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Tactics played a big part in the Ford pairing of Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen winning a new event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, the Rally of Jordan. The event marked the first Middle East rally to appear in the series since 1976.
Citroen's Dani Sordo led the demanding rally for both of the first two days, but Hirvonen's ploy to let Sordo keep the second day lead and therefore run as first car on the road for the final tough day provided the Finn with a cleaner road surface.
The win returned Hirvonen to the top of the driver championship leader-board. "My strategy paid off but I was nervous in the final stage," said Hirvonen. "I really needed these ten points and this is a great result for my championship challenge. I've learned how important it is to consistently score points on every rally but ten is perfect. It was a tough rally but it's good to lead the series again."
Australia's Chris Atkinson was third behind Sordo with his fourth podium finish of the season. "It was a difficult rally for us as almost from the start we were in the middle of nowhere with big gaps in front and behind of us. We managed to go along at our own pace, keeping it on the road," said the Subaru driver.
Using roads specially developed for the event, Rally Jordan's route along the shores of the Dead Sea took teams through sub-sea level regions. Searing heat and desert style conditions added to the challenge with many finding the new roads a steep learning curve.
"It wasn't easy to take good notes because everything looks alike and the roads are fast and tricky," commented defending drivers champion Sébastien Loeb. Having finished behind team-mate Sordo on the first day, Loeb then went on to take a sizable lead on the second day before colliding with another competitor during a narrow section of road between special stages, putting both cars out of the event.
Hirvonen's Rally Jordan victory puts him five points clear of Loeb on the WRC drivers' standings one-third of the way through the 2008 season, while reigning world champion manufacturer, Ford, extends its lead in the manufacturers' championship to seven points.
The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship will be the all-gravel Rally d'Italia Sardegna (Italy) over the weekend 15-18 May.
2008 FIA World Rally Championship
Results Overall: Jordan Rally (25-27 April)
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 02min 47.9sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti (ESP) Citroen C4 - 4hr 04min 03.6sec
3. C Atkinson/S Prévot (AUS) Subaru Impreza - 4hr 07min 47.4sec
4. H Solberg/C Menkerud (NOR) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 10min 23.7sec
5. M Wilson/S Martin (GBR) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 13min 29.6sec
6. F Villagra/J Perez Companc (ARG) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 14min 10.1sec
7. J-M Latvala/M Anttila (FIN) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 15min 03.5sec
8. G Galli/G Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 15min 12.3sec
9. K Al Qassimi/M Orr (UAE) Ford Focus RS - 4hr 21min 53.6sec
10 S Loeb/D Elena (FRA) Citroen C4 - 4hr 26min 26.0sec
Drivers points (after five rounds)
1. M Hirvonen (FIN) - 35pts
2. S Loeb (FRA) - 30pts
3. C Atkinson (AUS) - 28pts
4. J-M Latvala (FIN) - 18pts
5. D Sordo (ESP) - 17pts
6. G Galli (ITA) - 12pts
Manufacturers points (after five rounds)
1. BP Ford Abu Dhabi - 57pts
2. Citroen Total - 50pts
3. Subaru - 39pts
4. Stobart VK M-Sport - 29pts
5. Munchi's Ford - 14pts
6. Suzuki - 6pts
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