Norway 2009

THE WEATHER WAS FINE, THE SNOW WAS DEEP, THE LANDSCAPE LOOKED SPECTACULAR AND SO WAS THE FIGHT FOR THE LEAD BETWEEN SEBASTIEN LOEB AND MIKKO HIRVONEN THAT WENT ON ALL WEEKEND. AND TO TOP IT ALL, PETTER SOLBERG WAS BACK! ADMITTEDLY, DRIVING A 3-YEAR OLD CITROËN XSARA FOR HIS 'PETTER SOLBERG WRC TEAM'. THIS WAS DOWN ON POWER RELATIVE TO CURRENT SPEC CARS, BUT HE MORE THAN HELD HIS OWN, FINISHING 6TH.

SEBASTIEN AND MIKKO WERE TRADING FASTEST TIMES, ESPECIALLY ON DAY 1, AND THE LEAD SWUNG FROM ONE TO THE OTHER. IT WAS 'NIP AND TUCK' ALL THE WAY. FROM DAY 2 ONWARDS, SEBASTIEN SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO GRADUALLY EDGE OUT A LEAD AS EACH STAGE PROGRESSED, DESPITE BEING FIRST TO TACKLE THE STAGES. HIS MAXIMUM LEAD OF THE RALLY, AT THE END OF DAY 2, WAS 15 SECONDS BUT BY THE END OF THE RALLY MIKKO HAD REDUCED THAT TO 9.8 SECONDS.

SUCH WAS THEIR DOMINANCE AND SUPERIOR SPEED THAT EVEN JARI-MATTI LATVALA WAS OVER A MINUTE BEHIND THEM IN 3RD PLACE - BUT AT LEAST HE FINISHED THE RALLY TO EARN 6 WELCOME POINTS. AFTER SET-UP PROBLEMS ON DAY 1, HENNING SOLBERG PUT IN A STORMING DRIVE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE RALLY AND TOOK 4TH PLACE AHEAD OF DANIEL SORDO.

SEBASTIEN DULY CHALKED UP HIS 2ND WIN ON SNOW AND HIS 49TH IN TOTAL - HIS 50TH CAN'T BE LONG DELAYED (IF AT ALL!)

Rally Results posted by
David Little
16th February 2009

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