New Zealand 2008

TACTICS CAME INTO PLAY YET AGAIN ON A GRAVEL RALLY TO MANOEUVRE THE OPPOSITION INTO ROAD-SWEEPING. FORD STARTED IT IN TURKEY, WERE AT IT AGAIN HERE SO CITROEN HAD TO JOIN IN. IN A CASE OF THE 'BITER BIT', FORD MANAGED TO GRASP DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY. TACTICS SPOIL THE SPECTACLE SO MEASURES NEED TO BE TAKEN - RANDOMLY DRAWN RUNNING ORDER, PERHAPS?

FORD HAD 3 CARS IN THE TOP 5 AT THE START OF THE LAST PROPER STAGE - QWAANGA COAST - WITH JARI-MATTI LATVALA LEADING FROM MIKKO HIRVONEN AND FRANCOIS DUVAL, DEPUTISING FOR THE INJURED GIGI GALLI IN THE STOBART VK FORD CAR, IN 5TH PLACE. FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, DANI SORDO HEADED SEBASTIEN LOEB IN 4TH AND 5TH RESPECTIVELY.

AT THE END OF THE 30 KM, SEBASTIEN HAD WON, DANI WAS SECOND WITH MIKKO THIRD AND JARI-MATTI AND FRANCOIS WERE OUT! JARI-MATTI HAD SPUN HEAVILY INTO A BANK AND FRANCOIS HAD OVER-COOKED IT AND WENT OFF-COURSE WHILST MIKKO HAD PICKED UP A PUNCTURE WHEN HE CLIPPED A BANK WITH THE RIGHT-REAR WHEEL AND THE DEFLATING TYRE DEFLATED HIS CHANCES AS THE TIME LEAKED AWAY WITH THE LEAKING TYRE.

THE CITROEN 1-2 PUT THEM AND SEBASTIEN IN HANDY LEADS IN THE CONSTRUCTORS AND DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP. OH, FOR THE RECORD, THIS WAS HIS 44TH VICTORY.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
1st September 2008

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