Japan 2007

RALLY GB AT THE END OF THE SEASON IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKELY TO BE CRUCIAL TO THE OUTCOME OF THIS YEAR'S TITLE RACE AFTER RALLY JAPAN'S OUTCOME. MARCUS GRÖNHOLM MADE AN ERROR ON DAY 1 THAT RESULTED IN THE SAFETY CAGE BEING DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR - HE COULD NOT EVEN RE-ENTER UNDER THE SUPER RALLY RULES. SO NO CHANCE FOR HIM TO SCORE POINTS HERE LEAVING THE WAY OPEN FOR SEBASTIEN LOEB TO MOVE BACK INTO THE LEAD OF THE TITLE RACE.
BUT!! THIS IS WORLD RALLY AND IT IS NEVER AS EASY AS THAT. MIKKO HIRVONEN WAS DRIVING EXCEPTIONALLY WELL AND WAS IN THE LEAD AFTER GRONHOLM'S EXIT. BUT SURELY SEBASTIEN COULD MANAGE 2ND PLACE AND TAKE THE 8 POINTS THAT FINISH WOULD GIVE HIM TO MOVE 4 POINTS CLEAR OF MARCUS. NO, HE COULD NOT - HE SLID OFF ON DAY 2 AND HAD TO RETIRE, THE RESULT OF AN EXTREMELY RARE MISTAKE BY DANIEL ELENA, HIS CO-DRIVER. AT THE BEND THAT CAUSED THE TROUBLE, DANIEL READ OUT 'PLUS, PLUS' INSTEAD OF 'MINUS, MINUS' LEADING SEBASTIEN TO APPROACH THE BEND TOO QUICKLY. AS SEBASTIEN SAID, 'THE FIRST MISTAKE DANIEL HAS MADE IN 10 YEARS. MAY BE NOT THE BEST TIME TO DO IT BUT ....'. THEY RE-ENTERED UNDER SUPER RALLY RULES ON DAY 3 BUT THE ENGINE EXPIRED ON THE PENULTIMATE STAGE OF THE RALLY.

MARCUS AND SEBASTIEN WERE NOT THE ONLY TWO DRIVERS TO SUFFER HERE - CHRIS ATKINSON ALSO BROKE THE SUBARU'S SAFETY CAGE BEYOND REPAIR, PETTER SOLBERG HALF-SPUN, HIT THE BANK, TOOK THE FRONT OFF THE OTHER SUBARU BUT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE UNTIL GEARBOX PROBLEMS FORCED RETIREMENT AND RE-ENTRY UNDER SUPER RALLY RULES, XAVIER PONS IN THE REMAINING SUBARU SLID OFF AND HAD TO RETIRE (NOT THE BEST OUTCOME IN SUBARU'S HOME RALLY!) AND JARI-MATTI LATVALA HAD GEARBOX PROBLEMS THAT WERE SUFFICIENTLY DISTRACTING TO MAKE HIM LOSE BOTH CONCENTRATION AND CONTACT WITH THE ROAD.

THIS WAS ALL GOOD NEWS FOR THE OTHER DRIVERS, IN PARTICULAR HENNING SOLBERG WHO, DESPITE NEAR DISASTER AT THE SAME BEND AS HIS BROTHER, CONTINUED WITHOUT FURTHER DRAMA AND TOOK HIS FIRST-EVER PODIUM BEHIND MIKKO HIRVONEN AND DANIEL SORDO. THE LATTER'S 2ND PLACE WAS SUFFICIENT TO DENY FORD CLAIMING THE MANUFACTURERS' TITLE - THAT WILL NOW HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL LATER. MATTHEW WILSON HAD HIS HIGHEST EVER FINISH IN 4TH. A SPECIAL MENTION MUST BE MADE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ALL-ARGENTINEAN TEAM, MUNCHI'S FORD. LUIS PEREZ COMPANC TOOK 5TH AND FEDERICO VILLAGRA 7TH.

IRELAND NEXT AND GRONHOLM MUST NOW BE THE FAVOURITE FOR THE TITLE BUT DON'T WRITE OFF LOEB YET - WORLD RALLY IS PROBABLY THE MOST DEMANDING OF ALL MOTORSPORTS ON DRIVERS AND CARS AND LITERALLY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME, AS RALLY JAPAN PROVED.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
29th October 2007

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