WRC Most liked posts in thread: WRC 2014

Steve · Nov 15, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFMChjz5Myk"]Leg 2 - 2014 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Latvala slips up, Ostberg clocks out, Ogier slows down (MaxRally.com)

by Anthony Peacock / 15th November 2014

Two of the top contenders on Wales Rally GB have suffered varying misfortunes on the second day of the event. Jari Matti Latvala slipped up on the opening stage of the day, while Mads Ostberg picked up a 10-second penalty for having allegedly clocked into SS12 a minute late.

While Latvala held his hand up, Ostberg protested his innocence.

“I knew that I needed to push hard on the first stage of the day, and this time it just didn’t work out,” said Latvala, who slid slowly into a ditch and lost more than three minutes while spectators dug him out. The mishap has dropped him to the bottom of the top 10.

Meanwhile, Ostberg – who was demoted from second to fourth – said: We will see if we can change the penalty. In my opinion it is not correct. We were close, but I think we were there at the correct time. We are talking about one second either way.”

No such problem for Sebastien Ogier, who motors serenely on in the lead.

“From the moment I saw Jari-Matti stopped I changed my rhythm,” explained Ogier. “I can afford to back off a bit, but still there is a long way to go. It’s Wales, so you have to keep concentrated. The afternoon stages in the dark are not my favourite conditions but normally I perform well. My target is not to be fastest...”
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Ogier untroubled in Rally GB lead (WRC.com)

15 NOV 2014

World champion SÃ©bastien Ogier ended Saturday’s second leg of Wales Rally GB with a comfortable lead ahead of a thrilling battle for the remaining podium places.

He will restart tomorrow’s final leg with a 58.1sec advantage in his Volkswagen Polo R after any pressure evaporated when team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slid into a ditch in the opening stage and lost more than three minutes.

Latvala’s mistake left Mikko Hirvonen, Kris Meeke and Mads Ã˜stberg in a titanic fight for second. They swapped places in virtually every stage before Hirvonen claimed second in a Ford Fiesta RS, 3.4sec clear of Kris Meeke’s Citroen DS3.

Conditions in the north Wales forests were again muddy, especially this afternoon as the polished surface made the roads extremely slippery, and Ogier took no risks. He set only two top six times over nine special stages, covering 113.74km.

“It wasn’t an easy day because the roads were very slippery, especially in the final stage in the dark,” said Ogier. “I have a comfortable lead so tomorrow I just need to drive the same way and try to cross the finish line.”

The fight for second lit up the forests. Hirvonen had control initially before Ã˜stberg overhauled both the Finn and Meeke to hold the advantage at the mid-leg service, when the trio were split by 1.4sec.

However, Ã˜stberg received a 10sec penalty for checking in late at a time control and a delaminated tyre cost 15sec as he slipped to fourth. Hirvonen and Meeke twice traded positions before Hirvonen sealed the overnight advantage in the final test.

Thierry Neuville took advantage of Ã˜stberg’s woes to close in fifth, despite hitting a chicane in the penultimate stage and knocking his light pod out of alignment. The gap between them is 3.3sec.

Elfyn Evans was sixth ahead of fellow Fiesta RS pilot Ott TÃ¤nak, with Henning Solberg eighth despite losing 40sec with a puncture. Latvala, who also broke a front right damper during his accident, recovered to ninth with Martin Prokop completing the leaderboard.

Road opener Andreas Mikkelsen restarted after retiring yesterday with broken suspension and enjoyed the best of the conditions as the roads deteriorated with every car. He won four stages this morning and added a fifth this afternoon despite a faulty intercom.

Tomorrow’s final leg comprises six short stages covering 46.12km. The last live TV Power Stage offers bonus points to the fastest three drivers.
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MiniCamaro · Nov 16, 2014

I wonder what's next for Hirvonen. He still seems pretty young.

Steve · Nov 16, 2014

From his announcement:

â€œThroughout the many years of my competitive career, I have focussed on myself a lot. Rallying has taken up a large part of my life and the pace of the calendar has always been fairly unrelenting. I have enjoyed absolutely every minute of it and although I still love driving now, I would also like to concentrate more on other important things which are part of my life, like my children and my family. There are many areas that I have not yet explored and Iâ€™d like to give myself the chance to try new experiences.â€

The new challenges that may interest the Finnish driver do not necessarily mean he will be making an immediate return to racing:

â€œLike anyone who loves motorsport, Iâ€™m not only a fan of rallying! I have always liked to keep an eye on other forms of racing. But if I get the opportunity to take on a new challenge in the near future, it will above all be for enjoyment. For the time being, I just want to slow down a bit and take the time to find out about the possibilities that might be out there for me.â€
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Full text here.

Steve · Nov 16, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxk-a8RM2JU"]Highlights - 2014 WRC Wales Rally GB - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Ogier nets eighth win in Britain (WRC.com)

16 Nov 2014

World champion SÃ©bastien Ogier ended the WRC season on a winning note after claiming his eighth victory of the year at Wales Rally GB on Sunday.

He mastered the muddy forest tracks to lead the three-day event from start-to-finish in a Volkswagen Polo R, measuring his pace through the final two legs to win by 37.6sec.

Mikko Hirvonen claimed an emotional second place in his final rally before retirement after holding off Kris Meeke in a titanic battle. The pair fought tooth-and-nail until Meeke damaged two tyres after skidding into a ditch this morning and plunged to sixth.

It allowed Mads Ã˜stberg to take third in a Citroen DS3, the Norwegian finishing 26.0sec behind Hirvonen’s Fiesta RS.

Ogier fought with team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala through Friday’s opening leg. But when Latvala slid into a ditch and dropped three minutes yesterday morning, Ogier was handed a 70sec lead and throttled back in the treacherous conditions.

"It’s the best way to finish the season and it was my target,” said Ogier. “We started flat-out on Friday and made an incredible day – there was a big difference to everyone else. My rally changed when Jari-Matti made a mistake and I had control and could ease my pace.

“It wasn’t the most fun way to drive, but in the slippery conditions I had to do it. It was the best way to get the win,” he added.

Hirvonen, Meeke and Ã˜stberg traded places as they fought for second. A 10sec time penalty for arriving late at a time control and a delaminated tyre cost Ã˜stberg valuable time on Saturday and left his rivals to duel for position.

Meeke pushed so hard he damaged two tyres after ditching his DS3 in Sunday’s opening stage. The Northern Irishman continued at unabated speed but, with just one spare onboard, he lost more than 90sec in the final two tests as the tyres cried enough.

I couldn’t have planned a better way to end my career,” said Hirvonen. “It was a fantastic fight all weekend, one of the most enjoyable of my career. It was an amazing weekend and I’m looking forward to keeping all my memories from the last 13 years and taking them home with me.”

Ã˜stberg was under threat from Thierry Neuville but outpaced the Belgian today to finish 11.3sec ahead of the Hyundai i20, securing second in the manufacturers' championshio for Citroen.

Welshman Elfyn Evans delighted his home fans by relegating Meeke in the final stage to claim fifth in a Fiesta RS.

Estonian Ott TÃ¤nak survived a final day puncture to finish seventh in a Fiesta RS with a recovering Latvala, Martin Prokop and Hayden Paddon completing the leaderboard.
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