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Drivers Championship:
1. S. LOEB 30
2. M. HIRVONEN 25
3. C. ATKINSON 22
4. J. LATVALA 16
5. G. GALLI 11
6. D. SORDO 9
7. P. SOLBERG 9
8= F. DUVAL 5
8= C. RAUTENBACH 5
10. F. VILLAGRA 5
11= H. SOLBERG 4
11= A. MIKKELSEN 4
13. M. WILSON 3
Manufacturer's Championship:
1. Abu Dhabi Ford 44
2. Citroen WRT 41
3. Subaru WRT 33
4. Stobart Ford 22
5. Munchi Ford 10
6. Suzuki 6
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On Friday we are ready for gravel roads in Argentina. The city of Cordoba and Villa Carloz Paz are hosting Rally Argentina. Recce starts Tuesday, Shakedown is scheduled Thursday morning and the first car will be on stage Friday morning.
Rally Argentina is run through a varied landscape, with numerous changes of the road surface from narrow loose gravel stages high in the mountain to flat-out harder-packed stages in the valley. Although Mexico is the rally with the highest average altitude, many of the Argentine stages are more than 1,000 metres above the sea, with leg 3’s El Condor stage, 2,195 metres, as the highest point. The high altitude of the stages can sap the cars power as they struggle to breath in the thin air.
One of the seasons highlights is a rally car plunging through a watersplash in Argentina. Getting the right line and speed on approach is crucial, with all the watersplashes there are many potential hazards.
61 entries will be on the first stage on Friday, the only Norwegians are Petter and is brother Henning. 21 stages are to be run during the weekend. 348kms of special stage and 1271kms of road section.
Sebastien Loeb won the rally in 2007, while Petter had to retire with engine problems on Saturday.
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Petter Solberg’s disappointing run on Rally Mexico was a result of two freak mechanical failures that were beyond his control, says Subaru team principal David Richards.
Things had started well for Solberg on an event he counts as one of his favourites. After setting the fastest time at the pre-rally shakedown, he was quickest through the first four split sectors of SS1 before brake failure in the final kilometres meant he had to ease off. Solberg made repairs that allowed him to continue; but without full braking power he was unable to match his earlier pace.
Worse was to come on day two, however, when three-quarters of the way through SS10 his Impreza WRC2007 experienced a serious transmission problem related to the left-hand front drive shaft.
“Petter had a frustrating event, said Richards. “He had two technical failures, neither of which was down to him. His first problem was down to a broken rear brake caliper which is almost unheard of. [Brake suppliers] AP have never seen a mistake on one of their calipers for 25 years like this, but it just happened to be on Petter’s car. Later in the rally we had a transmission problem with Petter’s car which was also unusual - especially with a gearbox that’s so old and so solid. Sadly these two failures put him out of contention.”
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Petter Solberg driving the new Impreza STI
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Ian
The development of Subaru’s new Impreza World Rally Car reached a crucial point this week when Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson drove it for the first time.
Solberg flew to Sardinia for the secret test straight after Rally Jordan and took the wheel of the new hatch-back Impreza on Wednesday 30 April and Thursday 1 May. Atkinson flew in on Thursday for two days of testing on Friday and Saturday.
Up to now the majority of the test and development driving has been carried out by Markko Martin, who was drafted in at the beginning of the year for this specific purpose.
Beyond confirming that the event took place, Solberg, Atkinson and the management team at Subaru remained light-lipped about how the test had gone and when the new car might make it’s eagerly anticipated WRC debut.
“Yes, Petter and Chris are driving the car for the first time this week,” the team’s managing director Richard Taylor acknowledged on Friday. “But the test is still ongoing and we don’t have anything else to say at the moment. Getting Petter and Chris in the car at the soonest opportunity was always been part of the development plan. But we haven’t yet made a decision about when the car will make its first WRC appearance.”
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by
Ian
Petter Solberg retired from Saturday’s competition in Jordan after crashing his Subaru Impreza WRC2007 off the road 5.3km into the day’s final stage, SS16.
He and co-driver Phil Mills escaped injury in the crash.
After a strong performance on the last round in Argentina, Solberg has not had an enjoyable Jordan Rally and retired on the opening day when his car’s front dampers burst on SS6.
He restarted as a Superally entrant on Saturday but more than 16 minutes adrift of the leaders. After encouraging times on the day’s first two stages, Solberg hit trouble again on SS11 when a rear damper reservoir burst and he was forced to complete SS12 with the same problem.
Things didn’t improve much after the car was repaired at the midday service. “We changed the dampers at service, but now it is too hard,” Solberg said after SS13. “I am fighting the car instead of driving it.”
Earlier in the day Subaru World Rally Team principal David Richards acknowledged that the team was experiencing trouble with its dampers. “We’ve had ongoing damper problems on recent events and we don’t seem to have solved them, said Richards. “It’s frustrating for all of us in the team, including Petter and Chris, but we’re working with our engineers to resolve the issues.”
The Subaru team will carry out an inspection of Solberg’s car before deciding whether or not he can restart on Sunday.
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by
Ian
Day 1, and 8 stages, is completed in the 2008 Jordan Rally. Sadly, Petter and Phil had to retire after SS6, after hitting a rock. Dani Sordo is in the lead, and his team-mate Sebastien Loeb is 2nd.
Today has mostly been about grip – or lack of grip. The hard-packed surface is covered with sand, making it difficult for the first driver to find grip. Petter started the day well, and ended with a joint fastest time together with Sordo on the first stage. After SS5 he was 5th overall, but only 16 seconds behind the leader. But 500 metres before the finish line on SS6, they hit a rock and damaged both dampers. They made it to the finish line, but lost more than 6 minutes. They did not start on SS7 and SS8, and for the moment it is not decided if they will restart tomorrow under SupeRally-regulations.
Jordan Rally has been a challenge to other drivers, as well. Loeb had a little spin on SS1, and he lost a few seconds. PG Andersson got stuck in a sandbank on SS1 and had to struggle to get out again. He lost so much time, that it was decided to retire from the day, and restart again tomorrow under SupeRally-regulations. Hirvonen went off the road on SS2, and said he couldn’t believe his luck when he managed to get back on the road and was able to continue. Toni Gardemeister retired on SS3 with an oil-leak, and Gigi Galli went off on SS7 and also had to retire.
Rally Jordan continues with 8 more stages Saturday, first car is on stage at 0853.
Overall classification – day 1 Jordan Rally
1. Dani Sordo, Citroën
2. Sebastien Loeb, Citroën +1,1
3. Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford +8,5
4. Mikko Hirvonen, Ford +13,4
5. Chris Atkinson, Subaru +1.08,0
6. Urmo Aava, Citroën +1.59,3
7. Matthew Wilson, Ford +2.52,7
8. Henning Solberg, Ford +3.22,3
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313 I'm doing a free show on my webcam, you should come watch me
http://webcam-hotties.info?p65x=GD8J... or copy and paste webcam-hotties.info 
cosp qnicvis
4 weeks ago via Mobileevre 1 join dis plese!!
6 weeks ago<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
i waz n hiz rally car @ rally ireland cooooool
8 weeks agoAmazin Driver
9 weeks agoI got his autograph =]
So chuffed =]
x
WRC FAN
13 weeks agoOf course ya are!!!!!
Join this Group!!!!!
Rally deutschland review completed
Updated championship standings AND Plenty of petter solberg pics and videos!!!
awesome driver!!
13 weeks agoEVRE1 JOIN DIS BAND PLEASE!!
19 weeks ago<<<<<<<join this<<<<<<<
31 weeks agopetter rules
Solberg can steer.. but subaru's a shit car.. always was always will be.. Come drive a gud c4 petter
31 weeks agoSubaru better get their act together....Petter is putting in so much effort and then the car lets him down.....in case they havent noticed, they are not goin 2 win a world championship wit dis shit croppin up the whole time!........Still have 2 Support da boyz in Blue though..........come on Petter in Jordan!
31 weeks agoI LOVE HIM HE IS A HUGE LEGEND AND A TRUE INSPIRATION TO ME ROCK ON SOLBERG!!!!!
33 weeks agopetter is a ledgend , in penllegear forest he is crazy he flys though it , hes mental honest
33 weeks agoplz join
33 weeks agoSo gutted for petter, aaah!!!!!!
33 weeks agoNEWSFLASH:NEWSFLASH
34 weeks agoPetter up to 2nd place after SS10 in Rally Argentina!
Thanks man.....at the end of the day, we both support the same man in World Rally, and thats all that counts!...our support helps him when he is out tearing through the stages......That comment means a lot 2 me......Thanks again!.
..............GO PETTER IN ARGENTINA!!!!!!
Nah mate, just crossed wires! No link because we are both right.
35 weeks agoThe quiz could be clearer, but I really meant what CAR did he drive, not for what TEAM.
Have to say I'm impressed with your knowledge of Petter - but we're both right in our own way.
GO PETTER IN ARGENTINA!
He did drive a Celica GT4, but it wasnt for the works Toyota team. I thought you meant a works team in the quiz. If your right, could you put up a different link please. The Celica was Henning Solbergs car and he leant it 2 Petter 4 a high profile event in Norway in 1996. If you have any links to say that he drove for the works Toyota team, please send it 2 me, Thanks
35 weeks agoTo the person who thinks Petter hasn't driven for Toyota, look at this:
36 weeks agohttp://www.swrt.com/the_team/view_pr...
If you look at this link and to the bottom with his yearly stats, you'll see he rallied in a Toyota Celica.
Don't wanna say I told you so, but I did!
How'd he do in Mexico?
36 weeks agoi never heard!