Rallying’s history maker Sebastien Loeb secures fifth successive title, plus team quotes and final results from Pioneer Carrozzeria Rally Japan 2008 – Day Three
Image: ©willyweyens-rallyworld
Sunday November 2, 2008, will go down in rallying history as the day Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena claimed their fifth consecutive world title, a unique feat in the history of the sport.
Since 2004 the pair has reigned supreme, initially with the Citroën Xsara and, more recently with the Citroën C4. As in 2005, they made sure of the crown in Japan, this time with Wales Rally GB remaining.
The curtain is scheduled to come down on the season in three weeks’ time in Wales Rally GB where Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí will be battling Ford to gain the Manufacturers title.
Highlights Rally Japan 2008:
Mikko Hirvonen won the rally but the story was all about Loeb's record fifth championship. Suzuki scored their best ever result with fifth and sixth which may be good enough to see them return in 09 while Hanninen secured a dramatic PWRC win after leader Novikov had mechanical problems on the last stage dropping him to second.
Malcolm Wilson gave an update on Patrick Pivato's condition during Day 3:
I’m really pleased to report that there’s been good progress made throughout [Saturday] night and his condition is even more stable. He remains in a medically induced coma but doctors are going to operate tomorrow to remove the medical packs from his stomach and the plan is to operate again on Thursday to do the necessary fixes to his pelvis and leg. It looks like he’s going to have to spend about a month in Japan but his wife arrived here today and has been able to see him.”
The story of Rally Japan 2008 by Eurosport:
Henning's car after an off on the final day, pics from his blog:
Rally Japan 2008 Top Twenty Results:
1. Mikko Hirvonen BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 08 3hours 25mins 03.0secs M
2. Jari-Matti Latvala BP Ford Abu Dhabi Focus RS WRC 08 +00mins 31.1secs M
3. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Total WRT C4 WRC +02mins 30.6secs M
4. Chris Atkinson Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +03mins 43.0secs M
5. P-G Andersson Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +05mins 12.9secs M
6. Toni Gardemeister Suzuki WRT SX4 WRC +06mins 09.4secs M
7. Matthew Wilson Stobart VK Ford Focus WRC 07 +07mins 05.3secs MT
8. Petter Solberg Subaru WRT Impreza WRC 2008 +13mins 19.9secs M
9. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford Focus WRC 07 +15mins 40.8secs MT
10. Juho Hanninen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +18mins 27.4secs P
11. Evgeny Novikov Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +18mins 33.7secs P
12. Toshi Arai Subaru Impreza WRX STi +18mins 36.6secs P
13. Eyvind Brynildsen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +22mins 15.2secs P
14. Takuma Kamada Subaru Impreza WRX STi +22mins 50.5secs P
15. Mirco Baldacci Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +25mins 08.0secs P
16. Katsuhiko Taguchi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X +26mins 22.1secs P
17. Fumio Nutahara Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X +32mins 06.3secs P
18. Eiichi Iwashita Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +32mins 50.0secs N4
19. Haruo Oshima Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +42mins 40.0secs N4
20. Kazuhiro Kitamura Subaru Impreza WRX STi +45mins 06.5secs N4
Citroën (175points) lead Ford (164poins) by 11 points in the Manufacturers title race.
Drivers'
1. S Loeb 112pts
2. M Hirvonen 102pts
3. D Sordo 59pts
4. J-M Latvala 50pts
5. C Atkinson 50pts
6. P Solberg 41pts
Manufacturers'
1. Citroen Total 175pts
2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi 164pts
3. Subaru 93pts
4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford 64pts
5. Suzuki 28pts
6. Munchi's Ford 22pts
Ford Driver and Team Quotes and the end of Day 3
Hirvonen:
I'm delighted with the win but at the same time disappointed that my hopes of the drivers' title are over. We did all we could but it wasn't enough to prevent Sébastien Loeb winning the title, which he richly deserves, and I congratulate him. Conditions were so changeable that it was a difficult and nervewracking weekend and I never had the luxury of being able to ease off. I didn't want to take risks in the wet weather today. I was aquaplaning many times and had several lucky escapes.
Although the drivers' championship is out of reach we will go to the final round with the manufacturers' title still possible and my thoughts will now focus on that.
Latvala was delighted to score a podium for the first time since Rally of Turkey.
It feels fantastic to take a top three finish on gravel again. After a bad August this is my third strong rally and I really wanted this result. The conditions were probably the worst I've seen and I can't explain how much water there was in the forests. We seemed to be aquaplaning all the time.
The difficult rallies really suit the Focus RS WRC, which is incredibly strong. We've had no problems during the weekend and when you have to attack in the rough and tough conditions then it's encouraging to know that the car excels on that type of road.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson described the outcome as a 'dream team result'.
It has been a difficult weekend for all of us involved with the Ford team after the injuries to Patrick Pivato on Friday. Full credit to both drivers for delivering incredible performances in what were probably the most changeable road conditions we've seen on a rally. It keeps our championship hopes alive and the same top three on the final round would give us the crown again.
Subaru
Atkinson
The conditions were very tricky today and we just focused on maintaining our place. There was no need to push for position; we had two minutes behind us and a minute and a half in front after the morning so there was no need to do anything silly, but it was still so easy to make a mistake as it’s so slippery with full rain and mud. The top three had no problems, so that’s the best we could do. It’s been a tricky weekend for everyone as the conditions were really difficult with a lot of rain and a lot of water standing in the road, and even at the pace we were going it was difficult to keep the car on the road. We were aquaplaning everywhere so it’s good to get through and to finish the rally.
I must say that we and Subaru have done a very good job and I’m very happy with my performance on Saturday and Sunday. We have improved the speed quite a lot and we have many stage wins and that’s very important. There really are a lot of good things to come from this rally and we need to continue to work with the car from exactly where it is now.
Solberg
Today was so difficult in the conditions. We had a few problems like a puncture and the screen fully blocked with fog on the long stage in the morning [SS23] so I think we could have won a few more stages actually. I’ve enjoyed coming back again today, and the team did a very good job to get the car ready and I’m very proud of them. If I’m fourth, or fifth, or sixth, for me, honestly it doesn’t matter. The main thing here is that we get the car faster and get back to the top and to fight for a win again. That’s absolutely the main thing.
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal.
Today has been especially challenging with some of the most difficult conditions we’ve seen on a WRC event for many years. We have won four stages this weekend on home soil, and clearly demonstrated a good step forward in performance. This will stand us in good stead as we head for the final round of the championship in GB at the start of December.
Suzuki
Toni Gardemeister
This has been a very tough but a very good rally for us,
which has confirmed what I always thought: when we have a nice clean run with no problems, we are able to fight for a good position. I was also really proud to set Suzuki's first fastest stage time on Saturday. Given that we have not even finished our first full year yet and that we have done no testing, it really shows our potential for the future. We head now to the final round of the season in Great Britain with quite a lot of confidence.
P-G Andersson
I've really enjoyed this event and I hope that we've given
all the Suzuki fans here something to remember! The car has been completely reliable and without the time we lost to stop and change a puncture yesterday, I think we could have been even closer to the leaders. This rally shows that all the hard work and development we have put in over the course of the year really works and it is a very encouraging sign for the future. After struggling a bit on the asphalt rallies, my confidence is back to full strength and I am looking forward to a solid season finish now.
Shusuke Inagaki, Suzuki World Rally Team Director
We are all very proud of
the achievements of the Suzuki World Rally Team here at home in Japan! An important thing to remember is that the rally route was brand new for this year, which meant that nobody started with any real advantage in terms of experience. This proves that when the conditions are equal, we can fight with some of the frontrunners. Of course we still have a long way to go and much to learn, but this is the clearest indication yet that everything is heading in the right direction.
Stage Times
Stage 21: 1. P Solberg 2min 00.2sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.4; 3. Andersson + 1.2; 4. H Solberg + 1.9; 5. Loeb + 2.5; 6. Sordo + 2.9; 7. Latvala + 3.3.
Stage 22: 1. Hirvonen 8min 13.0sec; 2. Latvala + 1.8; 3. P Solberg + 6.2; 4. Andersson + 7.5; 5. Gardemeister + 11.2; 6. Wilson + 12.1.
Stage 23: 1. Latvala 17min 49.5sec; 2. Andersson + 12.3; 3. Hirvonen + 13.8; 4. P Solberg + 26.5; 5. Gardemeister + 33.7; 6. Wilson + 42.7.
Stage 24: 1. Latvala 1min 57.3sec; 2. Hirvonen + 0.2; 3. P Solberg + 0.6; 4. Atkinson + 2.0; 5. Loeb + 4.6; 6. Andersson + 5.4.
Stage 25: 1. Kim 1min 45.7sec; 2. Atkinson + 0.1; 3. Kitamura + 0.8; 4. Gardemeister + 1.0; 5=. Brynildsen, Taguchi + 1.1; 7. Latvala + 1.4; 16. Hirvonen + 2.7.
Stage 26: 1. Hirvonen 2min 08.6sec; 2. P Solberg + 0.9; 3. Latvala + 4.4; 4. Andersson + 4.6; 5. Sordo + 4.8; 6. Atkinson + 5.9.
Stage 27: 1. Hirvonen 8min 39.9sec; 2. Andersson + 0.7; 3. P Solberg + 2.6; 4. Latvala + 14.1; 5. Sordo + 15.3; 6. Loeb + 15.5.
Stage 28: 1. P Solberg 18min 00.2sec; 2. Andersson + 16.3; 3. Sordo + 16.9; 4. Atkinson + 24.1; 5. Hirvonen + 30.6; 6. Loeb + 41.4; 7. Latvala + 41.5.
Stage 29: 1. P Solberg 2min 03.8sec; 2. Sordo + 0.5; 3. Latvala + 2.1; 4. Atkinson + 2.4; 5. Andersson + 4.0; 6. Gardemeister + 4.7; 7. Hirvonen + 5.3.
Images: ©willyweyens-rallyworld
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