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RALLY NEWS NO.8 From a very wet Sligo Service/Saturday/12.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 13 Tempo 1
1st (1) Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4) 2.02.01/1
2nd (2) Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (Citroen C4) 2.02.51.8
3rd (9) Jari Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (Focus WRC) 2.03.39.3
4th (4) Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Focus WRC) 2.04.30.2
5th (7) Petter Solberg/Phil Mills (Impreza WRC) 2.04.42.8
6th (18) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Impreza WRC) 2.07.03.4
7th (16) Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr (Focus WRC) 2.10.20.9
8th (20) Gareth MacHale/Allan Harryman (Focus WRC) 2.10.54.1
9th (34) Mark Higgins/Scott Martin (Lancer N) 2.13.20.5
10th (21) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 2.14.14.4
Jari Matti Latvala was 2nd fastest through stage 13, Tempo, with Loeb fastest and Dani Sordo 3rd fastest but only .3 of a second covered all three cars and Petter Solberg was just .1 of a second slower than Sordo. Tight stuff indeed but it is difficult to judge just how hard the top drivers are trying. Certainly Sebastien Loeb admits to be careful which he said “Is a shame for the spectators we drive so slowly!” Sebastien also said that with rain everywhere there is more grip than yesterday, not so much dirt on the road and a surprising change in the level of grip in places. Latvala commented. “This morning felt difficult at first but then no problems. I like the character of the roads”. Latvala is now 51s ahead of his
Ford runner Hirvonen whose co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen said. “It is not easy and it is boring for us to drive slowly but we must finish in the top 6 to get the 3 missing Manufacturer points for the championship. If Petter pass we wave to him!” For his part Petter Solberg has set good times today, no big moments reported and the top Subaru crew are on “a comfortable pace”.
Guy Wilks is still the best placed British driver 3 minutes ahead of Matthew Wilson. When Guy brought the former yellow Pirelli Subaru into service he said. “On the first stage today we had a clean run but it was tricky and then on the 2nd we slowed for Manfred Stohl who had an accident. There was a big hole in the hedge and I don’t know how he got out of there, but he did. Then he crashed again on the 3rd stage this morning on a deceptive right hander over a crest and I slowed again. I don’t think this time he will get going. We have had a water injection problem, the water ran low and maybe there is air in, we will bleed it now”. (There are certainly no water problems here in the Sligo Service Park!!). Matthew Wilson lost a few seconds when he came across Nesbitt’s accident then he had a slight overshoot on the greasy surface. His co driver Michael Orr also told us that the Priority drivers in the rally can only nominate 2 tread patterns of tyres before the start of the rally, a slick and an intermediate, which means they will have to go out on to the flooded roads with an intermediate tyre. Interestingly Guy Wilks doesn’t have the same tyre restriction and was running a wet weather Pirelli this morning.
Andreas Mikkelsen/s Focus again has a front differential problem. He said it was good on the first stage this morning where it was dry but then in the wet it was not easy. This ongoing problem with Andreas’ Focus began when a bearing in the centre diff let go yesterday. The team changed the gear box yesterday, but the amount of mud plastered under the car made things difficult. Hot oil had blown over a hydraulic control unit and also there were pipes broken so it has been a real battle to keep the Focus going. Gareth MacHale was having slight problems with his Focus windscreen misting up but is going well and said. “Safe side of madness”. Kevin Barrett in the Triton Showers Impreza had a good clean run over the last 3 stages.
Further news from the Sloughan Glen and Ballinamallard stages is that Tim McNulty’s fine overnight 9th place went out with a bang along with his Subaru engine. Ray Breen knocked a wheel off his Focus at roughly the same place as Nesbitt crashed just after a very slippy bridge. Gareth Jones retired with no oil pressure on his Focus.
In Group N Araujo has gone well today but Mark Higgins has withstood his attack and maintains the overall position in the Production category. Flodin had the fastest Production time through stage 13. Niall McShea was 2nd fastest. Araujo 3rd. Pozzo 4th and Mark Higgins 5th after an overshoot. Young Richard Cathcart is reportedly going well although we do not have his times in yet. Current Production World Rally Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah in the Autotek Impreza said he is going better this morning and getting good speed and experience. Phillip Morrow had to do 3 stages with a broken drive shaft which lost time and said he is going to have to buy a bigger rubber to erase yesterday and today! Colm Murphy was knocked back because of road penalties yesterday. Roy White is settling in to his new FESP backed MG S2000, finding it different from normal group N especially in the brakes which are much more powerful.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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