Portugal 2010

THE PORTUGUESE GRAVEL IS ALWAYS CAPABLE OF CATCHING ANY DRIVER OUT. YOU CAN EASILY SUBSTITUTE 'MANY' FOR 'ANY' AND IT WILL STILL BE TRUE! IN 2009 JARI-MATTI LATVALA HAD HIS BIGGEST-EVER ACCIDENT HERE.

KEN BLOCK, IN THE MONSTER CITROEN C4, STARTED THE BALL ROLLING VERY EARLY ON DAY 1 WHEN A MISTAKE IN HIS PACE NOTES CAUSED HIM TO ROLL THE CAR AND RETIRE WHILST HIS TEAM-MATE, KIMI RAIKKONEN, DROVE STEADILY THROUGHOUT TO FINISH IN 10TH AND ADD ANOTHER POINT TO HIS TALLY.

PETTER SOLBERG FEATURED STRONGLY UNTIL A LOOSE BOLT ON THE STEERING CAUSED HIM TO DROP BACK UNTIL IT WAS REPAIRED AT SERVICE AND THEN IGNOMINY! HE STRANGELY VEERED OFF IN THE FINAL SUPER SPECIAL STAGE AND DROPPED TO 5TH OVERALL. JARI-MATTI HAD TO RETIRE AGAIN - A SHAME AFTER HIS VICTORY IN NEW ZEALAND - AFTER A TOO-FAST ENTRY CAUSED THE REAR TO SWING OUT AND DEMOLISH ITSELF AGAINST A SUBSTANTIAL TREE TRUNK.

MIKKO HIRVONEN IS NOT HAPPY ON THIS VICIOUS TYPE OF GRAVEL AND ALSO SEEMS IN THE DOLDRUMS - NO REAL ERRORS BUT NOT FAST AND FINISHED 4TH BEHIND DANIEL SORDO WHO HAD A BETTER RALLY THAN OF LATE.

NEW ZEALAND SEEMED TO REPEAT ITSELF HERE IN THAT SEBASTIEN OGIER WAS VERY STRONG AND BATTLED WITH SEBASTIEN LOEB, TAKING THE LEAD AT THE END OF DAY 1, THEN ROAD-SWEEPING ON DAY 2 AS RALLY LEADER WHILST LOEB RECOVERED FROM 5TH AFTER SWEEPING ON DAY 1 AS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER.

THE LAST 4 STAGES ON DAY 3 STARTED WITH OGIER AHEAD BY 21 SECONDS; AFTER THE SECOND STAGE OF THE DAY HIS LEAD WAS DOWN TO 10.1 SECONDS IN THE FACE OF A TYPICAL LOEB ATTACK. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, OGIER KEPT HIS HEAD AND FINALLY TOOK HIS FIRST W.R.C. VICTORY TO DENY LOEB FROM CLOCKING UP WIN NUMBER 58.

SEBASTIEN OGIER IS THUS 56 VICTORIES BEHIND THE GREATEST RALLY DRIVER OF ALL TIME AND, WHILST HE MAY NEVER REACH LOEB'S TOTAL HIMSELF (WILL ANYONE), HE HAS CERTAINLY SHOWN THAT HE WILL BE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
31st May 2010

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