From the World Rally Championship
BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen has won his second consecutive WRC event by claiming victory on the brand new Rally Poland, round eight of the World Rally Championship.
The momentous win, the ninth of his career, promoted Hirvonen, 28, into the lead of the drivers' championship standings with a one point lead over Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb; the man who has won the title for the last five years.
But just as Hirvonen was sealing victory on the final Super Special, his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala - on course to complete a one-two victory for Ford - was throwing it all away.
In an almost unbelievable twist of fate, Latvala clipped a sand barrel on the apex of a corner and broke the right-hand steering arm of his Ford Focus. At the next corner his car speared into a metal barrier - wrecking its suspension and getting stuck fast. After a frenzied effort to get the car free again a distraught Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila eventually resorted to pushing it. Retirement came shortly after.
The drama handed second place to Citroen Total team driver Dani Sordo who, despite a determined attack through Saturday morning's stages, had looked all but certain of third place today. In the event, that place went to Henning Solberg of the Stobart VK M-Sport team.
Hirvonen held the lead of the rally since Friday's second stage when he snatched the position from Loeb. However, any chance of an ongoing battle with his rival evaporated on the very next stage when the Frenchman retired after hitting a tree stump.
Petter Solberg was fourth in his 2006 specification Xsara and felt his place relative to the other drivers' cars was about right. Briton Matthew Wilson brought his Stobart Team Ford Focus home in fifth Sure enough, the Stobart team's Polish guest driver Krzysztof Holowczyc finished sixth to become the first Pole to score points in the World Rally Championship.
Final Results:
1. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Focus Wrc) in 3.07'27"5
2. Sordo-Marti (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 1'10"3
3. H. Solberg-Menkerud (Ford Focus Wrc) + 2'05"7
4. P. Solberg-Mills (Citroen Xsara Wrc) + 2'24"3
5. Wilson-Martin (Ford Focus Wrc) + 4'17"5
6. Holowczyc-Kurzeja (Ford Focus Wrc) + 4'33"9
7. Loeb-Elena (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 19'15"1
8. Rautenbach-Barritt (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 19'26"6
etc.
Championship standings: 1. Hirvonen pts 58, 2. Loeb 57, 3. Sordo 39, 4. Solberg 27, 5. Latvala and P. Solberg 25, etc.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen has won his second consecutive WRC event by claiming victory on the brand new Rally Poland, round eight of the World Rally Championship.
The momentous win, the ninth of his career, promoted Hirvonen, 28, into the lead of the drivers' championship standings with a one point lead over Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb; the man who has won the title for the last five years.
But just as Hirvonen was sealing victory on the final Super Special, his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala - on course to complete a one-two victory for Ford - was throwing it all away.
In an almost unbelievable twist of fate, Latvala clipped a sand barrel on the apex of a corner and broke the right-hand steering arm of his Ford Focus. At the next corner his car speared into a metal barrier - wrecking its suspension and getting stuck fast. After a frenzied effort to get the car free again a distraught Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila eventually resorted to pushing it. Retirement came shortly after.
The drama handed second place to Citroen Total team driver Dani Sordo who, despite a determined attack through Saturday morning's stages, had looked all but certain of third place today. In the event, that place went to Henning Solberg of the Stobart VK M-Sport team.
Hirvonen held the lead of the rally since Friday's second stage when he snatched the position from Loeb. However, any chance of an ongoing battle with his rival evaporated on the very next stage when the Frenchman retired after hitting a tree stump.
Petter Solberg was fourth in his 2006 specification Xsara and felt his place relative to the other drivers' cars was about right. Briton Matthew Wilson brought his Stobart Team Ford Focus home in fifth Sure enough, the Stobart team's Polish guest driver Krzysztof Holowczyc finished sixth to become the first Pole to score points in the World Rally Championship.
Final Results:
1. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Focus Wrc) in 3.07'27"5
2. Sordo-Marti (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 1'10"3
3. H. Solberg-Menkerud (Ford Focus Wrc) + 2'05"7
4. P. Solberg-Mills (Citroen Xsara Wrc) + 2'24"3
5. Wilson-Martin (Ford Focus Wrc) + 4'17"5
6. Holowczyc-Kurzeja (Ford Focus Wrc) + 4'33"9
7. Loeb-Elena (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 19'15"1
8. Rautenbach-Barritt (Citroen C4 Wrc) + 19'26"6
etc.
Championship standings: 1. Hirvonen pts 58, 2. Loeb 57, 3. Sordo 39, 4. Solberg 27, 5. Latvala and P. Solberg 25, etc.