Ford play the team game on Corsica
Last updated 19:58, Thursday, 16 October 2008
THE BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team finished second and third on Rallye de France in Corsica last weekend.
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed second in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car arriving at the Ajaccio finish 6.9 seconds ahead of team-mates François Duval and Patrick Pivato in a similar car.
The rally was won by defending champion Sébastien Loeb in a Citroen. It was the leader’s fifth win in a row.
Hirvonen and Duval tussled for second and third for the opening two days, with the gap never greater than six seconds.
However, when Hirvonen hit a pothole and had to stop to change a tyre on the final morning’s opening speed test, the top of the leaderboard was turned on its head.
The 28-year-old Finn slipped to fifth behind the Focus RS WRC duo of Duval and Jari-Matti Latvala and also Petter Solberg.
When Solberg punctured on the next stage, Hirvonen climbed to fourth and the team was able to activate a plan to keep alive the title hopes of both Ford and Hirvonen.
Duval deliberately checked into the start of the final special stage early to incur a two-minute penalty while Latvala intentionally clocked in late to pick up a 90-second penalty.
It allowed Hirvonen to move back into second. The extra points gained leave him 14 points from the lead with two rounds remaining, while in the manufacturers’ classification second-placed BP Ford Abu Dhabi closed the gap on Citroen to 23 points.
The Mediterranean island was bathed in sunshine throughout the three-day event, which comprised 16 speed tests on the west coast covering 359.02km.
Tortuously twisty mountain roads provided a tough challenge for drivers while a mix of the high temperatures and frequently broken asphalt demanded strong durability from Pirelli's PZero tyres.
Hirvonen said: “I really appreciate what Jari-Matti and François did to help my title challenge.
“There was a lot of broken asphalt in these stages and I saw a pothole in the distance, about 4km after the start.
“I decided to drive over it – sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t – but unfortunately the impact broke the wheel rim and allowed the air to escape from the front right tyre. I could have avoided it by driving around the hole so it was my mistake.
“There’s still a chance to win the title and I will do all I can on the final two rounds in Japan and Britain.”
Duval, whose third followed fourth in Spain the previous weekend after being called into the team for the first time since 2004 due to his asphalt expertise, was happy. The 27-year-old Belgium said: “I made no mistakes and a podium is a great result. My role was to help the team and so it made perfect sense for me to help Mikko here.
“This was a tough rally and I’ve had to work hard for third, but that's how I like it. The roads were narrow and difficult but those are the types of stages I enjoy.”
Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr finished 12th in the team’s other Focus RS WRC.
Team director Malcolm Wilson explained the team’s decision: “Rallying is a complex sport and the situation we found ourselves in was far from ideal.
“However, we have to do everything we can to try to win the manufacturers’ title for a third consecutive season and to give Mikko the best opportunity of claiming the drivers’ crown.”
Ford of Europe’s motorsport director, Mark Deans, said: “To see three Focus RS WRCs in the top four places is a great result. We’ve kept our championship hopes alive.
“It will be difficult to retain the manufacturers’ title but we’ll give our all during the final two rounds.”
The next round of the championship is the gravel-surface Rally Japan on October 30-November 2.
Final Rallye de France positions: 1, Loeb/Elena, Citroen C4, three hours 42 minutes, 58.0 seconds; 2, Hirvonen/Lehtinen, Ford Focus RS, 3.46.22.7; 3, Duval/Pivato, Ford Focus RS, 3.46.29.6; 4, Latvala/Anttila, Ford Focus RS, 3.46.35.5; 5, Solberg/Mills, Subaru Impreza, 3.33.4; 6, Atkinson/Prévot, Subaru Impreza, 3.49.08.4; 7, Aava/Sikk, Citroen C4, 3.50.23.2; 8, Wilson/Martin, Ford Focus RS, 3.52.00.2; 9, Østberg/Unnerud, Subaru Impreza, 3.52.11.3; 10, Clark/Nagle, Ford Focus RS, 3.56.36.3.
Driver standings: 1, Loeb 106 points; 2, Hirvonen 92; 3, Sordo 59; 4, Atkinson 45; 5, Latvala 42; 6, Solberg 40.
Manufacturer standings: 1, Citroen Total 169 points; 2, BP Ford Abu Dhabi 146; 3, Subaru 87; 4, Stobart VK M-Sport Ford 62; 5, Munchi’s Ford 22; 6, Suzuki 21.
