31-07-2008

Afgelopen weken is er flink getest in thuisland Finland door de heren Hirvonen en Latvala, want ze hopen een één  tweetje neer te kunnen zetten in hun vaderland. Dit zou natuurlijk fantastisch zijn, zeker om het kampioenschap wat spannender te maken. Maar laten we niet al te ver vooruit lopen op de feiten, eerst maar zien wat ze er van maken het a.s. weekend.

Home pride adds extra spark to Finland duel for Ford's Finns:
Two Finnish pairings, one of which leads the drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship, eager to claim a maiden victory on their home rally and one of the sport's classic fixtures, competing for a team that leads the manufacturers' title race – the scene is set for an epic contest as Rally Finland (31 July - 1 August) fires the second half of the 2008 campaign into life after a seven-week break.

Their rivals will ensure this ninth round of the series is not merely a straight contest between BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila, but the internal rivalry will be fierce. However, both pairings are also firmly aware that this event offers the opportunity to stretch Ford's nine point lead in the manufacturers' series with the record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car.

Victory in Finland, the sport's spiritual home, is one of rallying's most sought after achievements and home drivers have a distinct advantage on one of the most specialised events of the season. Only six non-Finns have won the rally in 57 years, and huge crowds flock into the countryside amid the lakes and forests near the host town of Jyväskylä to cheer on their fellow countrymen.

It is based on blisteringly fast roller-coaster gravel speed tests and drivers who grew up on this type of road have a clear advantage over 'outsiders' who require several years' experience before they can hope to challenge for a win. Rally Finland boasts five of the six fastest rallies in history, the 2005 round topping the all-time list at a remarkable average speed of 122.86kph.

The wide, hard roads are as smooth as a billiard table but technically it is an incredibly difficult rally. Precision driving and bravery are more important here than anywhere else. The awesome stomach-churning jumps frequently hide bends over the crest, so accuracy and delivery of pace notes must be exact and picking the right line before 'take-off' ensures maximum pace through the following curves.

This will be the seventh appearance here for Hirvonen, who lives in Jyväskylä and will celebrate his 28th birthday on the day of the start next Thursday. Last year's second place is his best result. "I've stood beside these stages since I was a kid watching heroes like Markku Alen and Ari Vatanen driving. My family and friends will all be out watching and it would be a fantastic feeling to stand on the top step of the podium in front of them on the Sunday afternoon," said Hirvonen.

"But there are other drivers who are capable of preventing me from doing that. There is a little more pressure on me to win in Finland than on other rallies but it's nothing I can't cope with. I can't wait because it's the first time that I will start my home rally leading the championship. This rally is all about bravery, trust in the pace notes and accuracy. There is simply no room for mistakes," he added.

Latvala is just as eager for the action to start. "It would be special to win on home ground in Finland. Victory here is more highly regarded than in some other world rallies. It requires solid experience of the rally and I need to be able to drive flat out from start to finish without making mistakes. Anyone hoping to win needs to have completed the full rally – from start to finish – at least twice. I've done that and have started on three other occasions," said the 23-year-old.

"I know parts of Saturday's new stages, some of which are narrower than the traditional wide roads used during the second leg. I feel very confident after finishing second in Turkey last month. I made mistakes in Argentina and Italy and had problems in Greece before that so the result in Turkey was a big relief. It gave me a real boost to fight with Mikko and Sébastien Loeb and take that confidence into the summer break. Our pre-event test has been moved closer to the rally, which is good because it will give me the right feeling to take into the rally after the summer," he added.

Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr will drive a third Focus RS on the first anniversary of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's partnership with Ford. "My first year in the WRC has been a process of learning the various driving techniques and styles required to negotiate the new terrain I’ve encountered. I've finished every event, but in Finland my pace notes and stage experience should benefit my times. It will be the first rally where I can look at my previous year's performance and assess my progress. I’m intrigued to know how I am developing one year into my WRC career," said 36-year-old Al Qassimi.

Team news

* As part of the sport's new regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern from Pirelli. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in hard compound only. Because anti-deflation mousse is also outlawed this year, the Scorpion includes reinforced sidewalls to offer increased protection against punctures. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spares.

* Nine other Focus RS cars are entered. Gigi Galli / Giovanni Bernacchini and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud are nominated for points by the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team while Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin will drive a third car. Munchi's Ford World Rally Team has nominated Federico Villagra / Jorge Pérez Companc and Luis Perez Companc / Jose Maria Volta to score. Four other privately-entered Focus RS cars are also entered. Fourteen Fiesta ST cars will also start what is the third round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy International, nine of which are registered for the series.

* The team completes a four-day pre-event test in Finland today. Hirvonen completed the opening two days on Monday and Tuesday with Latvala taking over yesterday.

Rally route

For the second year almost half the route is new, although the rally remains in its traditional central Finland base of Jyväskylä. Organisers have focused on ensuring the roads are durable enough for an entry boasting more than 100 cars. After the traditional Thursday evening super special stage at Killeri trotting track, Friday's action is based west of Jyväskylä. The major changes are centred on Saturday's second leg which contains virtually half the competitive distance. Traditionally regarded as the year's classic day of competition, it is again based on wide and flowing roads near Jämsä, but five of the 10 stages are new from last year. The awesome Ouninpohja, a roller-coaster section of road full of sweeping bends, blind crests and jumps and viewed as rallying's ultimate test of skill and bravery, will not be used for safety reasons, although parts of the stage are incorporated into another test. Sunday's final leg covers three tests east of Jyväskylä. Drivers face 340.42km of action in a 1461.58km route.

Bron: M-Sport

Nog een laatste bericht: voor Louis Perez Companc en bijrijder wordt Finland de laatste Rally waar ze aan de start zullen verschijnen, lees hieronder het gehele verhaal:

Pérez Companc farewells WRC in Finland:

The ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship will mark the end of an era for Argentine driver Luis Pérez Companc and co-driver José María Volta as they contest their final WRC event together on next week’s Neste Oil Rally Finland.

Team-mates Federico Villagra/Jorge Pérez Companc will be present for the pair’s final rally as the second nominated point scoring crew for the Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team. Villagra currently occupies tenth in the Drivers’ Championship while the Munchi’s outfit lie fifth in the manufacturers’ ahead of Suzuki’s factory line-up.

Pérez Companc has been a pioneer in exposing rally to the Argentine public through his Munchi’s Ford WRT which was the first, and thus far only, WRC manufacturer team to hail from South America. Rally Finland will also mark his 30th WRC start.

Co-driver Volta is also set to retire from competition and play more of an organisational role within the Munchi’s outfit but will still leave himself available as a reserve co-driver for the team should they require one. Volta is also a legend in Argentine rallying, contesting 40 WRC career events – his first back in 1988 on Rally Argentina.

To keep sharp while the WRC has been on its six week summer break Pérez Companc and Villagra both took park in a test at the beginning of the month in Finland in preparation for the event.

Villagra also contested the fifth round of the Argentine National Rally Championship finishing second on the Rally de Catamarca. This sees him regain the top position in the championship standings.

Fast, flowing and flight are three words which sum up nicely the characteristics of this extreme event which has been a feature on the WRC circuit since its inception in 1973. Roads are typically smooth gravel with jumps that have known to launch World Rally cars some 50 metres of airborne distance before they’re released back onto the Scandinavian surface.

Conditions in Finland are set to be warm and very humid with average humidity levels currently floating above the 90% gauge. The event itself attracts the most physical spectator numbers with hundreds of thousands congregating to Jyväskylä for the typically party-like event.

Rally Finland will cover a total of 340 competitive stage kilometres over 24 special stages. Over 100 entries have been confirmed for this unique event which is the only one this year to run as a round of the WRC, JWRC and PWRC.

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Luis Pérez Companc said:
“I am very anxious about Finland because it is almost my first event of this season. I retired in the first leg of Rally Argentina and when I was in Jordan I had to return back home so I am looking forward to jumping into the rally car! Despite some changes to the stages I am going to Finland with much more confidence than last year. This is a rally that I like because it is fast and has all those jumps that make it very interesting. This year for me it is going to be of great help with the regulation that does not change the order on the road from one leg to another; that way I can follow the lines and breaking points of the cars in front of me. All I want is to have fun and enjoy the event and to retire from WRC competition in the most important event with the best drivers of the world.

“It was very positive to have chosen Federico this year and he has proved that we made the right choice. Since the team came into the WRC there has been a big progress in finishing events and scoring points for the driver and manufacturer championships. I think that the Munchi’s will have a place in the history books as having been the first Argentine team to compete in the WRC. We have achieved more than what we thought we could and this was also because of all the support we received from Malcolm Wilson and Ford during these years. For sure, when the WRC arrives to Argentina, the people want to see the Munchi’s in action with its drivers that represent the team and country. I will always be very thankful to José, he has been with me in the good and bad times. He also helped me in all my progress as a driver and I think that I could not have any other co-driver than him. He is an incredible person and we just have to look at each other and we know what the other is thinking. José has been very important in my development in the sport.”

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said:
“I know Finland is going to be a hard rally but we will try and continue to get more points for the Munchi’s Ford team and for myself in the Drivers’ Championship. I think racing for the second time will help a lot on the notes here and hopefully this will help us to a good performance. If I can be in the top-eight by the end of the event this will be a good result for me. Luis and Jorge gave me a chance to drive a World Rally car which was something I never thought possible to achieve. Luis helped me a lot when I first started driving the car and teaching me the correct style and approach compared to the GpN. We are leading the national championship in Argentina and we have missed two rounds so things are still going good for us there.”

Event Information
Date: 31 July - 3 August 2008
Round: 9 of 15 FIA World Rally Championship
Based: Jyväskylä, Finland
Stage surface: Gravel
Total stage distance: 340.42 km
Number of stages: 24
Longest stage: Lankamaa at 23.09km (SS22)
Central Service Park: Paviljonki\

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