[Weasel 555]

After a six week break, Rally Finland heralds the return of the 2008 World Rally Championship with a bang. One of the most renowned events in the calendar, the Jyvaskyla-based event is a heady mix of flat-out straights, huge jumps that send cars airborne, and maximum commitment corners.

Demanding an acute knowledge of the route, putting even greater emphasis on pace notes, the prolific local entries are often the stars of the show. When Finland is your home rally, it is no surprise that Scandinavia has produced some of the greatest talents in world rallying.

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “I’m looking forward to getting back out again after the break, you know. Finland is a good event, and one that we’ve gone well on in the past. It’s not an easy event, as we have also seen in previous years, but for me it’s a proper rally. Fast, flowing, blind jumps, and so many crazy fans! I hope we’ll have good pace there and can get another strong finish in the new car. The team have been working hard since Turkey and doing lots of testing, and we all feel that good steps forward have been taken.”

Chris Atkinson: “I definitely want to get back into competition, so I’m looking forward to Finland. We’ve done a lot of testing since Turkey and the guys have learned a lot, so I hope we can make some good steps in fine-tuning the car. Finland is a rally of big risks and you have to push hard right from the start to get a good result. We’ve seen some good and close battles here in the past, and I hope we can be up there this year. It’s a great event. The terrain gives the rally a great character, and with the huge support of the fans, it’s one of my favourites. It’s definitely the rally everyone wants to win most.”

read more: SWRT.com Finland

Official Website:
Neste Oil Rally Finland.

 

[Tricky [RCAF]]

Finally, I hate the break being that long. My rally withdrawal will soon be over though!

 

[Rally-Fast]

I can't wait! My favorite of the whole year!

 

[Weasel 555]

Leading shakedown times:

1. Petter Solberg -- Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 -- 2mins 03.6secs M
= Henning Solberg -- Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 -- 2mins 03.6secs MT
3. Sebastien Loeb -- Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC -- 2mins 04.2secs M
= Gigi Galli Stobart -- VK Ford Focus WRC 07 -- 2mins 04.2secs MT
5. Toni Gardemeister -- Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC -- 2mins 04.7secs M
= Andreas Mikkelsen -- Ramsport Ford Focus -- WRC06 2mins 04.7secs A8
7. Chris Atkinson -- Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 -- 2mins 04.9secs M
8. Jari-Matti Latvala -- BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 -- 2mins 05.0secs M
9. Urmo Aava -- Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC -- 2mins 05.2secs M
10. Matthew Wilson -- Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 -- 2mins 05.6secs A8
11. Mikko Hirvonen -- BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 -- 2mins 05.8secs M
12. Daniel Sordo -- Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC -- 2mins 06.2ecs M
= Mads Ostberg -- Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC -- 2mins 06.2secs A8
14. Barry Clark -- Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 -- 2mins 07.4secs MT
15. Federico Villagra -- Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 -- 2mins 08.5secs MT
16. P-G Andersson -- Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC -- 2mins 08.6secs M
17. Matti Rantanen -- Ford Focus RS WRC 06 -- 2mins 09.1secs A8
18. Khalid Al-Qassmi -- BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 -- 2mins 11.2secs A8
19. Conrad Rautenbach -- PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC -- 2mins 11.4secs A8

Results taken from Crash.net:
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/wrc/news/167022-0/solbergs_joint_top_in_finland_shakedown.html

 

[Rally-Fast]

Yeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

 

[JZ oo7]

is gong going again?

 

[Geran]

is gong going again?

Nope.

 

[Weasel 555]

Petter Solberg and his brother Henning were equal quickest in the shakedown for the Neste Oil Rally Finland on Thursday, the ninth round in the 2008 World Rally Championship and the first event following the summer break.

Petter and Henning both completed the short 3.76 kilometre test, 6 kilometres north of the service park, in 2 minutes 3.6 seconds, the former opting for five runs in his Impreza WRC2008, while Henning took his Focus RS WRC07 through the test one more time.

Citroen's Sebastien Loeb meanwhile was next up, 0.6 seconds slower in his C4 WRC, setting the same time as Gigi Galli.

Suzuki's Toni Gardemeister and Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top six, both with a quickest time of 2 minutes 4.7 seconds, while Chris Atkinson and Jari-Matti Latvala were seventh and eighth.

Urmo Aava and Matthew Wilson completed the top ten, with current championship leader and pre-event favourite Mikko Hirvonen eleventh.

Suzuki's Per-Gunnar Andersson was the only runner to have problems and engine issues with the 'B-spec' SX4 WRC meant he ended proceedings in 16th - 3.9 seconds slower than the sister car.

Crash.net Finland Shakedown

Leading shakedown times:

1. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 2mins 03.6secs M
= Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 2mins 03.6secs MT
3. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2mins 04.2secs M
= Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 2mins 04.2secs MT
5. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC 2mins 04.7secs M
= Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus WRC06 2mins 04.7secs A8
7. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 2mins 04.9secs M
8. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 2mins 05.0secs M
9. Urmo Aava Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC 2mins 05.2secs M
10. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 2mins 05.6secs A8
11. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 2mins 05.8secs M
12. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2mins 06.2ecs M
= Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC 2mins 06.2secs A8
14. Barry Clark Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 2mins 07.4secs MT
15. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 2mins 08.5secs MT
16. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC 2mins 08.6secs M
17. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 2mins 09.1secs A8
18. Khalid Al-Qassmi BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 2mins 11.2secs A8
19. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC 2mins 11.4secs A8

 

[I Like It Sideways]

Excellent!!!!!

 

[Geran]

Rally Finland: SS1 - Loeb wins SSS

SS1 - SSS Killeri 1 (2.06km): Loeb fastest through SS1; Sordo second to give Citroen a 1-2; Atkinson best of rest; Hirvonen fourth – lightly tapped barrier at start of test; Petter Solberg fifth; Latvala sixth; Aava seventh; Loeb takes the early lead – 0.3 seconds up on his team-mate.

Overall times after SS1:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1min 20.5secs M
2. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 00.3secs M
3. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 00.4secs M
= Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 00.4secs M
5. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 00.6secs M
6. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 00.8secs M
7. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 00.9secs A8
8. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +00mins 01.0secs A8
9. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 01.2secs MT
10. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 01.6secs MT
11. Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC +00mins 01.7secs A8
12. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 01.8secs MT
13. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +00mins 02.2secs M
= Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 02.2secs A8
15. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +00mins 02.3secs A8
16. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +00mins 03.5secs M
= Khalid Al Qassimi BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 03.5secs M
18. Luis-Perez Companc Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 04.3secs MT
19. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 04.8secs A8
20. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 05.6secs P

Crash.net Rally Finland: SS1

 

[thad]

looking forward to the new Impreza carving tidy lines through Oninpohja.

 

[Weasel 555]

Overall times after SS3:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 15mins 07.9secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 01.5secs M
3. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 11.3secs M
4. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 12.6secs A8
5. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 13.4secs M
6. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +00mins 14.2secs A8
7. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 16.3secs MT
8. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 17.3secs M
9. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 19.9secs MT
10. Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC +00mins 30.3secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS3:

1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 17min 08.3secs J
2. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 04.2secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 11.9secs J

Overall PWRC after SS3:

1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 16mins 26.6secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 00.4secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 08.0secs P

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Overall times after SS5:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 30mins 30.5secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 06.6secs M
3. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 22.4secs M
4. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 28.2secs A8
5. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 28.7secs MT
6. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +00mins 29.5secs A8
7. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 34.1secs MT
8. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 38.8secs M
9. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 39.3secs M
10. Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC +01mins 00.9secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS5:

1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 34mins 44.8secs J
2. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 03.0secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 13.4secs J

Overall PWRC after SS5:

1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 33mins 08.1secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 04.8secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 15.0secs P

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall times after SS7:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 43mins 07.1secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 09.1secs M
3. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 32.2secs M
4. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 36.5secs MT
5. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 42.0secs MT
6. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +00mins 44.8secs A8
7. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +00mins 50.7secs A8
8. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +00mins 56.5secs M
9. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 11.5secs M
10. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +01mins 37.5secs M

Overall JWRC after SS7:

1. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 49mins 15.4secs J
2. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 +00mins 04.7secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 17.5secs J

Overall PWRC after SS7:

1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 46mins 52.5secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 10.7secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 26.9secs P

Notable retirements:

SS3. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 Went off the road. M
SS6. Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC Went off the road. A8

read more: Crash.net WRC

 

[RS22b]

are you listening to rally radio??? bc i am .

 

[Weasel 555]

Overall times after SS9:
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 53mins 00.7secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 09.1secs M
3. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 44.4secs MT
4. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 45.8secs MT
5. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +00mins 49.4secs M
6. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +01mins 03.1secs A8
7. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 14.3secs M
8. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 24.6secs M
9. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +01mins 58.1secs M
10. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +01mins 58.5secs M
11. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +02mins 07.4sec

Overall JWRC after SS9

1. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 1hour 00mins 24.0secs J
2. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 +00mins 08.9secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 15.9secs J

Overall PWRC after SS9:

1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 57mins 28.4secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 15.7secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 32.2secs P

 

[Weasel 555]

Overall times after SS10:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 03mins 37.9secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 13.1secs M
3. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 52.0secs MT
4. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +00mins 54.0secs MT
5. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +01mins 04.8secs M
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 36.7secs M
7. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 40.5secs M
8. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +02mins 17.7secs M
9. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +02mins 23.3secs M
10. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +02mins 23.6secs A8
11. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 07.6secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS10:

1. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 1hour 12mins 30.3secs J
2. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 +00mins 06.1secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 08.8secs J

Overall PWRC after SS10:

1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 1hour 09mins 00.2secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 09.9secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 36.1secs P

 

[Weasel 555]

Driver quotes from service B (after SS4)
Impreza WRC2008 No.5
Petter Solberg: “I’m trying hard and driving well. The stages have a lot of gravel and are very slippery, so it’s not easy, but we have no problems. We’re not quite where we should be or where this car can be yet, but we’re in working mode definitely. The car is good, but we’re still learning with it, so we’ll think a little bit and make some small changes. It’s ok this morning, but I’m pushing hard so I want us to be further up the order.”

Impreza WRC2008 No.6
Chris Atkinson: “I drove pretty well this morning, and for me there were no problems, but we are still a little off in pace. The balance of the car was ok, but the surface is so loose. I expected to lose a few seconds, but we’re a little further off than that. We’re still learning and it takes time to build confidence, especially on these roads which are so fast. The new car is easier to drive, and we just need to do some more fine-tuning. I’ve run through my feeling with the engineers, so I hope we can fight harder this afternoon.”

-------------------------------------------------------------
Driver quotes from service C (after SS7)
Impreza WRC2008 No.5
Petter Solberg: “We know the new car will be really very good, but we just have to do a little more work. I’m trying hard and pushing a lot, but the speed has not come yet. We have to try to find it and improve it, as it’s very tough at the moment. There are so many different road conditions here and bumpy and jumpy, and the challenge is to find a balance that works in every single one.”

Impreza WRC2008 No.6
Chris Atkinson: “We had a little bit of rain in the first stage after this morning’s surface, and the surface is very loose and slippery. We’re a little slower than we were this morning, so we’re looking at the reasons and we’ve got to try and figure out why. I’m pushing hard for sure, so it’s frustrating to not quite be there yet. We’ll see what we can do in service and the stages this afternoon, see what the feeling is and I’ll drive as fast as I can.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“We came here following a strong test anticipating we would be fully competitive, and although we are currently in solid points-scoring positions, our pace is not what we expected” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “However we must continue to focus on maintaining a systematic approach to the development and fine-tuning of this new car as its full potential indicated by our simulations and testing is clearly not evidenced by the current performance.”

“We’ve been driving well today, I really feel we’ve been driving well, but we’re not fast enough yet” said Petter Solberg. “In Finland, it’s so fast and you need to have so much confidence in the car. We don’t have that feeling here yet, so it really shows in the times. I was feeling good before the weekend, after the test, but we don’t have that same feeling here so it’s disappointing for everyone.”

“We pushed hard today and that’s all we could do. The balance was ok, we had a small problem in the middle loop of stages that the team fixed by the afternoon, but the speed just isn’t there quite yet” said Chris Atkinson. “It’s frustrating for us and for the team, but we keep pushing.”

SWRT Day 1 bulletin
swrt.com day 1

 

[Weasel 555]

SS12 - Himos (15.35 km): Hirvonen fastest through SS12; Loeb second; Atkinson third; Galli fourth; Petter Solberg fifth; Rantanen sixth; Sordo complained of a brake problem; Gardemeister had to switch to the manual gearbox; Latvala, Aava and Mikkelsen re-started under the SupeRally; Aava spun; Loeb leads the overall rally by 11.4 seconds.

Overall times after SS12:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 13mins 38.2secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 11.4secs M
3. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 06.4secs MT
4. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 09.9secs MT
5. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +01mins 19.0secs M
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 49.3secs M
7. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +01mins 50.3secs M
8. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +02mins 38.7secs A8
9. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +02mins 40.0secs M
10. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +02mins 46.9secs M

Overall JWRC after SS12:
1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 1hour 24mins 01.8secs J
2. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 05.7secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 16.8secs J

Overall PWRC after SS12:
1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 1hour 19mins 43.5secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 08.0secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 38.8secs P
------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall times after SS14:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 27mins 29.3secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 15.7secs M
3. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 31.2secs MT
4. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +01mins 39.6secs MT
5. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +01mins 40.8secs M
6. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +02mins 09.6secs M
7. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +02mins 21.1secs M
8. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +03mins 16.2secs M
9. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +03mins 28.9secs A8
10. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +04mins 24.5secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS14:
1. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 1hour 39mins 57.9secs J
2. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 +00mins 04.2secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 20.9secs J

Overall PWRC after SS14:
1. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 1hour 34mins 33.2secs P
2. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 13.1secs P
3. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 50.2secs P
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall times after SS17:
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 1hour 55mins 42.9secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 12.9secs M
3. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +02mins 10.9secs M
4. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +02mins 21.2secs MT
5. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +02mins 35.9secs M
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 07.4secs M
7. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +04mins 30.6secs A8
8. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +05mins 35.5secs M
9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +05mins 53.7secs A8
10. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +07mins 10.1secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS17:
1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 2hours 11mins 41.6secs J
2. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +00mins 02.7secs J
3. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 14.8secs J

Overall PWRC after SS17:
1. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 2hours 05mins 02.2secs P
2. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +00mins 51.2secs P
3. Jussi Välimäki Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 +02mins 09.8secs P
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Notable retirements:
SS3. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 Went off the road. M#
SS6. Mads Ostberg Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC Went off the road. A8
SS7. Andreas Aigner Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 Accident. N4
SS8. Subhan Aksa Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Accident P
SS9. Urmo Aava PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC Went off the road. A8#
SS10. Andreas Mikkelsen Ramsport Ford Focus RS WRC 06 Went off the road. A8#
SS10. Naren Kumar Subaru Impreza WRX Sti Mechanical P
SS12. Evgeniy Vertunov Subaru Impreza WRX STi Mechanical P
SS14. Kalle Pinomaki Suzuki Swift S1600 Mechanical J
SS16. Gigi Galli Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 Rolled. MT
SS16. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC Crashed. M
SS16. Juha Salo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 Crashed. P

Crash.net WRC

 

[Weasel 555]

SWRT Driver quotes after service F (SS14)
Impreza WRC2008 No.5
Petter Solberg: “The first two stages today we had quite a good feeling, but in the last stage [SS14] it went and I couldn’t push. It felt like I lost a lot of grip on the loose surface suddenly, so the engineers will look at it in service and make some changes before this afternoon. There is some road cleaning this morning which is making a difference, but in stage 14 it was very tough so I had to back off a bit, that’s why we lost so much time.”

Impreza WRC2008 No.6
Chris Atkinson: “The middle stage this morning was a little damp, but the others were still quite loose and mixed conditions. We were third fastest on two of the stages, but ok, we’re still a little disappointed to be where we are overall. There’s a bit of road sweeping, but we’re a similar gap from the leaders on each stage so we’ll keep working at it.”

SWRT news

 

[Weasel 555]

End of Day 2:
Overall times after SS21 / Day 2 - Top 10:

1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2hours 33mins 43.5secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 18.2secs M
3. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 03.6secs M
4. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +03mins 04.6secs M
5. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 31.6secs MT
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 58.7secs M
7. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +05mins 55.2secs A8
8. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +07mins 28.6secs M
9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +07mins 54.5secs A8
10. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +09mins 29.1secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS21 / Day 2 - Top 5:
1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 2hours 54mins 37.6secs J
2. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 48.4secs J
3. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +01mins 51.2secs J
4. Aaron Burkart Citroen C2 S1600 +07mins 29.1secs J
5. Shaun Gallagher Citroen C2 S1600 +11mins 13.5secs J

Overall PWRC after SS21 / Day 2 - Top 8:
1. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 2hours 46mins 25.7secs P
2. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +01mins 55.1secs P
3. Jussi Välimäki Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 +03mins 03.7secs P
4. Oscar Svedlund Subaru Impreza WRX Sti +05mins 35.0secs P
5. Jari Ketomaa Subaru Impreza WRX STi +05mins 39.3secs P
6. Jussi Tiippana Subaru Impreza WRX Sti +12mins 09.3secs P
7. Fumio Nutahara Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 +12mins 18.0secs P
8. Teemu Arminen Subaru Impreza WRX +15mins 14.2secs P

 

[Weasel 555]

day 3:

Overall times after SS22:
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2hours 44mins 54.5secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 18.2secs M
3. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 13.4secs M
4. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +03mins 26.8secs M
5. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 47.6secs MT
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +04mins 09.3secs M
7. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +06mins 06.2secs A8
8. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +08mins 05.3secs M
9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +08mins 39.8secs A8
10. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +10mins 13.9secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS22:
1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 3hours 07mins 35.6secs J
2. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 29.2secs J
3. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +01mins 32.6secs J

Overall PWRC after SS22:
1. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 2hours 58mins 48.2secs P
2. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +02mins 14.2secs P
3. Jussi Välimäk
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Overall times after SS24:
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC 2hours 54mins 05.5secs M
2. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 07 +00mins 09.0secs M
3. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 17.0secs M:banana:
4. Daniel Sordo Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +03mins 30.9secs M
5. Henning Solberg Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +03mins 57.7secs MT
6. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +04mins 04.1secs M
7. Matti Rantanen Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +06mins 11.1secs A8
8. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +08mins 18.7secs M
9. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +08mins 37.3secs A8
10. Conrad Rautenbach PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC +10mins 30.9secs A8

Overall JWRC after SS24:
1. Martin Prokop Citroen C2 S1600 3hours 17mins 54.2secs J
2. Patrik Sandell Renault Clio S1600 +00mins 15.5secs J
3. Michal Kosciuszko Suzuki Swift S1600 +01mins 32.7secs J

Overall PWRC after SS24:
1. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 3hours 08mins 38.1secs P
2. Patrik Flodin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +02mins 30.2secs P
3. Jussi Välimäki Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 +03mins 13.6secs P

Loeb Wins WRC Finland !!
Going into Sunday's short finale, it was always going to be a bit of a formality, and while Loeb spun in the penultimate test, his 18.2 second cushion was more than sufficient to ensure he took the maximum ten points.

In the end he won by 9 seconds, and he now closes to within a point of taking the lead in the drivers' championship. He also joins an exclusive club as prior to this weekend only six non-Finns had won the event in 57 years - and only three non-Nordic drivers.

Hirvonen meanwhile kept Seb honest throughout and never gave up, but like last year, when he was battling with Marcus Gronholm, the 28-year-old just didn't quite have what it took to take P1.

Both however were very much in a class of their own and Chris Atkinson, who took the final spot on the podium, was more than 3 minutes further back.

read more: Crash.net Loeb Wins