| Rally GB 2009. Results and Reflections | |||||
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| Rally of Great Britain | |||||
| www.worldrallypics.com | |||||
| © Les Kolczak | |||||
| 25 October 2009, 8:43 pm | |||||
| Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena seem destined to keep setting records. This time it is a record sixth world title (achieved with their 54th WRC victory) for the Citroen C4 duo but it is also probably their hardest fought. | |||||
| It takes two (or in this case, four) to make a race and Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen played their part to the full, and for them it’s a case of “so near and yet so far” With the Finnish duo slowed by broken bonnet pins on the penultimate stage just as Loeb was losing turbo boost it is easy to think of what might have been. But we can also think about what will be. A classic 2009 season surely bodes well for a great battle in 2010. It shouldn’t be a two horse race either. Petter Solberg has never been short of admirers in the rallying community and the way he and his Welsh co-driver Phil Mills tackled 2009 must surely have swelled their ranks. The way the Norwegian fought with Dani Sordo for third place shows he has lost none of his appetite for the sport and we must hope he is in a position to mount a serious challenge for the title next year. Nor must we ignore the maturity that Sordo showed in resisting the challenge of the former World Champion to take the final podium place. Citroen certainly have strength in depth with the young Spaniard. Add to their number Sebastian Ogier. The young Frenchman handled the treacherously slippery conditions with aplomb until a late off denied him the fifth place for which he seemed destined. Aaron Burkart also impressed on his Citroen prize drive until a late mistake carried a heavy penalty for the German, dropping him out of the top 10. Matthew Wilson was once again the highest placed British driver, finishing in 6th place overall. His Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team also won the Abu Dhabi Spirit of the Rally Award for their support for the armed forces charity Help for Heroes. Competing on home ground, Tom Haines established himself as a name to watch. After beginning his motorsport career on the circuits, Haines, who lives just a few miles from Cardiff, took up rallying just four months ago. In conditions that challenged even the most experienced of drivers, 23 year old Haines put in a mature drive that saw him climb to 33rd place before he was forced out by engine problems. An equally impressive performance was that of our huge team of volunteer marshals and officials, without whom there would be no rally. Last year they endured ice and sub-zero temperatures. This year they braved torrential rain and gale force winds to ensure the smooth running of the entirely Cardiff- based rally. A hardier group would be hard to find. A sight new on this event was that of a Super 2000 car and the Skoda of Norway’s Evind Brynildssen and veteran French co-driver Denis Giraudet who dominated the Production-WRC on the 16 timed special stages and claimed a provisional ninth place overall. However, they were later excluded after a post-event inspection revealed the rear brake callipers did not to conform to the Fabia’s FIA Homologation papers. The Group N category was then handed to newly crowned P-WRC champion, Armindo Araujo of Portugal, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer. Class A6 honours went to the Ford Fiesta of Turkish driver Emre Yurdakul who was classified 38th, one place ahead of Craig Breen. The Irishman, along with Welsh co-driver Gareth Roberts, claimed a remarkable treble, adding the International Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy to the Irish and British titles that they had already won. And it was another Fiesta that took the spoils in Class N3, this time in the hands of French driver Patrick Anglade. Hats off, too, to the members of the armed forces who took part in the Land Rover Challenge, a National ‘B’ rally running immediately behind the international event. The way they hurl their standard-specification Wolf Defenders through the stages is a site to behold. And they always found time to come to the aid of any competitor in difficulties. Winners of the Challenge were Major Alan Paramore and Gari Hazelby. 62 competitors from 28 countries started the 2009 Rally of Great Britain with an impressive 50 classified as finishers. We hope to see many of them back with us when the 2010 Rally of Great Britain starts on Thursday November 11th. |
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