From the World Rally Championship
Mikko Hirvonen has got his 2011 World Rally Championship campaign off to a dream start with his second successive victory on Rally Sweden as the new World Rally Car era began in Scandinavia.
Hirvonen headed an all-Ford Fiesta RS WRC podium after five drivers had started the final day of the Karlstad-based snow rally covered by a little more than 15 seconds.
Norwegian Mads Ostberg took an impressive second overall, 6.5s adrift of Finn Hirvonen, whose team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala completed the podium. Sebsastien Ogier was the highest-placed Citroen DS3 WRC driver in fourth overall.
Ogier had dropped to fifth after nudging a snow bank on the penultimate stage but fought back to fourth by winning the WRC’s inaugural Power Stage. The stage win also earned the French ace three bonus world championship drivers’ points.
Ogier’s recovery was eased when Petter Solberg’s navigator Chris Patterson had to take the wheel of their Citroen DS3 for the final stage after Solberg was forced to surrender his licence to the local police following a speeding infringement on a public road earlier in the event.
Having never driven the DS3 WRC before, Patterson was powerless to keep hold of fourth spot.
World champion Sebastien Loeb finished a distant sixth following a series of delays on Friday but his capture of two bonus points for finishing second on the Power Stage could yet prove decisive in his quest for an eighth world title.
Latvala moved into third place on the penultimate stage when Ogier brushed a snow bank and filled his Citroen’s air filter with snow, starving the car’s engine of vital power.
Nevertheless Latvala’s capture of the final podium spot was richly deserved after a strong showing, despite the Finn conceding he hadn’t driven as well as he could have.
PG Andersson, who won Thursday’s opening superspecial, recovered to seventh following time lost with a roll, a puncture and a powersteering fault during the course of the event.
Ex-Formula One world champion impressed in eighth overall in his ICE 1 Racing Citroen, with Briton Matthew Wilson ninth and Khalid Al Qassimi 10th in his Team Abu Dhabi Fiesta.
Dutchman Dennis Kuipers gave the FERM World Rally Team its first manufacturers’ championship points in 13th overall with American Ken Block next up for the Monster World Rally Team in 14th spot.
The WRC heads west to Mexico next for round two of the series from 3-6 March.
Rally Sweden – Results:
1. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 3.23’56”6
2. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6”5
3. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 34”0
4. Ogier-Ingrassia (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 47”7
5. P. Solberg-Patterson (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 1'31”6
6. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 2’30”3
7. Andersson-Axelsson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6’22”0
8. Raikkonen-Lindstrom (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 7’02”3
9. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 10’11”5
10. Al Qassimi-Orr (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 10’31”
Etc.
Mikko Hirvonen has got his 2011 World Rally Championship campaign off to a dream start with his second successive victory on Rally Sweden as the new World Rally Car era began in Scandinavia.
Hirvonen headed an all-Ford Fiesta RS WRC podium after five drivers had started the final day of the Karlstad-based snow rally covered by a little more than 15 seconds.
Norwegian Mads Ostberg took an impressive second overall, 6.5s adrift of Finn Hirvonen, whose team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala completed the podium. Sebsastien Ogier was the highest-placed Citroen DS3 WRC driver in fourth overall.
Ogier had dropped to fifth after nudging a snow bank on the penultimate stage but fought back to fourth by winning the WRC’s inaugural Power Stage. The stage win also earned the French ace three bonus world championship drivers’ points.
Ogier’s recovery was eased when Petter Solberg’s navigator Chris Patterson had to take the wheel of their Citroen DS3 for the final stage after Solberg was forced to surrender his licence to the local police following a speeding infringement on a public road earlier in the event.
Having never driven the DS3 WRC before, Patterson was powerless to keep hold of fourth spot.
World champion Sebastien Loeb finished a distant sixth following a series of delays on Friday but his capture of two bonus points for finishing second on the Power Stage could yet prove decisive in his quest for an eighth world title.
Latvala moved into third place on the penultimate stage when Ogier brushed a snow bank and filled his Citroen’s air filter with snow, starving the car’s engine of vital power.
Nevertheless Latvala’s capture of the final podium spot was richly deserved after a strong showing, despite the Finn conceding he hadn’t driven as well as he could have.
PG Andersson, who won Thursday’s opening superspecial, recovered to seventh following time lost with a roll, a puncture and a powersteering fault during the course of the event.
Ex-Formula One world champion impressed in eighth overall in his ICE 1 Racing Citroen, with Briton Matthew Wilson ninth and Khalid Al Qassimi 10th in his Team Abu Dhabi Fiesta.
Dutchman Dennis Kuipers gave the FERM World Rally Team its first manufacturers’ championship points in 13th overall with American Ken Block next up for the Monster World Rally Team in 14th spot.
The WRC heads west to Mexico next for round two of the series from 3-6 March.
Rally Sweden – Results:
1. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 3.23’56”6
2. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6”5
3. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 34”0
4. Ogier-Ingrassia (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 47”7
5. P. Solberg-Patterson (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 1'31”6
6. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 2’30”3
7. Andersson-Axelsson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6’22”0
8. Raikkonen-Lindstrom (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 7’02”3
9. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 10’11”5
10. Al Qassimi-Orr (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 10’31”
Etc.