2008 Rally GB
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Rally GB was the fifteenth and final round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season
and was held between December 5-7, 2008. The event was again held in Wales
, with Cardiff
being the host of the ceremonial start and finish, and Swansea
providing the service park. The special stages took place on gravel roads on private land, owned either by the Forestry Commission
(for the special stages
run on Friday and Sunday, and the Resolfen stage on Saturday) or the Army
(for the remaining Saturday stages). The event saw a return to the mid Wales
stages of Hafren
, Sweet Lamb, and Myherin for the first time since 2000. The rally was won by Sébastien Loeb
in a Citroën C4
. This was his eleventh win of the season - breaking his own previous record set in 2005. Second place went to Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala
who was just 12.7 seconds behind. The final podium position was filled by Loebs teammate Dani Sordo
. With this result Citroën
clinched the manufacturers championship.
, Ford
, Subaru
, Stobart Ford
, and Suzuki
, plus regular privateers Conrad Rautenbach
in his Citroën C4
and Mads Ostberg in a Subaru Impreza WRC. A notable omission was Urmo Aava
who was scheduled to enter the event with his semi-works effort Citroën C4, but had to pull out only days before the event due to the ongoing economic problems. In another Citroën C4 was Frenchman Sébastien Ogier
who was handed the drive as a reward for winning the JWRC category of the 2008 championship. The most newsworthy entry of all was that of 2008 Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi
who was competing in a Ford Focus WRC
complete with a Children in Need
livery. Rossi was aiming to beat his previous two efforts in a WRC event, an early retirement at Rally GB
in 2002 and an eleventh place finish at the 2006 Rally New Zealand
.
Sébastien Ogier
surprised by winning his first stage in a World Rally Car
, albeit he was among the competitors to benefit from a late starting position. On the same stage, Production World Rally Championship
leader Juho Hänninen
retired after his drive shaft broke, leaving Andreas Aigner
to take the title if he finishes the event in the top three. On the fifth stage, last year's winner Mikko Hirvonen
rolled his Ford Focus WRC
and lost several minutes. The next top entrant to roll was Subaru
's Chris Atkinson
, who was placed sixth before retiring after a bad accident on the first corner of stage seven, the first super special stage. After day one, Ford
's Jari-Matti Latvala
led from Citroën
's Sébastien Loeb
, Suzuki
's Per-Gunnar Andersson
and Subaru privateer Mads Østberg
..
very close to the stage finish. The crews reported more icy conditions in the stages, with Latvala feeling particularly ill at ease as he was the first car on the road and therefore the first to encounter the treacherous patches of ice . Throughout the day the conditions improved enough for Latvala to manage to hold off the challenges of firstly Dani Sordo, and then Sébastien Loeb. Latvala held a 10.8 second lead going into the short Cardiff
superspecial but clutch problems developed when he had to queue in heavy traffic on the approach to the stage and he lost 3.5 seconds of this advantage. In fourth position was Petter Solberg
who was only twenty seconds behind third place. Per-Gunnar Andersson had slipped back to fifth place, but was still three places ahead of his more experienced teammate Toni Gardemeister
. The two other points positions were held by Henning Solberg
and François Duval
. Mikko Hirvonen was homing in on a world championship point, ahead of top home driver Matthew Wilson
who was in a slightly disappointing tenth position. Valentino Rossi was making progress after a very steady start and was now in fifteenth position - ahead of WRC regulars such as Khalid Al-Qassimi
and Conrad Rautenbach
.
. This was not ideal for rally leader Latvala, who had hoped for warmer conditions overnight for a better chance of holding Loeb at bay. Loeb had been told by Citroën boss Olivier Quesnel to push for the victory as a third place for Sordo would be enough to clinch the manufacturers title. After the first loop of Sunday's stages the gap was down to 1.4 seconds and a victory for Loeb was looking inevitable. Loeb was then initially handed a ten-second time penalty for a jump start at SS18 which meant that Latvala took a slender advantage of 2.2 seconds into the last stage. However, Loeb's pace was too strong and a further stage win meant that he won the rally by 12.7 seconds after his earlier time penalty was rescinded. Latvala finished a disappointed second but believed that the battle with Loeb would make him mentally stronger for next season. Sordo followed team instructions to drive carefully and finished third. Petter Solberg maintained his fourth place and the remaining points positions remained the same, except for a late retirement for Henning Solberg which meant that Hirvonen claimed eighth place. Wilson took the position of highest Brit position, ahead of Barry Clark
. Rossi continued his progression and finished in twelfth position, earning praise from Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson
.
2008 World Rally Championship season
The 2008 World Rally Championship season was the 36th season of the FIA World Rally Championship. The season consisted of 15 rallies and began on January 24, with the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally....
and was held between December 5-7, 2008. The event was again held in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, with Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
being the host of the ceremonial start and finish, and Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
providing the service park. The special stages took place on gravel roads on private land, owned either by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
(for the special stages
Special stage (rallying)
Special stages are the competitive sections of a stage rally event where the goal is to cover a stretch of closed road in the shortest time. On a special stage cars are set off individually at set intervals to reduce the chances of being impeded by other competitors. Each special stage is a...
run on Friday and Sunday, and the Resolfen stage on Saturday) or the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(for the remaining Saturday stages). The event saw a return to the mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
stages of Hafren
Hafren Forest
The Hafren Forest lies North-West of Llanidloes, an ancient market town situated in Mid-Wales.Covering around 40 square kilometres, and consisting of mainly Pine and Spruce trees, the Forest takes its name from the Afon Hafren which rises in a deep peat bog approximately 800m outside its western...
, Sweet Lamb, and Myherin for the first time since 2000. The rally was won by Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
in a Citroën C4
Citroën C4
The Citroën C4 is a small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since autumn 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. It is mechanically similar to the Peugeot 308, which was launched in 2007. A revised version with new front end, reverse light and dashboard...
. This was his eleventh win of the season - breaking his own previous record set in 2005. Second place went to Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland...
who was just 12.7 seconds behind. The final podium position was filled by Loebs teammate Dani Sordo
Dani Sordo
Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Mini WRC Team...
. With this result Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
clinched the manufacturers championship.
Entry
The event was supported by the usual works entries from CitroënCitroën Total World Rally Team
The Citroën Total World Rally Team is the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship, run by Citroën Racing.-Management:* Olivier Quesnel – team director* Xavier Mestelan-Pinon – technical director-1990-1998 Seasons:...
, Ford
BP Ford World Rally Team
The Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Company's motorsport arm selected the Malcolm Wilson...
, Subaru
Subaru World Rally Team
The Subaru World Rally Team was Subaru's World Rally Championship team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow color scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003...
, Stobart Ford
Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team
The M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team, formerly Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team or also Stobart Motorsport World Rally Team is a rally team competing in the World Rally Championship sponsored by the Stobart Group...
, and Suzuki
Suzuki World Rally Team
The Suzuki World Rally Team, also known as the Suzuki WRC Challenge was Suzuki's factory backed World Rally Championship team, as part of the Suzuki Sport organization. The team debuted for the first time at the 2007 Tour de Corse in France...
, plus regular privateers Conrad Rautenbach
Conrad Rautenbach
Conrad Rautenbach is a rally driver from Zimbabwe who competed in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team along with his co-driver Daniel Barritt...
in his Citroën C4
Citroën C4 WRC
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
and Mads Ostberg in a Subaru Impreza WRC. A notable omission was Urmo Aava
Urmo Aava
Urmo Aava is an Estonian rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His regular co-driver was Kuldar Sikk, who is currently Ott Tänak's co-driver.-Career:...
who was scheduled to enter the event with his semi-works effort Citroën C4, but had to pull out only days before the event due to the ongoing economic problems. In another Citroën C4 was Frenchman Sébastien Ogier
Sébastien Ogier
Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in...
who was handed the drive as a reward for winning the JWRC category of the 2008 championship. The most newsworthy entry of all was that of 2008 Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...
who was competing in a Ford Focus WRC
Ford Focus WRC
The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification...
complete with a Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
livery. Rossi was aiming to beat his previous two efforts in a WRC event, an early retirement at Rally GB
Rally GB
Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales...
in 2002 and an eleventh place finish at the 2006 Rally New Zealand
2006 Rally New Zealand
The 2006 Propecia Rally New Zealand was the penultimate round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season. It took place between November 17–19, 2006.- Results :-Special Stages:...
.
Day one
The rally began in tricky conditions with ice and heavy rain making the roads very slippery and fog hampering the competitors' visibility. For safety reasons, the first and fourth stages held in Hafren (which had already been shortened from 19km to 3km) were cancelled. Stages 2 and 4 (Sweet Lamb) were slightly shortened (moving the start around 1km into the stage due to ice) and the third and sixth stages at Myherin were dramatically shortened, using the middle 18km of the original 35km. The FIA regulations came in for criticism from several of the teams and champion elect Sébastien Loeb for the lack of flexibility in the tyre rules which state that only one type of tyre is allowed on the event with no modifications allowed to that tyre. Loeb also spoke out against the lack of gravel crews, which run through the stage before the start and report any bad conditions to the drivers. The year's junior world championJunior World Rally Championship
The FIA Junior World Rally Championship is a complementary series to the World Rally Championship as is the Production World Rally Championship , and the Super 2000 World Rally Championship . As JWRC was originally envisioned as a series for developing drivers, it is limited to drivers below the...
Sébastien Ogier
Sébastien Ogier
Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in...
surprised by winning his first stage in a World Rally Car
World Rally Car
World Rally Car is a term used to describe racing automobiles built to the specification set by the FIA, the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship...
, albeit he was among the competitors to benefit from a late starting position. On the same stage, Production World Rally Championship
Production World Rally Championship
The FIA Production World Rally Championship, or PWRC, is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship, and is driven on the same stages. PWRC is limited to production-based cars homologated under the Group N. The series began in 2002, replacing the FIA Group N Rally Championship...
leader Juho Hänninen
Juho Hänninen
Juho Ville Matias Hänninen is a Finnish rally driver. He is the current Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion and 2011 Super 2000 World Rally Championship champion with co-driver Mikko Markkula driving a works entered Fabia S2000 for Red Bull Škoda...
retired after his drive shaft broke, leaving Andreas Aigner
Andreas Aigner
Andreas Aigner is an Austrian rally driver. He won the Production World Rally Championship in the 2008 season.-Career:...
to take the title if he finishes the event in the top three. On the fifth stage, last year's winner Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to...
rolled his Ford Focus WRC
Ford Focus WRC
The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification...
and lost several minutes. The next top entrant to roll was Subaru
Subaru World Rally Team
The Subaru World Rally Team was Subaru's World Rally Championship team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow color scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003...
's Chris Atkinson
Chris Atkinson
Chris Atkinson in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the WRC , he drove for the Subaru World Rally Team from 2004-2008. His best finish on an individual WRC event is second, which he achieved at the 2008 Rally México and Rally Argentina...
, who was placed sixth before retiring after a bad accident on the first corner of stage seven, the first super special stage. After day one, Ford
BP Ford World Rally Team
The Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Company's motorsport arm selected the Malcolm Wilson...
's Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland...
led from Citroën
Citroën Total World Rally Team
The Citroën Total World Rally Team is the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship, run by Citroën Racing.-Management:* Olivier Quesnel – team director* Xavier Mestelan-Pinon – technical director-1990-1998 Seasons:...
's Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
, Suzuki
Suzuki World Rally Team
The Suzuki World Rally Team, also known as the Suzuki WRC Challenge was Suzuki's factory backed World Rally Championship team, as part of the Suzuki Sport organization. The team debuted for the first time at the 2007 Tour de Corse in France...
's Per-Gunnar Andersson
Per-Gunnar Andersson (rally driver)
Per-Gunnar Andersson is a Swedish rally driver. He is a two-time winner of the Junior World Rally Championship.-Career:...
and Subaru privateer Mads Østberg
Mads Østberg
Mads Østberg is a Norwegian rally driver. His co-driver is Jonas Andersson.Østberg competed in his first rally in 2004. His first World Rally Championship event was the 2006 Swedish Rally, in which he finished 31st in his Subaru Impreza WRC...
..
Day two
Day two began with a long stage in Resolfen. Two of the rally's surprises ran into problems; Østberg's Impreza WRC suffered an engine problem and Ogier rolled his C4 WRCCitroën C4 WRC
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC...
very close to the stage finish. The crews reported more icy conditions in the stages, with Latvala feeling particularly ill at ease as he was the first car on the road and therefore the first to encounter the treacherous patches of ice . Throughout the day the conditions improved enough for Latvala to manage to hold off the challenges of firstly Dani Sordo, and then Sébastien Loeb. Latvala held a 10.8 second lead going into the short Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
superspecial but clutch problems developed when he had to queue in heavy traffic on the approach to the stage and he lost 3.5 seconds of this advantage. In fourth position was Petter Solberg
Petter Solberg
Petter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999...
who was only twenty seconds behind third place. Per-Gunnar Andersson had slipped back to fifth place, but was still three places ahead of his more experienced teammate Toni Gardemeister
Toni Gardemeister
Toni Gardemeister , is a professional rally driver in the World Rally Championship. After previously competing for SEAT's, Mitsubishi's, Škoda's and Ford's factory teams, as well as for privateer teams, he joined the Suzuki World Rally Team for the 2008 season.-Early:From the outset of his career...
. The two other points positions were held by Henning Solberg
Henning Solberg
Henning Solberg is a Norwegian rally driver. Together with co-driver Ilka Minor, he currently competes in the World Rally Championship with Stobart M-Sport Ford. Solberg is the older brother of the 2003 world champion Petter Solberg....
and François Duval
François Duval
François Duval is a Belgian rally driver.-1999–2004:With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999...
. Mikko Hirvonen was homing in on a world championship point, ahead of top home driver Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson is an English rally driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson. Wilson currently competes in the World Rally Championship for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team...
who was in a slightly disappointing tenth position. Valentino Rossi was making progress after a very steady start and was now in fifteenth position - ahead of WRC regulars such as Khalid Al-Qassimi
Khalid al-Qassimi
Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal bin Sultan Al Qassimi is a rally driver from the United Arab Emirates. He won the FIA's Middle East Rally Championship in 2004 and currently competes in the World Rally Championship...
and Conrad Rautenbach
Conrad Rautenbach
Conrad Rautenbach is a rally driver from Zimbabwe who competed in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team along with his co-driver Daniel Barritt...
.
Day three
Freezing conditions overnight meant that there was ice again on the remaining stages at Rheola and Port TalbotPort Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
. This was not ideal for rally leader Latvala, who had hoped for warmer conditions overnight for a better chance of holding Loeb at bay. Loeb had been told by Citroën boss Olivier Quesnel to push for the victory as a third place for Sordo would be enough to clinch the manufacturers title. After the first loop of Sunday's stages the gap was down to 1.4 seconds and a victory for Loeb was looking inevitable. Loeb was then initially handed a ten-second time penalty for a jump start at SS18 which meant that Latvala took a slender advantage of 2.2 seconds into the last stage. However, Loeb's pace was too strong and a further stage win meant that he won the rally by 12.7 seconds after his earlier time penalty was rescinded. Latvala finished a disappointed second but believed that the battle with Loeb would make him mentally stronger for next season. Sordo followed team instructions to drive carefully and finished third. Petter Solberg maintained his fourth place and the remaining points positions remained the same, except for a late retirement for Henning Solberg which meant that Hirvonen claimed eighth place. Wilson took the position of highest Brit position, ahead of Barry Clark
Barry Clark (rally driver)
Barry Clark is a British rally driver born in Aberdeen in Scotland. After becoming the Fiesta Sporting Trophy International champion in 2007, Clark has been awarded a drive in the World Rally Championship for one event, and secured funding for two more events...
. Rossi continued his progression and finished in twelfth position, earning praise from Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson
Malcolm Wilson (rally)
Malcolm Irving Wilson, OBE is a British former rally driver. He is the father of current World Rally Championship driver Matthew Wilson....
.
Results
| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRC | ||||||
| 1. |  Sébastien LoebSébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
 Daniel ElenaDaniel Elena Daniel Elena is a Monegasque rally co-driver, currently working with Sébastien Loeb. Between them, the pair have won the World Rally Championship eight times, and currently compete with the Citroën DS3 WRC... |
Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 The Citroën C4 is a small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since autumn 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. It is mechanically similar to the Peugeot 308, which was launched in 2007. A revised version with new front end, reverse light and dashboard... |
2:43:09.6 | – | 10 |
| 2. |  Jari-Matti LatvalaJari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
Miikka Antilla |
Ford Focus RS WRC 08 Ford Focus WRC The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification... |
2:43:22.3 | 12.7 | 8 |
| 3. |  Dani SordoDani Sordo Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Mini WRC Team... |
Marc Marti Marc Martí Marc Martí Moreno is a Spanish rally co-driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship as a co-driver to Oriol Gómez in 1992. In the 1999 season, he began his partnership with Jesús Puras and the Citroën factory team. The pair took a surprise second place at the 1999 Tour de Corse, behind... |
Citroën C4 WRC Citroën C4 The Citroën C4 is a small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since autumn 2004. The C4 was designed to be the successor to the Citroën Xsara. It is mechanically similar to the Peugeot 308, which was launched in 2007. A revised version with new front end, reverse light and dashboard... |
2:44:30.2 | 1:20.6 | 6 |
| 4. |  Petter SolbergPetter Solberg Petter "Hollywood" Solberg , from Spydeberg in Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. He debuted in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Ford factory team in 1999... |
 Phil MillsPhil Mills Phil Mills is a Welsh rally racing co-driver. He was winner of the 2003 World Rally Championship , as co-driver to Petter Solberg.... |
Subaru Impreza WRC2008 | 2:45:09.2 | 1:59.6 | 5 |
| 5. |  Per-Gunnar AnderssonPer-Gunnar Andersson (rally driver) Per-Gunnar Andersson is a Swedish rally driver. He is a two-time winner of the Junior World Rally Championship.-Career:... |
Jonas Andersson |
Suzuki SX4 WRC | 2:47:13.7 | 4:04.1 | 4 |
| 6. |  François DuvalFrançois Duval François Duval is a Belgian rally driver.-1999–2004:With victories in four events Duval won the Belgian Citroën Saxo Challenge title in 1999... |
Denis Giraudet |
Ford Focus RS WRC 07 Ford Focus WRC The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification... |
2:48:17.4 | 5:07.8 | 3 |
| 7. | Toni Gardemeister Toni Gardemeister Toni Gardemeister , is a professional rally driver in the World Rally Championship. After previously competing for SEAT's, Mitsubishi's, Škoda's and Ford's factory teams, as well as for privateer teams, he joined the Suzuki World Rally Team for the 2008 season.-Early:From the outset of his career... |
Tomi Tuominen |
Suzuki SX4 WRC | 2:48:34.6 | 5:25.0 | 2 |
| 8. | Mikko Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to... |
Jarmo Lehtinen Jarmo Lehtinen Jarmo Lehtinen is a Finnish sports commentator and journalist who works who works for Finland's National Broadcasting Company YLE. He commentates sports events, mainly football matches, for both radio and television. He regularly commentatos football for the Jalkapallokierros program in Radio Suomi... |
Ford Focus RS WRC 08 Ford Focus WRC The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification... |
2:48:48.4 | 5:38.8 | 1 |
| PCWRC | ||||||
| 1. | Patrik Flodin Patrik Flodin Patrik Flodin is a rally driver from Sweden. Flodin won the Swedish Championship in 2006. In 2009, Flodin contests in the Production World Rally Championship with the URT-team driving a Subaru Impreza... |
Goran Bergsten |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities... |
2:56:01.3 | – | 10 |
| 2. |  Andreas AignerAndreas Aigner Andreas Aigner is an Austrian rally driver. He won the Production World Rally Championship in the 2008 season.-Career:... |
 Klaus Wicha |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 2:57:43.4 | 1:42.1 | 8 |
| 3. | Guy Wilks Guy Wilks Guy Wilks is a British rally driver. Wilks started rallying at the age of 19 and currently drives for Škoda UK in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge... |
Phil Pugh | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 2:58:09.0 | 2:07.7 | 6 |
| 4. | Jari Ketomaa Jari Ketomaa -Career:A former kart racer, Ketomaa started rallying in 1995. He made his World Rally Championship debut in 2000 at Rally Finland. He won the Group N class of the Finnish Rally Championship in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, he competed a full season in the Production World Rally Championship, finishing... |
Miika Teiskonen |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities... |
3:00:48.2 | 4:46.9 | 5 |
| 5. |  Jaromir Tarabus |
Daniel Trunkát |
Fiat Grande Punto S2000 Fiat Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini produced by the Italian manufacturer, Fiat, since 1993.-1st generation :Internally codenamed Project 176, the Punto was announced in September 1993 and launched in late 1993 as a replacement for the ageing Fiat Uno. The Fiat Punto was voted European Car of the Year... |
3:08:18.6 | 12:17.3 | 4 |
| 6. |  Spyros Pavlides |
Steve Lancaster | Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities... |
3:21:19.3 | 25:18.0 | 3 |
| 7. |  Armindo AraújoArmindo Araújo Armindo Araújo is a Portuguese rally driver. He won the Production World Rally Championship in the 2009 season, repeating the accomplishment in the next year , to become the first pilot to ever win this cup twice in a row since its creation back in 2002.-Career:Araújo began rallying in 2000,... |
Miguel Ramalho |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 3:24:53.9 | 28:52.6 | 2 |
| 8. | David Higgins David Higgins (rally driver) David Higgins is a British rally driver.Higgins won the 1997, 1999 and 2002 British Rally Championships in the Group N category. He won the SCCA ProRally Championship in America in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 he returned to the British championship for what was supposed to be a one-off entry at the... |
Ieuan Thomas | Subaru Impreza WRX STI Subaru Impreza WRX STI The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities... |
3:28:17.8 | 32:16.5 | 1 |
Special stages
| Day | Stage | Time | Name | Length | Winner | Time | Avg. spd. | Rally leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (5 DEC) |
SS1 | 09:08 | Hafren Hafren Forest The Hafren Forest lies North-West of Llanidloes, an ancient market town situated in Mid-Wales.Covering around 40 square kilometres, and consisting of mainly Pine and Spruce trees, the Forest takes its name from the Afon Hafren which rises in a deep peat bog approximately 800m outside its western... 1 |
3.67 km | Cancelled | |||
| SS2 | 09:32 | Sweet Lamb 1 | 4.28 km | S. Ogier Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in... |
2:48.6 | 91.4 km/h | S. Ogier Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier is a French rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2008 and last drove in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën World Rally Team. His co-driver is compatriot Julien Ingrassia. They are set to join Volkswagen's WRC team when they enter the championship in... |
|
| SS3 | 09:53 | Myherin 1 | 18.28 km | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
10:59.2 | 99.8 km/h | ||
| SS4 | 13:16 | Hafren 2 | 3.67 km | Cancelled | ||||
| SS5 | 13:40 | Sweet Lamb 2 | 4.28 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
2:50.4 | 90.4 km/h | ||
| SS6 | 14:01 | Myherin 2 | 18.28 km | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
10:56.5 | 100.2 km/h | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
|
| SS7 | 17:06 | Walters Arena 1 | 2.29 km | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
1:44.5 | 78.9 km/h | ||
| SS8 | 17:17 | Walters Arena 2 | 2.29 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
1:45.0 | 78.5 km/h | ||
| 2 (6 DEC) |
SS9 | 08:18 | Resolfen 1 | 30.68 km | D. Sordo Dani Sordo Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Mini WRC Team... |
17:12.5 | 107.0 km/h | |
| SS10 | 09:47 | Halfway 1 | 18.57 km | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
11:24.3 | 97.7 km/h | ||
| SS11 | 10:13 | Crychan 1 | 14.86 km | D. Sordo Dani Sordo Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for the Mini WRC Team... |
9:25.1 | 94.7 km/h | ||
| SS12 | 13:21 | Resolfen 2 | 30.68 km | M. Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish rally driver currently driving for the Citroën Total World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, he finished runner-up to... |
16:19.9 | 112.7 km/h | ||
| SS13 | 14:50 | Halfway 2 | 18.57 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
11:11.9 | 99.5 km/h | ||
| SS14 | 15:16 | Crychan 2 | 14.86 km | J. Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala Jari-Matti Latvala is a Finnish rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship. His co-driver has been Miikka Anttila since the 2003 Rallye Deutschland... |
9:00.6 | 99.0 km/h | ||
| SS15 | 18:15 | Cardiff Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage... |
0.99 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
0:56.5 | 63.1 km/h | ||
| 3 (7 DEC) |
SS16 | 07:55 | Rheola 1 | 27.96 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
16:15.0 | 103.2 km/h | |
| SS17 | 09:03 | Port Talbot Port Talbot Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan... 1 |
20.09 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
11:17.9 | 106.7 km/h | ||
| SS18 | 11:10 | Rheola 2 | 27.96 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
16:25.0 | 102.2 km/h | ||
| SS19 | 12:18 | Port Talbot 2 | 20.09 km | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
11:12.0 | 107.6 km/h | S. Loeb Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship... |
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Drivers' championship
EWLINE
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Manufacturers' championship
| Rank | Team | Event | Total points |
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| MON |
SWE Swedish Rally The Uddeholm Swedish Rally , formerly the Swedish Rally, is an automobile rally competition held in Värmland, Sweden in early February. First held in 1950, when it was called the Rally to the Midnight Sun with start and finish at separate locations, seventeen years later both start and finish... |
MEX Rally Mexico The Corona Rally Mexico, formerly known as Rally America is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The rally entered the championship schedule in the 2004 season. The event's itinerary is based in the state of Guanajuato...  |
ARG Rally Argentina The Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition that has been both a round of the World Rally Championship and also the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The rally is also a round of the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championship...  |
JOR Jordan Rally The Jordan Rally is a rallying competition held in Jordan. It was a new addition to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar for the 2008 season, and the first occurrence of a WRC event in the Middle East. The rally was previously part of the Middle East Rally Championship...  |
ITA Rally d'Italia Sardegna The Rally d'Italia Sardegna is a rally competition that has been a round of the World Rally Championship schedule and also the Intercontinental Rally Challenge . The rally is held on narrow, twisty, sandy and bumpy mountain roads around the town of Porto Cervo...  |
GRC Acropolis Rally Greece The Acropolis Rally of Greece |Rally]] of Greece) is a rally competition, part of the World Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on very dusty, rough and rocky mountain roads around Athens during the Greek hot summer period. The rally is known for being extremely tough on the competing...  |
TUR Rally of Turkey The Rally of Turkey is a rally competition on the FIA World Rally Championship schedule.-History:First international rally in Turkey was held in 1972, starting and finishing in İstanbul. In 1999, the idea of creating an all-new event as a WRC candidate was conceived. The next year in 2000, the...  |
FIN Rally Finland The Neste Oil Rally Finland is a rally event driven in the Jyväskylä area in Central Finland. It is the biggest annually organised public event in the Nordic countries, gathering over 500,000 spectators every year.... |
GER Rallye Deutschland The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a rally event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier... |
NZL Rally New Zealand The Rally New Zealand was first held in Taupo in 1969, and was subsequently staged in Canterbury, before moving back to the North Island in 1971.The rally was included as a round of the World Championship in 1977...  |
ESP Rally Catalunya The Rally Catalunya is a rally competition on the World Rally Championship schedule. Now held on the wide, smooth and sweeping asphalt roads around the town of Salou, Catalonia, Spain, it was previously held around the region of Costa Brava... |
FRA |
JPN Rally Japan Rally Japan is a rally competition held in Hokkaidō, Japan. The event has been part of the FIA World Rally Championship since its introduction during the 2004 season. From 2004 to 2007, the event was held on the twisty and narrow gravel roads of the Tokachi region near Obihiro. For the 2008 season,...  |
GBR Rally GB Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales... |
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| 1 | Citroën Total World Rally Team Citroën Total World Rally Team The Citroën Total World Rally Team is the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship, run by Citroën Racing.-Management:* Olivier Quesnel – team director* Xavier Mestelan-Pinon – technical director-1990-1998 Seasons:... |
11 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 191 |
| 2 | BP Ford World Rally Team BP Ford World Rally Team The Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, also known as the Ford Motor Co. Team prior to 2005, is Ford Motor Company's full factory World Rally Championship team. In its current form, it has been a competitor since the 1997 season, when Ford Motor Company's motorsport arm selected the Malcolm Wilson... |
8 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 173 |
| 3 | Subaru World Rally Team Subaru World Rally Team The Subaru World Rally Team was Subaru's World Rally Championship team. It used a distinctive blue with yellow color scheme that is a throwback to the sponsorship deal with State Express 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. 555 logos were found on Subaru cars from 1993 to 2003... |
10 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 98 |
| 4 | Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team |
8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 67 |
| 5 | Suzuki World Rally Team Suzuki World Rally Team The Suzuki World Rally Team, also known as the Suzuki WRC Challenge was Suzuki's factory backed World Rally Championship team, as part of the Suzuki Sport organization. The team debuted for the first time at the 2007 Tour de Corse in France... |
2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| 6 | Munchi's Ford World Rally Team Munchi's Ford World Rally Team The Munchi's Ford World Rally Team is a private team currently competing in the World Rally Championship. The team made its debut in the 2007 Swedish Rally... |
0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |