WRC Wales Rally GB 2012 – Day 1 Overview

RSL Staff

– September 14, 2012Posted in: Featured, News, WRC

The Ford World Rally Team drivers have dominated the opening day of Wales Rally GB, the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Jari-Matti Latvala has taken the overnight lead in the Fiesta RS WRC with team-mate Petter Solberg second, while the final provisional podium position is held by reigning World Champion Sébastien Loeb.

Britain’s round of the series kicked off on Wednesday evening with a start ceremony in the north wales coastal town of Llandudno, but today saw the first wheels turn in anger in the opening day of competition. Two identical loops of three stages in mid Wales were split by just a 15 minute remote service in Newtown before the crews returned to the rally base in Cardiff for the overnight halt.

Solberg – a multiple Rally GB winner – was the early pace-setter, the Norwegian leading after the first two stages having claimed victory in each. However, team-mate Latvala powered ahead in the third stage and the Finn won this and the remaining three stages to overnight 12.1 seconds ahead. Both have had a trouble-free day, although Latvala was lucky to escape in Hafren Sweet Lamb (SS2) when he ran wide and clipped a tree stump. Loeb, in third, has run well throughout the day but the Frenchman has simply been unable to match the pace of the Fords on the slippery gravel tracks.

Fourth is held by Mads Ostberg, who was also one of the early front-runners. The Norwegian has however slipped from second to fourth, but is still in a fine position despite struggling with some of his pace notes. Mikko Hirvonen is fifth in the second Citroën DS3 WRC having had a trouble-free day and Ott Tanak is sixth.

WRC Wales Rally GB 2012 – Provisional Results

1.   Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
2.   Petter Solberg/Chris Patterson
3.   Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena
4.   Mads Ostberg/Jonas Andersson
5.   Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
6.   Ott Tänak/Kuldar Sikk
7.   Evgeny Novikov/Ilka Minor
8.   Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul
9.   Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin
10. Martin Prokop/Zdenek Hruza

Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC

1 hr 25 min 05.7sec
1 hr 25 min 17.8sec
1 hr 25 min 27.0sec
1 hr 25 min 38.3sec
1 hr 25 min 59.5sec
1 hr 26 min 24.9sec
1 hr 26 min 38.5sec
1 hr 27 min 33.6sec
1 hr 28 min 22.7sec
1 hr 28 min 42.5sec