Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008 - (Page 88)

MOTORSPORTS UNKNOWN TERRITORY GREETED competitors in Jordan as the WRC reached the Middle East for the first time – and there was plenty of drama to make it a debut to remember. The roads in Jordan presented great challenges for crews, being quite unlike anything experienced elsewhere on the WRC calendar. The road surface is as hard as asphalt, but with grip more reminiscent of a gravel event. The Pirelli tires used by all teams struggled for grip, and tire wear, exacerbated by the heat, was high. After taking part in the Rally Jordan recce last year, Petter Solberg used his experience to share the early lead with Citroën’s Dani Sordo. Although he slipped down the order over the next four stages, the Norwegian was still holding his own until disaster struck. Forced to go off-road to avoid a large rock over an unsighted crest on SS5, Solberg retired at the end of the next stage because of broken front suspension. He was able to restart under SupeRally regulations, but the subsequent time penalty meant he was 16 minutes behind the leaders. As it turned out, the poor run of luck that has blighted Solberg’s season continued on Leg Two. Suffering rear damper problems and then a leaking brake caliper, his rally finally came to an end on SS16 when he slid off the road into a ditch, rolling a couple of times for good measure. Meanwhile, a cautious but consistent drive from Chris Atkinson was enough to give him his fourth podium of the season, as he benefited from the misfortune of drivers ahead of him. The Australian slid off the road and suffered a spin on Leg One, but did enough to finish the day in fifth. Ahead of fourth to sixth places by a big gap, Atkinson knew his job was to hold position and see what happened on the second day of the gruelling rally that was being run in in-car temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius. In the end, he didn’t have to wait too long, thanks to a bizarre accident on SS11. After setting the fastest time on the stage, rally leader Sébastien Loeb collided with Conrad Rautenbach in a narrow part of the road section. Both cars were immediately sidelined. This put Sordo in front with Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen second and third, respectively, and Atkinson promoted to fourth. The Ford driv- ers quickly overtook Sordo, but on the final stage of the day both slowed dramatically to allow the Citroën driver to retake the lead. This gave them road advantage for the final and longest Leg of the rally, because now Sordo was first driver on the road; he was effectively clearing the surface. Citroën was furious. Ford’s hopes of a one-two were dashed on Leg Three, though, when Latvala slipped down the order after he damaged his suspension, hitting a rock on SS18. Hirvonen took the lead and held on for his first victory of the season ahead of a disconsolate Sordo, while Atkinson enjoyed the fruits of a consistent drive with a well-deserved third place. —David Hobbs 88 JULY 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008

Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008 Contents Editor Letters Readers’ Rides Subaru News Fresh Squeezed Hell's Legacy Under the Radar Project GT Rebuild New Engine AVO 420 Turbo Perrin Intercooler Rally Like a Rockstar Rally Jordan Adventure WRC Rally Argentina WRC Rally Jordan WRC Rally d’Italia Sardegna Where to buy Subiesport WRC2008 Debut Rally America: Olympus Ad Directory Rally America: Oregon Trail Spotted!

Subiesport Magazine - June/July 2008

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