By RSL Staff –
August 3, 2012Posted in: Featured, News, WRC
Rally Finland, one of the most spectacular rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship, got underway this afternoon and Frenchman Sébastien Loeb has inched into an early but significant lead. The reigning FIA World Rally Champion is 7.3 seconds ahead of Finnish heroes Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen, having set a blistering time in the final stage of the day.
Today’s route included just three stages and 29.90 competitive kilometres before the crews head back into the forests for two long days of competition on Friday and Saturday. Loeb set the pace in the opening stage but was being pushed hard by Petter Solberg, who claimed victory in stage two – the Jokimaa super special. However, in stage three Loeb was once again fastest, leaving the chasing pack in his wake.
Latvala and Hirvonen have yet to feel comfortable on the stages, but Mads Ostberg is a fine fourth after setting second fastest time in the final stage. Thierry Neuville, in his debut outing in Finland, is also hot on the pace in fifth, nine seconds off the lead. Solberg dropped to sixth having lost over seven seconds in the last stage and Chris Atkinson – replacing Olympic medal winner Nasser Al-Attiyah – is seventh.
WRC Rally Finland 2012 – Provisional Results after Thursday
1. Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena
2. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
3. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
4. Mads Ostberg/Jonas Andersson
5. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul
6. Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson
7. Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prévot
8. Evgeny Novikov/Denis Giraudet
9. Ott Tänak/Kuldar Sikk
10. Jari Ketomaa/Mika Stenberg |
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
15 min 07.1 sec
15 min 14.4 sec
15 min 14.4 sec
15 min 14.6 sec
15 min 16.1 sec
15 min 16.3 sec
15 min 22.7 sec
15 min 25.3 sec
15 min 28.2 sec
15 min 40.2 sec |
Related posts:
- WRC Rally Finland 2011 – Day 1 Overview
- WRC Rally Finland 2011 – Day 2 Overview
- WRC Rally Finland 2011 – Day 3 Overview
- WRC Rally de Portugal 2012 – Day 1 Overview
- WRC Rally New Zealand 2012 – Day 1 Overview
- WRC Rally Mexico 2012 – Day 1 Overview
- WRC Acropolis Rally 2012 – Days 1 & 2 Overview
- WRC Rally New Zealand 2012 – Day 2 Overview
- WRC Rally New Zealand 2012 – Day 3 Overview
- WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo 2012 – Day 1 Overview
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