Italy 2009

RATHER AN EVENTFUL RALLY FOR SEBASTIEN LOEB, CULMINATING IN HIM BREAKING HIS USUAL HABIT OF WINNING! THIS IS A TOUGH RALLY WHERE ROAD-SWEEPING IS AN EVEN BIGGER DRAWBACK THAN USUAL AND SO HE EMPLOYED THE TACTIC, FIRST USED BY FORD, TO ENSURE HE WAS NOT FIRST ON THE ROAD FOR DAY 2 BY ACTUALLY STOPPING FOR 23 SECONDS AT THE END OF THE FINAL STAGE ON DAY 1.

THIS MEANT THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY 3RD ON THE ROAD FOR DAY 2, JARI-MATTI LATVALA WAS IN THE LEAD BY 40 SECONDS FROM TEAM-MATE MIKKO HIRVONEN. SEBASTIEN THEN TRIED TO CLOSE THE GAP BUT WAS HINDERED, FIRSTLY, BY OVER-HEATING BRAKES THAT HE AND DANIEL ELENA PUT RIGHT ON THE FOLLOWING ROAD SECTION AND, SECONDLY, A 10-SECOND PENALTY FOR THEN ARRIVING LATE AT THE NEXT CHECK-POINT AND, THIRDLY, A PUNCTURE THAT THEY CHANGED IN RECORD TIME AND, FOURTHLY, HANGING DUST ON DAY 3 FROM JAR-MATTI'S ROAD-SWEEPING (THAT ALSO HINDERED MIKKO) AND, LASTLY, AFTER THE RALLY HAD FINISHED, BY A 2-MINUTE PENALTY IMPOSED BECAUSE DANIEL ELENA HAD UNDONE HIS SEAT-BELT BEFORE SEBASTIEN BROUGHT THE CAR TO A HALT FOR THE PUNCTURE REPAIR.

SO NOT ONE OF HIS BETTER RALLIES BUT, TAKE NOTHING AWAY FROM JARI-MATTI BECAUSE HE DROVE SUPERBLY TO TAKE THE VICTORY WITH MIKKO IN SECOND PLACE. THAT SHOULD DO WONDERS FOR HIS CONFIDENCE AFTER A NUMBER OF SPECTACULAR RETIREMENTS.

PETTER SOLBERG DROVE BRILLIANTLY TO TAKE HIS SECOND 3RD PLACE FINISH AFTER SEBASTIEN'S 2-MINUTE PENALTY, WHICH CONSIDERING HE IS DRIVING A 3-YEAR OLD CAR SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR HIS DRIVING ABILITY.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
25th April 2009

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