Sapporo, Japan. 11 September 2010: BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala continued their impressive form at Rally Japan, finishing Saturday’s action in second and fourth respectively after a high-octane 125.12km of driving tests outside of Sapporo.
As the thrilling day drew to a close Hirvonen lay just 3.7 seconds behind leader Petter Solberg, ensuring the Abu Dhabi driver remains in the hunt for his hat-trick of Japanese victories. Latvala, who briefly lead the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) on Saturday, ended in fifth after mechanical problems on stage 15 saw him lose valuable seconds.
“We had a good fight today, we had a good fight yesterday and we’ll have a good fight tomorrow," Hirvonen said. "It’s fantastic to drive when you have to be at the limit for every kilometre of every stage and going flat out will be the only option again tomorrow. Let’s see who has the last word, but I can’t wait.”
The characteristically deep sand of Hokkaido countryside proved a tricky challenge for the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed drivers, as both Finns experienced problems on the rutted surface.
The tough terrain surrounding Lake Shikotsuko continued to set the scene for a tense struggle between the Abu Dhabi duo, Solberg and Sebastian Ogier, as all four chased the few seconds that separated them from top spot.
As the epic tussle for podium positions unfolded Latvala’s Ford Focus fell victim to the unforgiving landscapes that claimed his Emirati teammate Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi on the first day of competition.
Entering SS15, the 33km Kamuycep stage, Latvala was leading the BP Ford Abu Dhabi challenge after a string of lightening quick runs catapulted him to second, closing the gap on Solberg to just 5.9sec. And as the drivers reached Sapporo, Solberg was handed a 10 second penalty for a jump start to promote Latvala into the lead.
However, nearing the end of the day’s longest stage, the ADTA-backed star’s drive shaft broke in the cavernous sand.
Latvala battled on and maintained his lead by a mere three-tenths of a second. Yet with only 5.4 seconds dividing him and his BP Ford Abu Dhabi teammate in fourth, and with no chance to fix the problem before the next three stages, the damage meant his pursuit of a third WRC win of the season looked unlikely as slipped to fifth, 15.4 seconds off the lead.
"I was about 5km from the finish when the steering didn’t feel right but I drove on to the end," Latvala said. "The driveshaft had broken, leaving no drive to the front right wheel. There was nothing we could do for the final three stages. It was OK in fast sections and under braking but the tighter, slower corners killed my times because I didn’t have the traction.”
With the day coming to a close, tactics took centre-stage as the drivers contended for better road positions in the competition’s Sunday run.
Final day start positions were decided on Stage 16 - prior to the two final Super Special speed tests in the Sapporo Dome - with all drivers looking to avoid going out first so as not to sweep the gravel-laden stages for those behind.
With the chance of rain forecast for tomorrow the stage conditions could change dramatically, affecting the impact of road positions that the teams have fought so hard to claim. The final leg journeys north-east of Sapporo for two loops of three new stages near the towns of Sunagawa, Bibai and Naie, before returning to the city for two final tests inside the Sapporo Dome.
