2008 Rally New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Rally New Zealand was the eleventh round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season
. The event was based on the northern island of the country near the city of Hamilton
. The stages were run on gravel roads characterised by their pronounced camber, which gives them a fast flowing nature. They are also known for their picturesque qualities. The rally ran between 28 August and 31 August. Sébastien Loeb
won his forty-fourth WRC rally, and his eighth of the season, in a dramatic event, where Mikko Hirvonen
came third after being passed in the latter stages of the rally. Daniel Sordo, like Loeb, also driving for Citroën
, claimed 2nd place. After the event Loeb had an eight point lead over Hirvonen in the drivers championship with four events remaining.
still believed the first car would be at a disadvantage, thus making team tactics - as seen at Turkey
- more likely.
After Gigi Galli
's accident in Germany
, François Duval
was called up by Stobart Ford
to replace him as an approach to two time world champion Marcus Grönholm
failed to lure him out of retirement.
also tried to improve his starting position but although falling behind Loeb, he managed to stay ahead of Dani Sordo by 0.1 second - despite backing off before the end of the stage. Behind the two factory Ford
and Citroën drivers was Duval, who was just under ninety seconds off the lead. Urmo Aava
was in sixth, Petter Solberg
in seventh with Suzuki
driver PG Andersson
enjoying a trouble free run in eighth place. Drivers who weren't so lucky included Henning Solberg
- who lost seven and a half minutes with power steering problems, Matthew Wilson - who suffered gearbox problems and had to retire for the day after SS4, the same stage as Subaru
driver Chris Atkinson
- who rolled his car halfway through the stage
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....
. The event was based on the northern island of the country near the city of Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
. The stages were run on gravel roads characterised by their pronounced camber, which gives them a fast flowing nature. They are also known for their picturesque qualities. The rally ran between 28 August and 31 August. Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb
Sébastien Loeb is a French rally driver currently driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship...
won his forty-fourth WRC rally, and his eighth of the season, in a dramatic event, where 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...
came third after being passed in the latter stages of the rally. Daniel Sordo, like Loeb, also driving for 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:...
, claimed 2nd place. After the event Loeb had an eight point lead over Hirvonen in the drivers championship with four events remaining.
Event
Heavy rain in the build up before the event forced a change to the itinery, with the 43 km Waitomo stage having to be split into two due to a landslip. Despite the poor weather before the event Matthew WilsonMatthew 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...
still believed the first car would be at a disadvantage, thus making team tactics - as seen at Turkey
2008 Rally of Turkey
The 9th Rally of Turkey, the 8th round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season took place between June 12–15, 2008. The event returned after a year sabbatical and was held in the south west of Turkey, with the rally headquarters and service park based in the seaside resort of Kemer. The special...
- more likely.
After Gigi Galli
Gigi Galli
Gianluigi Galli , better known as Gigi Galli, is an Italian rally driver, best known for his spectacular driving style. He comes from, and lives in Livigno, Italy.-Career:...
's accident in Germany
2008 Rallye Deutschland
The 2008 Rallye Deutschland was the tenth round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The event ran from August 15 to August 17 and was won by Sébastien Loeb for the seventh consecutive year....
, 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...
was called up by 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...
to replace him as an approach to two time world champion Marcus Grönholm
Marcus Grönholm
Marcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a Finnish former rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
failed to lure him out of retirement.
Day one
Despite sweeping the roads for the other competitors, and a big moment when he nearly rolled his car during the very first stage, Loeb was just 0.7 seconds behind Hirvonen going into the penultimate stage of the day. With road positions for day two being decided at the end of this stage, rather than at the short Super special stage at Mystery Creek, Hirvonen was expected to intentionally drop behind Loeb to ensure a better starting position. Loeb then suffered a starter motor problem which meant he couldn't start at his alloted time. With Hirvonen now effectively running first on the road, he was unable to play the tactical game and therefore ended day one in front, and as road sweeper for day two. When questioned after the stage, Loeb denied any suggestion of tactics - citing the thirty second time penalty he picked up for starting the stage late - "Do you really think I'd give away that much time?" Hirvonen agreed that Loeb seemed to have a genuine problem. 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...
also tried to improve his starting position but although falling behind Loeb, he managed to stay ahead of Dani Sordo by 0.1 second - despite backing off before the end of the stage. Behind the two factory 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...
and Citroën drivers was Duval, who was just under ninety seconds off the lead. 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:...
was in sixth, 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...
in seventh with 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...
driver PG 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:...
enjoying a trouble free run in eighth place. Drivers who weren't so lucky included 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....
- who lost seven and a half minutes with power steering problems, Matthew Wilson - who suffered gearbox problems and had to retire for the day after SS4, the same stage as 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...
driver 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 rolled his car halfway through the stage
Day two
Loeb used his starting position to close on Hirvonen throughout the day. After taking seven seconds out of his lead on the first stage of the day, Loeb took over the lead on stage twelve. With only one stage left to run on the day Loeb was 4.2 seconds clear - below his target time of a twenty second lead. With this in mind he slowed down at the end of Te Akau North to let Hirvonen back into the lead. Latvala was able to help Hirvonen by finishing ahead of him on time and to start the final day in front. With Sordo keeping close to the pace of the other leaders, there was only a sixteen second gap between the first four drivers. Behind the leading pack, the points positions remained the same as on day one. The most noteworthy performance came from Henning Solberg, who used his advantageous road position to claim four stage wins on his climb back up the leaderboard.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 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... |
3:59:18.9 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2. |  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 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... |
3:59;36.4 | 17.5 | 8 |
| 3. |  Mikko HirvonenMikko 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 | 4:00:00.4 | 41.5 | 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 WRC 2008 Subaru Impreza Introduced in November 1993, the Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be... |
4:02:07.8 | 2:48.9 | 5 |
| 5. |  Urmo AavaUrmo 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:... |
Kuldar Sikk |
Citroën C4 WRC 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... |
4:02:49.6 | 3:30.7 | 4 |
| 6. |  PG 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 | 4:06:56.3 | 7:37.4 | 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 | 4:07:13.8 | 7:54.9 | 2 |
| 8. |  Federico VillagraFederico Villagra Federico Villagra is an Argentine rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship for the Munchi's Ford World Rally Team... |
Jorge Perez Companc |
Ford Focus RS WRC 07 | 4:07:53.9 | 8:35.0 | 1 |
| PCWRC | ||||||
| 1. (10.) |  Martin ProkopMartin Prokop Martin Prokop is a Czech rally driver. He won the Junior World Rally Championship in the 2009 season.-Career:... |
Jan Tomanek |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 4:13:07.9 | 0.0 | 10 |
| 2. (11.) | Patrik Sandell Patrik Sandell Patrik Sandell is a rally driver from Sweden. Sandell won the Swedish Junior Championship in 2004 and the Swedish Group N3 Championship in 2005. In 2006, he won the Junior World Rally Championship title driving for Renault... |
Emil Axelsson |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 4:13:44.1 | 36.2 | 8 |
| 3. (12.) | Martin Rauam |
Silver Kütt |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | 4:14:05.7 | 57.8 | 6 |
Drivers' championship
EWLINE
|
Manufacturers' championship
| Rank | Team | Event | Total points |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | - | - | - | - | 141 |
| 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 | - | - | - | - | 121 |
| 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 | - | - | - | - | 74 |
| 4 | Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team |
8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 51 |
| 5 | 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 | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| 6 | 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 | - | - | - | - | 20 |