WRC Ireland.
30 January 2009, 07:50 PM
#1
WRC Ireland.
Loeb takes control in Ireland
Sebastien Loeb has pulled out a comfortable lead in the Rally Ireland after winning all three afternoon stages, while erstwhile leader Urmo Aava has crashed out.
World champion Loeb had completed the first loop six seconds behind surprise leader Aava (Stobart Ford) having driven very cautiously while running on incorrect tyres in the very wet conditions.
But with the extreme wet Pirellis fitted at the lunchtime service, Loeb dominated the repeat run through the three stages, giving him a 44-second lead over his Citroen teammate Dani Sordo.
"In stage one I didn't want to push - it was too tricky with the wrong tyre choice," he said. "The only thing I could've done there is go off the road, so I didn't want to do that.
"I wanted to take a rhythm and get the feeling, and now it's good. We've been pushing since that first stage, and now with the 'snow' tyre it's going very well."
Aava gradually lost time to the leaders once all the front-runners were on the extreme tyres, and was down to fourth before he went off the road in SS6 and became stuck in a ditch for 20 minutes, putting him out of leg one.
"We spun and went into a ditch, and it just took such a long time to get out," said Aava. "There was a lot of water - it stinks a bit and the car is full of water, so it's probably not good for the electronics."
Sordo also benefited from the change of tyres to claim third from Ford's Mikko Hirvonen in SS4, then move up to second in the next stage as Aava slipped back. The Spaniard has managed to pull away from Hirvonen, establishing a 20-second cushion by SS6.
"It's really good to drive now with this snow tyre, I'm feeling the grip really, really well," said Sordo. "At the moment it's not bad with Mikko, and I'm confident with the car, the tyres and the notes. Everything is perfect."
Having fallen over a minute adrift of Loeb by the end of SS6, Hirvonen admitted that he was now just trying not to let Sordo escape.
"I'll try to fight at least against Sordo, but I stalled the engine on this stage so I'm not going so well," he said. "I overshot a junction and was close to going in a ditch, and I nearly stalled it there."
Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg is now fourth, despite gearbox problems in SS6, while Chris Atkinson looked set to charge into the top five before an accident in the same stage.
Fourth-fastest time in both SS4 and SS5 took Atkinson (Citroen Junior Team) from 12th to seventh, but he completed SS6 with a damaged car and concerned that his co-driver Stephane Prevot might have suffered a minor injury in the incident.
"We just aquaplaned and spun, hit a pole on the outside of the corner, so we've got a bit of damage and Steph's a little bit sore," said Atkinson, who will run seventh if he is able to continue.
The accidents ahead have allowed Atkinson's teammate Conrad Rautenbach to advance to fifth, although the third Citroen Junior car of Sebastien Ogier is now just 4.9 seconds behind, having picked up his pace this afternoon after an over-cautious start.
"It's going better, but we lost too much time this morning," Ogier admitted.
Stobart's Matthew Wilson is up to eighth, with works Ford driver Khalid Al-Qassimi having dropped back from the points fight at present due to a brush with a tree in SS4.
Hans Wiejs has moved into the Junior class lead, by just 1.9 seconds over Aaron Burkart, with Martin Prokop up to third and closing in - the Czech driver now just 22.7 seconds behind Burkart after an afternoon charge.
The first leg continues with a further two stages under darkness later this evening.
Leading positions after SS6:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h09:35.2 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 44.4 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 1:04.8 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 3:09.4 5. Conrad Rautenbach Citroen + 4:18.3 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 4:23.2 7. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 4:51.2 8. Matthew Wilson Ford + 4:56.0 9. Gareth Machale Ford + 5:05.110. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 5:54.5
Sebastien Loeb has pulled out a comfortable lead in the Rally Ireland after winning all three afternoon stages, while erstwhile leader Urmo Aava has crashed out.
World champion Loeb had completed the first loop six seconds behind surprise leader Aava (Stobart Ford) having driven very cautiously while running on incorrect tyres in the very wet conditions.
But with the extreme wet Pirellis fitted at the lunchtime service, Loeb dominated the repeat run through the three stages, giving him a 44-second lead over his Citroen teammate Dani Sordo.
"In stage one I didn't want to push - it was too tricky with the wrong tyre choice," he said. "The only thing I could've done there is go off the road, so I didn't want to do that.
"I wanted to take a rhythm and get the feeling, and now it's good. We've been pushing since that first stage, and now with the 'snow' tyre it's going very well."
Aava gradually lost time to the leaders once all the front-runners were on the extreme tyres, and was down to fourth before he went off the road in SS6 and became stuck in a ditch for 20 minutes, putting him out of leg one.
"We spun and went into a ditch, and it just took such a long time to get out," said Aava. "There was a lot of water - it stinks a bit and the car is full of water, so it's probably not good for the electronics."
Sordo also benefited from the change of tyres to claim third from Ford's Mikko Hirvonen in SS4, then move up to second in the next stage as Aava slipped back. The Spaniard has managed to pull away from Hirvonen, establishing a 20-second cushion by SS6.
"It's really good to drive now with this snow tyre, I'm feeling the grip really, really well," said Sordo. "At the moment it's not bad with Mikko, and I'm confident with the car, the tyres and the notes. Everything is perfect."
Having fallen over a minute adrift of Loeb by the end of SS6, Hirvonen admitted that he was now just trying not to let Sordo escape.
"I'll try to fight at least against Sordo, but I stalled the engine on this stage so I'm not going so well," he said. "I overshot a junction and was close to going in a ditch, and I nearly stalled it there."
Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg is now fourth, despite gearbox problems in SS6, while Chris Atkinson looked set to charge into the top five before an accident in the same stage.
Fourth-fastest time in both SS4 and SS5 took Atkinson (Citroen Junior Team) from 12th to seventh, but he completed SS6 with a damaged car and concerned that his co-driver Stephane Prevot might have suffered a minor injury in the incident.
"We just aquaplaned and spun, hit a pole on the outside of the corner, so we've got a bit of damage and Steph's a little bit sore," said Atkinson, who will run seventh if he is able to continue.
The accidents ahead have allowed Atkinson's teammate Conrad Rautenbach to advance to fifth, although the third Citroen Junior car of Sebastien Ogier is now just 4.9 seconds behind, having picked up his pace this afternoon after an over-cautious start.
"It's going better, but we lost too much time this morning," Ogier admitted.
Stobart's Matthew Wilson is up to eighth, with works Ford driver Khalid Al-Qassimi having dropped back from the points fight at present due to a brush with a tree in SS4.
Hans Wiejs has moved into the Junior class lead, by just 1.9 seconds over Aaron Burkart, with Martin Prokop up to third and closing in - the Czech driver now just 22.7 seconds behind Burkart after an afternoon charge.
The first leg continues with a further two stages under darkness later this evening.
Leading positions after SS6:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h09:35.2 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 44.4 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 1:04.8 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 3:09.4 5. Conrad Rautenbach Citroen + 4:18.3 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 4:23.2 7. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 4:51.2 8. Matthew Wilson Ford + 4:56.0 9. Gareth Machale Ford + 5:05.110. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 5:54.5
30 January 2009, 07:54 PM
#2
Night stages cancelled due to weather
This evening's two night stages in Ireland have been cancelled due to the level of standing water in the stages.
Weather conditions have been poor throughout the first leg of the World Rally Championship season opener, with the drivers using the standard tyres struggling in this morning's early stages in particular.
Now the organisers have decided that the Murley and Fardross stages that had been scheduled to start at 6.54pm and 7.39pm local time this evening are too wet to run safely. The rain is still falling on the rally route at present.
The cancellation means that Sebastien Loeb takes a 44-second lead over Citroen teammate Dani Sordo into leg two, with Mikko Hirvonen third for Ford.
"It's a shame - the atmosphere of driving at night can be very special," Loeb told autosport.com. "But the organisers know how much water is on the road so for safety this is the right decision.
"I only hope they have told the spectators standing at the side of the road early because it's not nice standing in the rain."
This evening's two night stages in Ireland have been cancelled due to the level of standing water in the stages.
Weather conditions have been poor throughout the first leg of the World Rally Championship season opener, with the drivers using the standard tyres struggling in this morning's early stages in particular.
Now the organisers have decided that the Murley and Fardross stages that had been scheduled to start at 6.54pm and 7.39pm local time this evening are too wet to run safely. The rain is still falling on the rally route at present.
The cancellation means that Sebastien Loeb takes a 44-second lead over Citroen teammate Dani Sordo into leg two, with Mikko Hirvonen third for Ford.
"It's a shame - the atmosphere of driving at night can be very special," Loeb told autosport.com. "But the organisers know how much water is on the road so for safety this is the right decision.
"I only hope they have told the spectators standing at the side of the road early because it's not nice standing in the rain."
Last edited by KJD Mk1; 30 January 2009 at 07:55 PM.
I bet Simon was trying to sell him something! Great pic
31 January 2009, 03:37 PM
#6
Citroen pull away as Hirvonen fades
Citroen have moved further clear of the field in the Rally Ireland after the chasing Mikko Hirvonen lost time with power steering problems.
Hirvonen had been attempting to keep second-placed Dani Sordo in sight, and was matching the Spaniard initially. But then in SS10 the Ford driver's power steering failed and he began to fall away from the Citroens - completing the morning 77 seconds behind Sordo and two and a half minutes behind leader Sebastien Loeb.
"Unfortunately the gap is now too big to try to catch them by driving. It's a real shame," said Hirvonen. "We don't have any power steering. It would be okay, but in all these watersplahes the car does such sudden movements that there's no way you can catch it. It's tricky."
Sordo was pleased that Hirvonen's challenge had faded, but wasn't taking second place for granted given the continued torrential rain in Ireland.
"The pressure is off, but it's very important to stay concentrated because it's really difficult to drive now in these conditions," said Sordo.
"The problem is the roads change a lot - in some parts there is a lot of grip and it's really nice to drive, and then one corner after there's big aquaplaning."
Loeb took all three stage wins this morning and said he planned to continue pushing even though he was now over a minute in front.
"I've had a good lead since yesterday evening so I'm just trying to keep concentrated," said the world champion.
"This stage was very tricky, with a lot of water, but I've kept a good pace because I think if I go off the pace I will not be concentrated enough. But at the moment it's going well, no problems."
Henning Solberg remains fourth for Stobart Ford, despite his distaste for "dangerous" amount of water in some of the stages, but he could soon come under pressure from Chris Atkinson (Citroen Junior), who is now 47 seconds adrift and gaining, despite being keen to stay out of trouble after his incident-packed Friday.
"I just want to make sure I get the car back to the guys without them having to repair it for once," he said.
Atkinson was the only Citroen Junior driver to complete the loop unscathed, as his teammates Conrad Rautenbach and Sebastien Ogier both went off the road in SS9.
While Rautenbach had to retire from his excellent fifth place, Ogier was able to get his damaged car to the stage finish and has already reclaimed seventh from local privateer Gareth Machale, whose Ford developed gearbox problems this morning.
The Citroen crashes mean that Stobart Ford's Matthew Wilson now completes the top six, and Ford's third factory driver Khalid Al Qassimi has moved back into the top ten.
Leading positions after SS11:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h44:53.7 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:12.2 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:29.2 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 5:15.0 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 6:02.0 6. Matthew Wilson Ford + 7:46.5 7. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 8:13.4 8. Gareth Machale Ford + 9:04.6 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 9:36.510. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 9:52.3
Citroen have moved further clear of the field in the Rally Ireland after the chasing Mikko Hirvonen lost time with power steering problems.Hirvonen had been attempting to keep second-placed Dani Sordo in sight, and was matching the Spaniard initially. But then in SS10 the Ford driver's power steering failed and he began to fall away from the Citroens - completing the morning 77 seconds behind Sordo and two and a half minutes behind leader Sebastien Loeb.
"Unfortunately the gap is now too big to try to catch them by driving. It's a real shame," said Hirvonen. "We don't have any power steering. It would be okay, but in all these watersplahes the car does such sudden movements that there's no way you can catch it. It's tricky."
Sordo was pleased that Hirvonen's challenge had faded, but wasn't taking second place for granted given the continued torrential rain in Ireland.
"The pressure is off, but it's very important to stay concentrated because it's really difficult to drive now in these conditions," said Sordo.
"The problem is the roads change a lot - in some parts there is a lot of grip and it's really nice to drive, and then one corner after there's big aquaplaning."
Loeb took all three stage wins this morning and said he planned to continue pushing even though he was now over a minute in front.
"I've had a good lead since yesterday evening so I'm just trying to keep concentrated," said the world champion.
"This stage was very tricky, with a lot of water, but I've kept a good pace because I think if I go off the pace I will not be concentrated enough. But at the moment it's going well, no problems."
Henning Solberg remains fourth for Stobart Ford, despite his distaste for "dangerous" amount of water in some of the stages, but he could soon come under pressure from Chris Atkinson (Citroen Junior), who is now 47 seconds adrift and gaining, despite being keen to stay out of trouble after his incident-packed Friday.
"I just want to make sure I get the car back to the guys without them having to repair it for once," he said.
Atkinson was the only Citroen Junior driver to complete the loop unscathed, as his teammates Conrad Rautenbach and Sebastien Ogier both went off the road in SS9.
While Rautenbach had to retire from his excellent fifth place, Ogier was able to get his damaged car to the stage finish and has already reclaimed seventh from local privateer Gareth Machale, whose Ford developed gearbox problems this morning.
The Citroen crashes mean that Stobart Ford's Matthew Wilson now completes the top six, and Ford's third factory driver Khalid Al Qassimi has moved back into the top ten.
Leading positions after SS11:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h44:53.7 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:12.2 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:29.2 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 5:15.0 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 6:02.0 6. Matthew Wilson Ford + 7:46.5 7. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 8:13.4 8. Gareth Machale Ford + 9:04.6 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 9:36.510. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 9:52.3
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31 January 2009, 06:36 PM
#8
Loeb extends lead despite error
Sebastien Loeb remains on course for Rally Ireland victory, surviving a quick trip off the road to take a 69-second lead into the final day.
The world champion lost 13.7 seconds when he was surprised by standing water and ran onto the grass in Sloughan Glen 2, leaving him with a wheel vibration for the rest of the stage.
But Loeb quickly shrugged the incident off and won the next two stages to re-establish his commanding advantage over his Citroen teammate Dani Sordo and Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.
Loeb's error in SS12 allowed Hirvonen to take his first stage win of the weekend, but the Finn admitted that there was now little point in him pushing with Sordo 80 seconds in front and the rest of the pack three and a half minutes behind.
"It's a shame we had this power steering problem today, I was really looking forward to a fight with Dani, and maybe getting closer and then continuing the fight tomorrow," said Hirvonen. "But now it's really important to get these points so I'll have to try to finish."
The battle for fourth place closed considerably this afternoon, as Chris Atkinson's second fastest time in Ballinamallard and third fastest in Tempo took the Citroen Junior driver to within 4.7 seconds of Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg.
"After yesterday when we gave away a lot of time and did a lot of learning, the second day has become a lot better - top three times nearly every stage," said Atkinson.
"You can imagine that in the most difficult conditions I've ever raced in, and in a new car that's completely different to the old one, it took me a day and a night to think about it. I had a sleep and came back a lot faster."
Solberg had previously said that he would settle for a top five result given his usual discomfort on asphalt, but now feels comfortable enough to try and fend off Atkinson.
"I'm driving as though I have my heart in my neck," said the Norwegian. "I am very, very happy and I was really pushing on the long stage and Mikko was only just in front of me. I'm pushing as much as I can in this car."
Atkinson's teammate Sebastien Ogier has now taken sixth place from Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford), but was frustrated that his earlier crash has left him too far behind to challenge for a top five finish unless others drop out.
"Without the mistake this morning it would be more interesting for us," said Ogier. "Okay, we are sixth and for my second rally with the car it's not so bad."
Ford's Khalid Al Qassimi is now on course for the final point after privateer Gareth Machale tumbled to 12th thanks to turbo problems.
In the Junior class, Aaron Burkart reclaimed first place from Hans Weijs during the afternoon, and the Dutchman then had a heavy crash in SS14 while giving chase.
Leading positions after day two:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h20:02.8 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:09.1 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:30.9 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 5:57.4 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 6:02.1 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 9:13.4 7. Matthew Wilson Ford + 9:51.3 8. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 11:50.0 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 12:40.410. Aaron Machale Ford + 13:40.4
Sebastien Loeb remains on course for Rally Ireland victory, surviving a quick trip off the road to take a 69-second lead into the final day.The world champion lost 13.7 seconds when he was surprised by standing water and ran onto the grass in Sloughan Glen 2, leaving him with a wheel vibration for the rest of the stage.
But Loeb quickly shrugged the incident off and won the next two stages to re-establish his commanding advantage over his Citroen teammate Dani Sordo and Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.
Loeb's error in SS12 allowed Hirvonen to take his first stage win of the weekend, but the Finn admitted that there was now little point in him pushing with Sordo 80 seconds in front and the rest of the pack three and a half minutes behind.
"It's a shame we had this power steering problem today, I was really looking forward to a fight with Dani, and maybe getting closer and then continuing the fight tomorrow," said Hirvonen. "But now it's really important to get these points so I'll have to try to finish."
The battle for fourth place closed considerably this afternoon, as Chris Atkinson's second fastest time in Ballinamallard and third fastest in Tempo took the Citroen Junior driver to within 4.7 seconds of Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg.
"After yesterday when we gave away a lot of time and did a lot of learning, the second day has become a lot better - top three times nearly every stage," said Atkinson.
"You can imagine that in the most difficult conditions I've ever raced in, and in a new car that's completely different to the old one, it took me a day and a night to think about it. I had a sleep and came back a lot faster."
Solberg had previously said that he would settle for a top five result given his usual discomfort on asphalt, but now feels comfortable enough to try and fend off Atkinson.
"I'm driving as though I have my heart in my neck," said the Norwegian. "I am very, very happy and I was really pushing on the long stage and Mikko was only just in front of me. I'm pushing as much as I can in this car."
Atkinson's teammate Sebastien Ogier has now taken sixth place from Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford), but was frustrated that his earlier crash has left him too far behind to challenge for a top five finish unless others drop out.
"Without the mistake this morning it would be more interesting for us," said Ogier. "Okay, we are sixth and for my second rally with the car it's not so bad."
Ford's Khalid Al Qassimi is now on course for the final point after privateer Gareth Machale tumbled to 12th thanks to turbo problems.
In the Junior class, Aaron Burkart reclaimed first place from Hans Weijs during the afternoon, and the Dutchman then had a heavy crash in SS14 while giving chase.
Leading positions after day two:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h20:02.8 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:09.1 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:30.9 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 5:57.4 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 6:02.1 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 9:13.4 7. Matthew Wilson Ford + 9:51.3 8. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 11:50.0 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 12:40.410. Aaron Machale Ford + 13:40.4
01 February 2009, 11:12 AM
#10
Only 2 tarmac events in this years 12 rally wrc programme, so that should even things out a bit. I agree that on Tarmac no one can touch Seb and the C4 but its not quite the same story on gravel. If the Ford team get there act together I think it could be a close run. Lets hope so
Jan 29-Feb 1 2009 RALLY IRELAND JWRC
Feb 12-15 2009 RALLY NORWAY PWRC
Mar 12-15 2009 CYPRUS RALLY JWRC / PWRC
Apr 2-5 2009 RALLY DE PORTUGAL JWRC / PWRC
Apr 23-26 2009 RALLY ARGENTINA JWRC / PWRC
May 21-24 2009 RALLY D'ITALIA-SARDEGNA JWRC / PWRC /SIDC
Jun 11-14 2009 ACROPOLIS RALLY PWRC
Jun 25-28 2009 RALLY POLAND JWRC
Jul 30-Aug 2 2009 RALLY FINLAND JWRC / SIDC
Sept 3-6 2009 RALLY AUSTRALIA PWRC
Oct 1-Oct 4 2009 RALLY DE ESPANA JWRC
Oct 22-25 2009 WALES RALLY GB PWRC / SIDC
01 February 2009, 02:28 PM
#11
Loeb clinches Rally Ireland victory
Sebastien Loeb has commenced his quest for a sixth successive World Rally Championship in perfect style by clinching Rally Ireland victory.
The Frenchman led a commanding Citroen one-two ahead of teammate Dani Sordo, with Ford's Mikko Hirvonen a distant third.
Such a result looked highly unlikely on Friday morning when Loeb chose the wrong tyres for the sodden Irish roads and lost 42 seconds to early leader Jari-Matti Latvala in the opening stage alone.
Latvala then damaged his Ford in SS2 and had to retire, allowing Stobart Ford's Urmo Aava - who, like Latvala, had chosen extreme winter tyres - to take a shock lead.
But Loeb was soon into his stride, and soon after switching to 'snow' tyres at the first service, he moved into the lead and proceeded to pull away, winning by nearly a minute and a half.
"It was a really tough rally, I'm really happy to take these 10 points here," said Loeb.
"Tarmac is important for me, and a difficult rally like this is tricky for everyone. I could have made a mistake, but no, we are here and we won the rally. I will try to continue like this."
Sordo was equally comfortable in second after the chasing Hirvonen was slowed by power steering problems on Saturday morning.
"It's a really, really good result to start the year," said Sordo. "I'm really happy for me and for the team - it's a great weekend. The conditions were really bad and there were some crazy stages with the water."
Hirvonen said he was content with a podium in Ireland - and vowed to fight back in Norway in a fortnight.
"We had some problems and a wrong tyre choice, so I'm pleased with the six points," he said. "Of course I was hoping I could fight with Sordo, but maybe another time. Norway next - I can't wait, it's definitely going to be a different story there. Now we start fighting for the title."
The battle for fourth came down to the final stages. Henning Solberg moved up into the position after his teammate Aava crashed on Friday afternoon, but Chris Atkinson was closing in as he acclimatised to the Citroen Junior C4, having lost a lot of time with a broken windscreen (after failing to secure his bonnet) and then an accident on Friday.
Atkinson finally overhauled Solberg this morning, only to go off the road again in the penultimate stage, losing over a minute and handing fourth back to the delighted - and surprised - Solberg, who traditionally struggles on asphalt.
"It's a big step for me, I am very, very happy," said Solberg.
The Norwegian had decided to switch back to the normal slick tyres for the final loop in a bid to re-pass Atkinson, who stayed on the winter rubber.
"At the end we made a mistake and I don't think we would have beaten him on these tyres," Atkinson said. "That's life, we've got to be happy with fifth."
Atkinson's Citroen Junior teammate Sebastien Ogier recovered from an over-cautious start and a Saturday morning mistake to take sixth, while the third Junior C4 of Conrad Rautenbach crashed out of a promising fifth just before half-distance.
Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford) and Khalid Al Qassimi (Ford) completed the scorers - with the latter taking his first ever point.
Ninth-placed Eamonn Boland was the best of local privateers, ahead of the recovering Aava, although Gareth MacHale had run in the points before a variety of dramas on Saturday, and Niall McShea had held a staggering third place overall in his S2000 Proton after SS1 before hitting electrical problems. He rejoined under Superally for day two, but crashed out.
Aaron Bukart finally claimed his first Junior WRC win with a comfortable advantage over Martin Prokop. Burkart had won a tough early battle with Hans Weijs Jr, who then had a huge accident, while Prokop lost too much ground with a day one engine problem and an error.
Leading finishers:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h48:25.7 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:27.9 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:07.8 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 6:32.4 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 7:51.9 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 10:44.0 7. Matthew Wilson Ford + 11:23.8 8. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 14:07.9 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 15:23.410. Urmo Aava Ford + 15:35.4
Sebastien Loeb has commenced his quest for a sixth successive World Rally Championship in perfect style by clinching Rally Ireland victory.The Frenchman led a commanding Citroen one-two ahead of teammate Dani Sordo, with Ford's Mikko Hirvonen a distant third.
Such a result looked highly unlikely on Friday morning when Loeb chose the wrong tyres for the sodden Irish roads and lost 42 seconds to early leader Jari-Matti Latvala in the opening stage alone.
Latvala then damaged his Ford in SS2 and had to retire, allowing Stobart Ford's Urmo Aava - who, like Latvala, had chosen extreme winter tyres - to take a shock lead.
But Loeb was soon into his stride, and soon after switching to 'snow' tyres at the first service, he moved into the lead and proceeded to pull away, winning by nearly a minute and a half.
"It was a really tough rally, I'm really happy to take these 10 points here," said Loeb.
"Tarmac is important for me, and a difficult rally like this is tricky for everyone. I could have made a mistake, but no, we are here and we won the rally. I will try to continue like this."
Sordo was equally comfortable in second after the chasing Hirvonen was slowed by power steering problems on Saturday morning.
"It's a really, really good result to start the year," said Sordo. "I'm really happy for me and for the team - it's a great weekend. The conditions were really bad and there were some crazy stages with the water."
Hirvonen said he was content with a podium in Ireland - and vowed to fight back in Norway in a fortnight.
"We had some problems and a wrong tyre choice, so I'm pleased with the six points," he said. "Of course I was hoping I could fight with Sordo, but maybe another time. Norway next - I can't wait, it's definitely going to be a different story there. Now we start fighting for the title."
The battle for fourth came down to the final stages. Henning Solberg moved up into the position after his teammate Aava crashed on Friday afternoon, but Chris Atkinson was closing in as he acclimatised to the Citroen Junior C4, having lost a lot of time with a broken windscreen (after failing to secure his bonnet) and then an accident on Friday.Atkinson finally overhauled Solberg this morning, only to go off the road again in the penultimate stage, losing over a minute and handing fourth back to the delighted - and surprised - Solberg, who traditionally struggles on asphalt.
"It's a big step for me, I am very, very happy," said Solberg.
The Norwegian had decided to switch back to the normal slick tyres for the final loop in a bid to re-pass Atkinson, who stayed on the winter rubber.
"At the end we made a mistake and I don't think we would have beaten him on these tyres," Atkinson said. "That's life, we've got to be happy with fifth."
Atkinson's Citroen Junior teammate Sebastien Ogier recovered from an over-cautious start and a Saturday morning mistake to take sixth, while the third Junior C4 of Conrad Rautenbach crashed out of a promising fifth just before half-distance.
Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford) and Khalid Al Qassimi (Ford) completed the scorers - with the latter taking his first ever point.
Ninth-placed Eamonn Boland was the best of local privateers, ahead of the recovering Aava, although Gareth MacHale had run in the points before a variety of dramas on Saturday, and Niall McShea had held a staggering third place overall in his S2000 Proton after SS1 before hitting electrical problems. He rejoined under Superally for day two, but crashed out.
Aaron Bukart finally claimed his first Junior WRC win with a comfortable advantage over Martin Prokop. Burkart had won a tough early battle with Hans Weijs Jr, who then had a huge accident, while Prokop lost too much ground with a day one engine problem and an error.
Leading finishers:
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h48:25.7 2. Dani Sordo Citroen + 1:27.9 3. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2:07.8 4. Henning Solberg Ford + 6:32.4 5. Chris Atkinson Citroen + 7:51.9 6. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 10:44.0 7. Matthew Wilson Ford + 11:23.8 8. Khalid Al Qassimi Ford + 14:07.9 9. Eamonn Boland Subaru + 15:23.410. Urmo Aava Ford + 15:35.4
01 February 2009, 09:00 PM
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Great watching. Some crazy off's, especially Atkinsons. Tempted to go over for this next year. What's happening with Petter this year, has he got a drive?
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