Wrc.com stage summary
Stage data: SS20, Baptism Site 2 Power Stage (10.50 kilometres)
Stage description:
By Citroen Total World Rally Team co-driver Julien Ingrassia: “This will be the final stage as well as SS16 and it will probably be the most interesting ‘power stage’ of the year. It’s only a few kilometres long so it’s the perfect size. Most of it is run on the same route as SS7 and SS10, but in the reverse direction. It’s flat and fast and the cameras will catch a good view of it. We’re sure to have fun inside the car. For the ‘power stage’, if you get there then you know you’ve almost made it to the end of the rally. If you feel good you can go for it and get some points - they may count at the end of the year. The last three kilometres are on dirty Tarmac with some trees coming over the road, but it’s still quite fast. The last corner could be interesting as well because you go flat out then you have to go hard on the brakes just after the finish line.”
How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Ogier has won the Jordan Rally’s Power Stage in his Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC to claim three world championship bonus points.
Over the final 10.50 kilometre test, which was broadcast live on television, he was four hundredths of a second quicker than BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Mikko Hirvonen, and a crucial 0.7 seconds ahead of Hirvonen’s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Ogier. “Jari-Matti was so fast today and I had to drive flat out. I’m so happy to end like this.
“We were full on it but I definitely gave it the best shot I had,” said Hirvonen, who takes two bonus points to add to his fourth place overall. “I’m a little bit disappointed with the overall result because yesterday I struggled, but today was better.”
Ogier’s team-mate Sebastien Loeb seemed to have settled for third place overall but gave it everything in the final stage as he tried to secure the full complement of bonus points. He fell 0.3 seconds short.
“I did a big mistake near the end of the stage,” said Loeb. “I went completely wide in the sand and it felt like I lost two seconds.”
Latvala dropped time in the middle of the final stage and at one point was 4.5 seconds down. An enormous push over the closing kilometres brought him to 0.7 seconds away from the leaders, but it was not quite enough to hold on to his overall lead. Ogier took the win by 0.2 seconds.
“I pushed very hard and if I lose I can be satisfied with second place,” Latvala said as he climbed out of his car. “I pushed as much as I can.”
Key moment:
Ogier’s extraordinary drive, inch perfect when it counted.
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment