Turkey 2008

FORD ENGINEERED A WIN AND SECOND PLACE, FOR MIKKO HIRVONEN AND JARI-MATTI LATVALA RESPECTIVELY, WITH TACTICS THAT, WHILST WITHIN THE CURRENT RULES, ARE QUESTIONABLE AT BEST AND AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION AT WORST. THE MAIN TARGET OF THEIR TACTICS WAS SEBASTIEN LOEB WHO GAINED A COURAGEOUS THIRD PLACE IN THE FACE OF A TOTAL ONSLAUGHT FROM BOTH THE MAIN FORD TEAM AND ITS SISTER STOBART TEAM.

IT IS DOUBLY UNFORTUNATE THAT THEY CHOSE THIS EVENT - THE ONE THAT GAVE FORD ITS 100^th CONSECUTIVE RESULT IN WHICH THE TEAM HAD SCORED MANUFACTURER'S POINTS. UNDOUBTEDLY, A MAGNIFICENT RECORD OF CONSISTENCY BUT ACHIEVING IT WITH THESE TACTICS RATHER SPOILS IT.

WHICH TACTICS? WELL, IT IS WELL-KNOWN THAT THE 1ST CAR ON THE ROAD IN GRAVEL RALLIES CARRIES OUT 'ROAD-SWEEPING' IN WHICH THE CAR CLEARS A LINE THROUGH THE LOOSE GRAVEL. THIS SLOWS THE CAR AND ALLOWS FOLLOWING CARS TO ACHIEVE FASTER TIMES - ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL. DAY 1 ROAD POSITION IS DETERMINED BY CHAMPIONSHIP ORDER WITH SUBSEQUENT DAYS BEING DETERMINED BY THE PREVIOUS DAY'S LEADER-BOARD. SEBASTIEN WAS THUS FIRST ON THE ROAD FOR DAY 1 AND NORMALLY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ENDED UP 3RD/4TH AT THE END OF THAT DAY AND THUS BE ABLE TO CLAW BACK THE DEFICIT OVER THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS.

BUT HERE, ALL THE FORD CARS DELIBERATELY REFUSED TO TAKE THE OVERALL LEAD AND CHOSE TO REDUCE THEIR SPEED TO ENGINEER THEIR ROAD POSITION FOR DAY 2. IN JARI-MATTI'S CASE HE ACTUALLY STOPPED TO WAIT OUT TIME SO THAT HE WOULDN'T OVERTAKE SEBASTIEN. CONSEQUENTLY, SEBASTIEN WAS ROAD-SWEEPING FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS, WHICH IN TERMS OF STAGE KILOMETRES IS 81% OF THE RALLY DISTANCE. IT DOES DEMONSTRATE HOW BRILLIANT HE IS BECAUSE HE WAS ONLY 25 SECONDS BEHIND HIRVONEN AT THE END DESPITE THIS HANDICAP.

THE IDEA OF THE CURRENT RULES IS CLEARLY TO TRY TO ACHIEVE A REASONABLY EVEN SET OF ROAD CONDITIONS FOR ALL LEADING COMPETITORS BUT I THINK SOME ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IS NEEDED IF WE ARE TO AVOID THE FARCE IN TURKEY. IF THE CURRENT RULES ARE NOT AMENDED THEN THE OBVIOUS END RESULT WILL BE THAT THE DRIVERS WILL BE COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER ON DAY 1 TO SEE WHO CAN GO SLOWEST! HARDLY AN EDIFYING SPECTACLE FOR EVENTS THAT SHOWCASE THE TALENTS OF THE WORLD'S BEST DRIVERS IN ANY SPORT AND THE WORLD'S BEST CARS. JUST LOOK AT WHAT THE DRIVERS AND CARS HAVE TO COPE WITH COMPARED WITH ANY OTHER AUTO-SPORT.

Rally Results posted by
David Little
16th June 2008

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