WRC: Hirvonen disqualified

Steve · Apr 1, 2012

Hirvonen disqualified, Ostberg becomes a winner (MaxRally.com)

1st April 2012

Mikko Hirvonen has been stripped of Rally of Portugal victory for technical infringements - meaning Mads Ostberg is now a World Rally Championship winner and Sebastien Loeb has held on to his points lead.

Long after Hirvonen had celebrated what had appeared to be a breakthrough maiden victory in Citroen colours, the stewards announced that the clutch did not match the homologation documents, and that the turbocompressor turbine wheel was oversized. While the latter problem remains under investigation, the clutch issue was sufficient to ensure Hirvonen's disqualification.

Citroen says it will appeal, arguing that neither issue offered a performance advantage. It said the only difference between the homologated clutch and that in the #2 car was that the supplier had inadvertently failed to add lightening perforations, meaning it was irregular in regulation terms but heavier and therefore a competitive disadvantage.

Team boss Yves Matton said: "We had no intention whatsoever to cheat and the decision appears out of proportion. Given the fact that the reported differences didnâ€™t bring us any advantage, weâ€™ve decided to appeal.

"At the moment, most of all I feel sorry for Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, who produced a superb performance on a particularly difficult rally. They really deserved their first win with us. All I can do, on behalf of the entire team, is offer my sincere apologies for this situation. I hope that Mikko and Jarmo will have the chance to top the podium again very soon."

The big beneficiary of the decision is Ostberg, who becomes the WRC's first privateer winner in decades - depending on how 'independent' you class the Kronos Citroen with which Sebastien Loeb won the 2006 title. Ostberg looked like what was then second place might be in jeopardy as his car developed a misfire on Sunday morning, but the problem was rectified and all was well.

Evgeny Novikov's career-best third becomes a career-best second - despite a major late scare of his own when his throttle pedal broke on the first stage of the final loop.

Had Ostberg's misfire and Novikov's throttle issue been a little more serious, Petter Solberg could well have become the first man to take a victory despite running under Rally 2 after a remarkable 'get out of jail' drive back up to third, though the cancellation of the second loop on Friday did him a massive favour, turning a potential 20 minutes of penalties into a mere five.

Hirvonen had stood to take over the points lead by winning, moving nine clear of Loeb. Instead the standings now see Loeb still on top by four points over Solberg, with Ostberg suddenly in the hunt, 13 behind Loeb despite missing Monte Carlo. Hirvonen is still 16 points behind his team leader, with Jari-Matti Latvala 38 down on Loeb.

So a weekend that began with Loeb inexplicably getting his left and right muddled up and having a massive crash, then saw cars stuck in road section floods, and the works Fords crash out of the lead on consecutive stages, ended in the win changing hands late at night, hours after the finish, giving us an independent maiden winner as well. Quite a rally.
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ScottinBend · Apr 1, 2012

oopsy......

Steve · Apr 3, 2012

CitroÃ«n decides not to pursue appeal (Citroen-WRC.com)

3 April 2012

Following the exclusion of the no.2 CitroÃ«n DS3 WRC from the Rally de Portugal, CitroÃ«n Racing had initially stated its intention to appeal against the decision of the Stewards. Further analysis of the matter did not uncover any new technical elements. After consulting with various experts, CitroÃ«n Racing has therefore decided against pursuing the appeal with the FIAâ€™s International Court of Appeal (ICA).

After having been notified of the decision to exclude the no.2 DS3 WRC from the Rally de Portugal, the CitroÃ«n Total World Rally Team had, within the one-hour deadline stipulated by the regulations, stated its intention to appeal against the decision at the FIAâ€™s International Court of Appeal. The team then had a further 48 hours to either confirm its intention to appeal or decide against doing so.

As further analysis of the matter and discussions with experts did not uncover any new technical elements that might have been used to alter the harsh penalty handed out by the Stewards, CitroÃ«n decided not to pursue what would have been a long and costly procedure.

Yves Matton, CitroÃ«n Racing Team Principal: â€œWe had stated our intention to appeal in order to give us time to analyse the matter in more detail. As regards the clutch, our supplier has sent us a letter of apology acknowledging the existence of a batch of parts which were different from those on the homologation documentation. This letter confirms that it was never our intention to cheat. At the same time, this situation forces us to look again at our procedures, since these parts were not picked up during our own checks. On the second point identified by the scrutineers, the sole supplier of turbocompressors approved by the FIA for all manufacturers, has confirmed to us the plastic expansion of the wheel turbine. Additional analysis will undoubtedly confirm that this was due to wear on the part. We accept this harsh penalty but are determined to learn the lessons and ensure that we will be even better in future. We still lead both World Championships, but the gaps have been reduced. We now go into the upcoming rallies more determined than ever to get back to winning ways.â€

Mikko Hirvonen: â€œObviously, I am very disappointed but I am not annoyed. These things happen. You have to accept them when they do, learn the necessary lessons and go again. CitroÃ«n has done a lot for me in the last few months so I stand united with the team at this difficult time. We win together, and we lose together! This incident just makes me even more determined. I canâ€™t wait to start the next rally and go racing again.â
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Crashton · Apr 3, 2012

Fighting the FIA is not a smart thing for the team to do. They could have lost all points for the season to date & who knows what else they'd have been hit with. I don't buy the mfgr of the clutch being at fault. That is a lame excuse. Those guys know those cars every nut & bolt. They knew what they did was wrong. The illegal turbo is interesting & I'd like to know more about that. :ihih:

Steve · Apr 3, 2012

Crashton said: ↑

Fighting the FIA is not a smart thing ...
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You're not alone in that thought.

Some you win, some you lose (MaxRally.com)

3rd April 2012
By Giles Wade

Sensibly, Citroen has decided not to pursue the appeal against Mikko Hirvonenâ€™s exclusion from Rally Portugal. To date, no single appeal against exclusion on the World Rally Championship has succeeded â€“ although Peugeot did manage to get the results of the Sanremo Rally annulled back in 1986.

No winner, however, has yet been reinstated after the stewards have decided otherwise. With the two technical infringements on Mikko Hirvonenâ€™s car both evident and quantifiable, the fact that there was no competitive advantage nor intention to cheat is irrelevant.

From the outset it was clear that Citroen was never going to make an appeal stick: their intention, entirely legitimately, was simply to buy time.

As team principal Yves Matton said: â€œRegarding the clutch, our supplier has sent us a letter of apology acknowledging the existence of a batch of parts which were different from those on the homologation documentation. This letter confirms that it was never our intention to cheat. On the second point identified by the scrutineers, the sole supplier of turbo compressors approved by the FIA for all manufacturers, has confirmed to us the plastic expansion of the wheel turbine. Additional analysis will undoubtedly confirm that this was due to wear on the part.â€

Indeed, but when it comes to the rules, the reasons why they were broken is of no consequence. The only pertinent fact is that they were. Some you win, some you lose.
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