BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila won a thrilling Rally Finland today to earn a place in the history books. The Finns won this eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time by 10.1sec in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, joining a long list of Finnish greats who have triumphed in their home event.

Latvala and Anttila were mobbed by their fellow countrymen as they took to the podium in Jyväskylä this evening.  Twenty-five-year-old Latvala, already the youngest driver to win a world rally, became the youngest winner of Rally Finland since the WRC started in 1973.  It was Ford’s second consecutive victory in the legendary event following the success of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in 2009, and the manufacturer’s fourth win in five years.

After a short opening speed test on Thursday evening, organisers packed 18 more stages and 310.05km of action into just two long and demanding days instead of the usual three, providing a blend of sprint and endurance.  The rally was fought out over dauntingly fast roller-coaster forest roads in central Finland, and it lived up to its reputation as the fastest in the championship with average speeds reaching 133.09kph.

The weather was as hot as the action on the stages.  The rally began on a day when the thermometers recorded Finland’s highest-ever temperature of 37.2ºC.  The heatwave gave way to thunderstorms which left much of central Finland without electricity yesterday while many roads were blocked by fallen trees, but the rally ran without interruption.

Latvala moved into the lead yesterday afternoon, building a 9.1sec overnight advantage.  He extended that to 22.5sec this morning before road conditions turned against him.  Overnight rain, which bound together slippery surface gravel and provided more grip, died out and a stiff breeze quickly dried the roads.  Latvala was first in the start order and faced the unwanted task of sweeping loose stones from the surface to leave cleaner and faster conditions for those behind.

His lead dropped to 10.6sec with two tests remaining, but Latvala remained unflustered in the face of huge pressure to record his fourth WRC victory and second win of the 2010 season.

“It’s amazing to win my home rally and it’s something I have dreamed of since I was a small boy,” he said.  “The first time I watched this rally was in 1992 when I was seven and the only thing I could think about then was that I would never be able to drive as fast as the stars I was watching.  In 2003 I drove this rally for the first time and still I never thought I would win.  To win in front of my home fans, in a country where rallying means so much to everyone, is a dream.

“The team had some difficult times in the summer but both drivers led this rally and I won.  It’s a hugely important victory for the team and Ford.  It was only during the final two stages that I really thought I could do it.  I’ve learned that if you relax and make no mistakes then you can have a good rally.  There have been so many people watching and it was a fantastic atmosphere – this is the best rally in the world,” he added.

Team-mates Hirvonen and Lehtinen retired from the lead yesterday morning after crashing heavily following a jump, while the third car of Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr also rolled into retirement yesterday afternoon.  Neither crew was injured.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson was delighted to oversee victory in his favourite rally.  “After a difficult few months, the team has dug deep and bounced back to win the most celebrated rally in the calendar.  There has been so much effort and commitment from the entire team in recent weeks and this is our reward.  It was a stunning drive from Jari-Matti.  There was a lot of pressure on his young shoulders when Mikko Hirvonen crashed out yesterday but he handled it superbly and displayed great maturity in a difficult situation,” he said.

Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn said: “There is no better place for Ford to win a rally than Finland.  It is one of motorsport’s classic events and to triumph here, after leading for virtually the entire event, is a dream come true.  Jari-Matti joins some of Ford’s great Finnish drivers who have won their home event, world champions like Marcus Grönholm, Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikkola.  He faced intense pressure here for two days but the mature way in which he handled it shows how well he is progressing as one of the sport’s rising stars.”

News from other Ford teams

Stobart M-Sport Ford’s Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin finished sixth in a Focus RS WRC, two places ahead of Finnish rally legend Juha Kankkunen and Juha Repo.  The four-time world champion returned to the sport for a one-off guest appearance almost eight years after his last WRC event.  Henning Solberg and Ilka Minor crashed out yesterday in the team’s third car.

Next round

The championship returns to asphalt next month when drivers tackle vineyard tracks and military roads in Rallye Deutschland.  The rally is based in Trier on 19 – 22 August.

Final positions
1.  J-M Latvala/M Anttila               FIN             Ford Focus RS   2hr 31min 29.6sec
2.  S Ogier/J Ingrassia                 FRA             Citroen C4              2hr 31min 39.7sec
3.  S Loeb/D Elena                      FRA             Citroen C4              2hr 31min 55.6sec
4.  P Solberg/C Patterson               NOR             Citroen C4              2hr 32min 00.3sec
5.  D Sordo/M Marti                     ESP             Citroen C4              2hr 33min 14.6sec
6.  M Wilson/S Martin           GBR             Ford Focus RS   2hr 37min 13.3sec
7.  M Østberg/J Andersson               NOR             Subaru Impreza  2hr 37min 20.4sec
8.  J Kankkunen/J Repo          FIN             Ford Focus RS   2hr 39min 18.6sec
9.  J Hänninen/M Markkula               FIN             Skoda Fabia             2hr 40min 34.6sec
10 P-G Andersson/A Fredriksson  SWE             Skoda Fabia             2hr 41min 45.3sec

Drivers
1.  S Loeb                      166pts
2.  S Ogier                     118pts 
3. J-M Latvala 105pts
4.  P Solberg                     90pts                
5.  M Hirvonen            86pts
6.  D Sordo                       77pts

Manufacturers
1.  Citroen Total               265pts
2.  BP Ford Abu Dhabi 210pts
3.  Citroen Junior              155pts
4.  Stobart M-Sport Ford        108pts
5.  Munchi’s Ford                 40pts

Stage Times

Stage 12: 1. Ogier 5min 06.4sec; 2. Latvala + 1.0; 3. Loeb + 1.3; 4. P Solberg + 4.1; 5. Sordo + 5.7; 6. Ostberg + 8.2.
Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 15min 38.1sec; 2. P Solberg + 12.2; 3. Ogier + 20.8; 4. Loeb + 32.3; 5. Sordo + 48.4; 6. Wilson + 2:46.1.

Stage 13: 1. Loeb 14min 46.9sec; 2. Ogier + 1.7; 3. Latvala + 7.3; 4. Sordo + 7.8; 5. P Solberg + 11.9; 6. Ostberg + 16.1.

Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 30min 32.3sec; 2. Ogier + 15.2; 3. P Solberg + 16.8; 4. Loeb + 25.0; 5. Sordo + 48.9; 6. Wilson + 3:16.4.

Stage 14: 1. Latvala 9min 56.4sec; 2. Ogier + 7.3; 3. Loeb + 8.1; 4. P Solberg + 11.8; 5. Sordo + 17.9; 6. Ostberg + 21.2.

Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 40min 28.7sec; 2. Ogier + 22.5; 3. P Solberg + 28.6; 4. Loeb + 33.1; 5. Sordo + 1:06.8; 6. Wilson + 3:51.0.

Stage 15: 1. Loeb 10min 08.8sec; 2. Ogier + 1.1; 3. P Solberg + 3.2; 4. Sordo + 6.1; 5. Latvala + 7.5; 6. Ostberg + 12.7.

Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 50min 45.0sec; 2. Ogier + 16.1; 3. P Solberg + 24.3; 4. Loeb + 25.6; 5. Sordo + 1:05.4; 6. Wilson + 4:15.1.

Stage 16: 1. Loeb 10min 28.5sec; 2. Ogier + 0.4; 3. Latvala + 4.2; 4= P Solberg, Sordo + 7.7; 6. Ostberg + 11.5.
Overall: 1. Latvala 2hr 01min 17.7sec; 2. Ogier + 12.3; 3. Loeb + 21.4; 4. P Solberg + 27.8; 5. Sordo + 1:08.9; 6. Wilson + 4:41.1.

Stage 17: 1. Ogier 9min 53.6sec; 2. Latvala + 1.7; 3. P Solberg + 2.9; 4. Loeb + 3.9; 5. Sordo + 9.5; 6. Ostberg + 13.6.

Overall: 1. Latvala 2hr 11min 13.0sec; 2. Ogier + 10.6; 3. Loeb + 23.6; 4. P Solberg + 29.0; 5. Sordo + 1:16.7; 6. Wilson + 5:00.0.

Stage 18: 1. Latvala 9min 59.9sec; 2. Ogier + 0.5; 3. P Solberg + 1.4; 4. Loeb + 2.6; 5= Sordo, Ostberg + 10.6.
Overall: 1. Latvala 2hr 21min 12.9sec; 2. Ogier + 11.1; 3. Loeb + 26.2; 4. P Solberg + 30.4; 5. Sordo + 1:27.3; 6. Wilson + 5:26.8.

Stage 19: 1. Ogier 10min 15.7sec; 2. Loeb + 0.8; 3. Latvala + 1.0; 4. P Solberg + 1.3; 5. Ostberg + 8.4; 6. Wilson + 17.9.

Overall: 1. Latvala 2hr 31min 29.6sec; 2. Ogier + 10.1; 3. Loeb + 26.0; 4. P Solberg + 30.7; 5. Sordo + 1:45.0; 6. Wilson + 5:43.7.

Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila lead Rally Finland for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team after today’s dramatic opening leg. The Finnish duo delighted their home fans by winning three speed tests to build a 9.1sec advantage in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.  Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen led the rally initially, but the 2009 winners crashed heavily and although both escaped injury, their car was severely damaged and will not restart tomorrow.

This eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship is based in its traditional home of Jyväskylä, in central Finland.  Organisers have taken advantage of new-for-2010 rules to pack all the action into just two long and demanding legs, instead of the usual three.  The opening leg, which began with a short speed test last night, comprised 147.27km of competition on dauntingly fast, roller-coaster gravel roads to the west and north-east of the host city.

The action was as hot as the temperatures, which reached an all-time high in Finland of 37.2ºC yesterday.  Although overnight thunderstorms left a trail of devastation across the centre of the country, the rally ran without interruption and the pace was blistering.  Average speeds on one afternoon special stage reached 133.09kph.

Latvala was third after last night’s opening stage and quickly established himself in second this morning following Hirvonen’s crash.  His first stage win this afternoon promoted him to the top and he gradually extended his advantage through the rest of the leg.

“It’s a dream to be in this position,” said Latvala.  “When I arrived in the service park tonight the grandstands were full and all the fans cheered and applauded me.  That gave me a real boost.  It’s too early to think about winning though, I’m just concentrating on one stage at a time.  Mikko’s retirement put more pressure on me, but it didn’t change my way of thinking.  I saw his car and had to drive around it a little because it was partly in the road.

“I hurt my back after a jump in Urria this morning but I had some treatment from our physio before the second loop and it feels fine now.  I need a perfect day tomorrow.  I want to find a good balance with my driving and keep a cool head.  The first two stages are the most difficult of the rally but because they are so challenging, I enjoy them.” he said.

Hirvonen, lying second after last night’s short opening speed test, was fastest through both the 12.75km Urria and the 22.29km Jukojärvi special stages this morning to build a 4.9sec lead in his Focus RS WRC.  However, the 29-year-old Finn crashed shortly after the midpoint during the second pass through Urria.

“The section at which I crashed is my favourite corner on any stage, anywhere in the world,” said Hirvonen, whose accident spoiled his 30th birthday celebrations tomorrow.  “It happened at a fast right corner which led into a jump.  I landed after the jump in the perfect place on the road but the car pulled left and started rolling.  I was surprised the landing pulled the car across the road so violently.  It happened so fast that I had no time to react.

The car rolled up the road five times and Hirvonen estimated his landing speed was 140kph.  He and Lehtinen went to hospital for precautionary checks but were uninjured.  “It was my biggest accident ever.  I’m so disappointed because this is my home town rally and I had the speed to win.  The car is too badly damaged to continue, but my young sons are here and want to watch the rally cars, so I will spend the day spectating with them,” added Hirvonen.

Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr were ninth in the team’s other Focus RS WRC, before they rolled into retirement on the sixth stage.  “Finland is a tough rally.  The terrain is rocky, there are frequent crests, and the stages are some of the fastest in the WRC.  It was an exciting day up until this point and the roll was really unfortunate.  This is my fourth time competing in Finland, but the conditions can catch out even the most experienced driver,” said Al Qassimi.  The car was too badly damaged for the duo to restart tomorrow.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson reflected on a day of mixed fortunes.  “Jari-Matti had a brilliant day but it was a disappointing end for Mikko.  We made some small improvements to our car during testing last week and it feels good to be back at front-running pace again.  The stages here are so fast that it’s easy to make a mistake so Jari-Matti must not relax for a single second tomorrow,” he said.

News from other Ford teams

Stobart M-Sport Ford’s Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin are sixth in a Focus RS WRC, the Britons enjoying a troublefree day apart from handling difficulties this afternoon.  Team-mates Juha Kankkunen and Juha Repo are just one place behind, the four-time world champion driver competing on his first WRC event for eight years.  Henning Solberg and Ilka Minor enjoyed a good run to fifth before they rolled into retirement on the seventh stage.  They, too, will be unable to restart tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s Route

The second and final leg is even longer than today’s marathon.  After leaving Jyväskylä at 05.50, drivers journey south-west for three loops of stages covering 162.78km.  They return to the city for the finish ceremony at 19.45.

Leaderboard after Day 1
1.  J-M Latvala/M Anttila               FIN             Ford Focus RS   1hr 10min 30.7sec
2.  P Solberg/C Patterson               NOR             Citroen C4              1hr 10min 39.8sec
3.  S Ogier/J Ingrassia                 FRA             Citroen C4              1hr 10min 52.5sec
4.  S Loeb/D Elena                      FRA             Citroen C4              1hr 11min 02.7sec
5.  D Sordo/M Marti                     ESP             Citroen C4              1hr 11min 14.4sec
6.  M Wilson/S Martin           GBR             Ford Focus RS   1hr 13min 06.0sec
7.  J Kankkunen/J Repo          FIN             Ford Focus RS   1hr 13min 41.4sec
8.  K Räikkönen/K Lindström             FIN             Citroen C4              1hr 13min 48.9sec
9.  J Hänninen/M Markkula               FIN             Skoda Fabia             1hr 14min 15.0sec
10 M Rantanen/M Lukka           FIN             Skoda Fabia             1hr 14min 56.1sec

Stage Times

Stage 1: 1. P Solberg 2min 33.2sec; 2. Hirvonen + 1.0; 3= Latvala, Loeb + 1.6; 5= H Solberg, Ogier + 3.2; 10. Al Qassimi + 6.4.

Stage 2: 1. Hirvonen 5min 55.8sec; 2. Latvala + 2.1; 3. Loeb + 3.0; 4. P Solberg + 3.9; 5. Ogier + 4.0; 6. Sordo + 4.2; 12. Al Qassimi + 18.4.

Overall: 1. Hirvonen 8min 30.0sec; 2. Latvala + 2.7; 3. P Solberg + 2.9; 4. Loeb + 3.6; 5. Ogier + 6.2; 6. Sordo + 7.0; 11. Al Qassimi + 23.8.

Stage 3: 1. Hirvonen 10min 33.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 2.0; 3. Loeb + 4.2; 4. Latvala + 5.9; 5. Sordo + 6.2; 6. Ogier + 9.2; 14. Al Qassimi + 40.0.

Overall: 1. Hirvonen 19min 03.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 4.9; 3. Loeb + 7.8; 4. Latvala + 8.6; 5. Sordo + 13.2; 6. Ogier + 15.4; 11. Al Qassimi + 1:03.8.

Stage 4: 1. Ogier 5min 52.9sec; 2. Latvala + 0.4; 3. P Solberg + 2.0; 4. Sordo + 1.3; 5. H Solberg + 4.2; 6. Loeb + 7.5; 9. Al Qassimi + 14.1.

Overall: 1. P Solberg 25min 02.5sec; 2. Latvala + 3.1; 3. Sordo + 8.6; 4. Loeb + 9.4; 5. Ogier + 9.5; 6. H Solberg + 20.0; 10. Al Qassimi + 1:12.0.

Stage 5: 1. Sordo 10min 28.7sec; 2. Latvala + 1.7; 3. P Solberg + 3.5; 4. Ogier + 5.8; 5. H Solberg + 6.5; 6. Loeb + 13.0; 10. Al Qassimi + 14.1.

Overall: 1. P Solberg 35min 34.7sec; 2. Latvala + 1.3; 3. Sordo + 5.1; 4. Ogier + 11.8; 5. Loeb + 18.9; 6. H Solberg + 23.0; 9. Al Qassimi + 1:38.6.

Stage 6: 1. Latvala 12min 03.3sec; 2. P Solberg + 1.2; 3. H Solberg + 4.3; 4. Ogier + 6.5; 5. Loeb + 10.3; 6. Sordo + 11.3.

Overall: 1. P Solberg 47min 39.2sec; 2. Latvala + 0.1; 3. Sordo + 15.2; 4. Ogier + 17.1; 5. H Solberg + 26.1; 6. Loeb + 28.0.

Stage 7: 1. Latvala 3min 04.4sec; 2. P Solberg + 2.8; 3. H Solberg + 3.5; 4. Ogier + 3.7; 5. Loeb + 4.2; 6. Sordo + 5.8.

Overall: 1. Latvala 50min 43.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 2.7; 3. Ogier + 20.7; 4. Sordo + 20.9; 5. H Solberg + 29.5; 6. Loeb + 32.1.

Stage 8: 1. Loeb 7min 07.8sec; 2= Latvala, Ogier + 0.3; 4. P Solberg + 5.5; 5. Sordo + 11.2; 6. Ostberg + 12.4.
Overall: 1. Latvala 57min 51.8sec; 2. P Solberg + 7.9; 3. Ogier + 20.7; 4. Loeb + 31.8; 5. Sordo + 31.8; 6. Wilson + 2:06.5.

Stage 9: 1. Latvala 3min 01.4sec; 2. Ogier + 1.4; 3. P Solberg + 1.5; 4. Loeb + 1.9; 5. Sordo + 4.8; 6. Ostberg + 6.6.
Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 00min 53.2sec; 2. P Solberg + 9.4; 3. Ogier + 22.1; 4. Loeb + 33.7; 5. Sordo + 36.6; 6. Wilson + 2:13.2.

Stage 10: 1. Loeb 6min 59.8sec; 2. Ogier + 0.7; 3. Latvala + 1.7; 4. P Solberg + 2.3; 5. Sordo + 6.6; 6. Ostberg + 14.8.

Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 07min 54.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 10.0; 3. Ogier + 21.1; 4. Loeb + 32.0; 5. Sordo + 41.5; 6. Wilson + 2:32.0.

Stage 11: 1. P Solberg 2min 35.1sec; 2= Latvala, Loeb + 0.9; 4. Ogier + 1.6; 5. Sordo + 3.1; 6. Raikkonen + 3.3.
Overall: 1. Latvala 1hr 10min 30.7sec; 2. P Solberg + 9.1; 3. Ogier + 21.8; 4. Loeb + 32.0; 5. Sordo + 43.7; 6. Wilson + 2:35.3.

For 60 years now, the 1000 Lakes Rally – which then became the Rally Finland – has been a classic fixture for all the crews. The event is often nicknamed the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ and it has featured seven times in the top 10 fastest rallies ever held in the history of the World Rally Championship. The quickest Rally Finland took place in 2005, with an average speed of 122.86 kph recorded on the event.

For the eighth round of the season, Citroën Racing has made some adjustments to its team nominations. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia join the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the first time, while Dani Sordo and Marc Marti form part of the Citroën Junior Team as team mates to Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström. The Spanish crew will also be nominated to score points for the Citroën Junior Team in Japan and Great Britain this year.

“The objective of the Citroën Junior Team is to allow young drivers to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest level,” pointed out Team Manager Benoit Nogier. “We have seen this goal being achieved with Sébastien Ogier and we are very happy for him. His results reflect the hard work that the entire team has put in since the start of the season. We hope to be at the same level with Dani, so that he too can show what he is capable of.”

Dani Sordo, aged 27, is currently sixth in the World Championship standings and has finished on the podium twice this year, thanks to third place in Portugal and second in Bulgaria. The Spaniard looks upon his new association with the Citroën Junior Team as a fresh opportunity. “I’ll be feeling less pressure,” he said. “By switching teams, I won’t always have to drive with the fundamental need to score manufacturer points for Citroën at the back of my mind. I’m going to concentrate on just doing my own rally and delivering the best performance possible.”

For the first time in his short World Rally Championship career, Kimi Räikkönen will be starting an event that he has already contested last year. In 2009, the 2007 Formula One World Champion showed some highly impressive pace before unfortunately going off the road.

“We were able to get back up to speed on gravel thanks to a good pre-Finland test,” said Kimi. “Those testing kilometres are absolutely vital on a rally like this one. The experience from last year is certainly going to help, but there is such a performance gap between a Super 2000 machine and a World Rally Car that it’s almost like driving a different rally. I’m really looking forward to getting started. When I was in Formula One, I never got the chance to race in front of my home crowd. I know that there are going to be loads of fans out in service and by the side of the stages. For me, this is a real highlight of the season!”

Three questions to… Dani Sordo

Does joining the Citroën Junior Team feel a bit like going back to your roots?
“I started off on the World Rally Championship driving the Citroën Xsara WRC, when some people from the Citroën Junior Team were also there. These were very happy memories, and we had some good performances that helped me to secure a factory drive. There is a very nice atmosphere in the team and everybody is extremely professional. The results speak for themselves. Everything is there to enable us to have a very good rally.”

Is Finland an event you have been looking forward to this year?
“Finland a particularly tricky rally that is very fast, and so local drivers tend to do extremely well there. It’s also a rally that personally I love. The speeds we reach are very exciting for any driver and of course we have to take a few risks through the trees and over the crests. It’s an absolutely unique event. You need to have very good pace notes, and to drive precisely and decisively.”

What do you expect from this rally with the Citroën Junior Team?
“I know that I’m joining a very good team. Now it’s down to me to make the most of it. I’m going to try and give it my all on this event, as always do. For the past two years I’ve finished fourth, less than 20 seconds off the podium, and in 2009 I was only a minute behind the winner. My objective is to show that I can be competitive while setting some good times and remaining consistent throughout the event.”

Useful information

Rally Finland (round 8/13) (29-31 July)

Surface: gravel

Where: Jyväskylä

Practical information: The service park, HQ and the media centre are in the ‘Paviljonki’ in Jyväskylä. There is a one-hour time difference between Finland (GMT + 3) and central Europe (GMT + 2). So when it is 1200 in Jyväskylä, it is 1100 in Paris. On the first day of the rally, Friday 29 July, the sun will rise at 04h31 and set at 22h14. In July, the average maximum temperatures exceed 20°C. Local currency is the Euro.

Technical: The two Citroën C4 WRCs will be equipped with new engines that have to be used again in Germany and in Japan. The transmission and spare parts are also shared with the Rally Japan.

Tyres: A total of 36 soft-compound Pirelli Scorpion WRC tyres can be used, including six for the shakedown.

Reconnaissance: This will take place on Tuesday 27 July and Wednesday 28 July from 0800-1800, with a maximum of two passes allowed over each special stage.

Shakedown: This is scheduled for Thursday 29 July between 0800 and 1200 at Muurame, on a 4.46- kilometre stage that is 10.26 kilometres from the service park.

Press conference: Thursday 29 July at 1330 in the Media Centre.

Start: Thursday 29 July at the Paviljonki from 1800.

Route: Total length of 1307.87 km, of which 310.05 km are competitive. There are 19 special stages (11 different stages).

Timing: Day 1 – 661.73 km of which 147.27 km are competitive (11 stages, 6 different stages). Thursday 29 July: Start: 18h00 – SS1: Laajavuori 1 (4.19 km). Friday 30 July – Service A (0630 / 15 min) – SS2: Urria 1 (12.75 km) – SS3: Jukojärvi 1 (22.29 km) – SS4: Urria 2 (12.75 km) – SS5: Jukojärvi 2 (22.29 km) – Service B (1230 / 30 min) – SS6: Lankamaa (24.87 km) – SS7: Sirkkamäki 1
(6.45 km) – SS8: Myhinpää 1 (15.52 km) – SS9: Sirkkamäki 2 (6.45 km) – SS10: Myhinpää 2 (15.52 km) – SS11: Laajavuori 2 (4.19 km) – Service C (2030 / 45 min) – Last car into parc fermé at 2359.
Day 2 – Saturday 31 July: 646.14 km of which 162.78 km are competitive (6 SS, 5 different stages). Start: 0550 – Service D (0550 / 15 min) – SS12: Kolonkulma (10.35 km) – SS13: Väärinmaja (29.29 km) – SS14: Surkee 1 (19.59 km) Service E (1046 / 30 min) – SS15: Leustu 1 (21.35 km) – SS16: Himos 1 (20.63 km) SS17: Surkee 2 (19.59 km) – Service F (1510 / 30 min) – SS18: Leustu 2 (21.35 km) – SS19: Himos 2 (20.63 km) – Service G (1908 / 10 min) – Finish at 19h45.

Final podium: Saturday 31 July from 1945.

Final press conference: Saturday 31 July at 2030 in the Media Centre.

The crews before this rally:
Kimi Räikkönen: First WRC rally: Finland 09 (Punto Super 2000 / ret.) – WRC rallies: 7
Kaj Lindström: First WRC rally: Finland 96 (Golf GTI / ret.) – WRC rallies: 68 – Wins: 1.
Dani Sordo: First WRC rally: Spain 03 (Lancer Evolution / 18th) – WRC rallies: 78 – Junior title: 2005 (C2 S1600).
Marc Marti: First WRC rally: Spain 92 (309 / 21st) – WRC rallies: 142 – Wins: 3.

The crews before the start of Rally Finland:
Kimi Räikkönen: 2nd participation: 2009 (Punto Super 2000 / ret.).
Kaj Lindström: 11th participation: 1996 (co-driver for Ari Himanen / 27th), 1997 (Ari Himanen / ret.), 1998 (Esa Saarenpaa / ret.), 1999 (Tapio Laukkanen / 13th), 2000 (Tapio Laukkanen / ret.), 2001 (Tapio Laukkanen / 23rd), 2002 (Tommi Mäkinen / 6th), 2003 (Tommi Mäkinen / 6th), 2004 (Kristian Sohlberg / ret.), 2009 (Kimi Räikkönen / ret.).
Dani Sordo: 6th participation: 2005 (C2 S1600 / 15th), 2006 (Xsara WRC / ret.), 2007 (C4 WRC / ret.), 2008 (C4 WRC / 4th), 2009 (C4 WRC / 4th).
Marc Marti: 11th participation: 1997 (co-driver for Oriol Gomez / 23rd), 1999 (Jesus Puras / ret.), 2000 (Jesus Puras / ret.), 2003 (Carlos Sainz, Xsara WRC / 4th), 2004 (Carlos Sainz, Xsara WRC / 3rd), 2005 (Dani Sordo, C2 S1600 / 15th), 2006 (Dani Sordo, Xsara WRC / ret.), 2007 (Dani Sordo, C4 WRC / ret.), 2008 (Dani Sordo, C4 WRC / 4th), 2009 (Dani Sordo, C4 WRC / 4th).

The team ended the 400km event as the second privateer team after the Fiesta of Conrad Rautenbach in 5^th place overall.

“I wasn’t at all that comfortable with the stages on the Friday, but the highlight for the Basil Read/bizhub Ford Team’s first day was winning two stages”, said Wilken.

Saturday saw Wilken and Godrich put the hammer down.  “We worked on our pace without taking undue risks”, Wilken related.  “I’m building up seat time and we have a good foundation of knowledge to work from going forward.  I’m very happy with our weekend’s work”.

Godrich was also content after two days of hard work in the Basil Read/bizhub Fiesta. “The format of the event is awesome.  We started quite slowly and built up our pace.  The tarmac stages were brilliant for us.  On Saturday, we set our own pace because there was no one to chase and no one catching us.  We’ve learnt a lot this weekend”.

Team Director Flip Wilken was relieved: “We can finally put all the unfortunate stuff behind us and move forward.  It’s the first finish for the Basil Read/bizhub Ford Fiesta, which is very important to achieve.  The times set in the last two stages show how Charl became more comfortable in the car, he got some good experience and mileage under his belt. The team did not put a foot wrong over the whole event, we only refueled and changed tyres”.

The next outing for the Basil Read/bizhub Ford is the Osram Rally on 20 and 21 August.

The weekend of Friday and Saturday 23 and 24 July saw the running of the 28^th Volkswagen Rally hosted by the Algoa Rally Association in Port Elizabeth. 42 of South Africa’s top teams fell under starter’s orders for the fifth round of the SASOL South African National Rally Championship.

The high levels of experience and competition within rallying in South Africa is very evident, after 164 km of racing action over some of the most infamous fast and flowing stages of the Longmore Forests, only a narrow 1.5 seconds separated 1^st and 2^nd place on the finish line podium.

Team PIRTEK enjoyed a commanding position at Friday’s overnight stop with Heinrich Lategan and Johan van der Merwe in 3^rd with their team mates Visser du Plessis and Gerhard Snyman backing them up in 9^th position overall.

The day two race strategy of the highly motivated, Lategan and van der Merwe was to consolidate his 3^rd position; sadly realising this was easier said than done. On stage 8 hitting an embankment caused extensive damage to the left front of their Toyota Auris S2000. The damage was terminal and their retirement immediate. Lategan added, “Getting the balance right between challenging the front runners and at the same time keeping the gate closed to those behind is a very fine line. I know that we have the pace and ability, I just need to carry that momentum through to the finish line”

Du Plessis and Snyman enjoyed their first clean event since stepping up into class S2000 at the beginning of the season. With du Plessis finally adding, “I needed to have an incident free event from a mechanical and driving point of view; our objective was to be within 1 and ½ second a kilometre on day one and on day 2 respectively of the front runners. Gerhard and I achieved this and gained valuable seat time”

Partnering this success with the likes of SASOL and being able to call on their expertise and superior quality racing lubricants has put Team PIRTEK in a confident mood, and the team looks forward to continuing in their quest to win the Privateers Challenge and mix it up with the works teams during the remainder of the season.

The next outing for Team PIRTEK will be the Osram Rally taking place in the area around Barkley East on 21 August 2010.

Round five of the Sasol South African Rally Championship in the Eastern Cape on Friday and Saturday saw all four Team Total crews complete a tough VW Rally.

Highest-placed was the class S2000 Toyota RunX of Mohammed Moosa and Grant Martin, who finished 10^th overall after being slowed on the final day by a loss of brakes on the third of the day’s five special stages.  “It’s disconcerting when you come down a long hill and then the brake pedal goes to the floor and nothing happens,” said the reigning class A6 champion.  “We’re still getting used to the incredible speeds of these S2000 cars in our first season in the top class, so having good brakes is pretty important!”

Fernando Rueda and Dave Lewkowicz were 11^th in their Team Total Toyota RunX, also competing in class S2000, after a run that the Spanish-born driver described as “not our best of the year”.  “It was a beautiful route, but we had too many problems and it was difficult to settle into a rhythm.  We only had once clean stage on Saturday,” he added.  A puncture on stage two and a loss of power steering on stage three slowed their progress on day one and they lost time after bending a steering arm on the first of Saturday’s stages.

The ever-consistent Craig Trott and Robbie Coetzee had a trouble-free run in their class A6 Toyota RunX and the veteran Team Total driver and his co-driver maintained their clean sheet for the year with 18^th overall and third in class – their fifth consecutive podium finish.

Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Carolyn Swan, looking for a second top-three finish after their fine third place in the previous round, the Rally of South Africa in Mpumalanga, were denied by a broken bolt on a suspension upright in the very first stage that resulted in the wheel and side shaft coming off on the next stage.  The Team Total pair lost a crippling 24 minutes as they battled to reposition and secure the shaft and wheel.

Their service crew did a great job of getting them back into the rally, but not before they incurred a 2 min 10 sec penalty for lateness out of the service area.  A puncture on Saturday’s third stage saw them lose another two minutes and they did well to finish 18^th overall and 13^th in class S2000 after all their problems.

Overall winners were Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock in a class S2000 factory Toyota Auris, who finished 1,5 seconds ahead of the factory S2000 VW Polo of Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson.  Third were Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford in another factory VW.

The next round of the championship is the Osram Rally in the Barkly East area on August 21.

“It was an unfortunate – and much too quick – end to an event we were really looking forward to and which we were confident would deliver a good result,” said Hutchison.

“This is a very demanding sport, on both the crew and the car, and mechanical problems are part of the game.  It’s tough on all of us – driver, co-driver, technicians and sponsors – when something like this happens.  A lot of work goes into preparing the car for each event and by the time we take our place on the start line we are all psyched up and ready to give of our best.  There are always high expectations, so it’s a big let down to record a DNF, particularly after just one special stage.

“With this being our first year in the premier S2000 class, we need as much seat time as we can get to bridge the big gap that exists between class A7 and where the big boys play.  We’ve been making good progress, but we still have a long way to go and it doesn’t help to miss out on nine racing stages as we did this weekend.”

The 419-km event (265 liaison and 164 special stages), held over two days in the Port Elizabeth area and including stages in the Longmore Forest, was as tough as ever with just 25 of the original 42 starters making it to the finish.

The winners with a total time of 98 min 45,8 sec were Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock in a factory Toyota Auris, who finished just 1,5 seconds ahead of the factory VW Polo of Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson.  Third, a further 10,5 seconds in arrears, were VW team-mates Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford.

The next round of the Sasol Rally Championship is the Osram Rally in the Barkly East area on August 21.

Motorite Racing is the motor sport division of Motorite Insurance Administrators, the largest independent mechanical breakdown insurance and full maintenance plan service provider and administrator in South Africa.

This weekend’s VW Rally in Port Elizabeth, the fifth round of the eight event championship, saw Castrol Team Toyota’s Johnny Gemmell take the fight to Volkswagen on their home turf to win the event by just 1,5 seconds from Enzo Kuun.

Gemmell and navigator Drew Sturrock took just three special stages on Friday’s leg of the event to assert their authority on the rally. The first stage was won by Conrad Rautenbach by a 12 second margin over Gemmell with the second quickest time. A win for Gemmell on the second stage saw the gap close to just 1,2 seconds with that deficit converted to a lead of 13 seconds over Jan Habig by the end of the third stage.

By the end of the first day Enzo Kuun had taken over from Jan Habig as Gemmell’s main challenger and was 5,3 seconds off the lead. Through the next five stages on Saturday Kuun kept up the pressure but was unable to move ahead of Gemmell.

Going into the final stage of the event, a 1,7 kilometre spectator special at Kings Beach in Port Elizabeth, the gap was the same as it was at the beginning of the day but a do-or-die on the part of the VW driver saw him close the gap to just 1,5 seconds in the final stage. A close finish, but not as close as the 0,7 second margin held by Gemmell at the end of the Rally of South Africa six weeks ago.

“The VW Rally is one of the more treacherous rallies in the series,” said Gemmell afterward. “It’s a really quick event on typical forest roads with varying surfaces that can catch you out so easily. We knew that we had to very quickly find a pace that would get us in a position to challenge for the lead without taking undue risks.
“Once Conrad dropped off the pace we were able to settle into a really good rhythm at the front of the field. When Enzo Kuun took over the challenge from Habig we knew we had a battle on our hands but we were able to manage the gap and bring the car home in one piece. Our Auris S2000 ran flawlessly throughout the event to give us a really clean run. No punctures and not a single equipment problem gave us the confidence to chase for the win.”
At the overnight stop there were three Toyota Auris S2000s in the top five positions with the Pirtek Auris of Hein Lategan in third place Castrol works car of Mark Cronje in fifth in close support of Gemmell.

Lategan went off the road in the second of Saturday’s stages and had his rally ended by a combination of suspension damage to the Auris and an injury to his hand caused by the transfer of the impact force through the steering wheel. Mark Cronje lost three minutes in the same stage through a puncture 8 kilometres from the end of the stage.

At the end of the final stage it was very much advantage Toyota in this event and Gemmell in the championship. For Toyota this was the 14th overall win in the VW Rally in its 27 year history with Serge Damseaux accounting for 12 of those wins, Mark Cronje one (2008) and now a maiden win in the Eastern Cape for Gemmell.

In the championship the advantage swings to Gemmell as the only driver to win two events so far this season. With 86 points scored he now shares the lead in the championship with Enzo Kuun with three events still to run.

“This came close to being a dream event for Toyota,” says Castrol Team Toyota team principal, Glyn Hall. “The win was good but we showed that there is the underlying strength within the team and amongst our privateers to possibly fill the podium. Mechanically the performance of the two works Auris S2000s was flawless with the privateer cars also having pretty clean runs aside from damage from going off the road.

Visser du Plessis scored a fine fifth place in his Pirtek Auris and Mark Cronje recovered to finish eighth overall and score valuable points. Once again we had a nail biting close finish – good for spectator interest but tense for the team – with Johnny able to hold off the challenge and take the win. All in all it was a good day for rallying and a good day for the team and our partners Castrol, the Innovation Group, and Imperial.”

Class A6 was a Toyota benefit with Leeroy Poulter winning the class in his RunX ahead of Tjaart Conradie in an Auris and Craig Trott in a RunX. Class A5 was won by Ashley Haigh-Smith in his Yaris with Chad Lambert, also in a Yaris, second in the class. Class N3 produced a maiden win for the father and daughter team of Stefanie and Willem Hugo in a RunX.

Birthday boy Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen will defend Ford’s Rally Finland (29 – 31 July) title next week in one of the shortest FIA World Rally Championship events in history.  Since the WRC’s launch in 1973, only one rally has scheduled fewer competitive kilometres than this eighth round of the 13-event series.  That was in Finland in 1975 when the event was known by its traditional name – the 1000 Lakes Rally.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team duo will be joined by fellow Finns Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila for what many regard as the highlight of the season.  Rally Finland is the fastest round of the championship and with just 310.05km of competition amid the lakes and forests in the centre of the country, the action will be fast and furious, with little opportunity to atone for the slightest mistake.

Hirvonen, who fulfilled a lifetime ambition by winning last year in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, celebrates his 30th birthday on the final day next Saturday.  The rally, which is again based in the traditional host city of Jyväskylä and is affectionately known as the Jyväskylä Grand Prix due to its high speeds, celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Organisers have taken advantage of new-for-2010 regulations to pack all the action into just two legs.  So while the distance is shorter than other WRC rounds, drivers face almost 15 hours behind the wheel on Friday’s first full day of competition and almost 14 on Saturday, ensuring both endurance and outright speed will be a factor in determining the outcome.

Climbing onto the top step of the podium in Finland is one of the sport’s most sought-after achievements.  The rally has a huge following and enormous crowds will flock into the countryside near Jyväskylä, Hirvonen’s home town, to view the action.  Ford’s all-Finnish line-up will generate passionate support, raising both the level of expectation and the pressure on Hirvonen and Latvala.

The rally will be fought out on blisteringly fast roller-coaster gravel speed tests.  Finns who nurtured their careers on this type of road have a clear advantage over ‘outsiders’ who require several years experience before they can hope to mount a genuine victory challenge.  Only seven non-Finns have won in 59 years and such is the speed that Rally Finland boasts five of the six fastest rallies in WRC history, the 2005 event topping the standings at a remarkable average of 122.86kph.

The rally offers a mix of hard, wide and fast roads combined with narrower, more technical special stages.  They are as smooth as a billiard table and it is not a hard rally on machinery.  However, it is incredibly difficult from a driving perspective.  Awesome stomach-churning jumps frequently hide bends over the crests so the accuracy and delivery of pace notes must be exact, and selecting the correct line before ‘take-off” ensures maximum pace through the following curves.

This will be Hirvonen’s ninth start in his home event and he has also finished second twice.  He completed two days of testing yesterday (Thursday), covering about 500km.  “There were lots of good things to come from the test so I’m excited about the rally.  I’m looking forward to defending last year’s victory because I want to keep the title in Finland.  Defending the title on your home rally definitely brings more excitement in the run-up to the event,” he said.

“The two-day format will be interesting.  Recently, Sunday’s final leg has contained very few kilometres and the result was effectively decided by what happened in the previous two days.  With just two legs this year, the battle could continue through to the final stage of the rally,” he added.

Latvala finished third last season and this will be the 25-year-old’s eighth start in the rally.  “The excitement builds in Finland like no other round,” he said.  “I always have a few nerves before the start of a rally, but there are a few more before Rally Finland gets under way.  The nerves really build on the road section to the opening stage, and then when I reach the finish of that first test I think to myself ‘Wow! That was quick!’ then everything starts to settle down.

“This year’s rally is so short that I will need to be sharp from the first kilometre of the opening stage.  But there is also an endurance factor because the days are long.  I will try to get as much sleep as possible at the beginning of the week because there will be the opportunity for only about six hours sleep each night during the event itself,” added Latvala, who is testing today (Friday) and tomorrow.

The 2010 event marks the return to competition of rally legend Juha Kankkunen in a guest drive in a privately-entered Focus RS WRC.  The four-time world champion retired from full-time competition after Rally GB in 2002, which was Latvala’s WRC debut.

Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr will drive a third Focus RS WRC for the team.  This will be Al Qassimi’s fourth start in Finland, his best result coming last year when he finished ninth.  The rally also marks the third anniversary of Abu Dhabi’s partnership with the team.  “Finland is an amazing rally and a challenge for every professional driver.  I feel very confident in my driving, so hopefully I will be able to grab some more championship points at the end of the weekend,” he said.

Team News

* Tyre partner Pirelli will provide BP Ford Abu Dhabi with one regulation tyre pattern.  The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in soft compound only.  Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spare wheels.

* An amazing 30 of the 101 entrants are at the wheel of Ford cars.  Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin and Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor are nominated in Focus RS WRCs by the Stobart M-Sport Ford team, which has also entered four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen / Juha Repo and Mattias Therman / Janne Perälä.  A 2005-specification Focus RS WRC will be crewed by Jouni Arolainen / Seppo Kopra.  Eight Fiesta S2000 cars are entered, four of which are competing in the S-WRC, and there are a record 14 Fiesta R2 and ST entries for the third round of the Fiesta SportTrophy International.

Rally Route

While the rally format has undergone major changes, the majority of the roads will be familiar to the drivers.  There is one all-new test, the 6.45km Sirkkamäki on Friday, and short sections elsewhere that have not been used previously, but the rest of the 310.05km route has been driven in recent years.  The service park returns to the popular Paviljonki exhibition area in Jyväskylä.  Thursday evening’s traditional super special stage at the Killeri trotting track has been dropped in favour of a forest test on the edge of Jyväskylä, which passes through the town’s ski jumping arena.  Friday’s action is based west and north-east of the town before the second leg, the longest of the event, journeys south-west for tests near Jämsä and Mänttä.  Drivers tackle 19 stages in a total distance of 1307.87km.