Rally Finland, ES11 : Latvala s’échappe / a flying Finn

Jari-Matti Latvala a pris une (petite) option sur une seconde victoire en Finlande. Le pilote Volkswagen/Michelin compte désormais 18.3 secondes d’avance sur… Kris Meeke ! Le Britannique a dépossédé Sébastien Ogier de la deuxième place pour 1.8 seconde.

Kakaristo n’est pas complètement étrangère aux pilotes de WRC puisque les 15 derniers kilomètres – sur les 20,51 de cette ES7/11 – sont ceux d’Ouninpohja.

Mais c’est dans cette 1^ère portion, étroite, sinueuse et très « polluée », que Jari-Matti Latvala a creusé un écart conséquent sur Seb Ogier, contraint de re-balayer l’endroit au second passage. En 5 km, le Français a concédé 3s5 et c’est avec 8s3 d’avance sur le champion du monde que Jari-Matti Latvala a conclu cette ES11, reléguant son équipier à 20s1 au général. « Je ne peux pas piloter comme ça sur toutes les spéciales » a avoué Latvala. On le comprend : pour l’heure, c’est le rallye le plus rapide de l’histoire du WRC (123,9 km/h).

Sébastien Ogier a également abandonné sa 2^e place au pilote Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi Kris Meeke pour 1s8. Meeke avait signé deux 2^e meilleurs temps dans l’ES9 et 10.

Derrière, ça bagarre aussi très fort entre Andreas Mikkelsen, Mikko Hirvonen et Mads Ostberg, tous trois groupés en 2s3 ! Le pilote Volkswagen est passé de la 6^e à la 4^e place à l’issue de l’ES11. Hirvonen avait effectué un tête-à-queue dans l’ES10, alors que Mads Ostberg se plaignait d’une voiture trop basse pour l’ES11. Hirvonen et Ostberg sont 5^e ex-aequo.

L’assistance Hyundai Motorsport a remis en état l’i20 WRC de Juho Hanninen et le Finlandais est revenu 8^e à seulement 15s3 d’Elfyn Evans. En revanche, son équipier Thierry Neuville n’est pas reparti du parc d’assistance de Jyväskylä. Les commissaires techniques FIA ont découvert que les fixations du siège avaient été endommagées dans la sortie de piste matinale (ES5). Il est prévu que Robert Kubica (Ford) reparte en Rally2 demain.

Rally Finland’s overnight leader Jari-Matti Latvala seems determined to be the Flying Finn who puts an end to three years of French domination of his home event. The Volkswagen/Michelin driver is tailed by Kris Meeke (+19.7s, Citroën) and team-mate Sébastien Ogier (+21.3, VW).

After emerging in front after SS1, Latvala took advantage of today’s ultra-fast stages near Jämsa to extend his lead by a factor of five. With his VW Polo R WRC running on Michelin’s new soft-compound LTX Force S4 tyres, the Finn claimed five of today’s nine tests which were completed at an average speed of more than 120kph. The average since the start (122.9kph) makes this the fastest event so far in WRC history.

After Thursday’s storm, this morning’s stages were still damp under tree-cover and that played in favour of Ogier who has been running first on the road since the start. From SS7, however, conditions began to dry out in the sunshine, leaving a top-coating of gravel – occasionally deep – on the region’s dirt roads. Despite his best efforts, the world champion was unable to maintain his deficit at around the 10-second mark as he had hoped. “That’s the way it goes,” he shrugged, “but I’m still pleased with the way I drove today.”

He was even demoted from second place by the on-form Meeke (Citroën DS3 WRC/Michelin) who has figured on the provisional podium since the start. He emerged in second spot after SS11 and has built up a safety margin over Andreas Mikkelsen (4^th), Mikko Hirvonen (5^th) and Mads Ostberg (6^th) that could be sufficient to secure him a top-three finish on Sunday.

His three chasers have all had hesitant starts to the event, plus some small errors, but they are currently covered by just three seconds and their battle is likely to get even fiercer tomorrow.

Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20 WRC) kicked off Day 2 with a pair of fourth-fastest times on what were new stages, but he then fell back and is overnight seventh, 27.8s clear of Elfyn Evans (Ford) who is under pressure from Hyundai’s Juho Hanninen (9^th). The Finn was fourth overall when he clouted a bank on SS6 before rolling a few kilometres later. Team-mate Thierry Neuville was eliminated after his seat bracket broke in an ‘off’.

The top 10 is rounded off by Irishman Craig Breen (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) who is just ahead of the WRC-2 leader Jari Ketomaa (Ford Fiesta R5): “I’m just trying to control my lead now,” explained the Finn, the class’s winner in 2013. Estonian Karl Kruuda (Ford) is second (+42s), while France’s Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën) has a footing on the podium, ahead of Ford runners Yazeed Al-Rahji and Ott Tanak.

Slovakia’s Martin Koci (Citroën DS3 R3/Michelin) tops the WRC-3 standings, ahead of Frenchman Quentin Giordano. The Drive DMack Fiesta Trophy fight is led by Tom Cave who was 21 seconds clear of Sander Pärn ahead of this evening’s super-special.