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Bulgaria 2010


AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK, THERE WERE CHANGES TO BE MADE FOR THE FIRST RUNNING OF THIS RALLY, WHICH IS ALSO THE FIRST TARMAC EVENT THIS SEASON. CONSEQUENTLY, P-G ANDERSON TOOK OVER HENNING SOLBERG'S SEAT AT STOBART M-SPORT FORD SO THAT THE BEST TARMAC SPECIALIST WAS NOMINATED TO SCORE POINTS FOR TEAM.

BUT THE BIGGEST CHANGE WAS IN THE PETTER SOLBERG WORLD RALLY TEAM WHERE PETTER'S LONG-TIME CO-DRIVER, PHIL MILLS, HAD ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT DURING THE SUMMER BREAK. PETTER HAS FOUND A REPLACEMENT IN CHRIS PATTERSON, THE NORTHERN IRISHMAN WHO HAS BEEN A CO-DRIVER FOR 12 YEARS, WINNING THE PRODUCTION CAR WORLD TITLE WITH NASSER AL-ATTIYAH IN 2006.

AS SEBASTIEN LOEB HAS WON 18 OF THE LAST 22 TARMAC RALLIES, INCLUDING THE LAST 15 IN AN UNBROKEN RUN SINCE 2004, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT HE WAS FAVOURITE TO WIN HERE. HE DULY DELIVERED WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS CHALLENGE ALTHOUGH SEBASTIEN OGIER MAY HAVE DONE SO BUT FOR A MISUNDERSTANDING OF A PACE-NOTE THAT SAW HIM STUCK IN A DITCH FOR AT LEAST A MINUTE EARLY ON DAY ONE.

NEITHER MIKKO HIRVONEN NOR JARI-MATTI LATVALA ARE COMFORTABLE ON TARMAC, PREFERRING THE GRAVEL ROADS OF THEIR FINNISH HOMELAND, AND WERE UNABLE TO PREVENT A CITROEN LOCK-OUT OF THE FIRST FOUR PLACES. PERHAPS THEY WILL GET THEIR OWN BACK IN FINLAND AT THE NEXT RALLY!

ONE OF THE FOUR CITROEN DRIVERS WAS PETTER SOLBERG, WHO TOOK THIRD PLACE ON THE PODIUM BEHIND DANI SORDO, AND HE WAS CLEARLY DELIGHTED WITH THE WAY HE AND CHRIS PATTERSON GELLED TOGETHER ON THIS THEIR FIRST RALLY TOGETHER.





RESULT

1. Sebastien Loeb / Citroen Total
2. Daniel Sordo / Citroen Total
3. Petter Solberg / Petter Solberg WRT
4. Sebastien Ogier / Citroën Junior Team
5. Mikko Hirvonen / BP-Ford
6. Jari-Matti Latvala / BP-Ford
7. Per-Gunnar Andersson / Stobart M-Sport Ford
8. Frigyes Turan / Peugeot 307 WRC
9. Matthew Wilson / Stobart M-Sport Ford
10. Henning Solberg / Stobart M-Sport Ford

 

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers :

Sebastien Loeb 151
Sebastien Ogier 100
Mikko Hirvonen 86
Jari-Matti Latvala 80
Petter Solberg 78
Daniel Sordo 67
Matthew Wilson 40
Federico Villagra 26
Henning Solberg 25
Kimi Raikkonen 15

Constructors :

Citroën Total 232
BP-Ford 185
Citroen Junior Team 125
Stobart M-Sport Ford 98
Munchi's Ford 40

Rally Results posted by
David Little
12th July 2010

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