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Extreme heat will play a big role
The 2008 Jordan Rally starting will no doubt offer a level playing field as top drivers in World Rally Championship negotiate the 22 stages here for the first time but the heat is likely to pose a bigger challenge.
- By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:45 April 25, 2008
- 1. Sebastian Loeb (Citroen) 30 pts
- 2. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) 25 pts
- 3. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) 22 pts
- 4. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) 16 pts
- 5. Gigi Galli (Stobart) 11 pts
- 6. Dani Sordo (Citroen) 9 pts
- 6. Petter Solberg (Subaru) 9pts
- 1. BP Ford Abu Dhabi 44 pts
- 2. Citroen Total 41 pts
- 3. Subaru 33 pts
- 4. Stobart VK M-Sport 22 pts
- 5. Munchi's Rally Team 10 pts
Dead Sea, Jordan: The 2008 Jordan Rally starting will no doubt offer a level playing field as top drivers in World Rally Championship negotiate the 22 stages here for the first time but the heat is likely to pose a bigger challenge.
Already dubbed as 'the hottest', this history-making event the first WRC rally in the Middle East- has had the drivers sweat over the 40-plus degrees Celsius.
"It is very hot. I plan to take in a lot of salts," said four-time WRC champion Sebastian Loeb of Citroen during yesterday's press conference.
Loeb, who leads BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team's Mikko Hirvonen by five points after four rounds in the current 2008 Drivers' Championship, said he would first like to finish. "It is very easy to make a mistake as the stages are very technical. It is not an advantage to be out first on this surface," said the Frenchman.
Temperature
The Jordan Rally poses a totally different challenge as most of the 22-stages over the next three days will be run below sea level which is different from the experience of the last two rallies held at high altitudes in Mexico and Argentina.
"I need to win this event so that the gap narrows down to a few points," said Hirvonen, who along with fellow Finn Jari-Matti Latvala hopes to stop the Frenchman Loeb. After yesterday's shakedown, the Abu Dhabi team driver said, "the temperature and the road surface make it difficult. The hottest rally was Cyprus where it was around 30-35 degrees."
Crucial
Subaru's Chris Atkinson lies third in the Drivers' Championship standings and the Australian and Impreza-driving colleague Petter Solberg are also looking to make a winning start at this newest WRC venue.
"The fact that no-one has competed here before may even things up a little. At this part of the season it's about linking events to build momentum for the next few rounds," said Atkinson.
What makes this Jordan event so crucial for the leading contenders is that the World Rally Championship enters a mid-year period with three European rallies in the space of five weeks coming a fortnight later.
Having won the Drivers Championship for the last four years, Loeb will be looking to extend his lead while the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team will hope to protect their three-point lead in the Manufacturers' championship.
Apart from the WRC contests, the Jordan Rally will also see round two of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship and the Group N Championship in which Shaikh Khalid's brother Shaikh Abdullah Al Qasimi and Shaikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum will also be seen in action.
FIA World Rally Championship after round 4:
Drivers
Manufacturers and Teams
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