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Son is smarter than Dad
Join Date: 11-09-2002
Location: Home - Tuncurry NSW - Oz
Posts: 613
Rep Power: 14
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Leg 2 standings - Rally Ireland
Overall times after SS16 / Leg 2 - Top 20:
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2hours 30mins 35.2secs M
2. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 59.3secs M
3. Jari-Matti Latvala Stobart Ford Focus WRC 06 +02mins 08.8secs M
4. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +02mins 37.6secs M
5. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +02mins 53.2secs M
6. Guy Wilks Subaru Impreza +05mins 52.0secs
7. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford Focus WRC 06 +09mins 23.3secs
8. Gareth MacHale Ford Focus RS WRC +10mins 07.7secs
9. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC +13mins 01.3secs
10. Armindo Araujo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +14mins 29.7secs P
11. Niall McShea Subaru Impreza +14mins 56.1secs P
12. Gabriel Pozzo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +15mins 16.6secs P
13. Aaron MacHale Ford Focus WRC #26 +15mins 58.4secs
14. Oscar Svedlund Subaru Impreza +16mins 05.8secs N4
15. Richard Cathcart Subaru Impreza +16mins 48.0secs N4
16. Jasper Van Den Heuvel Mitsubishi Evo +17mins 07.6secs N4
17. Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza +17mins 28.4secs P
18. Simone Campedelli Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +19mins 08.4secs P
19. Khalid Al-Qassimi BP Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +19mins 14.7secs A8
20. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 06 +20mins 16.6secs M
Overall PWRC after SS16 / Leg 2 - Top 10:
1. Armindo Araujo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 2hours 45mins 04.9secs P
2. Niall McShea Subaru Impreza +00mins 26.4secs P
3. Gabriel Pozzo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +00mins 46.9secs P
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza +02mins 58.7secs P
5. Simone Campedelli Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +04mins 38.7secs P
6. Phillip Morrow Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +06mins 16.3secs P
7. Stepan Vojtech Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +07mins 01.3secs P
8. Fumio Nutahara Mitsubishi Lancer Evo +07mins 39.6secs P
9. Colm Murphy Subaru Impreza +09mins 00.1secs P
10. Yassen Popov Mitsubishi Lancer +09mins 07.4secs P
Notable retirements:
SS4. Eugene Donnelly Reid Motorsport Skoda Fabia WRC Mechanical.
SS4. Marcus Gronholm BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 Went off the road. M
SS4. Xavier Pons Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2006 Engine.
SS7. Andreas Aigner Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Went off the road. P
SS8. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 06 Went off the road. M*
SS9. Kris Meeke Subaru Impreza Mechanical.
SS11. Andrew Nesbitt Subaru Impreza Went off the road.
SS11. Gareth Jones Stobart Ford Focus WRC 04 Mechanical.
SS11. Ray Breen Stobart Ford Focus WRC 04 Went off the road.
SS12. Tim McNulty Subaru Impreza S11 Mechanical.
SS13. Manfred Stohl OMV Kronos Citroen Xsara WRC Went off the road. M
SS16. Mark Higgins Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Rolled. P
* denotes elected/able to re-start under SupeRally format.
M - denotes Manufacturer entry.
P - denotes Production WRC entry.
Sebastien Loeb [Citroen Total WRT]:
"Today's stages were perhaps slightly wider in places. 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."
Daniel Sordo [Citroen Total WRT]:
"Driving on such muddy, greasy roads isn't easy, especially when you don't know how much grip to expect when you brake. 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."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I went off the road [in SS12] and got stuck on a concrete wall. The spectators pushed us back on again and all we sustained was slight damage to the bodywork around the left-front wheel."
Jari-Matti Latvala [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:
“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.”
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “It's been a pretty good morning for me and we have been going steady with no dramas. I am very happy with my times this morning especially as the conditions are still very difficult. The first stage had a greasy coating but the other two had quite an abrasive surface and the grip was pretty good. For sure if this rally was in summer time it would be a much more enjoyable event. Our tyre choice this morning was correct and everything was good with the car and my feeling now is quite comfortable.”
Mikko Hirvonen [BP Ford WRT]:
"I didn't need to attack, I just need to finish and take those three points for Ford. 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."
Petter Solberg [Subaru WRT]:
"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.”
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We were third fastest on SS12 so today has not been bad for us. The conditions on the first stage today were trickier than yesterday, so it has been a hard morning. We have closed on fourth, but I was just focused on my driving and not on position, and I'll keep doing the same this afternoon. We had a cut slick BFGoodrich tyre this morning, but the rain was really hard in the last two stages of the first loop so it was not ideal. There will be lots of standing water this afternoon on the second pass so we will change to a wet weather tyre. We will just try to keep the car on the road, as you can lose the rally very quickly here.”
Matthew Wilson [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:
“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.”
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We had a pretty average morning and conditions are still very difficult. The first two stages worked well for me and we just had a small overshoot on the little stage dropping about five seconds. I have been desperately trying to keep out of trouble and avoid the chaos; we have lost four people already this morning so it just goes to show how difficult conditions are. Gareth MacHale has experience of today's stages from last year so I expected him to be going fast this morning.”
Khalid Al Qassimi [BP Ford WRT]:
"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."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I've never seen weather like this, even the local drivers are finding it difficult. Where there is grip, or it is drier, I pushed harder but I spent a lot of time trying to find that grip. I'm getting information from the safety crew that there will be a lot of standing water this afternoon so we will have to be careful, especially under braking. That will make it even harder to find grip.”
Henning Solberg [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:
“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.”
Chris Atkinson [Subaru WRT]:
"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.”
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We had some problems getting away from the start line in SS12 and SS13, but overall this morning has not been bad for us, and the times from the first couple of stages were pretty good. The route today is not as muddy as yesterday, but with the rain they are even more slippery. I think everyone is not pushing that hard now as it is easy to make a mistake; it's just like driving on ice as it is very difficult to feel the level of grip under the car. You feel silly driving so slowly, using throttle, brake, throttle, brake to try and feel the grip, but you only need to touch the throttle too much and the car will step sideways.”
Notable retirements:
Marcus Gronholm [BP Ford WRT]: [retired from event in SS4 - crashed out]
"The accident happened near the finish on a wide, right corner. I braked for the bend but it was extremely slippery and the car skated off the road. I managed to turn it sideways before hitting a stone wall hard. It was a big, big impact because the car stopped immediately. Both wheels on my side of the car were pulled off. We were taken to hospital where we were both given a scan but that showed no problems. My neck is sore but otherwise I'm OK. It will be hard to lift the drivers' championship if Sébastien Loeb wins this weekend, but there are a lot of kilometres remaining here and on the final round in Great Britain so I'm not giving up yet."
Xavier Pons [Subaru WRT]: [retired from event in SS4 - crashed out]
“My car left the road on SS4, on a right hand corner about 5km from the start. It was a wide piece of road, not particularly bumpy or muddy, but we had too much speed and the car under-steered straight on and hit a bank. I got going again, but the oil-cooler had been damaged in the impact and after a couple of kilometres the oil warning lit up on the dashboard and I had to stop. There was a little fire in the engine bay, which we quickly extinguished, and that was it – we could go no further. It's a big shame because this is a very special rally, with completely different stages, and I wanted to get more experience here.”
Henning Solberg [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]: [retired from leg 1 in SS8 – crashed out]
“I am really disappointed with how today ended up for us, we were going really well up until that stage and the feeling was very good. I clipped a rock on the apex of a corner which bounced the car back over the road and down a bank. My tarmac experience is limited and the muddy conditions make it even worse for me here. This is another new rally for me and learning the conditions is very important so hopefully we can re-start tomorrow and gain more experience of this event.”
Manfred Stohl [OMV Kronos Citroen WRT]: [retired from leg 2 in SS13 – went off the road]
“Our pace note was ‘crest full – 60 metres – crest into right three'. That unfortunately was much too fast, the right turn proved impossible to take. 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.”
Team principals:
Guy Frequelin [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:
“I am pleased with the performance of everyone in the team today. We were in a good position in championship terms this morning and we still are this evening. Despite the extreme conditions, our BFGoodrich tyres worked well, both C4s were competitive and our two crews coped perfectly. They now need to do exactly the same again tomorrow.”
Malcolm Wilson [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:
“It has been another superb performance by all three guys today. Jari made a slight mistake this afternoon but still managed to maintain his excellent third position; and even came back to set a fastest time on the last stage. It has also been another solid day's driving from Matthew. He has performed well and moved up another position overall and still looking good for some more driver points. It also showed the importance of getting Henning back out again today. Both he and Jari should hopefully come away with a good haul of manufacturer points if the positions remain like this tomorrow.”
Malcolm Wilson [BP Ford WRT - team director]:
"It has been a solid, reliable drive [from Mikko]. He fully understands the role he has to play and he did that superbly. He maintained his position and he will be asked to do drive in the same way tomorrow."
Richard Taylor [Subaru WRT - managing director]:
"This has been a better day for the team with five top-three stage times including a stage win for Chris this afternoon. Overall we have clearly not shown the level of pace we would have liked this weekend, however both Petter and Chris are in Manufacturer points-scoring positions as we head into the final day.”
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Cheers
Shrek
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