Photo Credit: At World There's been a feeling that the Finns have begun to lose control over their home event. Over the last decade only half of the rallies were won by a Finn, with Kris Meeke's thrashing of Jari-Matti Latvala through Ouninpohja a poignant example.
But if this is your opinion, you clearly never watched the ninth round of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship. Neste Rally Finland 2017 was all about the Finns, with all four competing in WRC cras holding the top four positions at one point on Saturday. A quite incredible feat. This year's Rally Finland was all about the home heroes in more ways than one. By far the quickest car, piloted by three local stars, was the Finnish built Toyota Yaris WRC, with Tommi Makinen's outfit extensive Jyvaskyla testing programme paying dividends. Team leader Jari-Matti Latvala was the man who made the brightest start. However, his 26 year old team mate and defending WRC2 Champion Esapekka Lappi woke up after a cautious start and by the end of Friday he had gnawed at Latvala's advantage enough to overhaul him and lead by 4.4 seconds. However, with equal road conditions and greater experience, the three time Rally Finland winner put his team mate in his place and began to pull away. But just like in Poland, towards the end of leg 2 all was not well aboard Latvala's Toyota. In Finland it was a faulty ECU, and an incredibly emotional and understandably frustrated Jari-Matti coasting down the Finnish forest. Not only did Latvala miss out on a home victory that would mean so much to him, a win in Jyvaskyla would have seriously boosted his title aspirations. Lappi was magnanimous with Latvala's misfortune, but rightly decided to cease and savour the moment. Heading into Sunday's final day with a healthy lead of almost a minute, the Yaris #12 pilot had it under control with incredible composure, even when a misjudged cut sent him off line and bent his rear left rim. Victory for Esapekka was nothing short of remarkable. To win a World Rally at just the fourth time of asking is a new record, but to do it at home in front of friends, family and adoring fans makes this the perfect result for the confident, young Finn. The sky really is the limit for this young boy, who is making the same kind of impact in the WRC with a fledgling team like a certain nine-time World Champion did. The battle for the remainder of the podium was equally as intense. For much of the rally after Latvala's demise it was between the other two Finns: Juho Hanninen and Teemu Suninen. Suninen can count himself quite unfortunate, as his rate of progression has been equally as startling as Lappi's. This was only Suninen's second rally in a World Rally Car, and here he was, wedging his Fiesta RS WRC firmly in a titanic podium scrap. Unfortunately for the youngster and the romantics among us who would have loved to see three Finns take their first career podiums on their home event, his charge would be halted by a high speed spin that almost sent his Fiesta into a violent roll. Fourth place was the result, and although this incredibly driven Finn will be dejected by missing out on a podium, a top four finish on your second WRC outing is something to be proud of. And is something for the team bosses to think of with the 2018 rumour mill gathering pace. Juho Hanninen has come under a lot of stick in 2017, but in Finland he was doing a magnificent job. Making the most of the tools at his disposal, he headed into the final stage with a minuscule margin over Elfyn Evans, who had come out of nowhere to launch himself into podium contention after a difficult and damp Friday which didn't suit his DMACK rubber. The Welshman would get revenge over his Argentine setback by this time coming out on top of an ultra-close battle, taking the second step of the podium by just 0.3 seconds. After Kris Meeke's win and Craig Breen's third last year for Citroen, it was Evans' turn to shine for the UK & Ireland in 2017, and this firmly enhances his reputation as a rally winner of the future. As for Hanninen, a maiden podium to complete a 1-3 finish for Toyota Gazoo Racing was an impressive drive, but is it enough to save his 2018 drive? With so many promising drivers with a lot more youth on their side than Juho already impressing and in some cases waiting in the wings, the writing is almost on the wall with this one. Craig Breen reverted to his usual position of fifth on what was yet another bad rally for Citroen Racing. Breen was the brie in a Finnish sandwich early on, running as high as third, but unpredictable handling that has long been a bug-bear of the C3 WRC plagued the Irishman, whose confidence was sapped once more. Kris Meeke fared even worse. Despite winning shakedown, Meeke struggled for confidence all weekend, perhaps not helped by an extended period out of the car after missing Poland. Mikkelsen seems happier with the C3, but he's moulded it around him. Mad conspiracists will begin to link Meeke with moves away from Citroen, but this weekend the Ulsterman will have been wishing he had accepted Tommi Makinen's offer to drive a Yaris. 2018 can't come soon enough. Rally Finland was billed as an epic setting for title protagonists Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville to go toe to toe over the blind Finnish crests, testing their mettle in pursuit of performance. However, neither driver would trouble the top of the leaderboard at any point during the weekend. Ogier's rally was far more disastrous than Neuville's. The promise was of good pace but a heavy landing over an SS4 jump that caught out several others broke part of the Fiesta's suspension, which seemed to distract the World Champion who approached a sweeping left hander far too quickly. The Red Bull stickered Ford ploughed into the trees side on, with the shriek from Julien Ingrassia was telling. The Frenchman was signed off from competing for 15 days meaning no Rally 2 and no points for the championship leader. This was the chance Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul had been waiting for. The Belgian's and their Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC have been the quickest package across 2017, but have been playing catch-up to Ogier in the title race due to two howlers in Monte-Carlo and Sweden while leading. However, in Finland, they were far from quickest. They weren't anywhere near the pace, on this their open goal to directly hit Ogier where it hurt. The pair lay eighth after day one, and never really improved their form, accepting that this just wasn't their rally. However, due to other's misfortune and a better set-up Neuville wound up sixth overall, but crucially netted third on the Power Stage to claim an extra three championship points which moved him level with Ogier on 160 points. Neuville heads to Germany as the World Championship leader for the first time in his career on a tie-break, with three wins to Ogier's two. The fight couldn't be closer with both men credited asphalt drivers, but this will all be doubly disappointing for Ogier. Firstly because he has lost his championship lead but secondly because the event he won't have to run first on the road is on one where opening proceedings can be an advantage and not a complete hindrance. Ott Tanak ran wide and punctured the rear right tyre on his Fiesta early on Friday, ruining any chance of a decent result. He recovered to seventh, ahead of Meeke, an anonymous Dani Sordo in ninth and Mads Ostberg in tenth who was running as high as third before car issues and a high speed moment blighted his first event alongside Torstein Eriksen. Hayden Paddon remains the unluckiest driver in the service park, with a rally that would have to be felt to be believed. The Kiwi ran wide on the same corner as Tanak, but damaged his suspension rather than just the tyre and that sidelined his i20 Coupe WRC for the majority of Friday. He and Sebastian Marshall restarted on Saturday but incredibly ran over an unavoidable rock in the racing line which damaged his suspension, again. Paddon is another that will already be longing for 2018, but he did at least get to say goodbye to John Kennard with the outgoing navigator jumping in the Hyundai for one last time on Paddon's final run through shakedown. After an historic Rally Finland, attention turns to the second all-asphalt rally of the year in three weeks time: ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Making a prediction would be pointless, the only thing we can draw just now are conclusions. And with six winners including two debut victors from nine rallies, the drivers title separated by zero points, and a degree of unpredictability we have genuinely not experienced since I was learning my times tables means WRC 2017 can be judged as nothing but a resounding success. Is there even any point in saying I'm excited for Germany? Probably not, that would be too obvious. Instead I'll dedicate the final lines to young Esapekka Lappi. Conqueror of Finland, surely conqueror of the world in years to come.
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Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Formula 1 has Monaco. Endurance racing has Le Mans. And rallying has Finland. The "Grand Prix on gravel", the "Rally of 1000 Lakes", the won they all want to win. In 2017, this on the edge, flat out roller-coaster ride of a rally marks the ninth of 13 rounds, with the championship fight closer than it has been for years.
Rally Finland and its special road characteristics has long been a place for the Scandinavian drivers to flex their muscles, with only six drivers not from Finland, Sweden or Norway taking the victory. Two of them start the rally next week, but I have reason to believe there will be a seventh name joining that elusive club next Sunday. Thierry Neuville is the man in question. Right in the thick of a championship battle with four-times champion Sebastien Ogier, each rally is becoming more and more vital in this most exciting of seasons. The Belgian is the one in form, having taken three wins in 2017 to Ogier's two including last time out in Poland, and by and large Neuville has been the man to beat on pure pace in this first year of the new-generation WRC car. Neuville and the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC have been a match made in heaven, whereas Ogier has taken time to adapt to his new weapon after VW's shock departure late last year. If it weren't for two catastrophic mistakes in Monte-Carlo and Sweden, Neuville may well have been streaking clear. But it could be argued he has benefited from being the hunter rather than the hunted. He heads to the spectacular Finnish jumps in the best possible shape, having been right up there on the two ultra-quick rounds in Sweden and Poland this year already, and after a comfortable win on last weekend's Auto Glym Rally in the Finnish forests on what was the first ever national rally for the i20 Coupe WRC. Ogier's preparation has been slightly less smooth, with a crash in testing that ruled Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen out of any decent pre-event practice. Is this a sign of things to come? Jari-Matti Latvala will be hoping so, as he seeks to gain the ground he lost in Poland where his Toyota Yaris WRC lost drive. Sweden and Finland have long been Latvala's strongest rounds of the World Rally Championship; one box has been ticked and Jari-Matti will be trying harder than ever to tick the second. The other man in the title fight periphery is Ott Tanak. He too lost ground in Poland when crashing out of the lead on the final day, but he is one of the quickest men out there so could be an outside bet for a second Estonian victory in Jyvaskyla. Hayden Paddon achieved his first podium in 12 months last time out in Poland, and will be looking to continue that form into Finland. Team mate Dani Sordo has slipped under the radar of late after the heroics of those around him, but holds fifth in the championship and has increased his gravel pace this year. Elfyn Evans is another to watch, in need of a good result, while home heroes Juho Hanninen, Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen will look to maintain their current promising form to uphold Finnish honour. Mads Ostberg heads to the forests with a new voice in his ear. Out has gone Ola Floene and in his place come two British Rally Championship stars. Oscar Solberg's right hand man Patrik Barth will join the Norwegian in Germnay but Fredrik Ahlin's co-driver Torstein Eriksen steps into the Fiesta RS WRC for Finland. Talk about a baptism of fire. Citroen Racing are one of the key talking points however as the WRC heads to Jyvaskyla. After their re-shuffle of drivers, Kris Meeke returns after missing Poland to the scene of his greatest triumph 12 months ago where he became the first Brit to win Rally Finland. The car has undergone a slight revamp, so it's now time to see what the Ulsterman can do back behind the wheel. Stephane Lefebvre and Craig Breen will partner him, with the former having "the best rally of his career" on round eight while the latter returns to the event that gave him his maiden WRC podium. All three may prove to be ones to watch. But all eyes will be on the battle out front. With just 11 points in it and a gap of 7 between first and second that can rise with Power Stage points equated, the championship lead could very feasibly change hands after Finland. It's all to play for, and it's going to be staged in the most dramatic setting of them all. Photo Credit: Hyundai Motorsport Round eight of the 2017 season took the World Rally Championship to Eastern Europe for one of the fastest rallies of the year: Rally Poland. With four men beginning to streak clear in the championship, Poland was all about the leading quartet as Sebastien Ogier, Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and Jari-Matti Latvala waded into battle in the Polish countryside.
The expected hindrance of running at the front of the field turned into an advantage as the heavens opened, creating Wales Rally GB-esque road conditions on this frighteningly fast event. Ogier was in the fight until the second loop where road sweeping began to come into play, leaving Latvala and Tanak hot on the heels of Neuville after Friday. The Belgian, who is chasing down Ogier in the championship, was overhauled by Tanak but then re-passed him before losing his lead again in a rally that saw the lead exchange hands an incredible eleven times. Latvala began to lose touch a little on Saturday before his challenge was extinguished for good with a loss of drive aboard his Yaris WRC. Stranded and frustrated, the Finn wasn't only out of the rally, his championship challenge was evaporating with every passing car too. That left Tanak and Neuville squabbling for glory, but neither got through SS16 that sidelined Latvala unscathed Banging through a compression, Tanak's Fiesta shed its rear wing, vitally important this year with the new aerodynamics but even more so on one of the quickest events of the entire season. Neuville meanwhile clipped a bank and got a rear left puncture, slipping 20 seconds behind his Estonian rival. With Tanak still sporting damage but Neuville equipped with new rubber, the Hyundai managed to catch and pass its M-Sport rival to lead by a handful of seconds ahead of the final leg. The scene was set. The man on the crest of a wave having won his first WRC round last time out versus the man who has, with the exception of a couple of major blunders in the winter rallies, had the measure of his rivals throughout 2017. Ott Tanak was the one who seemed hungriest, charging through the first test to blast into the lead. But that was as far as he'd go, as when pushing to extend his advantage the Estonian slid on a muddy turn, got sucked into a bank and ploughed head on into the trees at speed. The Fiesta reached the stage end but would go no further. Neuville arrived to consolidate his rival but demonstrate the balance between speed and sensibility, completing the remaining stages to take his third win of the year and close to within 11 points of Ogier in the drivers standings. Hayden Paddon capped off a great weekend for Hyundai Motorsport by bringing his i20 Coupe WRC home second overall, claiming his first podium of the year and Seb Marshall's first at world level. It was an impressive performance from the Kiwi, who needed to perform after crashing out of the lead in Sardinia. He excellently overcame his road order disadvantage from Friday morning in the afternoon where he overhauled the struggling Ogier, and then hammered home his superiority when Ogier struggled on Saturday, puncturing twice and losing a load of front aero. The Frenchman, the master of recovering a bad weekend, still finished third and beat Neuville in the Power Stage to lessen his points deficit from round eight. Dani Sordo returned to the top five in fourth overall, ahead of Stephane Lefebvre who had a fairly anonymous event in his Citroen C3 WRC to claim a solid result. The young Frenchman was under a bit of pressure given the impressive performances of other youngsters, namely Esapekka Lappi, Teemu Suninen and Pontus Tidemand, but he went about his business quietly to come home top Citroen. Teemu Suninen, making his WRC debut, seemed to have taken inspiration from compatriot and EVEN Management stable-mate Esapekka Lappi by defying his experience, taking his Fiesta RS WRC to a stage win on just his fifth proper stage in a World Rally Car. The result will be bitter-sweet though as the Finn held fifth right up until the Power Stage where a half spin dropped him behind Lefebvre. Mads Ostberg and Elfyn Evans finished seventh and eight respectively, ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen and Juho Hanninen. Esapekka Lappi was running as high as fifth on day one before damaging his suspension. Craig Breen's C3 broke a driveshaft early on making his rally a write off, losing several minutes with two wheel drive on such high speed and slippery stages. Poland was yet another bad rally for Citroen with the possible exception of Lefebvre's result, but even then the French pilot finished three minutes down on event winner Thierry Neuville. It was a good rally for Kris Meeke however, despite the Northern Irishman sitting this one out. Why? Andreas Mikkelsen, a previous winner and consistent front runner on this event, languished down in ninth after firstly struggling with a lower road position in the torrential rain but most crucially, slipping wide and damaging his suspension. The Norwegian had two further lary moments on Saturday, further proving the C3's difficulty to drive. So how much is it Meeke being accident prone and how much is it Citroen making a mess of their 2017 challenger? Finland will reveal more answers. Finland is intriguing not just for Citroen, but in the fight at the front as well. Neuville is the man to beat on current form, and has slashed Ogier's points lead the last two rallies. Tanak and Latvala started Poland in the hunt, but with Tanak taking home nothing and Latvala just five markers for a Power Stage triumph, the championship looks to be between Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville with five rallies to go. At the start of the season I was insistent Ogier would claim a fifth world title and this time last month I would've said the same. Now though, Neuville is moulding into the title favourite with his brilliant form and Ogier's slightly rocky patch. The real test will come if and when Thierry takes the points lead and has to deal with pressure of being hunted and the burden of opening the road for his rivals. The real winner of 2017 is us though. The new regulations and VW's departure have tightened everything up, and generated one of the most compelling title fights we've seen in a long, long time. Up next is rallying's holy trinity, where the prospect of a thrilling battle awaits in the most thrilling of settings. |
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January 2018
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