In a reversal of last year’s result, Mikko Hirvonen held off a determined Sébastien Loeb to clinch victory in Rally Finland.
Hirvonen’s win opens up a gap of three points in the Drivers’ Championship with three rounds remaining. In much the same way Loeb did last year, Hirvonen opened up a lead on day one and successfully maintained the gap throughout the rally, despite the best efforts of his rival. Loeb’s tyre damage on Saturday morning looked significant, but in reality he was already 10 seconds off the pace. After a string of disastrous results, this was, at least, a return to the podium for Loeb.
“I would have preferred to have won, but there was little I could do about the result this weekend,” said the Citroën driver. “Mikko put in a flawless run on his home event after being on the limit from start to finish. We’ve dropped another two points in the title chase, so it looks like it’s going to be a close-run thing to the end."
The other 'highlight' of the rally was, of course, the appearance of Kimi Räikkönen. His Fiat Grande Punto Abarth was bedevilled by technical problems, but the Ferrari F1 driver looked highly competitive in the S2000 class and was running third before rolling out on Saturday afternoon.
'it looks like it’s going to be a close-run thing to the end' – Sébastien Loeb
Meanwhile, back in the main event, it was Ford and Citroën’s understudies providing the entertainment, locked in their own battle for the final podium position. Jari-Matti Latvala hung on to it for Ford, stomach bug notwithstanding, just edging out Dani Sordo in the C4 WRC, who was nevertheless positive in his analysis of the weekend. "It’s a shame we didn’t manage to hold on to third place, but there were times when we succeeded in rivalling with the drivers who were fighting for victory. More than anywhere else, experience is vital here in Finland and I feel I progressed to a higher level on this year’s event," said Sordo.
The battle for fifth went to the wire and was the most exciting of the day. Local hero Matti Rantanen, driving for Munchi’s Ford, had Citroën Junior Sébastien Ogier stalking him all day, with a gap that started at just 0.6 seconds getting smaller and smaller. In the end, Rantanen did enough to hold on, taking the place by just 0.3 seconds. One notable success for the French manufacturer was Martin Prokop’s victory in the J-WRC, which saw him take the title.
"Of the four rounds which remained ahead of this weekend, this is the one we feared the most," admitted Citroën Racing Director Olivier Quesnel after a string of narrow failures. "I think it’s fair to say that we were beaten by the best man on the day. Séb and Daniel’s performance cannot be faulted, however, while Dani’s result means that we have only dropped three points in the Manufacturers’ standings. We still enjoy an enviable lead of 14 points. I would also like to congratulate Martin Prokop, who has succeeded in securing the C2 Super 1600’s second consecutive crown in the J-WRC."
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