Jordan WRC

[Kate]

Sordo and Solberg - equal fastest on SS1

Chris 6th

so far....

[Kate]

Rally radio is interviewing Seb and Mikko coming out of ss2 now - apparently both had several off's

Talking to Chris right now - not happy

[kam_baker]

SS3 - Mount Nebo 1 (11.10 km): Sordo fastest through SS3; Loeb second; Latvala third; Hirvonen fourth; Atkinson fifth; Petter Solberg sixth; Gardemeister retired from leg after SS2 - oil leak; Sandell heads the JWRC category; Sordo leads the rally overall by 15.1 secs.

Stage times and overall standings after SS3.

Top ten stage times for SS3:

1. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 8mins 02.9secs M
2. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 04.7secs M
3. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 05.7secs M
4. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 06.5secs M
5. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +00mins 08.6secs M
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +00mins 09.7secs M
7. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 10.4secs M
8. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 18.4secs A8
9. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 18.5secs A8
10. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 22.0secs M

Overall times after SS3:

1. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 28mins 37.9secs M
2. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +00mins 15.1secs M
3. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 16.2secs M
4. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 18.3secs M
5. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 21.9secs M
6. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +00mins 39.8secs M
7. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 45.6secs M
8. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 54.3secs A8
9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 00.7secs A8
10. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +01mins 19.7secs A8
11. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 25.1secs M
12. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 31.7secs M
13. Khalid Al-Qassimi BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +01mins 43.9secs A8
14. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +02mins 33.6secs J
15. Sebastien Ogier Citroen C2 S1600 +02mins 36.5secs J
16. Jaan Molder Suzuki Swift S1600 +03mins 01.4secs J
17. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +03mins 15.4secs J
18. Amjad Farrah Mitsubishi Evolution 9 +03mins 15.5secs N4
19. Ameer Najjar Mitsubishi Evolution 9 +03mins 18.3secs N4
20. Suhail Al Maktoum Subaru Impreza +03mins 41.4secs N4

Overall PWRC after SS3:

1. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 31mins 11.5secs J
2. Sebastien Ogier Citroen C2 S1600 +00mins 02.9secs J
3. Jaan Molder Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 27.8secs J

Notable retirements:

SS1. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC Went off the road. M
SS2. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC Oil leak. M

* denotes elected/able to re-start under SupeRally format.

M - denotes Manufacturer entry.
J - denotes Junior WRC entry.

all times unofficial

[kam_baker]

Daniel Sordo pulled off a surprise on the Jordan Rally this morning, the fifth round in the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship, by grabbing the early lead.

Sordo topped the times on the opening test, the 13.03 kilometre-run through Suwayma, when he was joint fastest with Petter Solberg. The Spaniard then proceeded to set another quickest time in SS2, despite the fact the stages were very slippery, to establish an early 5.4 second lead.

He then increased his cushion in SS3 to 15.1 seconds, thanks to his third fastest time in succession. Although he was 'only' joint fourth fastest in the final test of the morning, he still returned to the mid-day service with a good advantage, 13.8 seconds up on his closest rival.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Jari-Matti Latvala meanwhile heads the chasing pack in his Focus RS WRC07. The 23-year-old was third through the opening three tests and second in SS4.

"The roads are more slippery than I thought and it's hard to be fully confident," said the Finn. "The gravel roads are as hard as asphalt so the tyres are spinning because they're not breaking the surface.

"I'm spending too much time sideways, which is wearing my tyres, so I need to change my driving style. It's so different from any other event and they're not my favourite roads, but I need to be able to drive on every surface. I had a few small escapes, but no big dramas."

Sebastien Loeb is next up and after a spin in the first test, which left him in fifth, he has hauled himself into the top three with a second best effort in SS3 and a fastest time in SS4.

Further down the order, Petter Solberg is fourth, less than a second off Loeb in his Impreza.

"This morning was tricky. We started well, with the fastest time but it got harder after that," said 'Hollywood'. "I didn't feel I could push as hard as I wanted because of the grip. We slipped back, but we're still close enough to push and get some places back.
"We'll push and just see what we can do this afternoon. The recce we did last year is more confirmation of our pace notes which are so, so important here, so I hope that will help us to attack."

Mikko Hirvonen completes the top five, having survived a big moment 7 kilometres from end of SS2. With the gap between P3 and P5 only 2.9 seconds though, it is still very open.

"I had one of the luckiest escapes ever," said Mikko, when asked about that issue in Mahes 1. "My pace notes were too optimistic and I came over a crest too fast and went off when the road turned immediately afterwards. There were some huge rocks which I just managed to avoid but I slightly damaged the rear right suspension.

"It didn't cost much time but the handling felt strange afterwards. I'm happy with fifth and this would be a perfect position for the start order tomorrow, so long as the gap to the leader doesn't become bigger."

Of the rest Subaru's Chris Atkinson and Stobart Ford's Gigi Galli came in sixth and seventh, albeit more than 30 seconds off the battle between Jari, Seb, Petter and Mikko for third, while Citroen privateer Urmo Aava is eighth.

"I cant seem to find a good pace and rhythm at the minute and its just not flowing for me," said Gigi. "I need to try and build my confidence up during the rally.

"The third stage went very well for me and our only problem was a small spin just 1km from the end of the last stage in that loop. We must get used to the slippery surface and there are also many cuts on the stages that I didn't expect to be there from the recce. We have had to adjust our line a few times mid corner but overall things have been reasonably good this morning."

Matthew Wilson and Conrad Rautenbach rounded out the top ten, followed by Federico Villagra, Khalid Al-Qassimi, Henning Solberg and Patrik Sandell, who heads the Junior WRC category, 18.5 seconds up on Sebastien Ogier.
In terms of retirements, two big names went out, with Suzuki duo Per-Gunnar Andersson and Toni Gardemeister both retiring from the leg. P-G went off the road in the opening test and was unable to rejoin, while Gardemeister went out en-route to SS3 - possibly with engine problems.

The action now continues at 12.35 hours local time, when this morning's stages will be repeated to conclude the opening leg.

More to follow later...

[Kate]

Originally Posted by kam_baker

Toni Gardemeister both retiring from the leg. P-G went off the road in the opening test and was unable to rejoin, while Gardemeister went out en-route to SS3 - possibly with engine problems.

Then why is he sitting at 5th O/R at SS7

[kam_baker]

Originally Posted by Kate

Then why is he sitting at 5th O/R at SS7

It's called Super Rally - still appear in the results with a big penalty per stage.

[Kate]

right you are Kam

[Lyndall]

Originally Posted by WRC.com

The repeat pass of the longest stage of day, SS6, led to the retirements of Petter Solberg and Gigi Galli.

Solberg had been lying fifth before the 20km stage but was forced to stop after a damper broke on his Subaru Impreza WRC2007.

“We hit a rock with the left-hand front wheel and the right-hand damper exploded,” said a baffled Solberg. “We had to stop because the leaking damper oil caused a small fire.”

After putting out the fire Solberg completed the stage but the damage was too serious for him to tackle the two remaining tests and he retired on the road section to SS7.

Gigi Galli of the Stobart Ford team retired from seventh after damaging the rear of his Ford Focus. Galli finished the stage without the spare wheel which is normally secured behind the back bumper. “We struck something on the rear and I saw the wheel rolling away - maybe it wasn’t fixed in well,” said Galli. “It’s not good though, I’m not enjoying the stages.”

Unbeknown to him at the time, the impact had broken the rear-mounted differential cooler on his car and this brought about his retirement before SS7.

Both drivers are expected to restart the rally on Saturday.

Chris Atkinson is sitting in 5th outright at the end of Leg 1, with reasonable size time gaps both in front and behind him:

1. Dani Sordo
2. Seb Loeb +1.1
3. Jari-Matti Latvala +8.5
4. Mikko Hirvonen +13.4
5. Chris Atkinson +1:08.0
6. Urmo Aava +1:59.3 (Citroen C4, World Rally Team Estonia)
7. Matthew Wilson +2:52.7
8. Henning Solberg +3:22.3

[kam_baker]

Dani Sordo leads the inaugural WRC event in Jordan at the end of day 1 - just 1.1 seconds up on his team-mate, Sebastien Loeb; Jari-Matti Latvala completes the top three...

Overall times after SS8 / Day 1 - Top 20:

1. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 16mins 53.7secs M
2. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 01.1secs M
3. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 08.5secs M
4. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 13.4secs M
5. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +01mins 08.0secs M
6. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +01mins 59.3secs A8
7. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +02mins 52.7secs A8
8. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 22.3secs M
9. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 59.2secs M
10. Khalid Al-Qassimi BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +04mins 04.4secs A8
11. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +07mins 18.5secs J
12. Jaan Molder Suzuki Swift S1600 +08mins 13.3secs J
13. Suhail Al Maktoum Subaru Impreza +09mins 49.5secs N4
14. Alessandro Bettega Renault Clio +10mins 27.8secs J
15. Barry Clark Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +10mins 48.3secs M
16. Shaun Gallagher Citroen C2 S1600 +11mins 07.4secs J
17. Gilles Schammel Renault Clio R3 +11mins 11.1secs J
18. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +11mins 21.0secs M
19. Ala' Khalifeh Mitsubishi Evolution 9 +11mins 31.0secs N4
20. Abdullah Al-Qassimi Mitsubishi Evolution 9 +11mins 31.1secs N4

Overall JWRC after SS8 / Day 1 - Top 10:

1. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 1hour 24mins 12.2secs J
2. Jaan Molder Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 54.8secs J
3. Alessandro Bettega Renault Clio +03mins 09.3secs J
4. Shaun Gallagher Citroen C2 S1600 +03mins 48.9secs J
5. Gilles Schammel Renault Clio R3 +03mins 52.6secs J
6. Hans Weijs Jr Citroen C2-R2 Max +04mins 52.6secs J
7. Kevin Abbring Renault Clio RS +05mins 27.4secs J
8. Sebastien Ogier Citroen C2 S1600 +05mins 44.4secs J
9. Simone Bertolotti Renault Clio Sport +07mins 42.9secs J
10. Stefano Albertini Renault Clio +09mins 21.4secs J

Notable retirements:

SS1. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC Went off the road. M
SS2/3. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC Engine. M
SS5. Milos Komljenovic Renault Clio R3 Accident. J
SS6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 Hit a rock. M
SS6/7. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 Hit a stone bank. M
SS8/9. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC Clutch. A8

Daniel Sordo [Citroen Total WRT]:

"We had been hoping that our position on the road would be favourable and it was. On this sort of terrain, you just can't afford to put a wheel off the line swept clean by the other cars. I consequently tried to keep it as clean as possible so as not to find myself in the looser gravel where it was impossible to control the car. That plan worked well for the first three stages but I didn't feel perfectly at ease on the morning's final test. There were lots of crests and blind corners and I dropped a little time. As expected, the fight was extremely close this afternoon when the conditions were the same for everyone. I am pleased with my start to the rally but we now have to try and defend our lead tomorrow, and that probably won't be easy."

Sebastien Loeb [Citroen Total WRT]:

"During recce, we quickly saw that these stages were like nothing we had ever come across before. It wasn't easy to take good notes because everything looks alike and the roads are fast and tricky. I was also aware that I would have the handicap of sweeping aside the loose gravel for the others this morning. I had trouble settling into a good rhythm which affected my driving and I had a couple of scares. We made a few small changes to the set-up of my car for the second loop and that felt much better. On top of that, we didn't have to clear the top-coating of gravel second time round, so it was easer to use the full potential of our C4. The gaps at the moment don't really signify much because I am sure it will be another tough day tomorrow."

Jari-Matti Latvala [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:

"It's an interesting battle and I didn't expect it to be this close. My speed is good and I have a great start position tomorrow so I'll see how things go in the morning, before deciding whether to push in the afternoon or steady my pace. My confidence improved this afternoon but I'm still working my tyres too hard. I tried to brake softly and be more precise in my driving but I have more to do."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "The roads are more slippery than I thought and it's hard to be fully confident. The gravel roads are as hard as asphalt so the tyres are spinning because they're not breaking the surface. I'm spending too much time sideways, which is wearing my tyres, so I need to change my driving style. It's so different from any other event and they're not my favourite roads, but I need to be able to drive on every surface. I had a few small escapes, but no big dramas."

Mikko Hirvonen [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:

"Everything went to plan this afternoon. I didn't push too hard because there were many loose rocks in the road and I didn't want to hit one and damage the tyres. I attacked on the last gap to ensure the gap wasn't too large tonight and I'm happy with how it went today."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I had one of the luckiest escapes ever. My pace notes were too optimistic and I came over a crest too fast and went off when the road turned immediately afterwards. There were some huge rocks which I just managed to avoid but I slightly damaged the rear right suspension. It didn't cost much time but the handling felt strange afterwards. I'm happy with fifth and this would be a perfect position for the start order tomorrow, so long as the gap to the leader doesn't become bigger. "

Chris Atkinson [Subaru WRT]:

"Fifth overall is good from today – it's in line with our target for this event, and I think we have set a realistic pace this weekend. We've not been taking any risks as the grip today has just been so tricky it would have been easy to make a mistake and throw it off. We had a couple of moments; a spin and we slid off the road, but fortunately there was no major damage. We have made some changes to the car today which made steps in the right direction, but there is still more to come for tomorrow. The heat was really ok today for us, no problems, but it's taking a while to get used to the surface which is so different to anything else."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “This morning was hard, the stages are so tough. It's a surface we haven't seen before, and I didn't feel comfortable with the car on it. It's a very hard base, but there's no grip. We drove the stages on the recce and knew they'd be slippery, but it's even more unpredictable and slippery than I expected. We had a spin this morning and ran off the road once, but we brought it back to the service park ok and will make some changes to see if we can find more this afternoon.”

Urmo Aava [PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC]:

"Maybe it is a clear road for me. It is very hard if you drift off the correct line."

Matthew Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT]:

"Today has been a really good start to the rally and I'm starting to feel more comfortable on these tricky stages. Apart from having a couple of minor half spins which dropped us some time, it's all went well today and I'm pleased with our performance. The stage times have been really consistent and the only changes we have made have been to adjust our lines over some difficult crests and this worked well for the second pass. We concentrated on preserving our tyres in the second loop as it's really easy to run wide onto the loose gravel and drop some time."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “The stages have been very slippery especially the last one and it didn't seem to have cleaned as much as the others; there was a lot of loose gravel on top. We had a small spin and touched a small bridge but no damage and we didn't loose much time. I feel we have had a really good start this morning and my notes are working well. The only thing we have changed is just a few lines over some tricky crests and we refined things slightly. But I'm happy so far.”

Henning Solberg [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT]:

"We found things difficult this morning but it is a new rally and I just can't jump in and be very fast from the start. The surface is difficult and I need to build up my confidence here and then in turn build up my speed during the rally. We made quite a few changes to the pacenotes and hopefully this will also help with my confidence. The conditions are tricky and it's easy to make a mistake so I will continue to concentrate and push harder when I can. I have finished today in the points and without any problems so I'm happy with that."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We have found things difficult this morning but it is a new rally and I just cant jump in and be very fast from the start. The surface is difficult and I need to build up my confidence here and then in turn build up my speed during the rally. We made quite a few changes to the pacenotes and hopefully this will also help with my confidence. The conditions are tricky and its easy to make a mistake so I will continue to concentrate and push harder when I can.”


Federico Villagra [Munchi's Ford WRT]:

"It is difficult to find a proper line because the roads are all the same. It is very slippery and difficult to gain confidence too."

Khalid Al-Qassimi [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:

"This hasn't been a good day for me. The back of the car caught fire at the end of stage six. The fire brigade had to put it out and although the next stage went OK, the flames were back at the end of stage eight."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “It's loose and slippery. As soon as I push for more pace I'm losing traction and it's difficult to control the car. There are many blind corners with huge rocks and it's the same with the crests. The cars before me must have been digging up the rocks because they are in the middle of the road."

Barry Clark [Munchi's Ford WRT]:

"It was difficult out there today as we were working from someone else's notes and Jose [Diaz, co-driver] was having to translate them from Spanish into English as we went. The surface was tricky too and it was very hot out there. I'm just taking it easy though and trying to do a professional job as there's no pressure on me. The Ford Focus is an awesome machine and has been working perfectly from the start, so it's been really good fun and invaluable experience for me in the car ahead of my next rally in Turkey."

Notable retirements:

Per-Gunnar Andersson [Suzuki WRT]: [retired from day 1 in SS1 - went off the road and was unable to rejoin - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]

"My problem came in a section about six kilometres into the stage. It was a left-hander going into a tighter right. I was too fast into the left and then couldn't gather the car for the next right. The car started to drift and then went off the road on the inside of the corner. The front was buried in some deep sand. A couple of people were there to help, but there was no way the car was coming out until I found some wood to go under the wheels. By the time I had done that and we got back on the road, we were OTL (Over Time Limit). I had a slow puncture from earlier in the stage, but the problem was my speed * not the tyre. It's really disappointing. I need to be in the car and driving stages right now, so there is a lot of frustration when this happens. We all want to show what the SX4 WRC can do."

Toni Gardemeister [Suzuki WRT]: [retired from event after SS2 - engine]

"I was happy with the first couple of stages. In some corners, we were going a little bit wide, but the times were quite okay. I thought this was going to be a good event for us. We had a real chance to get some good points here. I knew P-G had had a problem and I was thinking that we needed to make sure there was one SX4 at the finish, so I wasn't pushing very hard. I wasn't flat-out and didn't want to take the big risks. I don't know which stone it was that caused the problems *- there were so many of them about! As soon as I heard the engine starting to sound like it wasn't right in SS3, I pulled over and switched it off. I am also upset for the team because I wanted to get a result for them on this rally. I came here to drive well and to compete with the other cars on even ground. I do believe we could have made a result, particularly when you look at how many of the cars are having problems in these really tough conditions."

Petter Solberg [Subaru WRT]: [retired from day 1 in SS6 - hit a rock - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]

"This morning was good, but then it is so, so disappointing for me and the team to have this problem and to have retired on the first day. Into stage six I hit a small rock on the inside round a left hand corner, and after that the front suspension dampers just broke. Oil came on the screen, and a bit caught fire under the bonnet. We were lucky to put it out before any real damage, but I came here feeling good and looking for a good result. We had the pace notes and things were looking pretty good, but that's just how it is. We just need to keep going and see what happens in the next two days."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “Ah, this morning was tricky, you know. We started well, with the fastest time but it got harder after that. I didn't feel I could push as hard as I wanted because of the grip. We slipped back, but we're still close enough to push and get some places back. We'll push and just see what we can do this afternoon. The recce we did last year is more confirmation of our pace notes which are so, so important here, so I hope that will help us to attack.”

Gigi Galli [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT]: [retired from day 1 after SS6 - hit a stone bank - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]

"Obviously I am very disappointed with my problem today as the rally was going quite well for me and I was starting to get a good feeling with the car. We slid on a slippy section of the stage and went backwards into a big bank of rocks and this damaged the diff cooler and I was unable to continue as the temperature rose so high; I didn't want to cause a lot of damage. I hope the team can repair this for tomorrow as its very important for me to get back out there and learn more about this rally and this unique surface. The first loop of stages today went well for me and I was starting to find a good rhythm and getting more confidence with the car and I would like to continue with this progress tomorrow."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “I cant seem to find a good pace and rhythm at the minute and its just not flowing for me. I need to try and build my confidence up during the rally. The third stage went very well for me and our only problem was a small spin just 1km from the end of the last stage in that loop. We must get used to the slippery surface and there are also many cuts on the stages that I didn't expect to be there from the recce. We have had to adjust our line a few times mid corner but overall things have been reasonably good this morning.”

Conrad Rautenbach [PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC]: [retired from day 1 after SS8 - clutch - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]

"That's so frustrating! To get through all of the day's stages, but then not to be able to get back to service is such bad news. The morning was tough, but we didn't have any major problems. On the second stage, I tried to shut my door, but it wouldn't close properly. This was 10 seconds before we were due to start the stage, so in the end, I just closed it as best I could and got on with it. Unfortunately, this meant I hadn't put the car into launch mode for the start and it was playing on my mind a little bit, wondering if the door was going to fly open on the first corner. After that, it was just the changing grip level which caught my attention. I was quite surprised, I thought it would be more constant, but we were finding good grip in the braking area, but as soon as I turned into the corner it was loose again. I lost about 10 seconds with the spin in stage four. The car started to slide and I thought it was going to be set-up nicely for the corner, but as soon as I leaned on the car in the corner, the back came around.

"The afternoon was really tough, though. There were a lot more rocks out in the road second time around and with the damper broken, it was hard work for the car. The problem with the clutch didn't come until the end of the stage (SS8). We'd completed the stage and then tried to drive off up the road, but there was nothing [from the clutch]. There was a steep uphill section straight after the stage, so there was no chance of us getting up there. It's so frustrating, but we'll get the car sorted tonight and make another start tomorrow."

Team principals:

Olivier Quesnel [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:

"With three C4 WRCs inside the top ten, including two in first and second places, we could hardly have wished for a better start to the weekend. Both crews and everyone at Citroën Sport did a perfect job today. Dani and Marc succeeded in taking full advantage of their road order this morning and they then matched the times of the others this afternoon. They deserve to be leading also because it is the first time they occupy the first position of the leaderboard on a gravel event. Sébastien and Daniel had to cope with the opposite scenario: after a difficult start because of all the loose gravel they were forced to sweep aside, they recovered superbly second time through to put us in first and second places tonight. Even so, we can't afford to get carried away. Anything can still happen, the gaps are small and the conditions promise to be complex again tomorrow."

David Richards [Subaru WRT - managing director]:

"We have seen today that Jordan is a worthy addition to the WRC calendar. Petter's retirement is very disappointing, especially given his form in the opening stages, but we must now aim to salvage Manufacturers' points in the next two days. Chris again demonstrated his maturity with a measured drive and this has been rewarded with a strong fifth place to take into tomorrow."

Malcolm Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:

"It has been a very encouraging performance by Matthew today and he has driven well in this new event which has provided competitors with some challenging stages. He has punched in some good times and preserved both the tyres and his car and both he and Henning are comfortably in the points. It's a shame about Gigi's problem but he will be back out again tomorrow and he knows how important it is to get the experience of these stages and conditions."

Paul Wilding [Suzuki WRT - team manager]:

"Toni's problem was unfortunate. It's very unlucky for the rock to hit precisely the wrong part of the bottom of the car and to cause a problem like this. But this has happened to Toni and cost him and the team dearly. We all feel for Toni and Tomi *- they had made good times on the first two stages. This is the drivers' first time on this event, it's not like they have many years of pace notes to start with as a reference. Instead they made notes for the first time. P-G seems to have been caught out by the difference in the recce and rally speed and the unknown factor of what the surface could do. Many of the other drivers have returned to the service park with similar stories. I think it's just unfortunate that P-G has been caught out by this, and both P-G and the team have paid a heavy price. His SX4 WRC was undamaged in the incident and is running perfectly, so he will be ready to re-start tomorrow."

[Spook!!!@PKB]

Loeb out, head on with Conrad Rautenberg on liason at end SS11

[kam_baker]

Originally Posted by Spook!!!@PKB

Loeb out, head on with Conrad Rautenberg on liason at end SS11

Now that's a cluster f of the class one order.

Same road in and out of the stage, narrow blind corner.

No. 1 rule in event planning, avoid using stages where transport requires two way rally traffic.

[kam_baker]

Citroen number one driver Sebastien Loeb has retired from day two of the inaugural WRC event in Jordan following an accident on the road section after SS11.

Loeb, who had grabbed the lead this morning and who was more than 30 seconds up on his team-mate, after setting three successive quickest times in SS9, SS10 and SS11, was involved in a head-on crash with Conrad Rautenbach's similar C4 WRC car.

According to early reports the Frenchman was setting off for SS12, while Conrad was heading into Shuna 1 - SS11, when the incident occurred on a blind corner. Although nobody was injured, both were unable to continue.

Daniel Sordo now resumes the lead, albeit only narrowly in front of the two BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT cars of Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen.

[kam_baker]

SS12 - Baptism Site 1 (13.13 km): Sordo fastest through SS12; Latvala second - only 0.3 secs slower; Hirvonen third; Galli fourth; Aava fifth; Atkinson sixth; Sandell heads the JWRC category; Sordo leads the overall rally by just 0.7 seconds.

Stage times and overall standings after SS12.

Top ten stage times for SS12:

1. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 6mins 42.2secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 00.3secs M
3. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 01.7secs M
4. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 05.2secs M
5. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 10.8secs A8
6. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +00mins 12.0secs M
7. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 15.9secs A8
8. Khalid Al-Qassimi BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 17.3secs A8
9. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 18.0secs M
10. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 18.3secs M

Overall times after SS12:

1. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 53mins 05.0secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 00.7secs M
3. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 06.0secs M
4. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2007 +01mins 52.7secs M
5. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +02mins 38.7secs A8
6. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +04mins 07.7secs A8
7. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +04mins 25.9secs M
8. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +04mins 40.0secs M
9. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +05mins 40.1secs M
10. Khalid Al-Qassimi BP Ford Focus RS WRC 07 +05mins 54.0secs A8
11. Gigi Galli Stobart Ford Focus WRC 07 +11mins 43.0secs M
12. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +11mins 52.5secs J
13. Jaan Molder Suzuki Swift S1600 +13mins 48.1secs J
14. Suhail Al Maktoum Subaru Impreza +14mins 24.8secs N4
15. Sebastien Ogier Citroen C2 S1600 +15mins 05.5secs J
16. Alessandro Bettega Renault Clio +15mins 15.5secs J
17. Barry Clark Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +16mins 04.4secs M
18. Shaun Gallagher Citroen C2 S1600 +16mins 05.4secs J
19. Abdullah Al-Qassimi Mitsubishi Evolution 9 +16mins 19.1secs N4
20. Gilles Schammel Renault Clio R3 +16mins 36.3secs J

[Curly]

Are the Leg 2 stages a repeat of Leg 1?

If not, Chris has got the ideal road position for Leg 2.

[TKM Jnr]

Originally Posted by kam_baker

Citroen number one driver Sebastien Loeb has retired from day two of the inaugural WRC event in Jordan following an accident on the road section after SS11.

Loeb, who had grabbed the lead this morning and who was more than 30 seconds up on his team-mate, after setting three successive quickest times in SS9, SS10 and SS11, was involved in a head-on crash with Conrad Rautenbach's similar C4 WRC car.

According to early reports the Frenchman was setting off for SS12, while Conrad was heading into Shuna 1 - SS11, when the incident occurred on a blind corner. Although nobody was injured, both were unable to continue.

Daniel Sordo now resumes the lead, albeit only narrowly in front of the two BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT cars of Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen.

Conrad should not be in the WRC he hasd crashed every event except Argentina (i think) and his not fast at all. He almost went through the wall at Monte it was the poll that stopped him. Now he takes out Loeb on a road section.....ARGH this guy is hopeless

A waste of a good car if you ask me!!