Rally d'Italia Sardegna: Day 3 review (WRC)

(Part 1)


Sebastian Loeb landed his fourth win in Italy with a masterful performance over the course of the weekend. Mikko Hirvonen took second and Petter Solberg was third.

“Leading from nearly the start that’s really a good job. Mikko was pushing very hard [from] behind so we really had to take big risks all the time. We lost time in some places because of the [road] cleaning but we took it back in some other places. It was really a hard fight but I did not believe at the start of the rally that I could make it like this.” he said.

Mikko Hirvonen finished second, 11.2secs adrift of Loeb, after starting the final day 23.8secs of Loeb. He went faster that Loeb over the Day 3 opener, but, crucially, he overshot a junction on the next stage, and it seemed to give Loeb the win. Then the rally officials amended a timing mistake from SS10, Hirvonen was back in the game. 14 secs split the two going into the final 'Power Stage', and while some would have said it couldn't be done, in rallying it's never over until it's over. In the end, Hirvonen won the 8Km test by 1.4secs over his Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, it wasn't enough to deny Loeb a 11.2secs win.

“It’s been a really good weekend. Even though we got a puncture earlier in the rally I’m very pleased and it’s great to get these three Power Stage points.” said Hirvonen.

Third-placed Petter Solberg had a very up-down rally, leading after SS1, but a turbo pipe working loose on SS2 cost him 40secs. He fought up to second by SS8, but a slow puncture on SS10 cost him almost 30secs. He then fell behind Sebastian Ogier on SS12, but then he regained the position after the Frenchman collided with some rocks large enough to break his rear suspension. Solberg was then only 5.8secs behind Hirvonen going into the 'Power Stage', but Hirvonen won the stage and so maintained his advantage.

“I definitely could have won this event. We had some small problems but it was impossible because Loeb hasn’t had anything at all. However, a podium is very important for me and for my sponsors.” said the Citroen privateer.

At the time of Ogier’s suspension problem he was leading Solberg by 12secs. However he lost well over a minute struggling along with a broken rear suspension: “We hit some small rocks I didn’t have in my notes and it broke my suspension. I thought it was a puncture so I got out of the car to check in case I had destroyed the wheel and would risk more damage. Finally, the wheel was intact but the suspension was damaged.”

Mads Ostberg took fifth in the first of the Stobart Fiestas. He survived a scary incident on SS16, when he missed a corner completely. Mishearing a pacenote, he turned right instead of left. He attempted to correct it, but he ran wide, collided with a bank on the outside of the corner and spun, losing around 20secs in the process. The incident harks back to Andreas Mikkelsen's similar incident in Finland 2008, when he also misheard a pacenote, but it was a very fast left-hander over a crest. He ended up very far off the road, narrowly avoiding an innocent bystander's house.

“We’re not sure 100 per cent but at least I thought [the pace note] was a short three left over a crest but it was a short three right. I just turned the wrong way basically, came over the crest and saw the road was turning right so I had to try to correct it. But I was too late and we hit the bank on the outside, spun and lost 20 seconds.” said Ostberg.