Ford delighted with Turkish treat
Last updated 19:42, Thursday, 19 June 2008
MASTER tactics paid dividends for BP Ford World Rally Team as it claimed a one-two finish on a thrilling Rally of Turkey.
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed their second win of the season in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to move back into the lead of the drivers standings by three points.
And team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were just 7.9 seconds behind in another Focus RS as Ford extended its lead in the manufacturers' series to nine points.
The maximum points haul enabled Ford to create rallying history by scoring points on 100 consecutive rallies, a feat never achieved since the championship was launched in 1973.
After dominating the opening day to hold first and second, Hirvonen and Latvala deliberately eased their pace in the final few metres to drop down the leaderboard to gain better road conditions on the second day.
A lower start position meant they avoided the huge disadvantage of being first and second on roads covered by slippery loose gravel.
Instead, they benefited from the cleaning process of the cars ahead, who swept stones from the surface to leave a cleaner and faster line on which to attack.
Ford's Finns rocketed back to first and second attacked hard to build as big a lead as possible over championship rival Sébastien Loeb, who swept the roads, in third.
Hirvonen and Latvala had the unwanted cleaning role on the final day but their lead was big enough to hold off a determined charge from Loeb.
This eighth round of the season was based in Kemer, a bustling holiday resort on Turkey's southern coast. Drivers tackled 19 special stages covering 360.12km in the Anatolian mountains which tower above the town.
Air temperatures topped 34ºC while the thermometer reached 48ºC on the rocky gravel roads, which combined to provide a tough test for cars and Pirelli's Scorpion tyres.
A delighted Hirvonen described the weekend as amazing. He said: “I promised Malcolm Wilson [the Ford team director] I would lead the championship going into my home rally in Finland next month and I am.
“It was an incredibly hard weekend for drivers, cars and tyres and a great battle with Jari-Matti, which I'm so happy to win.
“It was the right moment for a win because we struggled on the last round in Greece and this is perfect timing. It feels very special to beat a four-time world champion in a straight fight.
“Our tactics worked so well and I didn't panic when I was first on the road and had to sweep the stages.
“This is my best result because it was such a big team effort. I was so nervous and drove so carefully in the final stage to preserve my tyres.”
Latvala was happy with second after losing almost a minute with two opening-day punctures. He said: “I came here wanting a top three finish so I'm pleased I was able to fight for victory.
“I lacked experience of these roads but that wasn't as big a disadvantage as I thought. We played good tactics and it was a big risk, but a good decision.”
Wilson, the team director, collected the Abu Dhabi Spirit of the Rally Award on behalf of the team and presented it to Ford of Europe chairman Lewis Booth, a keen spectator during the weekend.
Wilson said: “Tactics won in the end and what our two young drivers did this weekend was nothing short of special.
“It was a brave decision to drop time on Friday but it proved the right one.
“I'm proud of the drivers and the team and it's a great way to end the first half of the season.”
Ford of Europe's motorsport director Mark Deans added: “The consistency required in achieving 100 consecutive points finishes is remarkable as the WRC is the toughest competition in motorsport for production-based cars.
“It demanded an outstanding blend of speed, strength and reliability from the Focus RS World Rally Car as well as some sterling performances from the drivers behind the wheel.
“It was a perfect weekend for the team and a great weekend for Ford, with six Focus cars in the top 10."
The other Fords were the Stobart VK M-Sport cars of Henning Solberg fifth, his team-mate Matthew Wilson seventh, and Munchi drivers Federico Villagra and Barry Clark ninth and 10th.
The championship pauses its summer break and returns with Rally Finland July 31-August 3.
Turkey results - 1, M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen, Ford Focus RS, four hours 42 minutes 07.1 seconds; 2, J-M Latvala/M Anttila, Ford Focus RS, 4.42.15.0; 3, S Loeb/D Elena, Citroen C4, 4.42.32.8; 4, D Sordo/M Marti, Citroen C4, 4.44.32.7; 5, H Solberg/C Menkerud, Ford Focus RS, 4.44.40.8; 6, P Solberg/P Mills, Subaru Impreza, 4.44.55.3; 7, M Wilson/S Martin, Ford Focus RS, 4.46.31.3; 8, C Rautenbach/D Senior, Citroen C4, 4.49.53.8;
9, F Villagra/J Perez Companc, Ford Focus RS, 4.51.41.2; 10, B Clark/P Nagle, Ford Focus RS, 4.56.55.9.
WRC standings - Drivers: 1, Hirvonen 59 points; 2, Loeb 56; 3, Latvala 34; 4, Atkinson 31; 5, Sordo 30; 6, P Solberg 20.
Manufacturers: 1, BP Ford Abu Dhabi 99 points; 2, Citroen Total 90; 3, Subaru 53; 4, Stobart VK M-Sport 41; 5, Munchi's Ford 19; 6, Suzuki 10.
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