ID :
206521
Sun, 09/11/2011 - 14:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/206521
The shortlink copeid
Hirvonen wins Rally Australia
Sydney (AAP) - 11 Sept - Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen closed the gap on World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Loeb to just 15 points with victory in Rally Australia on the NSW Coffs Coast on Sunday.
Hirvonen trailed overnight leader and fellow Finn Jari-Matti Latvala by almost 23 seconds going into the final day of the 26-stage, 389km event.
He closed the gap to just over 13 seconds with two stages to go and moved to the lead on the penultimate stage after Latvala followed team orders to slow.
The winning margin was 14.7 seconds.
It was a third straight Rally Australia victory for Hirvonen, who also won in 2006 and 2009, but whose only previous triumph this season was in the opening round.
Seven-time world champion Loeb finished tenth, also benefiting from team orders, after fellow French driver Sebastien Ogier slowed on the penultimate stage.
Ogier, who was second overall to Loeb in the standings, finished out of the points and dropped to third with three European events remaining.
Loeb has 196 points, Hirvonen 181, Ogier 167 and Latvala 116.
Both Loeb and Ogier lost valuable time on Friday after each crashed their Citroens while leading.
New Zealander Hayden Paddon finished sixth overall in his Subaru Impreza on Sunday, gaining enough points to seal the Production Car world championship.
Hirvonen trailed overnight leader and fellow Finn Jari-Matti Latvala by almost 23 seconds going into the final day of the 26-stage, 389km event.
He closed the gap to just over 13 seconds with two stages to go and moved to the lead on the penultimate stage after Latvala followed team orders to slow.
The winning margin was 14.7 seconds.
It was a third straight Rally Australia victory for Hirvonen, who also won in 2006 and 2009, but whose only previous triumph this season was in the opening round.
Seven-time world champion Loeb finished tenth, also benefiting from team orders, after fellow French driver Sebastien Ogier slowed on the penultimate stage.
Ogier, who was second overall to Loeb in the standings, finished out of the points and dropped to third with three European events remaining.
Loeb has 196 points, Hirvonen 181, Ogier 167 and Latvala 116.
Both Loeb and Ogier lost valuable time on Friday after each crashed their Citroens while leading.
New Zealander Hayden Paddon finished sixth overall in his Subaru Impreza on Sunday, gaining enough points to seal the Production Car world championship.
