27.4.2008 - Hirvonen sweeps to Jordan win as Ford extends world series lead
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed their first victory of the season on an enthralling Jordan Rally today. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pair returned to the lead of the drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship after winning by 1min 15.7sec in a Focus RS World Rally Car. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were seventh in another Focus RS, as reigning world champion Ford extended its lead in the manufacturers' championship to seven points.
Jordan's debut in the WRC marked the first Arab rally to appear in the series since 1976. Blistering temperatures, which hovered just below 40ºC for much of the three-day event, and hard-packed gravel speed tests in the Jordan Valley made it a punishing event for man and machine. However, the Focus RS excelled and showed a blend of speed, strength and reliability to fill seven of the top nine places.
This fifth round of the series was based on the shores of the Dead Sea, and competitors raced through the earth's lowest land point at more than 400 metres below sea level. They tackled 22 speed tests covering 359.26km, the bulk of which were on purpose-built roads amid stunning Jordanian scenery.
Tactics played a huge part in BP Ford Abu Dhabi's success. After Latvala and Hirvonen climbed to first and second yesterday afternoon, they slowed during the final metres of yesterday's last special stage to allow main rival Dani Sordo to hold the overnight lead. In doing so, the Focus RS drivers forced the Spaniard into first in today's start order, handing him the disadvantage of sweeping slippery loose gravel from the roads to allow the Finnish pairing a cleaner and faster line behind.
Their strategy worked perfectly and both Latvala and Hirvonen leapfrogged Sordo on the first stage this morning. When Latvala suffered suspension problems, 27-year-old Hirvonen broke clear and went into the final stage along the border between Jordan and Israel's West Bank with a 23.7sec advantage over Sordo, which he extended during that final test.
"My strategy paid off but I was nervous in the final stage," said Hirvonen. "No split times were available for Sordo and I didn't know how hard he was pushing. I really needed these 10 points and this is a great result for my championship challenge. I need to keep my feet on the ground and continue trying to find more speed and more wins. I've learned how important it is to consistently score points on every rally but 10 is perfect. It was a tough rally but it's good to lead the series again.
"When I woke up it was raining but as we were in Jordan I hoped it wouldn't last so that the gravel wasn't dampened down. It stopped quickly, although I expected the driving line to be cleaner. It was really slippery, just like the ball-bearing surface in Australia, and hard to keep on the road," he added.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson said: "It was almost a dream weekend, but it was a fantastic team performance. Our strategy worked perfectly and it's great for Mikko to claim his first win this season and for us to lead both championships again. Full credit to Jari-Matti for nursing the car back to the service park after his problems. Compliments to the rally organisers - on their first time in the WRC, they created a classic event."
Next round
Following three rounds outside Europe, the championship returns there next month for Rally d'Italia Sardegna. The all-gravel event is based in Olbia on 15 - 18 May.
Final positions (subject to routine fuel analysis)
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 02min 47.9sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 4hr 04min 03.6sec
3. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 4hr 07min 47.4sec
4. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 4hr 10min 23.7sec
5. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 4hr 13min 29.6sec
6. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 4hr 14min 10.1sec
7. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 15min 03.5sec
8. G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 4hr 15min 12.3sec
9. K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 4hr 21min 53.6sec
10 S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 4hr 26min 26.0sec
26.4.2008 - Latvala and Hirvonen geared up for last leg showdown in Jordan
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team goes into tomorrow's final day of the Jordan Rally perfectly poised to challenge for victory on this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila lie second in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car with team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in third, just 1.9sec behind their fellow Finns. Both are within striking distance of leader Dani Sordo as only 10.4sec cover the leading trio.
Tactics played a key part during today's closing kilometres, played out at the lowest point on earth on the shores of the Dead Sea, more than 400 metres below sea level. Going into the final speed test, Latvala led Hirvonen by 4.6sec with Sordo another 6.5sec behind. Those standings would have placed the BP Ford Abu Dhabi duo in the first two start positions for the final leg, forcing them to sweep slippery loose gravel from the hard-packed roads and give Sordo a cleaner and faster line behind.
With Sordo in that unenviable position today, the team was able to monitor the Spaniard's pace and transmit his stage time to the cars of Latvala and Hirvonen behind. Both drivers then elected to ease their pace before the finish of the test to ensure they dropped behind Sordo on the leaderboard and earn a more advantageous road position for tomorrow.
Drivers today tackled two identical loops of four gravel stages, covering 109.84km, south-west of Amman. Temperatures again hovered around 35ºC, although intermittent cloud cover offered some relief for drivers and fans enjoying the Easter holiday here.
Hirvonen, fourth last night, climbed to third this morning. The 27-year-old followed Latvala passed Sordo to take second when he was fastest on this afternoon's opening stage, before he too played his tactical card. "With lots of loose gravel on the road surface of tomorrow's stages, my plan was to ensure I didn't start the final day first," he said. "Things were made easier for us when Loeb retired. He set incredible times at the front and it seemed as though our plan might not work as he was building a big lead but he had an accident and now things look good.
"I'm sure I'll have to fight all day tomorrow. Sordo will be fast on the second pass of the stages when the roads are cleaner, even if he loses time on the first pass, and Jari-Matti will be tough to beat. I made no mistakes but when I tried to push hard it was difficult to gain time. I couldn't believe it when I saw Loeb's accident. It was on a very narrow section of road just after a crest," added Hirvonen.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson explained the team's tactics. "We monitored Dani Sordo's split times and gave our drivers his final stage time. It was down to the drivers to implement the team strategy that we discussed before the event and that strategy was to run second and third on the road for the final day," he said.
News from our Rivals
Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) stormed into a 34sec lead after winning the first three stages. But he was sidelined following a head-on collision with Conrad Rautenbach's (Citroen) car on a narrow two-way access road leading to and from stage 11. Nobody was injured but both retired. Dani Sordo (Citroen) regained the lead but was relegated by Latvala and Hirvonen before the final stage tactics. His only problem was a slow rear right puncture in stage 13. Seven Focus RS cars fill the top 10 with Stobart's Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg and Munchi's Federico Villagra in points positions. Gigi Galli won the final three stages as he recovered to 10th after yesterday's retirement. Petter Solberg (Subaru), competing under SupeRally rules, retired for the second day after going off the road on the final stage.
Tomorrow's Route
Unusually, the final day is the longest of the rally and includes a sting in the tail. After a 06.45 restart, drivers tackle two identical loops of three speed tests west of Amman covering 134.24km, split by a mid-morning return to the Dead Sea service park. The final test of each loop is the monster 41.45km Jordan River, one of the longest of the season, which winds alongside the river bed next to Jordan's border with Israel's West Bank. The finish is on the shores of the Dead Sea at 15.00.
Leaderboard after Day 2
1. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 29min 02.9sec
2. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 29min 11.4sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 29min 13.3sec
4. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 2hr 31min 05.4sec
5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 2hr 32min 10.1sec
6. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 2hr 33min 59.4sec
7. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 34min 13.8sec
8. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 2hr 35min 59.2sec
9. K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 2hr 36min 13.4sec
10 G Galli/G Bernacchini ITA Ford Focus RS 2hr 40min 32.6sec
25.4.2008 - Clever tactics put Ford's Finns into perfect position in Jordan
Measured performances in the furnace of the Dead Sea valley placed BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in the ideal position following the opening day of the Jordan Rally. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila lie third on this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, with team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen fourth after an enthralling day's competition on the WRC's first visit to an Arab country since 1976. Both pairings are driving Ford Focus RS World Rally Cars.
The early starters are disadvantaged by slippery loose stones on top of the hard-packed gravel roads south-west of the capital city of Amman. By ending the first leg of this three-day rally in third and fourth, just a few seconds behind the leading pair, BP Ford Abu Dhabi's duo will inherit those positions in the start order tomorrow morning. Their rivals ahead will face the worst of the conditions, sweeping away the gravel to leave a cleaner and faster driving line for the Focus RS pair behind.
As a newcomer to the WRC, none of the front-running drivers had competitive experience of Jordan's speed tests, most of which have been purpose-built for the rally. Also new to most were the extreme temperatures. Shade temperatures hovered just below 40ºC for the past two days and several degrees higher in the sun. Although 36ºC was today's high, it was still uncomfortably hot inside the cars as competitors tackled eight special stages covering 115.18km. Three were held below sea level and one reached the world's lowest land point at more than 400 metres beneath sea level.
Hirvonen ended the morning fifth. Because he was second in the start order, the 27-year-old Finn had to cope with slippery gravel on the surface but a more serious hazard arose 7km from the finish of the second stage, the 20.00km Mahes.
"I had one of the luckiest escapes ever," he said. "My pace notes were too optimistic and I came over a crest too fast and went off when the road turned immediately afterwards. There were some huge rocks which I just managed to avoid but I slightly damaged the rear right suspension. It didn't cost much time but the handling felt strange afterwards."
On this afternoon's repeat stages Hirvonen climbed to fourth, winning the final test and lying just 13.4sec from the lead. "Everything went to plan this afternoon. I didn't push too hard because there were many loose rocks in the road and I didn't want to hit one and damage the tyres. I attacked on the last gap to ensure the gap wasn't too large tonight and I'm happy with how it went today," he added.
News from our Rivals
Dani Sordo (Citroen) led from the start, the Spaniard winning three stages to lead team-mate Sébastien Loeb by 1.1sec. The Frenchman also claimed three stage wins. Behind the BP Ford Abu Dhabi duo, Chris Atkinson (Subaru) held fifth with Urmo Aava (Citroen) an impressive sixth. The remaining four places in the top 10 were all claimed by Focus RS cars, headed by Stobart's Matthew Wilson in seventh. Per-Gunnar Andersson (Suzuki) retired after going off on the opening stage while team-mate Toni Gardemeister stopped with engine problems after stage 2. Petter Solberg (Subaru) retired from fifth with broken front suspension after stage six and Stobart driver Gigi Galli (Ford) retired from sixth after the same test. TheItalian slid into a bank, damaging the rear differential cooler and exhaust, and the differential seized in the high temperatures. He will restart tomorrow under SupeRally rules.
Tomorrow's Route
The second day follows a similar format, with drivers again facing two identical loops of four stages, the bulk of which are north-east of the Dead Sea service park and close to the capital city of Amman. After restarting at 08.00, drivers tackle 109.94km of competition before returning for the final overnight halt at 16.29.
Leaderboard after Day 1
1. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 16min 53.7sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 16min 54.8sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 17min 02.2sec
4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 17min 07.1sec
5. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 18min 01.7sec
6. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 1hr 18min 53.0sec
7. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 1hr 19min 46.4sec
8. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 16.0sec
9. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 52.9sec
10 K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 1hr 20min 58.1sec
19.4.2008 - Ford hunts for highs among the lowlands of Jordan's Dead Sea
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team can expect to experience a mix of highs and lows during the course of the 15-round FIA World Rally Championship season - both literally and metaphorically. After tackling the two highest rounds in the championship in Mexico and Argentina last month, the leaders of the manufacturers' championship will aspire to a high in the lowlands of Jordan next week when the fifth round of the series takes the team to the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea.
Rally Jordan (24 - 27 April) is the first WRC round in an Arab country since 1976 and represents a step into the unknown for Ford's Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. Neither pairing has visited Jordan before, so the characteristics of the Middle East roads and the vagaries of the conditions will offer a steep learning curve for the Finnish quartet as they strive to extend Ford's three-point series lead in their Focus RS World Rally Cars.
The rally is based on the shores of the Dead Sea, 420 metres below sea level, and the location will provide a boost to the Focus RS' engine performance. In contrast to Mexico and Argentina where low air pressure at altitude meant less oxygen was available to burn fuel in the engine, resulting in less power, the opposite will be true in Jordan.
The speed tests will be held in west and north of the country and Government support has enabled organisers to build several new gravel roads specifically for the rally. With rain extremely unlikely, conditions will be dusty and it promises to be gruelling for drivers with temperatures forecast to be well in excess of 30ºC initially, before cooling slightly as the rally progresses.
Twenty-seven-year-old Hirvonen, who is second in the drivers' championship, is relishing the prospect of attacking Jordan's roads. "I've never been there but I've spoken to some drivers who have and seen photographs from our team, who visited the candidate rally last year," he said. "The roads look smooth and it seems as though the organisers have done a good job in preparing them. They look fast and flowing, like Finland but without the jumps, so if that's the case they should be good for me.
"Sunday's final leg is the longest of the rally, which is quite different to most events. If a driver has large time gaps in front or behind then there will be more kilometres than usual in which to keep an eye on things. But if the time gaps are just 20 or 30 seconds, there could still be a lot to fight for on the final day. I was happier with my speed on the first morning during the last round in Argentina. The poor conditions probably helped me initially, but when they improved I still took some time from Sébastien Loeb and so it was definitely an improvement," added Hirvonen.
Team News
* As part of the sport's new regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern from Pirelli. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in hard compound only. Because anti-deflation mousse is also outlawed this year, the Scorpion includes reinforced sidewalls to offer increased protection against punctures. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spares.
* 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. Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin will drive a third Stobart car. Munchi's Ford World Rally Team has nominated Federico Villagra / Jorge Pérez Companc and Luis Pérez Companc / José María Volta to score.
* BP Ford Abu Dhabi held a four-day test on gravel in northern Spain this week. Hirvonen drove for the first two days with Latvala taking over for the final two days of the test, which finished yesterday. The two drivers covered 680km, with the first three days in dry conditions before heavy rain on the last day. The test concentrated on development work with engine and suspension parts.
Rally Route
The rally is based at the Dead Sea, 50km south-west of Amman and at 427m below sea level, the lowest point on earth. The stages will run through historical and biblical sites around the Jordan Valley and Rumman forests, and all except one are fully or partially below sea level. World famous areas including the Baptism site of Jesus and Mount Nebo, where Moses looked over the Promised Land, will be part of the rally route. Each day comprises two identical loops of tests with some roads being used four times over two separate legs. The final leg is the longest and contains a sting in the tail with two passes over the twisty 41.45km Jordan River stage which runs through 'no man's land' on the Jordan - Palestine border. Drivers tackle 22 stages covering 359.26km in a route of 983.44km.
