Apologies for the delay since the last post, but at least there is now plenty of exciting news to report on.
Last weekend was Rally Australia and was an interesting battle on so many different levels.
As well as being round 10 of the World Rally Championship, in which Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen were locked in an intense battle to become World Rally Champion.
Five Kiwis made the trip across the ditch. As part of his Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) campaign that has been largely backed by the Pirelli Star Driver campaign, Mark Tapper took a Reece Jones Rallysport Evo 9 across the ditch. Also running in the PWRC as stand in drivers were Richard Mason (WRX) and Stewart Taylor (Evo 9).
Hayden Paddon was another Kiwi taking an Evo 9 over the Tasman, chasing the same Asia Pacific Pirelli Star Driver scholarship that Tapper was the recipient of this year. The Star Driver prize was based on a points system over the first nine special stages, with five for a stage win, four for second etc. as well as several pre rally tests. Paddon was up against 3 of Australia’s greatest rising talents plus the best China could offer for the winner takes all prize.
Rounding out the Kiwi contingent was Trevor Taylor in his state of the art Evo 10.
The event was being run on roads that had never been rallied on before around the border between New South Wales and Queensland on the East Coast of Australia, meaning nobody had the advantage of local knowledge.
By the time the crews returned to the first service halt after special stage 9 (they were rather short stages), Tapper had already retired the Mitsubishi after rolling the car and loosing all of it’s coolant. On the positive side, Paddon had well and truly scored the most points in the Pirelli Star Driver scholarship, now there was just a nervous wait before the judges released their decision the following day. Such was Paddon’s pace over the morning that he was leading group N and sitting 10th overall. Right there with his was Richard Mason, holding down eleventh, second Group N and leading the PWRC, showing that Kiwis really can fly. Stewart Taylor wasn’t disgracing himself either by holding down a points scoring position in the PWRC, not a bad effort considering it is only his second rally back after a nasty heel injury.
Up front, Citroen played a master tactical move. With the road position for the following day being decided before the days final two tarmac super special stages, they did not put new rear tyres on their cars, meaning that they lost just enough time on the afternoons gravel stages to not have to run first on the road, meaning the slippery loose gravel would be swept away for them. Then, once the road position was decided they would gain time with the more worn tyres providing more grip on tarmac (The blocks on the tyres are more worn down so flex less which gives more grip).
By the end of day two, Citroen had this time slowed on the last gravel stages to put Mikko Hirvonen first on the road for the final day, then on the tarmac stages Loeb moved ahead, albeit by 0.1 of a second, and Dani Sordo in the second Citroen drew level. With the gap at three points in the fight for the World Championship in Hirvonen’s favour, Sordo had a very important role to play in giving his team-mate (Loeb) the best chance of winning the championship for the sixth time.
Also announced on the second day was the fact that Paddon had secured the Pirelli Star Driver scholarship for 2010, a huge boost that gives him six fully funded rounds of the World Rally Championship in a PWRC car, a prize valued at around 500,000 euros (Over NZD$1 million). Now to round out his stellar season, he goes to the final round of the New Zealand Rally Championship in Nelson needing to finish ninth on one leg to defend his 2008 championship, but there will be more about that event in a post later in the week.
After a day long battle, Mikko Hirvonen couldn’t keep up with Loeb and his superior road position. For a while it looked like Dani Sordo might also beat Hirvonen, something that would have all but ended Hirvonen’s title chances with the next round being on Tarmac, a surface both Citroen drivers love and Hirvonen is not so fond of. However more drama was to come when both Citroen drivers were handed a one minute penalty for an incorrect sway bar link, something the team bosses are describing as an “Administration error” and “not performance or reliability enhancing”. Call it what you like, it means Hirvonen took the win and his lead in the championship is five points instead of one.
Of the Kiwis, Paddon was top, ninth overall, first group N and one of the big talking points of the rally. There is no doubt that at just 22 years of age, he has a big future in the sport.
Second of the PWRC runners, third group N and 11th overall was Richard Mason, continuing his trend of finishing on the PWRC podium at every attempt.
Stewart Taylor also impressed with fifth amongst the PWRC runners and 14th overall, seven places better than his father Trevor.
Until next time.
Cheers
Blair