2007 Rally Ireland Leg 2

[ianwilly]

Leaderboard after Leg 2

1 Loeb / Elena Citroen C4 02:30:35.2 00.0
2 Sordo / Marti Citroen C4 02:31:34.5 +59.3
3 Latvala / Anttila Ford Focus RS WRC 06 02:32:44.0 +02:08.8
4 Hirvonen / Lehtinen Ford Focus RS WRC 07 02:33:12.8 +02:37.6
5 Solberg / Mills Subaru Impreza WRC2007 02:33:28.4 +02:53.2
6 Wilks / Pugh Subaru Impreza WRC 02:36:27.2 +05:52.0
7 Wilson / Orr Ford Focus RS WRC 06 02:39:58.5 +09:23.3
8 Machale / Harryman Ford Focus WRC 02:40:42.9 +10:07.7
9 Mikkelsen / Floene Ford Focus WRC 02:43:36.5 +13:01.3
10 Araujo / Ramalho Mitsubishi Evo 9 02:45:04.9 +14:29.7
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Leg 2 News

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) was untroubled and extended his lead to 59.3sec after winning four of the six stages. Dani Sordo (Citroen) retained second, despite going off the road near the finish of the second stage and losing 30sec. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) dropped 30sec after going into a field on the opening stage this afternoon but the Finn remains third, ahead of Hirvonen. Petter Solberg (Subaru) and Guy Wilks (Subaru) complete the top six. Manfred Stohl, seventh overnight, (Citroen) left the road on the opening stage and lost almost seven minutes and then went off for good two stages later.

Today’s six stages were just as treacherous, if not more so, than those of leg one. Heavy rain mid-morning cleaned the narrow routes but made the surface even greasier. The rain stopped before the afternoon loop, but drivers were still faced with standing water in the final three stages.
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1. BP-Ford
2. Citroen Total
3. Subaru
4. OMV Kronos Citroen
5. Stobart M-Sport Ford
6. Munchis Ford
7. CRT Skoda-Kopecky

1. BP-Ford

Caution rather than outright speed served Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen well during today's second leg of Rally Ireland as the BP-Ford World Rally Team duo maintained their grip on fourth place. Heavy rain left standing water covering the narrow and twisty lanes in Northern Ireland and Hirvonen's safety-first policy enabled him to preserve his first leg position in his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. In conditions that were almost as demanding as yesterday's mud-caked roads, the Finns had their minds firmly fixed on obtaining the points necessary to secure BP-Ford's second consecutive manufacturers' title in the FIA World Rally Championship.
Sixth position would provide the three points required to do that, so 27-year-old Hirvonen was happy to keep an eye on the times of fifth-placed Petter Solberg and resist the temptation to chase Jari-Matti Latvala in
third.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: Retired

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: Hirvonen matched his pace to Solberg's split times and a string of consistent top five times enabled him to end the leg 28.8sec behind Latvala and 15.6sec clear of Solberg. "I didn't need to attack, I just need to finish and take those three points for Ford," said Hirvonen. "I drove so steadily that I couldn't find a rhythm but I guess that didn't matter. There wasn't so much rain this morning, just a little bit in all three stages, and the roads were damp rather than wet. They were good stages with jumps and crests like we have in Finland, and in the dry they would be fast. "The conditions were more difficult this afternoon but in a way it was easier because I could remember the roads. There was a little asphalt but mostly it was gravel and mud. I'm not trying to catch Jari-Matti and my plan for tomorrow will be the same as today," he added.

Khalid Al Qassimi/Nicky Beech: BP-Ford team-mates Khalid Al Qassimi and Nicky Beech climbed from 27th overnight to 19th in their Focus RS, but the 35-year-old Abu Dhabi driver continued to find conditions tricky. "I've never seen weather like this, even the local drivers were finding it difficult," he said. "Where there was grip, or it was drier, I pushed harder but I spent a lot of time trying to find that grip. "This afternoon I stalled the engine for about 15sec at the start of the first stage. That spurred me on to push hard to make up lost time and it was the best stage of the rally for me. The final test was extremely hard, with water running across the road all the way through," he added.

2. Citroen Total

The persistent rain that marked Day 2 of the 2007 Rally Ireland didn't prevent Citroën Sport's crews from successfully defending their overnight one -two at the wheel of their respective C4 WRCs. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena continue to top the leaderboard ahead of team-mates Dani Sordo and Marc Martí in the second Citroën-Total car. Being shorter didn't make things any easier, however, and today's stages were just as complex and challenging as Friday's tests. In addition to being narrow and bumpy, they also featured another local speciality: rain. That said, the adverse weather didn't surprise Citroën Sport since it had been forecast by Météo France Sports which is one of the team's technical partners this season. After holding first and second places since SS2, Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí set off this morning intent on defending their positions.

Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "Today's stages were perhaps slightly wider in places," observed Sébastien Loeb. "However, all the puddles, running water and mud meant we still needed to take it very carefully. Having to cope with this sort of situation is not something I enjoy. Also, in conditions like this, it can be very complicated because the amount of grip changes all the time and it can be easy to make a mistake. I tried to push hard to stay concentrated but I lifted over the trickier, more difficult portions. I'm glad today's behind us. If we have a good run tomorrow, we could secure a good result in terms of the Drivers' title chase."

Dani Sordo/Marc Marti: The Frenchman's analysis was echoed by Dani Sordo and Marc Martí. "Driving on such muddy, greasy roads isn't easy, especially when you don't know how much grip to expect when you brake," reported Dani. "I tried to base my pace on that of the driver behind us to keep the gap stable. I globally succeeded, with the exception of a small mistake on SS12. There are now four more stages to come and we will do all we can to leave Ireland with a good result."

3. Subaru

Petter started the day on heavily cut slicks, and despite the rain and driving to a pace with which he felt comfortable he steadily closed on fourth-placed Hirvonen (Ford). He posted the third fastest stage time on
SS12 and SS15 and was second quickest on the day’s final stage. The gap to Hirvonen was 30.3 seconds at the end of leg one, but by the end of the second day this had been halved. Having slipped down the overall standings after an accident on leg one, Chris was the 17th car through the stages today, and had to contend with dirtier roads than those at the head of the field. With his chances of a strong finish wiped out on leg one, Chris’s focus was on testing and data acquisition – although he still managed to finish in the top five on four of the day’s stages. His outright stage win on SS14 demonstrated the pace of which he is capable on these unpredictable surfaces.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "There was no specific plan for today; I just concentrated on my driving and on my car - that’s it. But even though I’m not pushing hard, things are not going so badly. The car is definitely getting better, but as a lot of the guys at the top have backed off it’s difficult to gauge the extent of the improvements. I just want to be cautious, you know, finish the rally and get a good result. We need the manufacturers’ points for Subaru too. It’s important to keep in front of Stobart because I’m going to stay with my brother over Christmas and if they beat me I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot: "It’s been quite a positive day. The engineers made some set-up changes for the afternoon which gave me more front-end grip and a more solid feeling in general – especially through the bumpier sections. That gave me the confidence to drive safely but still fast
- and that was quick enough to get a stage win. Obviously most of the other guys have backed off a bit, but at least it’s something for the team and our supporters. It’s basically the same plan for tomorrow. We’re out there to gather information for the engineers and to put on a good show for the fans.”

Xavier Pons/Xavier Amigo: Retired

4. OMV Kronos Citroen

The OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team had to give up the fight for WRC-points at the Rally Ireland on the 13th special stage. After the OMV pair Stohl/Minor had already lost almost seven minutes due to a slip on SS
11 the end came two special stages later. The reason was a pace notes error.
The beginning of the second day of the penultimate run to the FIA World Rally Championship was anything but optimal for the OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team. About one third into the 27 kilometres long first stage Manfred Stohl slipped off the road at top speed. Spectators helped him to get back on the road again but he lost almost seven minutes. This caused the 35-year-old OMV driver to drop out of scoring ranks.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: The next and final mishap took place only two special stages later. Stohl: “Our writ was `crest full – 60 metres – crest into right three´. That unfortunately was much too fast, the right turn proved impossible to take.” The Citroen Xsara WRC broke through a gate and was heavily damaged when hitting a concrete pole. Stohl. “That was the end of the rally. I am extremely sad for the team. The fault was in the notes and definitely not in the reading. I did have troubles writing the notes in the first place since, like many other drivers, I judged things much faster than they can actually be driven. Now all that could help us salvage a rather modest season would be an absolute top result in Wales. And I will definitely try my very best.”

5. Stobart M-Sport Ford

Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila are just four stages away from their first ever FIA World Rally Championship podium finish after two completed legs at this weekend’s Rally Ireland. His Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team-mates Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr have progressed from their overnight position to finish the day in seventh place. Norwegian driver Henning Solberg and stand-in co-driver Göran Bergsten have spent the day moving up the leaderboard after entering this morning under SupeRally regulations due to a heavy accident yesterday which forced them to retire from leg 1. Latvala’s ability to perform on this surface continues to grow from strength to strength as he sits comfortably on the final podium step. The 22-year-old set a multitude of blisteringly fast stage times over the day finishing in style with a fastest time on the closing 13.46 kilometre test; his seventh in the WRC. It was almost game over for the young Finn when his Stobart Ford Focus RS WRC06 slid off the road into a field smashing into a small post. Fortunately damage was only mildly cosmetic and with the grateful help of nearby onlookers he was able to get back on the road losing just 30 seconds. This could have been disastrous if it wasn’t for the fact Latvala had build a reasonable lead on fourth placed Mikko Hirvonen which allowed him to maintain third. Britain’s only full-time WRC driver, Wilson, showed an improved confidence despite the extremely wet conditions. The only problem for him was a half-spin this morning on stage 13 which lost him ten seconds when he spun under-braking on shiny tar.

Henning Solberg/Goran Bergsten: “The car has been working very well today but really I’ve just been trying to maintain my position as there is no need for me to push. Today’s conditions were easier than yesterday as there was less mud on the roads. I’m still on course to score points for the team so this is my main objective tomorrow. I am just going to take things slowly for the rest of this rally as we have to work together for these manufacturer points. The last stage today was so wet I don’t think I have ever been in a stage where it has rained so heavily.”

Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila: “It’s been another fantastic day for me as I have maintained my third position overall and also put in a fastest time on the last stage. I was happy with my driving except for a small mistake when we got caught out with lots of water on the road on stage 14.
We slid through some gate posts into a field and were quite lucky to make it back onto the road as the grass was very soft and slippery. The limit to making a mistake was very small and you really need to expect the unexpected on these stages. The information from safety crews was a good help today and our tyre choices have been perfect also.”

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: “Today has been reasonably good and I’m happy to have taken time back off Gareth MacHale. We had a pretty average morning as conditions were still very difficult but things seemed to pick up in the afternoon. The stages were still tricky as there was lots of standing water but fortunately my safety crew did a fantastic job. They had marked all the dangerous areas and I knew exactly where all the standing water was and it was a big help to my confidence. There was very heavy rain in the last stage and it was an extremely fast stage also; visibility was terrible and it really did get my heart racing.”

6. Munchis Ford

The Munchi's team are not competing on this event.

7. CRT Skoda-Kopecky

Jan Kopecky is not competing in Ireland, his final event of the 2007 season will be Rally of Great Britain.
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Remaining Event Schedule

Sunday 18 November: Leg 3 Sligo - Sligo
Serv G Sligo (10 mins) 07.00
SS17 Murley 24.70km 09.03
SS18 Fardross 14.77km 09.51
SS19 Donegal Bay 14.06km 11.39
SS20 Mullaghmore 2.38km 13.08
Finish Sligo 14.18