Wrc.com stage summary
Stage data: SS12, Jordan River 2 (41.45 kilometres)
Stage description:
By Citroen Total World Rally Team co-driver Julien Ingrassia: “This stage is in three different parts. It runs along the border with Israel and it’s like being in a movie because you can see lots of old bunkers. You get to the end of the road section and the bridge is just exposed - you have no choice but to join this road. The river means that this is one of the greenest areas in Jordan. There is a lot of vegetation and cultivation, so it makes for a nice landscape. The first part is flatter and faster, then you get to what we call the Russian mountains - it’s like a rollercoaster with Sebastien, you go up and it’s as if you’re on the moon. It’s an amazing view. Then in the final part you go downhill, back to the plain, following the riverbed. The surface is quite soft there, so Mikko [Hirvonen] is right to be worried about being first on the road because he will be at a disadvantage there.”
How the action unfolded:
Citroen Total World Rally Team driver Sebastien Ogier went all out on today’s final stage to establish a margin at the head of the field, while his team-mate Sebastien Loeb slowed dramatically mid-way through the stage in a bid to force their opponents’ hands.
Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen was first on the road and suffered a power steering failure during the stage: “We did the last 15 kilometres without power steering so we’re lucky to be here. There were a few places where we were close to going off.”
Loeb, running second on the road, stopped in the stage, aiming to prompt the other leaders either to slow down, thereby avoiding taking the lead and having to run first on the road tomorrow, or to push on. But he ended up giving too much time away.
“I stopped early in the stage to drop time,” he said. “I didn’t want to lose too much but then I made a couple of mistakes and lost more time.”
While Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Jari-Matti Latvala chose to back off and slot in behind Loeb in the overall standings - he finished 8.6 seconds adrift of Loeb in the stage to line up 1.5 seconds behind him overall in third place - Ogier put on a charge.
Ogier set a time of 27m13.5s, 18 seconds ahead of Petter Solberg, who pegged his time to Loeb, and 26.7 seconds ahead of Latvala. He now enjoys an overall lead of 31.6 seconds but will run first on the road tomorrow. 3.7 seconds separate Loeb, Latvala and Solberg in second, third and fourth respectively.
Kimi Raikkonen was fifth quickest in his Citroen DS3 WRC, 42.7 seconds off Ogier’s time, while Matthew Wilson rounded out the top six in his M-Sport Stobart Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
Key moment:
Loeb stops in the middle of the stage, forcing the tactical play to start immediately.
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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