| Red hot battle in ice cold Norway | |||||
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| Mikko Hirvonen tried everything he knew in Norway, but was denied victory by 9.8 seconds | |||||
| Les Kolczak | |||||
| © www.worldrallypics.com | |||||
| 15 February 2009, 7:23 pm | |||||
| Rally Norway, like Rally Ireland, returned to the FIA World Rally Championship after a year's absence to replace its neighbour Sweden as the one "Winter Rally" in the 12-round Championship. | |||||
| Based on the town of Hammer, close to Lillehammer, which hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics, the second running of this event attracted 42 starters. The first of 23 timed special stages was in Oslo, where former World Champions Petter Solberg and Phil Mills set fastest time in their independently entered Citroen Xsara. The Norwegian/Welsh partnership was eventually destined to finish sixth. Unlike the previous years mild and slushy Swedish Rally, the Norway stages had a good covering of ice and snow, ideal conditions for Pirelli, suppliers of WRC control tyres, to debut their new studded snow tyre. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in their BP Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Ford Focus WRC, winners here in 2007, were fastest on the second stage and began what was to be a red hot battle with 2009 Rally Ireland winners Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. These two swopped times over every one of the 360 kilometres of competitive driving, literally until the final stage where Loeb and Citroen emerged as winners by 9.8 seconds. In the league tables of fastest stage times Loeb won 9. Hirvonen 8, Jari-Matti Latvala and P-G Anderson each with 2 and Henning and Petter Solberg, honours-even with 1 each. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, defending WRC Champions and leaders of the current series were first on the road on Friday in their Citroen C4 WRC and a tactical move by Hirvonen on that day’s final stage kept it that way. However the Frenchman maintained his pace to demonstrate he could better the Finns who normally excel in the ice and snow. This is Loeb’s 49th WRC victory. He is now six points ahead of Hirvonen in the Drivers' Championship. “It’s been a great rally but a very difficult one! I had to push on the limit from the very first stage to the last, and mentally it’s been difficult to keep pushing, knowing we could lose everything right up until the last corner. I really wanted to win here on snow and it’s a great feeling. It’s been a wonderful rally; the stages are incredible and it’s so much more exiting when you are in a close fight!” Ford Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila came home third. The 23 year old Finn commented, "Unfortunately I found the right car set-up a little too late. I made the springs softer and that made the suspension more flexible under braking and gave me more traction. I would love to be battling with them but I have to be sensible and realistic”. A delighted Henning Solberg co-driven by Cato Menkerud, finished fourth and the highest placed of the three Cumbria-based Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team cars. Team mates Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin claimed seventh and Urmo Aava and Kuldar Sikk – after a minor “off” – eighth. Spaniards Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were fifth, keeping Citroen in the lead of the Manufacturers' Championship, which they won in 2008. Sébastien Ogier, 2008 Junior World Champion and Julien Ingrassia finished 10th. Their Citroen Junior Team mates Conrad Rautenbach and Lancashire’s Daniel Barritt were 11th. Reigning Irish Champion Eamonn Boland and M.J.Morrissey were forced into retirement by an engine problem in their Subaru WRC. They were 31st overall after SS20. Sweden’s Eyvind Brynildsen won the Production-WRC category, finishing in 14th place. There were 29 classified finishers.
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