82 replies to this topic

[alpiner]

Mikko Hirvonen has crashed out of the lead of Rally Argentina.

The Ford driver slid off the road 8km before the finish of the fifth test of the day - the 23km Ascochinga - La Cumbre stage (SS5) and hit a rock. Hirvonen’s car is stranded in the stage with suspension damage.

Henning Solberg is also stuck in the stage. He is also reported to have struck a rock and broken his Ford’s suspension.

Prvi dan

1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 1:54:28.0 0.0
2. 6 Chris ATKINSON 1:55:58.6 +1:30.6
3. 5 Petter SOLBERG 1:56:06.9 +1:38.9
4. 7 Gigi GALLI 1:56:15.7 +1:47.7
5. 2 Daniel SORDO 1:56:34.9 +2:06.9
6. 9 Federico VILLAGRA 1:59:16.3 +4:48.3
7. 16 Matthew WILSON 2:00:46.3 +6:18.3
8. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 2:03:55.5 +9:27.5
9. 17 Conrad RAUTENBACH 2:04:59.8 +10:31.8
10. 41 Andreas AIGNER 2:06:49.0 +12:21.0
11. 59 Marcos LIGATO 2:08:27.1 +13:59.1
12. 60 Sebasitán BELTRÁN 2:08:36.1 +14:08.1
13. 56 Fumio NUTAHARA 2:08:58.9 +14:30.9
14. 11 Toni GARDEMEISTER 2:09:16.2 +14:48.2
15. 39 Nasser AL-ATTIYAH 2:09:30.1 +15:02.1
16. 10 Luis PÉREZ COMPANC 2:10:11.3 +15:43.3
17. 42 Bernardo SOUSA 2:10:11.9 +15:43.9
18. 46 Jari KETOMAA 2:10:15.7 +15:47.7
19. 57 Martin RAUAM 2:11:00.6 +16:32.6
20. 48 Egveny AKASAKOV 2:13:58.1 +19:30.1

[alpiner]

Drugi dan

1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 4:28:16.5 0.0
2. 5 Petter SOLBERG 4:29:36.1 +1:19.6
3. 6 Chris ATKINSON 4:30:25.0 +2:08.5
4. 2 Daniel SORDO 4:31:48.8 +3:32.3
5. 17 Conrad RAUTENBACH 4:46:16.6 +18:00.1
6. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 4:53:01.0 +24:44.5
7. 41 Andreas AIGNER 4:53:43.7 +25:27.2
8. 9 Federico VILLAGRA 4:54:09.9 +25:53.4
9. 39 Nasser AL-ATTIYAH 4:54:34.8 +26:18.3
10. 60 Sebasitán BELTRÁN 4:54:50.4 +26:33.9
11. 7 Gigi GALLI 4:55:50.2 +27:33.7
12. 46 Jari KETOMAA 4:55:53.3 +27:36.8
13. 56 Fumio NUTAHARA 4:56:47.0 +28:30.5
14. 57 Martin RAUAM 5:01:43.3 +33:26.8
15. 16 Matthew WILSON 5:01:51.4 +33:34.9
16. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 5:03:13.7 +34:57.2
17. 55 Patrik SANDELL 5:03:13.8 +34:57.3
18. 38 Amjad FARRAH 5:08:18.8 +40:02.3
19. 33 Martin PROKOP 5:11:11.1 +42:54.6
20. 11 Toni GARDEMEISTER 5:15:18.1 +47:01.6

Edited by alpiner, 30 March 2008 - 02:31.

[alpiner]

Loeb četvrti put pobedio na Rally Argentina

1. 1 Sébastien LOEB 5:05:48.6 0.0
2. 6 Chris ATKINSON 5:08:21.8 +2:33.2
3. 2 Daniel SORDO 5:09:53.3 +4:04.7
4. 17 Conrad RAUTENBACH 5:25:52.1 +20:03.5
5. 3 Mikko HIRVONEN 5:31:03.9 +25:15.3
6. 9 Federico VILLAGRA 5:33:30.6 +27:42.0
7. 7 Gigi GALLI 5:33:40.4 +27:51.8
8. 41 Andreas AIGNER 5:34:47.9 +28:59.3
9. 60 Sebasitán BELTRÁN 5:35:53.5 +30:04.9
10. 46 Jari KETOMAA 5:37:41.2 +31:52.6
11. 56 Fumio NUTAHARA 5:38:47.0 +32:58.4
12. 57 Martin RAUAM 5:44:16.0 +38:27.4
13. 38 Amjad FARRAH 5:53:04.4 +47:15.8
14. 33 Martin PROKOP 5:53:07.8 +47:19.2
15. 4 Jari-Matti LATVALA 5:55:01.8 +49:13.2
16. 66 Walter RODRÍGUEZ 6:07:28.4 +2:01:39.8
17. 70 Gastón GENOVESE 6:09:27.2 +2:03:38.6
18. 42 Bernardo SOUSA 6:13:02.4 +2:07:13.8
19. 49 Simone CAMPEDELLI 6:14:10.0 +2:08:21.4
20. 44 Gabor MAYER 6:14:31.4 +2:08:42.8

[Uzice]

Svaka mu cast.

[Uzice]

Prvi put se vozi WRC u Jordanu.

Na SS11 ispao Loeb.

Rezultati posle SS12:

1. Sordo Citroen 1h53:05.0
2. Latvala Ford + 0.7
3. Hirvonen Ford + 6.0
4. Atkinson Subaru + 1:52.7
5. Aava Citroen + 2:38.7
6. Wilson Ford + 4:07.7
7. Loeb Citroen + 4:25.9
8. H Solberg Ford + 4:40.0
9. Villagra Ford + 5:40.1
10. Al-Qassimi Ford + 5:54.0

[Uzice]

Posle SS19:

1. Hirvonen Ford 3h16:12.0
2. Sordo Citroen + 7.7
3. Atkinson Subaru + 3:18.8
4. H Solberg Ford + 6:22.5
5. Wilson Ford + 8:41.7
6. Villagra Ford + 8:50.3
7. Al-Qassimi Ford + 9:42.4
8. Latvala Ford + 11:54.8
9. Galli Ford + 11:56.3
10. Ogier Citroen + 21:54.1

[Uzice]

I na kraju:

1. Hirvonen Ford 4h02:47.9
2. Sordo Citroen + 1:15.7
3. Atkinson Subaru + 4:59.5
4. H Solberg Ford + 7:35.8
5. Wilson Ford + 10:41.7
6. Villagra Ford + 11:22.2
7. Latvala Ford + 12:15.6
8. Galli Ford + 12:24.4
9. Al-Qassimi Ford + 19:05.7
10. Loeb Citroen + 23:38.1

[Uzice]

Vozi se Sardinija, posle prvog dana:

1. Loeb Citroen 1h31:27.6
2. Sordo Citroen + 35.7
3. P Solberg Subaru + 53.8
4. Hirvonen Ford + 58.9
5. Atkinson Subaru + 1:09.0
6. Galli Ford + 1:12.3
7. Latvala Ford + 1:31.1
8. H Solberg Ford + 1:52.5
9. Aava Citroen + 2:19.8
10. Gardemeister Suzuki + 2:22.9

[alpiner]

Loeb hangs on to lead after day two
By Matt Beer Saturday, May 17th 2008, 15:01 GMT



Sebastien Loeb continues to lead the Rally Italia-Sardinia at the end of day two, but his advantage has been reduced to less than half a minute, with the charging Fords now sharing second place.

Latvala has been fastest in every stage today, as he made the most of a favourable road position to mount a comeback charge following the error that cost him one and a half minutes on Friday morning. He closed on Hirvonen throughout today, before ending the leg on an absolutely equal time to his teammate.

Despite seeing his lead reduced to 29.4 seconds, and knowing that he must run first on the road again tomorrow, Loeb remains optimistic that he can resist the Fords and take his third win of the season.

"It's what we tried to have," said Loeb when he learned that his advantage was still half a minute. "I think it's the minimum we need for clearing the road.

"I tried as hard as possible today but we lost a lot on the loose gravel. The feeling is difficult with the car, but we'll see tomorrow."

Latvala will run second on the road ahead of Hirvonen tomorrow as he was fastest on the rally's opening stage - the method used to resolve such ties. Despite his incredible day, he remained slightly frustrated about some small errors in SS12.

"It was a good day, but I was a little bit disappointed in myself on the last stage," Latvala said. "We went wide and we lost some time. Maybe we would have been able to do an even better time. No tactics this time, I've just tried to drive as fast as I can."

Loeb's teammate Dani Sordo, who has run second on the road all day, has also struggled with the road conditions, and has now fallen to fifth behind Gigi Galli (Stobart Ford). Like Latvala, Galli sustained a puncture after a minor error on Friday, before setting a series of very rapid times today.

Subaru's Chris Atkinson completes the current top six, but he has now lost touch with the leading pack.

Henning Solberg (Munchi's Ford) has retained seventh place despite pressure from semi-works Citroen driver Urmo Aava throughout the day, with the Estonian's charge slightly interrupted when he made an error in SS11.

Having run trouble-free for the first half of the rally, Suzuki suffered a disappointment when ninth-placed Toni Gardemeister stopped in SS11 with rear suspension damage.

His teammate Per-Gunnar Andersson is still running however, with Gardemeister's retirement elevating the recovering Petter Solberg (Subaru) back into the top ten after his morning tyre problems.

Leading positions after day two:
Pos Driver Car Time
1. Loeb Citroen 2h59:21.5
2. Latvala Ford + 29.4
= Hirvonen Ford + 29.4
4. Galli Ford + 1:17.7
5. Sordo Citroen + 1:31.3
6. Atkinson Subaru + 2:42.1
7. H Solberg Ford + 4:29.0
8. Aava Citroen + 4:34.5
9. Andersson Suzuki + 5:45.9
10. P Solberg Subaru + 7:29.2

[Uzice]

Latvala je nadoknadio 1 min drugog dana!

[Uzice]

I naravno Loeb.

1. Loeb Citroen 3h57:17.2
2. Hirvonen Ford + 10.6
3. Latvala Ford + 15.3
4. Galli Ford + 1:42.5
5. Sordo Citroen + 2:05.6
6. Atkinson Subaru + 5:08.6
7. H Solberg Ford + 6:01.0
8. Aava Citroen + 6:21.3
9. Andersson Suzuki + 7:48.7
10. P Solberg Subaru + 9:41.0

[alpiner]

Trenutni poredak

[alpiner]

Dan pre relija Acropolis, 29. maja, je premijera nove Subaru Impreze.

Naravno boxer motor i Symmetrical All Wheel Drive.

[alpiner]

BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece 29.05-01.06.08.

Poredak posle prvog dana

1. Loeb Citroen 1h21:34.8
2. Sordo Citroen + 15.7
3. P Solberg Subaru + 59.1
4. H Solberg Ford + 1:06.0
5. Aava Citroen + 1:15.5
6. Latvala Ford + 1:18.9
7. Hirvonen Ford + 1:36.4
8. Atkinson Subaru + 1:36.8
9. Andersson Suzuki + 2:23.8
10. Villagra Ford + 2:29.3

Citroen teammates Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo will start day two of the Acropolis Rally with a comfortable advantage after both Ford drivers suffered suspension damage in today's final stages.

Loeb had taken the lead from Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala when the Finn lost 10 seconds with a puncture near the end of SS4 this afternoon.

Latvala rapidly regained second from Sordo, but had the position handed back to him when the Spaniard made a tactical decision to slow in SS6 and drop behind Latvala in the classification to ensure a more advantageous slot in the running order tomorrow - which was set based on positions at the end of today's final full-length stage rather then the leg-ending superspecial.

It was on the penultimate corner of SS6 that things went drastically wrong for Ford. Both Latvala and teammate Mikko Hirvonen, who was holding a distant fourth having lost time while running first on the road today, hit a deep hole that they had not been aware of in the recce or during the first loop. They suspected it had been created by other cars pulling a rock out of the surface.

After the stage both discovered that they had sustained suspension damage - Latvala to a rear corner and Hirvonen to the front end. Subaru's Chris Atkinson also picked up similar damage at the same point.

All three struggled through the road section and the subsequent superspecial, with Hirvonen effecting temporary repairs to his Ford's broken compression strut and track control arm using tie-wraps and the strap normally used to secure the spare wheel.

Although all the affected cars made it through the Tatoi superspecial, Hirvonen lost 46 seconds and Latvala dropped just over a minute. Atkinson fared better, and was just 16 seconds off the pace.

The Ford drama means that Loeb will start Saturday's stages with a 15.7-second lead over Sordo, and a minute clear of Petter Solberg, The latter has moved up to third at the end of an encouraging first day for the new Subaru Impreza, despite being unhappy with set-up changes made for the afternoon.

His brother Henning Solberg holds fourth for Stobart Ford, just seven seconds behind the Subaru, with Citroen's WRC rookie Urmo Aava up to fifth in the Estonian-backed car, having been fastest of all through the superspecial.

The delayed Latvala, Hirvonen and Atkinson complete the current points-scoring positions, while Suzuki's Per-Gunnar Andersson and Munchi's Ford driver Federico Villagra are battling for ninth.

[alpiner]

Sordo vodi na polovini drugog dana

Total-Citroen team driver Dani Sordo returned to the military complex at Tatoi for the midpoint service as the new leader of the Acropolis Rally.

After the morning loop of stages, the Spaniard has a lead of 16.4 seconds over his team-mate Sebastien Loeb who slipped to second following a puncture on SS9.

Sordo has never won a WRC rally before but thanks to some tactical driving on Friday he is well placed to increase his lead on this afternoon’s repeat loop.

Sordo is the third driver to tackle each of Saturday’s stage; giving him the advantage of a racing line swept cleaner by the cars of Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala.

Whether Sebastien Loeb will try to overtake Sordo today, or be content to say behind and benefit from a better road position on Sunday, remains to be seen. But with Citroen keen for Loeb to take a fifth World Championship, team orders could well come into play before the rally is over.

Petter Solberg had another drama free morning in the new Subaru Impreza WRC2008 to hold third overall, although his position is under serious threat from the Ford Focus RS WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala. The gap between the pair narrowed to 1.5 seconds on SS10, when Solberg was held up in the dust cloud following Mikko Hirvonen’s damaged car.

Latvala once again proved to be the king of the salvage job, and after losing 70 seconds on day one, is back to fourth - just 47 seconds off Sordo’s lead.

Henning Solberg of the Stobart Ford squad rounds off the top five, despite reporting intermittent engine problems throughout the morning.

Munchi’s team driver Federico Villagra is sixth, more than two minutes behind Henning. But Swede Per-Gunnar Andersson is less than five seconds behind in seventh in the leading Suzuki SX4 WRC. Andersson was on course to catch Villagra on SS10 but lost time when he missed two junctions and switched off the car’s ECU by mistake.

Championship leader Mikko Hirvonen is eighth, having lost more time through SS10 with his damaged rear suspension. Matthew Wilson is ninth for the Stobart team and one of many drivers to collect a puncture during the morning. Tenth placed Toni Gardemeister had been ninth overall after SS9 but dropped a place when his car lost its power steering three kilometers into SS10.

Trenutni poredak

1. Dani SORDO 2:04:54.6 0.0

2. Sébastien LOEB 2:05:11.0 +16.4

3. Petter SOLBERG 2:05:40.5 +45.9

4. Jari-Matti LATVALA 2:05:42.0 +47.4

5. Henning SOLBERG 2:05:55.2 +1:00.6

6. Federico VILLAGRA 2:08:00.9 +3:06.3

7. Per-Gunnar ANDERSSON 2:08:05.4 +3:10.8

8. Mikko HIRVONEN 2:08:30.7 +3:36.1

9. Matthew WILSON 2:08:34.3 +3:39.7