10.2.2008 - Hirvonen second in Sweden and gained six points Championship lead
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Jari-Matti Latvala made history by becoming the youngest driver to win a world rally in Sweden today. The 22-year-old Finn and co-driver Miikka Anttila claimed their maiden victory on the Swedish Rally in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were second and Ford secured a clean sweep of the podium places as Gigi Galli and Giovanni Bernacchini were third in a Stobart-entered Focus RS.
Latvala's victory on this second round of the FIA World Rally Championship eclipses the late Henri Toivonen's win on the 1980 RAC Rally in Britain when the Finn was 24 years old. The maximum points score moves reigning world champion BP Ford Abu Dhabi into a 10-point lead in the manufacturers' series. Hirvonen leads the drivers' standings by six points with Latvala tied for second.
Fittingly, as they returned to the team's service park at the end of the rally, Latvala and Anttila were greeted by fellow countryman and double world champion Marcus Grönholm, the man they replaced in the BP Ford Abu Dhabi line-up this season following his retirement. "This is an incredible day for Jari-Matti and one he will never forget," said Grönholm, winner of 30 world rallies. "He is part of rallying's new generation and he and Mikko have great futures to look forward to in the sport."
Unseasonably mild weather meant there was little snow and ice on the forest tracks for what is traditionally the championship's only pure winter event. Slush and water filled the rutted gravel roads as cars carved through the soft surface and organisers cancelled two speed tests due to the poor conditions. The weather meant studded winter tyres were far from the perfect option on the Focus RS cars but Pirelli's Sottozero rubber worked perfectly despite the inappropriate conditions.
Hirvonen had the worst of the conditions on the opening day but settled into second. He quickly realised it was not worth taking risks to chase Latvala and was happy to settle for the points that promoted him into the championship lead.
"Jari-Matti and I may be two young lads in the Ford team but we proved that we can still take a 1-2 finish and showed how strong the team is," he said. "I came here to win but Jari-Matti made it clear on Friday that he was the man of the rally so I had to settle for second. My consolation is that I've never led the championship before. I'm sure I will have more battles with Jari-Matti. I was frustrated I couldn't find a rhythm on Friday but then I eased my pace because I wanted to make sure of the points. I've always said that if I can't win this year, I must finish second and that's what I did."
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on a perfect rally. "This is a dream result and a special weekend. We're proud to have the youngest ever winner of a WRC event in our team. I knew Jari-Matti would win this season but it came sooner than I expected. Mikko delivered a textbook performance, the cars ran faultlessly and to score this result in such conditions is outstanding," he said.
Mark Deans, Ford of Europe's motorsport director, said: "This was a wonderful weekend for Ford. Three Focus RS cars on the podium and four in the top five emphasises the speed and strength of the car, the hallmarks which have taken Ford to the world title in the last two seasons."
News from our Rivals
Behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi cars, Stobart's Gigi Galli (Ford) claimed his second career podium on only his second rally with the team. Petter Solberg (Subaru) took fourth while Andreas Mikkelsen (Ford) completed the Blue Oval's domination of the top positions with a career-best fifth. The Norwegian was involved in a fierce battle with Matthew Wilson (Ford) that ended when the Stobart driver was sidelined in the penultimate test with a throttle problem when 7.9sec ahead. Dani Sordo (Citroen) took sixth, despite a five-minute penalty after his team changed the car's engine following Rallye Monte Carlo. Henning Solberg (Ford) was fastest on all five stages today.
Next round
Round three is the first pure gravel rally of the season and the first of three consecutive events outside Europe. Rally Mexico is based in León on 28 February - 2 March.
Final positions
1. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 46min 41.2sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 47min 39.5sec
3. G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 2hr 49min 04.4sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 2hr 49min 40.6sec
5. A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 27.2sec
6. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 53min 54.3sec
7. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 2hr 57min 16.5sec
8. J Hanninen/M Markkula FIN Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 59min 08.7sec
9. M Østberg/O Unnerud NOR Subaru Impreza 3hr 00min 09.7sec
10 J Ketomaa/M Teiskonen FIN Subaru Impreza 3hr 00min 31.9sec
9.2.2008 - Hirvonen in second position as five Fords fill top six in Swedish Rally
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team continued to dominate the Swedish Rally today to maintain first and second positions with one day of this second round of the FIA World Rally Championship remaining. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retained the lead in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, 49.8sec ahead of team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen. Focus RS cars fill five of the top six positions.
If yesterday's opening leg displayed few of the hallmarks of a traditional Swedish Rally in the midst of a Scandinavian winter, then today resembled the championship's only pure-winter event even less. Temperatures climbed to an unseasonably mild 5º in the Värmland region of central Sweden, and the speed tests close to the town of Hagfors were pure gravel during this afternoon's second pass, rather than the traditional ice and snow.
After heading north from the rally base in Karlstad this morning, drivers were scheduled to tackle two identical loops of three special stages, covering 120.88km. However, organisers cancelled the second pass over the opening 14.89km test this afternoon as the gravel roads were in such poor condition after the studded tyres ripped into the surface during the first run.
Hirvonen's initial plan was to close on Latvala. However, as the day progressed the 27-year-old Finn's thoughts turned more towards the enticing prospect of eight points in the drivers' championship for second place, especially with series leader Sébastien Loeb having retired. He took no risks and holds a comfortable 46.1sec advantage over third-placed Gigi Galli.
"My plan was to come to Sweden and win, but Jari-Matti has been more than fast and deserves to lead," he said. "I wanted to catch him but I didn't have a good feeling on the first two stages. I found a better rhythm as the day went on. I'm a little disappointed not to lead, but I'm happy with second. The gap is big on both sides of me so I'll drive carefully tomorrow to save my tyres. It won't be flat out.
"There was a huge amount of mud and water on the stages. Conditions were bad and temperatures are so high that it was difficult to use stages twice because the surface wasn't hard enough," he added.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on another satisfying day. "It's been a dream day for both Jari-Matti and Mikko, with some text book driving. They appreciated what they had to do and stayed out of trouble. To see five Ford Focus cars in the top six is an incredible situation and I hope tomorrow will be just as successful," he said.
News from our Rivals
Behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi cars, Italian Gigi Galli (Ford) held third on only his second rally with the Stobart team. He moved into a podium place after team-mate Henning Solberg punctured on the opening stage and dropped 20sec. The Norwegian then retired when he damaged the front of his car after hitting a barrier. Petter Solberg (Subaru) is fourth, despite finding his car hard to drive after a shock absorber change. Stobart's Matthew Wilson (Ford) lies fifth while Norway's Andreas Mikkelsen rounds off Ford's domination in sixth. Dani Sordo (Citroen) climbed to seventh after winning two stages while Toni Gardemeister (Suzuki) is eighth, despite losing 3min 30sec after going off the road this morning. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) restarted under SupeRally rules after retiring yesterday. He won two stages before retiring on a liaison section this afternoon with engine problems.
Tomorrow's Route
The final day is also based around Hagfors. After leaving Karlstad at 06.20, drivers face two identical loops of three stages to the south and east of Hagfors covering 97.22km, with another remote service zone in the town between the laps. They return to Karlstad for the finish ceremony at 15.08.
Leaderboard after Day 2
1. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 03min 53.7sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 04min 43.5sec
3. G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 2hr 05min 29.6sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 2hr 06min 34.6sec
5. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 2hr 08min 31.3sec
6. A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 08min 41.8sec
7. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 10min 45.6sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 2hr 12min 43.0sec
9. J Hanninen/M Markkula FIN Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 12min 46.4sec
10 J Ketomaa/M Teiskonen FIN Subaru Impreza 2hr 13min 54.5sec
8.2.2008 - Six of the best for Latvala as Ford takes charge of Swedish Rally
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team dominated the opening day of the Swedish Rally to hold first and second tonight. Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila produced a stellar performance to win all six of the traditional forest speed tests in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car and build an overnight lead of 48.2sec. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Miikka Anttila were second as Focus RS cars filled the top four positions on this second round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Latvala, just 22 years old and competing on only his second rally for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi squad, made the most of a perfect start position this morning which gave him the best of the road conditions in the forests of central Sweden. But his pace was just as rapid over the same special stages this afternoon, when conditions were more even, and he doubled his advantage over Hirvonen.
Labelled the only pure winter rally in the series and a safe bet to produce a Scandinavian winner, this year's Swedish Rally is far from normal. Temperatures several degrees above freezing ensured there is barely a flake of snow in the rally base at Karlstad. Further north in western Värmland, where today's action was based, the roads were initially snow-covered but were lacking the usual ice base beneath. Once the cars swept away the snow on this morning's first run, their studded tyres ripped into the soft gravel surface to leave mud and standing water as the major hazard this afternoon.
Hirvonen suffered this morning from being second in the start order, but the 27-year-old Finn moved into second and remained there throughout the day. He is 8.1sec ahead of the privately-entered Focus RS of Henning Solberg.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson described Latvala's performance as 'sensational'. "It has been a magnificent day for the team and who cannot fail to be impressed by Jari-Matti? He was outstanding. Mikko has also done a stunning job. He's thinking about the drivers' championship and with Sébastien Loeb retiring, he is pacing himself. I'm expecting both to drive sensibly over the next two days to try to hold their positions with a view to gaining maximum points for Ford," he said.
News from our Rivals
Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) was the closest challenger to the Ford duo until the Frenchman rolled near the end of stage four. He damaged his car's clutch and although he reached the following remote service zone, the team was unable to make repairs and he retired on the following liaison section. Henning Solberg and Gigi Galli (both Ford) are third and fourth after troublefree days. Petter Solberg (Subaru) also had no problems to hold fifth while fellow Norwegian Mads Østberg (Subaru) is sixth, despite losing 30sec this morning with a spin. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) dropped 15 minutes after sliding off into a snow bank on stage three while Per-Gunnar Andersson retired on stage four with engine troubles. Dani Sordo (Citroen) lies 18th after starting with a five-minute penalty after the team changed the engine in his car following Rallye Monte Carlo.
Leaderboard after Day 1
1. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 03min 33.3sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 04min 21.5sec
3. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 04min 29.6sec
4. G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 1hr 04min 35.3sec
5. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 05min 18.5sec
6. M Østberg/O Unnerud NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 05min 48.4sec
7. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 1hr 06min 32.9sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 1hr 06min 54.9sec
9. A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 07min 39.1sec
10 P Sandell/E Axelsson SWE Peugeot 207 1hr 08min 47.9sec
7.2.2008 - Mikko Hirvonen opened Swedish Rally with 3rd fastest time on SS1
The only pure winter event in the FIA World Rally Championship swung into action in Karlstad tonight with barely a flake of snow in sight. This second round of the series is traditionally characterised by ice-bound roads, huge snow banks lining the tracks and numbing cold. But temperatures in the host city in the Värmland region of central Sweden are several degrees above freezing, just the odd patch of snow remains from last week's falls and the forecast is for rain.
Competition began tonight with a spectacular 1.90km test at the city's trotting track where two cars at a time raced around two laps of the floodlit loose surface circuit. Huge crowds generated an electric atmosphere in the arena as cars powered around long sweeping bends and flew high into the night air over a jump.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were paired with Sébastien Loeb in the top-billing heat of the evening. The Finns' Ford Focus RS World Rally Car beat the world champion by 0.2sec after a thrilling battle to set the third fastest time of the evening.
"It seems strange to be competing in Sweden in February with no snow on the ground," said 27-year-old Hirvonen. "I think tomorrow's special stages will have some snow on the surface. However, the temperatures are so high for this time of year that there is no real ice base beneath and the cars will soon sweep away the snow to get down to the gravel."
Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were clear winners against Dani Sordo. The Focus RS was 2.7sec faster to record the second best time on the test, 0.4sec ahead of Hirvonen. Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr, driving a third official Focus RS, were paired with Norway's Mads Ostberg. The Scandinavian came out on top and Al Qassimi lies 13th tonight.
The rally continues tomorrow when competitors head into western Värmland for stages close to Sunne that have not been used since 2001. After leaving Karlstad at 08.00 they face six stages before a second pass over the super special stage. They return to the city at 19.36 after 120.24km of action.
Leaderboard after stage 1 of 20
1. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1min 28.9sec
2. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1min 29.4sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1min 29.8sec
4. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1min 30.0sec
5. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1min 30.4sec
6= G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 1min 30.9sec
6= P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 1min 30.9sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 1min 32.1sec
9. M Ostberg/O Unnerud NOR Subaru Impreza 1min 33.0sec
10 A Mikkelsen/O Floene NOR Ford Focus RS 1min 33.4sec
1.2.2008 - Ford aims to warm up Sweden's winter with Focus performance
Next week's Swedish Rally (7 - 10 February) lays claim to the tag of being the most specialised round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship by virtue of its date in the middle of the Scandinavian winter. And despite the vagaries of climate change which each year inspire pre-event debates about how icy and snowy the series' only all-winter round will be, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's drivers know they will encounter conditions here that will not be found elsewhere during the season.
After a relatively snow-free opening to the championship on Rallye Monte Carlo last month, purists will dream of ice-bound loose surface tracks, huge snow banks lining the roads and numbing cold plunging in excess of -20ºC. Teams must wait to see if that winter wonderland materialises, but Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila must again focus on the world of skinny studded tyres, anti-snow glare glasses and heated driving boots.
A traditional pure winter rally in the barren countryside of the Värmland region of central Sweden places huge demands on man and machine. The team's all-Finish driver line-up will feel comfortable having grown up in such conditions. But keeping their Ford Focus RS World Rally Cars at peak performance in the unrelenting cold requires huge resolve and determination from technicians forced to lie outside in the snow in such extremes.
Winter has yet to properly arrive around the rally base in Karlstad, but both Hirvonen and Latvala enjoy the challenge of winter driving - using the tungsten-tipped steel studs protruding from Pirelli's tyres to bite into the icy surface to provide amazing grip while 'leaning' their cars into the snow banks that line the forest tracks to guide them around corners at maximum speed. Unsurprisingly, the event suits northern Europeans and only one non-Nordic driver has won here in its 45-year history.
Hirvonen, second on Rallye Monte Carlo, has five previous starts here to his name and finished third in 2007. The 27-year-old won the championship's last winter rally in Norway in 2007. "Everyone is asking if I feel I'm the favourite," he said.
"There are a few possible winners and I'm one of them, but I don't regard myself as the favourite. There's a little pressure, but I felt pressure in Rallye Monte Carlo and had a good result there. This is the first rally that I'm really thinking I have to win if I want to fight for the drivers' title.
"I hope the conditions are full winter. If there's a lot of snow and ice then Pirelli's tyres will work well. Reliability will also be important because there is no traditional 30-minute service in the middle of the day, just a 15-minute remote service using only spare parts carried in the car. I don't agree with that because if a car has a minor problem early in the morning then a driver can be stuck with it for the rest of the day. But the Focus is a reliable car so I'm not too concerned," added Hirvonen.
Team News
* Five other Focus RS cars will start the rally. Gigi Galli / Giovanni Bernacchini and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud will be nominated for points by the Stobart VK M-Sport team, with Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin driving a third car for the squad. There will also be privately-entered cars for Andreas Mikkelsen / Ola Floene and Peter Van Merksteijn / Hans Van Beek.
* As part of the sport's new tyre regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern available from new tyre partner, Pirelli. The all-new Sottozero is available in a narrow size with long studs to penetrate the snow and bite into the ice beneath. Each car can carry two spares.
* Following the rally the team has a four-day test gravel test planned in the south of France. Hirvonen will drive initially on 14 - 15 February with Latvala taking over for the final two days.
Rally Route
There are major changes for 2008. The main service park, previously in Hagfors, has been relocated to Karlstad to form a rally village with the headquarters and the super special stage, using the city's trotting track and ice hockey arena. Many of the stages have changed too, with just six of the 20 tests following the same format as in 2007, although most of the others are familiar from previous years. The action begins with a super special stage at the trotting track on Thursday evening before Friday's opening day visits the western part of the Värmland region for the first time since 2001. Saturday and Sunday's tests are clustered around Hagfors with all the more northerly stages missing from this year's itinerary. All three days include a remote service midway through. Sunne hosts Friday's break wit Hagfors the location for Saturday and Sunday. Drivers face 20 stages in total, with all 10 venues used twice, covering 340.24km in a total route of 1440.08km.
