The FIA World Rally Championship has potentially been thrown wide open during the opening day of competition in Rally Poland. Reigning World Champion and series leader Sébastien Loeb crashed in the fourth stage while chasing down the lead, significantly boosting Mikko Hirvonen’s Championship aspirations. The Finn leads the event ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, while Citroën’s hopes of a top points-scoring position now rest on third-placed Dani Sordo.
Rally Poland returns to the World Championship for the first time since 1973 and it is the second oldest rally in the world, surpassed only by the famous Rallye Monte Carlo. Following last night’s super special stage, today’s route took in two loops of three stages, all phenomenally fast as they weave through countryside likened to Finland.
Petter Solberg won last night’s super special but it was Hirvonen who set the pace this morning, winning the first two stages to take the lead ahead of Loeb after two stages. Despite finishing second to his team-mate in SS4, the Finn maintained his lead and the BP Ford team claimed first and second positions when Loeb hit a tree-stump and was forced into retirement. This afternoon, Hirvonen won one of the stages to head Latvala by 8.9 seconds overnight. Sordo, now all too aware of the importance of finishing in the points, is 37 seconds behind Hirvonen.
After winning last night’s stage, Petter Solberg lost time this morning, his older car unable to match the pace of the front-runners. However, this afternoon the Norwegian has climbed to fourth and is in the thick of a battle with brother Henning, who has suffered with set-up problems during the day. Sébastien Ogier is a further 11.4 seconds adrift. Matthew Wilson and Conrad Rautenbach hold seventh and eighth respectively.
Rally Poland - Results after Day 1
1. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Focus RS WRC 1 hr 02 min 23.1sec
2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila Ford Focus RS WRC 1 hr 02 min 32.0sec
3. Dani Sordo/Marc Marti Citroën C4 WRC 1 hr 03 min 00.1sec
4. Petter Solberg/Phil Mills Citroën Xsara WRC 1 hr 03 min 37.7sec
5. Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud Ford Focus RS WRC 1 hr 03 min 44.6sec
6. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia Citroën C4 WRC 1 hr 03 min 56.0sec
7. Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 1 hr 04 min 19.6sec
8. Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt Citroën C4 WRC 1 hr 04 min 54.6sec
