Mikko Hirvonen claimed his ninth WRC win in the ORLEN Platinum 66th Rally Poland on Sunday. A second successive WRC triumph also moved the Finnish driver a single point clear of seventh-placed Sébastien Loeb in the FIA Drivers’ Championship. Driving a Ford Focus RS and co-driven by Jarmo Lehtinen, Hirvonen began the day with a 12-second lead and finished 1m 10.3s clear of Citroën's Dani Sordo.

But Ford’s triumph was marred by a shock accident on the final super special stage, when Jari-Matti Latvala threw away second position and eight Manufacturers’ Championship points for Ford. Latvala struck a barrel, collided with the armco and damaged the Ford’s suspension. The stunned Finn tried to push his Focus to the stage finish, but the incident infuriated his team and handed the advantage back to Citroën in the Manufacturers’ Championship. The Citroën team now heads to Finland with a 17-point lead in the manufactures championship.

Latvala was distraught after the crash:

It was my mistake. I wasn't driving too quickly but I turned into the bend too early and clipped an oil barrel which was full of sand. The impact broke the steering and I couldn't turn into the next bend and hit the barrier on the opposite side of the road. I've let down the team and damaged Ford's dream of winning the manufacturers' title this year.

Photo: ©willyweyens-rallyworld

Spaniard Dani Sordo challenged hard for two days, but he lost valuable seconds on the first stage of day three and looked like settling for third position and six crucial championship points for the Citroën team until he was handed second on the super special.

Sébastien Ogier was able to pull away from both Henning and Petter Solberg during the day to consolidate fourth overall, but the promising Frenchman ground to a halt in the 16th stage with engine failure and Henning eventually beat his brother to seal third position when Latvala was sidelined.

Krzysztof Holowczyc and Matthew Wilson became embroiled in a bitter fight for sixth, with the three-time Polish event winner sneaking up on the Briton throughout the morning. But Wilson hit back in SS16 and clung on to the end to ensure the Stobart team claimed their 250th championship point for an eventual fifth position. Holowczyc duly recorded the first points for a Polish driver in WRC history and beat his former career-best finish of seventh in the Rally of Argentina in 1998.

Former runaway championship leader, Loeb, wrecked his chances of a sixth win of the year on the fourth stage. He struggled through the field from 32nd overall at the end of day one to eventually seal seventh, when predicted team orders dictated that Conrad Rautenbach and Evgeny Novikov became the sacrificial lambs to make way for the World Champion.

Kevin Abbring and Michael Kościuszko entertained the crowds with a stunning display of car control in the JWRC category, but a 16th stage collision with a rock cost the Pole a much-needed finish and ensured the Abbring entered the record books by becoming the youngest winner (20 years, 159 days) of a JWRC round in WRC history.

Pole Michal Bebenek finished 10th and won Group N in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF RALLY POLAND 2009

Poland’s first event in the modern-day FIA World Rally Championship and its first entry into the top flight of rallying since 1973 was heralded as a great success. Massive crowds – with an estimated 12,000 at the televised final Mikolajki stage alone - witnessed the action in the Mazurian Lake District of north-east Poland. Leading drivers likened the fast, flowing gravel stages to Finland and the rally benefited from a compact route and slick organisation, although inclement weather made on-stage conditions challenging from the start.

Ford’s team principal Malcolm Wilson openly admitted that the first run through the Milki and Tros stages would be critical in determining whether Hirvonen could hold on to his 12-second overnight lead. Sordo had been instructed to continue pushing hard by Citroën management but the Spaniard lost 18 vital seconds in the latter section of the Milki stage, when he misjudged a slow corner, and a flying Latvala reduced Hirvonen’s lead to just 9.5 seconds and likened the stage to the Manx Rally.

An impressive Ogier set the fastest time and beat both the factory Fords. Henning Solberg managed to re-pass his brother and reclaim fifth position, when Petter complained of engine oil smearing his windscreen, caused by a loose dipstick. Holowczyc closed to within 18 seconds of seventh-placed Wilson, Novikov punctured and Mads Ostberg lost his place in the top 10 after sliding off the road.

With Sordo slipping out of realistic contention for the top two, Hirvonen and Latvala began to manage their stage pace more accurately using split times in Tros. A fraction of a second separated them in the stage, while Loeb was up to 12th overall and questions were being asked whether Citroën management would instruct Novikov and Rautenbach to ease back for the sake of the French team’s challenge for the FIA Manufacturers’ Championship. Holowczyc maintained his quest for Wilson’s seventh place and the gap closed to just 10 seconds.

The contest was all but settled in Hirvonen’s favour through SS16. Latvala obeyed the Ford instruction to ease his pace and the pair of Ford Focuses headed into the second Tros stage firmly on course for victory. But no-one could have predicted the agonizing drama and the dramatic scenes that unfolded on those final kilometres for Latvala. Ogier’s dream of fourth position faded in Milki with engine failure, as Henning Solberg remained on course to pip his brother to fourth overall.

Abbring headed Kościuszko by just 0.8 seconds at the start of day three in the JWRC category and the pace was fierce through the Milki stage, with the Pole retaking the lead by just one tenth of a second. The gap rose to 1.8 seconds after Tros to set up a thrilling climax to the JWRC over the final three stages.

But fate dealt Kościuszko a cruel hand in SS16; the Pole left the road after hitting a rock, scraped a tree and damaged the radiator. He managed to get got going again before stopping for a second time with engine problems. Abbring duly inherited the lead with open arms, Martin Prokop saw his championship aspirations rekindled with second place and Frenchman Yoann Bonato overcame an oil leak to take third.

Driver and Team quotes at the end of Day3

P1. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS 3h 07m 45.8s

This has been the best rally of the season so far. The roads here are fast and narrow and the crowds provided a superb atmosphere. It's the first time I have won two consecutive rallies and it has put me into the lead of the championship ahead of my home rally in Finland. The weekend was perfect from start to finish. After Loeb's mistake on Friday, I thought I might have an easy drive but it wasn't to be. I had to drive flat out yesterday to stay ahead and it's a fantastic feeling to win after such a great fight.

I started this morning determined to go flat out through the first loop of stages. When I saw the split times of the guys behind me I knew they weren't pushing so hard, so I was able to drive more cautiously. Everything is possible now regarding the championship. I'm in the lead, so it's in my own hands over the final four rounds.

P2. Dani Sordo (E)/Marc Marti (E) Citroën C4 3h 08m 37.8 s

Seb's problem on Day 1 put me in a difficult situation because it meant I really had to make sure I finished at least third to be sure of finishing in the big points. Even so, I still managed to post some top times at a time when the two Ford drivers were both going flat out. I am sincerely sorry for Jari-Matti; I know how disappointing it can be to go off on the last stage of a rally.

P3. Henning Solberg (N)/Cato Menkerud (N) Ford Focus RS 3h 09m 33.2s

Wow, what an end to the rally, it’s very sad for Ford but the podium is fantastic for me. We have come a long way since Thursday when the feeling after Shakedown wasn’t very good and today the car has been much better. I’ve been driving as fast as I can on this rally and really been pushing hard in the battle with Petter; the fastest stage times we had today prove just that. We have had a learning weekend and this rally has some fantastic stages but it’s also been very difficult. I’ve got the result I wanted, and that helps me maintain my position as the best non-factory driver in the championship.

Photo: ©willyweyens-rallyworld

P4. Petter Solberg (N)/Philip Mills (GB) Citroën Xsara 3h 09m 51.8s

This has been an unbelievable fast rally. We have been absolutely flat out all the time and totally on the limit, but it was never enough. Our old car is lacking power, compared to the new ones and it is almost impossible to keep up with them on the fast sections, says Petter Solberg. And the oil leak costs us a lot of seconds, without it I’m sure we could have kept Henning behind us.

P5. Matthew Wilson (GB)/Scott Martin (GB) Ford Focus RS 3h 11m 45.0 s

The stages here have been amazing and the number of people here spectating has just been incredible; they really like their rallying here in Poland. One of the biggest challenges has been adjusting my brain to the speed of the stages here and trying to maintain the rhythm when the type of road changes. It’s been really good preparation for Finland from that respect and it will be a help to have had three days driving at these speeds. We have taken a lot from this weekend and I need to just get my notes more consistent to be able to push harder.

P6. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (PL) Ford Focus RS 3h 12m 01.4s

It’s been a fantastic rally and I’m very happy with the result. I have become the first Polish driver to score a drivers’ point and to do it here on my home rally is a very special feeling; we’ve also scored our best WRC finish ever which was a big surprise at the end. I have to thank the fans, I have never seen so many people and flags and their energy and the atmosphere has really helped me along. It’s five years since I have driven a WRC car and they have improved so much, this Focus is incredible and it’s helped me to drive in a very clean and precise way.

P7. Sebastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (F) Citroën C4 3h 26m 42.5s

I obviously can't be satisfied with seventh place, but we did succeed in salvaging something from the weekend," added Sébastien Loeb. "Given the way things stand after this rally, I think the points we managed to secure here could turn out to be very valuable at the end of the year. I am now more fired up than ever for the next rounds…

P8. Conrad Rautenbach (ZW)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Citroën C4 WRC 3h 26m 48.1s

The gaps both in front and behind us are large. I am building up confidence with the Citroën C4 WRC on these very quick roads. It is really valuable to gain more experience with the car under these conditions.

P9. Evgeny Novikov (RUS)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Citroën C4 WRC 3h 26m 53.7s

We lost power and decided to stop in order not to damage the engine further. I am very disappointed that our rally has ended this way, but I think we have shown our capabilities well over the last three days. Our learning curve continues and we are building up more and more experience with each rally. I believe we can draw a positive conclusion from this event.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director & Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson

Mikko has been fantastic throughout. He drove superbly all weekend and thoroughly deserved to take his second win in a row. But I never expected to see what I saw on the final stage. I went to watch the perfect end of a perfect weekend but I can't believe what happened right in front of my eyes. It was heartbreaking to see such an excellent result slip away after both drivers did such a superb job for three days.

It has been a really strong performance by the team on the final day and another podium for Henning after a bizarre last stage. All cars and crews were in good shape when they needed to push to improve their position today and I’m especially pleased for Krzysztof to be the first Pole to score a point in the WRC; it’s great that he has done that as a part of the Stobart team. The rally has been really good preparation for Finland so things are looking very positive for the next event.

Ford of Europe's motorsport manager Gerard Quinn

Three consecutive wins is a great reward for the efforts of the team over recent months. Mikko leads the championship going into his home rally and that will be a special moment for him. All our efforts are geared towards maintaining our momentum in Finland, one of the sport's great classics, next month.

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler

It’s a surprise, and well-deserved, podium for Henning and we’ve also reached 250 points for the Stobart team; I’m really proud of what we achieved against the best rally teams in the world. The guys have all done a fantastic job on this new rally and their ever-growing experience is shining through with more consistent results and stage wins. I must congratulate Krzysztof on his points and it’s great that he’s achieved this as part of our team.

Citroën Racing Director Olivier Quesnel

We asked Evgeny Novikov and Conrad Rautenbach to let Sébastien pass this morning to enable Citroën Total WRT to score as many points as possible. We were very disappointed when Sébastien Ogier retired after such a perfect run. It's been a difficult weekend, but Citroën is the team which has come away with the highest number of points. We have extended our cushion at the top of the Manufacturers' championship to 17 points, and Sébastien is now just one point clear of Mikko Hirvonen in the Drivers' standings.

Benoit Nogier, the Citroën Junior Team manager

Sébastien Ogier managed to get past both the Solberg brothers before a turbo problem prevented him from finishing the rally and going for the third place that he deserved. Nonetheless, it was an excellent performance from him and a good confirmation of his pace in Greece. Evgeny enjoyed himself throughout the weekend and underlined his talent once more. His speed was clear to see. Conrad drove a fault-free event and would have been close to scoring points had it not been for the problems with the factory team.

ORLEN Platinum 66th Rally Poland – Results after SS18:

1. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS 3h 07m 45.8s
2. Dani Sordo (E)/Marc Marti (E) Citroën C4 3h 08m 37.8 s
3. Henning Solberg (N)/Cato Menkerud (N) Ford Focus RS 3h 09m 33.2s
4. Petter Solberg (N)/Philip Mills (GB) Citroën Xsara 3h 09m 51.8s
5. Matthew Wilson (GB)/Scott Martin (GB) Ford Focus RS 3h 11m 45.0 s
6. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (PL) Ford Focus RS 3h 12m 01.4s
7. Sebastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (F) Citroën C4 3h 26m 42.5s
8. Conrad Rautenbach (ZW)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Citroën C4 WRC 3h 26m 48.1s
9. Evgeny Novikov (RUS)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Citroën C4 WRC 3h 26m 53.7s
10. Michal Bebenek (PL)/Grzegorz Bebenek (PL) Mitsubishi 3h 30m 36.2s

Season Stage Winners

1. Sebastien LOEB / Daniel ELENA 60
2. Mikko HIRVONEN / Jarmo LEHTINEN 29
3. Jari-Matti LATVALA / Miikka ANTILLA 24
4. Dani SORDO / Marc MARTI 8
5. Henning SOLBERG / Cato MENKERUD 8
6. Petter SOLBERG / Phill MILLS 6
7. Evgeny NOVIKOV / Dale MOSCATT 4
8. P-G ANDERSSON / Anders FREDRIKSSON 3
9. Matthew WILSON / Scott MARTIN 2
10. Mads OSTBERG / Jonas ANDERSSON 1

2009 Drivers' Championship - positions after round 8 of 12

1. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) 58 pts
2. Sébastien Loeb (F) 57 pts
3. Dani Sordo (E) 39 pts
4. Henning Solberg (N) 27 pts
5. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) 25 pts
5. Petter Solberg (N) 25 pts
7. Matthew Wilson (GB) 19 pts

2009 Manufacturers' Championship - positions after round 8 of 12

1. Citroën Total World Rally Team 106 pts
2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 89 pts
3. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team 60 pts
4. Citroën Junior Rally Team 29 pts
5. Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team 18 pts

JWRC

1. Martin Prokop 36pts
2. Michal Kosciuszko 36pts
3. Aaron Burkart 30pts
4. Kevin Abbring 22pts

Photo: ©willyweyens-rallyworld

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• Pole position for Ford as Hirvonen and Latvala shine in Poland
• NEWS FLASH: Hirvonen wins Rally Poland, Latvala crashes on final stage
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About the Author

Chris Harrold is a regular contributor to RallyBuzz.com and can be found on Facebook