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| 2009 Rally Finland : WRC Round 9 of 12 : 31st July - 2nd August In this issue: 1. Event Preview 3. Other News 4. Team by Team Preview 5. Event statistics 6. Event Schedule 7. Championship Points 1. Event Preview The rally will be fought out on blisteringly fast roller-coaster gravel speed tests. Finns who nurtured their careers on these types of roads have a clear advantage over 'outsiders' who require several years' experience before they can hope to mount a genuine victory challenge. Only seven non-Finns have won in 58 years. Such are the ! speeds that Rally Finland boasts five of the six fastest rallies in WRC history, with the 2005 event topping the all-time list at remarkable average of 122.86kph. The hard, wide roads are as smooth as a billiard table so it is not a hard rally on machinery. However, it is incredibly difficult from a technical perspective. Awesome stomach-churning jumps frequently hide bends over the crests, so accuracy and delivery of pace notes must be exact and selecting the correct line before 'take-off' ensures maximum pace through the following curves. 3. Other News " Hanninen teams up with Red Bull for Finland " Citroen commit to WRC future " Ford to continue in WRC 4. Team by Team Preview BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 Ford's all-Finnish pairings tackle their home fixture next week determined to maintain the momentum that has propelled the team to three straight wins in the FIA World Rally Championship and the lead! of the drivers' series. Rally Finland (30 July - 2 August) is regarded by many as the highlight of the season and an epic contest awaits as BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's Flying Finns take to the high-speed roads on which they grew up, impatient to secure a maiden victory on their home event. #3 : Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "The view I'm taking is that the season is now a mini-four round championship with three rallies on gravel and one on asphalt. I'm leading by a point so the outcome is in my own hands. First in the start order for the opening leg isn't the easiest position to be, but I'll have to deal with that. I lost the rally last year by dropping time from the same position on the opening leg so I need to overcome that," #4 : Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila:"I have a job to do here and that is to score solid points to help Mikko in his challenge for the title. Poland was a fast rally, so it should be OK to ! find the speed in Finland to do that. There are several new stages, which I'm looking forward to. It's sad we're not driving the famous Ouninpohja stage but Myhinpää is on the schedule for the first time in many years and that's also a legendary test," Citroen Total World Rally Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 Sébastien Loeb, who will begin Rally Finland with a one-point deficit compare with Mikko Hirvonen, believes that the Drivers' World Rally Championship will really start in Jyväskylä! The five-time World Champion and his co-driver Daniel Elena will be hoping to repeat their memorable victory of 2008 as they attempt to regain the upper hand in the series. Meanwhile, Citroën Total World Rally Team continues to enjoy a handsome cushion at the top of the Manufacturers' standings, while Dani So! rdo and Marc Marti are targeting a podium finish in Finland, a terrain on which they feel increasingly at ease. #1 : Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "It would clearly be more comfortable if we had a lead of, say, 20 points going into this rally. That said, we were only three points clear of Mikko before last year's visit. This time, the gap is even narrower, and there are only four more rallies to come this season. As I see it, it's as though the championship will be beginning afresh in Finland, and our only option will be to attack." #2 : Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: "Poland was good practice for Finland. Last year, we failed to beat Chris Atkinson, but we still ended up fourth. I hope to do even better this time, and I can't wait to get started. The Finnish stages give drivers a unique thrill, although there aren't so many of the famous jumps which helped to forge this event's reputation in the past. The main difficultie! s are the blind crests which require total faith in your notes. We'll see how things go, but our target once again is to score as many Manufacturers' points as possible for Citroën." Stobart Ford World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson are preparing to take on one of the most hotly anticipated events on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, Neste Oil Rally Finland, the ninth round of the championship. One of the oldest events on the calendar, Rally Finland is also a firm favourite with drivers and fans alike as it lives up to its fearsome reputation as the fastest rally of the year where only the most skilful and brave drivers will succeed. #5: Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin: "Doing Rally Poland before Finland was really good preparation for us. W! e picked up a lot of things in Poland, including changes with our pacenotes that will really help in Finland. Hopefully we can get a good feeling with the car at the test. It always helps to have some time in the car in Finland before the rally starts as it is such a technical event and the speeds are so high. I've been there three times before so I'm in a much better position now as it is a rally where you do need experience." #6 : Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I'm feeling very upbeat after the podium finish in Poland although it took me a couple of days to settle into the characteristics of the rally there. I hope that I will be able to start quicker in Finland. It is an important rally for my sponsors Expert, who have a big presence in Finland, so it is imperative for me to get a good result for them. I was third after day 1 last year and I hope that I can repeat that kind of pace this year; two podiums in two rallies would be amazing." Citroen Junior Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 After a month-long summer break, the FIA World Rally Championship heads to Finland for the ninth round of the series from 30 July to 2 August. The Citroën Junior Team will be running three C4 WRCs: for Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia, Evgeny Novikov / Dale Moscatt and Conrad Rautenbach / Daniel Barritt. #7: Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt: " Our recent performances have been encouraging. I'm beginning to develop a really good feeling with the C4 WRC. Our ambition is to continue the progress we have made by setting some good stage times and getting to the finish without resorting to SupeRally. " #8: Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt: " This is a very technical rally that you have to approach with really go! od pace notes. My objective is to get to the finish and set some good times along the way. If everything goes well, we should be in a good position to score points. " #12: Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia: " Our test before the start of the rally should help me a lot. Our main objective is to continue building up experience by driving consistently and getting to the finish of each rally without hitting problems. " 5. Event Statistics Route length: 1263.20km, including 347.12km divided into 17 stages (9 different). 6. Event Schedule Thursday 30 July: Day 1 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä Start Jyväskylä 18.15 SS1 SSS Killeri 1 2.06km 19.00 Finish Jyväskylä 19.30 Friday 31 July: Day 1 (continued) Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä Serv A Jyväskylä Paviljonki (15 mins) 06.00 SS2 Jukojärvi 1 22.29km 07.38 SS3 Kruununperä 1 13.51km 08.11 SS4 Mökkiperä 1 13.64km 08.59 SS5 Palsankylä 1 13.92km 09.46 Serv B Jyväskylä Paviljonki (30 mins) &nbs! p; 11.09 SS6 Jukojärvi 2 22.29km 13.02 SS7 Kruununperä 2 13.51km 13.35 SS8 Mökkiperä 2 13.64km 14.23 SS9 Palsankylä 2 13.92km 15.10 Serv C Jyväskylä Paviljonki (45 mins) 16.20 SS10 SSS Killeri 2 2.06km 20.00 Finish Jyväskylä 20.30 Total 130.84km Saturday 1 August: Day 2 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä Serv D Jyväskylä Paviljonki (15 mins) 06.15 SS11 Leustu 1 21.35km 07.13 SS12 Himos 1 20.94km 08.02 SS13 Surkee 1 14.95km 09.25 Serv E Jyväskylä Paviljonki (30 mins) 10.24 SS14 Leustu 2 21.35km 11.37 SS15 Himos 2 20.94km 12.26 SS16 Surkee 2 14.95km 13.49 Serv F Jyväskylä Paviljonki (30 mins) 14.48 SS17 Urria 12.75km 16.11 SS18 Kavala 10.35km 17.19 SS19 Väärinmaja 29.29km 17.52 Serv G Jyväskylä Paviljonki (45 mins) 19.57 Finish Jyväskylä 20.42 Total 166.87km Sunday 2 August: Day 3 Jyväskylä - Jyväskylä Serv H Jyväskylä Paviljonki (15 mins) 06.50 SS20 Hannula 10.82km 08.17 SS21 Myhinpää 1 15.06km 08.58 SS22 Myhinpää 2 15.06km 10.51 SS23 Ruuhimäki 6.50km 12.18 Serv I Jyväskylä Paviljonki (10 mins) 13.16 Finish Jyväskylä 13.26 7. Championship Points Full standings http://www.rallye-info.com/points.asp |