SS8: Exhausted Ogier leads at Saturday midpoint

SS8, Loule (22.78 kilometres)

Stage description:

This stage runs in the opposite direction to previous years. The road is generally mid-to-wide but narrows in places. It's smooth, but with bed rock showing in some sections.

How the action unfolded:

Sebastien Ogier emerged from Saturday morning’s loop of stages with his lead of Rally de Portugal intact but feeling the effects of the virus that forced him out of the Fafe Rally Sprint last week.

The Frenchman, who leads the drivers’ championship, was quickest through the Loule test [SS8] and headed back to service with an advantage of 14.1sec over his Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

Mikko Hirvonen is third, the Citroen DS3 driver 23.1sec further back in third.

Ogier began the day with his lead under threat from a hard-charging Dani Sordo. But after the Citroen driver crashed out on today’s opener, Ogier was left battling his team-mate Latvala and his own health.

“It’s been tough because after about 10km on each stage I get low on energy and I really have to fight. It’s not easy for me,” he said.

Latvala, in contrast, enjoyed an excellent morning in the second Polo R. The Finn won two stages and seemed happier behind the wheel than at any point so far this season.

On completing SS8 in the second quickest time, a confident Latvala said: “A pretty good stage, to be honest. The mid-section was really, really fast and I tried to push there. The fast stuff appears to suit us well. My tyres now are very on the limit, though.”

With Sordo out, Citroen’s hopes of victory this weekend ride with Hirvonen. The Finn was third quickest on all three of today’s stages, but wasn’t able to stop the lead Volkswagen drivers pulling further ahead in the overall standings with every stage.

“The first two stages were okay but both VWs were fast here and that’s not good,” Hirvonen explained after SS8. “I have to try and keep the pressure on Jari-Matti, that’s all I can do. My car feels really good, I just need to work on my driving rhythm.”

The pace of the leading trio, and the retirement of Thierry Neuville from fourth on SS6, has pulled them clear of the chasing pack and there is a 2m14s gap to the man in fourth place, Ford Fiesta RS driver Evgeny Novikov.

The Russian remained uncharacteristically downbeat this morning, and was unable to explain why his stage times were so far off those of the leaders.

Another 1m45s further back, fellow Fiesta RS driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is well cushioned in fifth. Martin Prokop is sixth in another Fiesta, more than 5min behind Ogier.

MINI JCW driver Michal Kosciusko is seventh, the Pole struggling with badly scrubbed and overheating DMACK tyres.

Kosciusko’s place is under threat from Andreas Mikkelsen who, after power-steering problems on day one, is making progress back up the standings and continuing to learn on his first rally with Volkwsagen’s Polo R.

“I have way too much information in my pace notes and because everything appears so fast in a World Rally Car I need to take some details out,” he said after SS8. “Some terrible driving from me too - I felt like a virgin out there!”

After a 30-minute service, crews will repeat the morning's three stages this afternoon. The second pass through the Santana da Serra test [SS9] gets underway at 1509hrs.

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/ss8-exhausted-ogier-leads-at-saturday-midpoint/?fid=18471)

SS7: Two out of two for Latvala

SS7, Vascao 1 (25.37 kilometres)

Stage description:

The first section is technical but the second part becomes faster, with several long straights. The roads are mid-to-wide with a hard, rocky surface and there are also a couple of watersplashes to cross.

How the action unfolded:

Jari-Matti Latvala claimed his second consecutive stage win in a Volkswagen Polo R when he edged out team-mate and rally leader Sebastien Ogier by two-tenths of a second.

Latvala’s induction into the Polo R this season has not been easy and while the Finn sounds happier this morning, his comments at the finish were perhaps telling about his state of mind.

Asked if he was comparing his times with his French team-mate, Latvala revealed: “We’re concentrating on Mikko behind us at the moment. I’m not thinking about Ogier. It would be nice to fight against him but now is not the right time.”

Although Ogier looked cool, calm and collected, the virus which has made him feel so ill for the last two weeks is making life tough.

“I’m trying to drive fast but when the stages are long it’s not easy. I have to find the energy to drive. It’s not an easy rally for me,” said the 29-year-old, whose lead over his colleague stands at 10.1sec.

Mikko Hirvonen was fastest at the third split point after almost 15km in a Citroen DS3, but slipped back in the final 10km and completed 3.0sec slower than Ogier.

He was at a loss as to why he had dropped time but explained that he focused on keeping his driving neat. “If I pushed harder I would have become untidy and lost more time,” he said.

After his retirement yesterday Mads Ostberg is first on the road in his Ford Fiesta RS and fourth fastest amid the slippery loose gravel was impressive. The Norwegian joked that he cleared the perfect line for those behind to benefit.

Evgeny Novikov was fifth in another Fiesta RS, but the Russian continued to sound deflated. “I’m driving to the maximum but something is wrong because the times are not there,” he explained.

Robert Kubica continues to struggle in his Citroen DS3 RRC. A hydraulic issue means the paddle shift that he has dispensation to use because of his hand injury is not working. He is using the manual gear lever with his weaker right hand.

“The problem is that the gear stick in my car is much harder to shift than the normal one. We are also struggling because we have no handbrake. One more stage to go, so let’s hope we can get to service okay,” said the Pole.

In the WRC-3 category, both leader Keith Cronin and second-placed Alastair Fisher stopped in the stage. It is not yet known what problems the duo encountered in their Citroen DS3 R3Ts, but Fisher eventually finished the stage having lost more than 17 minutes.

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/ss7-two-out-of-two-for-latvala/?fid=18470)

Q&A: Yves Matton

Dani Sordo was one of the star drivers of Rally de Portugal's opening day. And that's some turnaround from the situation five weeks ago in Mexico when he found his DS3 almost undriveable.

 

So what’s happened? Wrc.com asked Citroen Racing team principal Yves Matton:

So far in Portugal we’ve seen a different Dani to the one we saw in Mexico. What has changed?
“The car. Well, not only the car. Before Mexico we did a test and Dani was happy with what we had done to the DS3 but we were unable to give him the new parts before Mexico. For sure, the feeling he had with the car in Mexico was not good and maybe the fact that he knew he could have had a better car there was not easy for him.

“We did another test after Mexico and it went very well too. We saw that he was happy with the new set-up and now I think the car is what he wants and what he needs. It’s only now that he has the right feeling with the car and can drive it in his own style. His motivation is now very high.”

What exactly have you done to the car?
“I will say the most important point is the suspension. Dani’s main concern in Mexico was to have the car a little bit stiffer. More than a little bit, actually. That’s the main part we’ve changed. There are a couple of other things but all connected to giving him a car with less roll.”

Is this rally Dani’s best chance yet for a WRC win?
“Actually I think it’s his first chance. I am pretty sure that Dani also has potential to win some asphalt rallies. We know from experience that he’s very fast on that surface.”

What instructions will you give Dani for Saturday’s competition?
“Go like you did on Friday but maybe a few seconds faster!”

So you don’t mind risking the possibility of some useful manufacturers’ championship points?
“Sure the manufacturers’ championship is important but firstly we are in rallying to win rallies. When we are in a position that we are not able to win without taking a huge risk then we’ll take the points that we can for the manufacturers’. But when you are four seconds from the lead you have to try and go for the win.”

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/qa-yves-matton/?fid=18468)

WRC Friday Wrap: Ogier holds slender lead in Portugal

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier holds a slim 4.4sec lead over Dani Sordo at the end of a thrilling opening day of Rally de Portugal, the fourth round of the World Rally Championship.

 

Friday’s competition comprised four gravel stages in the Algarve and a spectacular street-based Super Special in the Portuguese capital Lisbon – all run consecutively without any service breaks.

Ogier took the lead in his Polo R WRC on the first stage and was the only WRC driver to fit a full set of Michelin’s soft-compound tyres that especially suited the cooler, slightly damp early conditions.

Things changed on the next stage however, when the temperature started to rise, the surface dried and Mads Ostberg stormed ahead, his Ford Fiesta RS shod with the hard-compound rubber.

But Ostberg’s lead proved short-lived and he crashed on the third stage when he misheard a pace note and rolled into retirement.

Ostberg’s misfortune moved Ogier back into the lead and promoted Citroen DS3 driver Dani Sordo – also on the hard compound tyres - into second.

After struggling to find a comfortable chassis set-up on the most recent round in Mexico, suspension modifications to Sordo’s car in Portugal proved a revelation. The Spaniard went quickest on both repeated gravel stages and edged ever closer to Ogier’s lead.

Jari-Matti Latvala is third, 11.4sec behind his Volkswagen team-mate Ogier and feeling more at home with the handling of his car after a frustrating time in Mexico.

Mikko Hirvonen is fourth, 16.2sec off the lead in his Citroen DS3. The Finn found his car’s suspension too stiff for Friday’s stage conditions but with no service he was stuck with the set-up all day.

Thierry Neuville was similarly hamstrung with a less than ideal set-up on his Fiesta RS. The Belgian ended the day fifth, 14.5sec behind Hirvonen.

A 46sec gap separates the top five from Fiesta RS driver Evgeny Novikov in sixth. A further minute back Nasser Al-Attiyah is seventh in another Fiesta.

Martin Prokop is eighth, with Michal Kosciuszko bringing his MINI home ninth after a heroic performance on the Lisbon Super Special that he drove with limited visibility after his bonnet flew open.

Saturday’s leg of the Rally de Portugal kicks off at 0900hrs when crews leave the Service Park in Faro for the first of six stages. The opening Santana da Serra test gets underway at 1009hrs.

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/wrc-friday-wrap-ogier-holds-slender-lead-in-portugal/?fid=18467)

Tyre troubles force Kubica retirement

Robert Kubica's impressive opening day performance on Rally de Portugal has come to an end on the long road section to Friday’s final stage in Lisbon.

 

The former Formula 1 driver is making his gravel rally debut this weekend, contesting the WRC-2 class at the wheel of a four-wheel drive Citroen DS3 RRC.

He was placed second in the WRC-2 standings but after one punctured and two damaged tyres on the first four stages, and with only one spare tyre in his car, the Pole wasn’t able to complete the 206-kilometre drive to the Super Special in the Portuguese capital.

Kubica was forced to admit defeat 50 kilometres into the journey and parked his car in a motorway service area. It is not yet known if he will restart on Saturday.

Punctures aside, Kubica’s debut had been an impressive one. He was fourth quickest though Friday's opening test and went third fastest on the next despite sliding wide into a ditch, damaging a front tyre and holing his car’s radiator on a branch.

Kubica and co-driver Maciek Baran were able to seal the leaking radiator using repair putty carried on board before topping up the system with water from their drinking bottles.

Kubica was second quickest on stage three and again on four, but at the expense of another two damaged tyres.

His performance on the four gravel stages drew praise from the head of Citroen Racing, Yves Matton.

“For me he did a great performance today,” said Matton. “Despite no experience on gravel apart from two test days he was placed between Esapekka Lappi and Elfyn Evans – two young drivers who are being followed by manufacturers for the future.”

Matton watched Kubica on all four gravel stages and was impressed with his approach. “His style is good – it’s very similar to the top drivers. He’s trying to drive where the grip is the best,” he said.

“Driving with a sideways style is a little bit easier on the gravel and would give him more security, but we explained that the best way to be fast is to keep on the line and try to keep the wheels where there is most traction. That’s what he’s doing and that’s very impressive.”

“For sure he had some punctures this morning but it’s something you have to learn,” he added.

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/tyre-troubles-force-kubica-retirement/?fid=18457)

Ostberg: ‘I misheard pace note’

Mads Ostberg believes he misheard a pace note before crashing out of the lead of Rally de Portugal this afternoon.

 

The Norwegian held a 3.9sec advantage over championship leader Sebastien Ogier before rolling his Ford Fiesta RS into retirement on the third stage, a repeat of the Mu test which opened the event this morning.

Neither Ostberg nor co-driver Jonas Andersson were hurt and the Scandinavian duo hope to return tomorrow under Rally 2 rules if their car can be repaired. Crucially, Ostberg believes the car’s roll cage was not damaged.

“I think I misheard a pace note or Jonas made a mistake, but I think it was me that misheard the note,” explained Ostberg. “I thought it was a ‘5 left minus’ but it definitely wasn’t.

“I entered the corner far too quickly, hitting a bank on the outside. We rolled off the road on the inside and landed on the roof down on the next road. It was quite a hard crash. We landed on the roof but half a metre more and we would have continued further down, so it was good we stopped there,” he added.

Ostberg admitted the accident had brought further frustration after a troubled start to the season.

“Yes, it’s frustrating. At the beginning of the season we had technical problems and my frustration has been quite big. But this time I had a perfect car and I messed up.

“We pushed hard on SS2 and decided to back off a little bit on this stage to make sure we got through it. We knew we had an advantage so we tried to control it. It was just a communication problem. I did not push too hard and I wasn’t on the edge,” he added.

(13/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/ostberg-i-misheard-pace-note/?fid=18454)

Sordo picks 13th in Friday’s running order

Rally de Portugal qualifying stage winner Dani Sordo has opted to run as far down the start order as possible on Friday's opening day of the competition.

 

The Spaniard, pictured above going fastest in his Citroen DS3 this morning, unsurprisingly chose to start 13th and last of the top priority drivers to take advantage of the best available road conditions.

The weather is expected to remain dry and warm for Friday’s action, leaving the Algarve stages covered in slippery loose gravel for the early starters. As the stones are swept clear, the abrasive roads become cleaner and faster and those further back in the start order have a distinct advantage.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision,” explained Sordo, “the roads will be dry and 13th place is simply the best place to be.”

Behind Sordo it was a case of follow the leader as the drivers made their start order selections in front of fans in the service park.

Second quickest Sebastien Ogier chose to run 12th in his Volkswagen Polo R, with his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala picking 11th.

All the remaining drivers chose the next lowest position available, meaning Ford Focus RS driver Dennis Kuipers has the dubious honour of running as first car through Friday’s stages.

Here is the list of today's running order selections:

1: Dennis Kuipers
2: Michael Kosciuszko
3: Martin Prokop
4: Khalid Al-Qassimi
5: Nasser Al-Attiyah
6: Andreas Mikkelsen
7: Thierry Neuville
8: Evgeny Novikov
9: Mikko Hirvonen
10: Mads Østberg
11: Jari-Matti Latvala
12: Sebastien Ogier
13: Dani Sordo

(11/04/2013 http://www.wrc.com/news/sordo-picks-13th-in-fridays-running-order/?fid=18441)