Jordan 2010

IN SOME WAYS THIS RALLY BECAME A FARCE. THE GRAVEL WAS SUCH THAT BEING FIRST ON THE ROAD WAS A REAL HANDICAP BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF GRIP ON THE LOOSE SURFACE. THIS GIVES AN ADVANTAGE TO THOSE LOWER DOWN THE RUNNING ORDER AS THE GRAVEL GETS SWEPT OFF AND CLEAN, FAST LINES EMERGE. JARI-MATTI LATVALA TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE DURING THE EARLY PART OF DAY ONE AND TOOK THE LEAD FROM DANIEL SORDO AND PETTER SOLBERG WITH SEBASTIEN LOEB 5TH, HAVING BEEN 1ST ON THE ROAD, AND MIKKO HIRVONEN 6TH FROM 2ND ON THE ROAD.

BUT DURING THE LATTER PART, ALL THE DRIVERS WERE JOCKEYING TO BE SLOWEST SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT END UP IN THE LEAD AND HAVING TO 'SWEEP' THE ROAD ON DAY 2. IT MUST BE THE ONLY TYPE OF MOTOR SPORT EVENT WHERE THE DRIVERS TRY NOT TO BE THE FASTEST AND THE RULES NEED CHANGING TO PREVENT THIS OR AT LEAST TO EVEN OUT THE DISADVANTAGES.

ON DAY 2, MIKKO DID HIS TITLE HOPES NO GOOD AT ALL WHEN HE MISJUDGED THE LINE OVER A SMALL CREST, CLIPPED THE BANK OVER THE TOP AND ALMOST FLIPPED THE CAR OVER. IT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN BETTER IF IT HAD ROLLED BECAUSE, WHEN IT DIDN'T, IT LANDED SO HEAVILY ON THE FRONT, LEFT WHEEL THAT IT SHATTERED THE SUSPENSION AND HE HAD TO RETIRE AND RE-ENTER THE NEXT DAY UNDER THE 'SUPER RALLY' RULES BUT STILL FINISHED THE RALLY WITHOUT ANY POINTS.

DAY 2 SAW SEBASTIEN LOEB DECIDING THAT ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH AND CHARGED INTO THE LEAD BY THE END WITH A REASONABLE 24 SECOND LEAD OVER SEBASTIEN OGIER WHO WAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY JARI-MATTI WITH PETTER SOLBERG 4TH. BUT THEN FOLLOWED A BEWILDERING SET OF EVENTS THAT REALLY CONFIRMED THE FARCE.

BEFORE THE START OF DAY 3, OGIER HAD MECHANICAL PROBLEMS THAT SAW HIM LATE OUT OF SERVICE AND HIS PENALTIES DROPPED HIM TO 8TH PLACE AND PUT LATVALA 2ND ON THE ROAD BEHIND LOEB SO HE WOULD HAVE MORE DIFFICULTY IN BEATING THE FRENCHMAN. FORD THOUGHT THIS WAS TACTICS AND SO CHECKED HIRVONEN OUT OF SERVICE EARLY TO TAKE OVER OGIER'S ORIGINAL ROAD ORDER SLOT AND SWEEP THE STAGES AHEAD OF LATVALA. CITROEN RESPONDED TO THIS BY ORDERING OGIER TO CHECK IN EARLY TO THE START OF THE FIRST STAGE SO THAT HE WOULD SWEEP FOR LOEB.

THE DRIVERS ARE SO FED UP WITH ALL THESE OFF-TRACK TACTICS THAT THEY ARE NOW CALLING FOR THE CHANGE TO THE REGULATIONS THAT I SUGGESTED EARLIER WAS NECESSARY. WE SHALL SEE WHAT TRANSPIRES.

IN THE END, SEBASTIEN LOEB WON FROM JARI-MATTI LATVALA WITH PRIVATEER PETTER SOLBERG THIRD - HIS SECOND PODIUM IN SUCCESSIVE RALLIES. ONE OTHER IMPORTANT FACT, WHICH TENDED TO BE OBSCURED IN ALL THE CONTROVERSY, WAS THAT KIMI RAIKKONEN SCORED HIS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS BY FINISHING 8TH, THE FIRST F1 WORLD CHAMPION TO DO SO.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
5th April 2010

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