2. Leg News Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) briefly led this morning after winning the third stage but had to follow in Hirvonen's tyre tracks until the final kilometres. Behind Latvala, Dani Sordo (Citroen) holds fourth, despite minor concerns with his car's handling on the final test this morning. The returning Petter Solberg (Citroen) lies fifth, after delighting his home fans with victory in the opening stage in Oslo last night. Per-Gunnar Andersson (Skoda) is just 0.1sec behind, the Swede winning the sixth stage this afternoon before adding a second success immediately afterwards. Stobart driver Henning Solberg (Ford) is seventh, despite set-up problems this morning and gearchange difficulties this afternoon. Stobart team-mates Urmo Aava and Matthew Wilson and Sébastien Ogier (Citroen) enjoyed a thrilling daylong battle which ended when both Aava and Ogier lost time after sliding into a snow bank on the penultimate test, handing Wilson the advantage in eighth. 4. Team by Team News BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 Icemen Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen kept their cool in the heat of a thrilling snow battle to throw down the gauntlet to arch-rival Sébastien Loeb during today's opening leg of Rally Norway. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pair won four ice-bound speed tests in their Focus RS World Rally Car to lead for most of the day, before calmly playing a tactical masterstroke in the final kilometres to gain a better start position tomorrow. They deliberately slowed near the end of the final special stage to ensure they will restart one place behind Loeb, offering better road conditions and the advantage of being able to track his times. Hirvonen overnights in second, just 2.6sec behind, with two days of action-packed competition remaining in this second round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Team-mates and fellow Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila lie third in another Focus RS WRC, 26.2sec from the lead. #3 : Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "When we saw how much time we had dropped to Loeb mid-stage, I decided to slow. My lead would have been so small that it made sense to take the advantage of starting behind him tomorrow. I can follow his split times and react accordingly. It won't be easy but I like to be the guy chasing and not being chased." #4 : Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila: "My driving was better this afternoon. When the car came out of the ruts it slid too much so I had some learning to do. I'm a little disappointed to have dropped time this morning but I'm back in the game tonight. Tomorrow's stages are much faster and I'm third in the start order, which I think is the best position," Citroen Total World Rally Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 The thrilling opening day of the 2009 Rally Norway saw five changes at the top of the leaderboard as competitors contested the stages of the Kongsvinger region. Both Citroën Total World Rally Team crews revelled in the perfect conditions, with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena completing the first leg on top with a small advantage over their chasers. #1 : Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "The organisers took the initiative of sending a snowplough through the stages between recce and the start, which meant that running first on the road wasn't such a big handicap. I feel confident: the balance of my C4 WRC is perfectly suited to these conditions and I'm really enjoying my fight with Mikko." #2 : Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: "Driving on snow isn't my speciality, but I've got to say that it's beginning to come more naturally to me. I have a good feeling with my C4 WRC, as well as with the set-up we have chosen for this event. I still don't have enough confidence to be able to mix it with the others, especially through the twistier portions, but I can't wait for the second day to start so that I can continue to learn." Stobart Ford World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team finished the first full day at Rally Norway firmly in contention for a healthy points haul. All three of its Ford Focus RS WRCs completed the eight stages and 115.80km of competitive distance in top ten positions. With little separating most of the front-runners after a closely fought day of FIA World Rally Championship action, the Cumbria-based team's crews are sure to feature prominently over the remainder of the event. #5: Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk: "It's been quite a tricky day. The car was moving around a lot in the morning but we stiffened the suspension in service and it was a lot better in the later stages. It was disappointing to lose time after we hit a snow bank, because we were trying to be careful. I just missed my braking for a slow right corner and nosed into the bank; we had to get some spectators to help push the car out. Tomorrow we will need to start from fresh and see what we can do to improve our position, the stages are more flowing and I think that will be better for me." #6: Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "The set up was not exactly right in the morning so I couldn't go as fast as I wanted. We changed a few things in service and that made it better to turn in and get some good times in the afternoon, but then we had a bit of a problem with the gear selector towards the end of SS6 and had to use the manual shift. The team will get it sorted tonight, though, and we will push again tomorrow for some more places. I still think top three is possible and the stages tomorrow will suit me better." #16: Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin: "It is a good feeling to have a strong first day in a rally and it has given me a boost in confidence for tomorrow; we just need to keep the pace going. There wasn't as much grip out there in the afternoon, and the back end of the car was difficult to control. It definitely was harder than in the morning, but we just tried to keep it neat and tidy because it was important not to make any mistakes today. The stages tomorrow look like they will be great fun and we are in a good position to challenge those ahead of us." Citroen Junior Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 In what were perfect conditions for a winter rally, the three Citroën Junior Team crews showed themselves to be competitive throughout the opening day of the Rally Norway. Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have brought their car home in ninth place, a few seconds ahead of the identical machines of Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt and Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt. #7: Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt: " We're going to work on that so that we feel more comfortable in the quick sections. We're still getting to grips with the car, as this is still only our first day at the wheel of a WRC challenger. " #8 : Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt: "The end of the day was really hard on our tyres and so we lost a bit of time. Tomorrow's stages are really nice. I've got a good feeling with the car now so I hope I'll be able to push a little bit more. " #11: Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia: " The learning curve continues and I've got a very good feeling now with the Citroën C4 WRC. I just made two mistakes in Kongsvinger 2 (SS8) by getting stuck in the snow twice. We were able to get going again quite quickly, but those vital seconds always seem to fly past! Our biggest satisfaction is the fact that we can stay within a second per kilometre of the frontrunners. " 5. Remaing Event Schedule Saturday 31 January: Day 2 Sligo - Sligo Serv D Sligo (15 mins) 06.25 SS9 Sloughan Glen 1 27.76km 08.13 SS10 Ballinamallard 1 25.46km 09.06 SS11 Tempo 1 13.46km 09.49 Serv E Sligo (30 mins) 11.54 SS12 Sloughan Glen 2 27.76km 13.57 SS13 Ballinamallard 2 25.46km 14.50 SS14 Tempo 2 13.46km 15.33 Serv F Sligo (45 mins) 17.18 Finish Sligo 18.03 Total 133.36km Sunday 1 February: Day 3 Sligo - Sligo Serv G Sligo (15 mins) 07.40 SS15 Geevagh 11.48km 08.35 SS16 Arigna 27.90km 09.00 SS17 Lough Gill 13.51km 09.51 Serv H Sligo (30 mins) 10.41 SS18 Donegal Bay 14.47km 12.09 SS19 Donegal Town 1.50km 13.10 Serv I Sligo (10 mins) 14.33 Finish Clarion Hotel, Sligo 15.10 Total 68.86km Rally total 366.75km |