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Hirvonen hangs on to first place in Japan
But French driver Loeb in third and on course to take World Championship as he needs to finish in the top three
- Staff Report
- Published: 22:58 November 1, 2008
- Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen drives through the Japanese countryside on his way to a 15-second lead after the second day of the Rally of Japan.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
Sapporo, Japan: Mikko Hirvonen maintained his lead ahead of his Ford Focus teammate Jari-Matti Latvala after the second day of the Rally of Japan, despite winning only two stages on Saturday.
The Finn, who is driving for the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, started the day with a 26.2 second lead and saw it reduced to 15.5 seconds after the 20th stage for a total of two hours 21 minutes 31.8 seconds.
Reigning world champion Sebastien Loeb of France, who is seeking a record-breaking fifth consecutive championship by finishing among the top three, kept third place in 2:22:25.3.
With nine more stages to go today, the Citroen driver has a solid lead ahead of Australia's Subaru Impreza driver Chris Atkinson in fourth place.
"It was quite a nerve-wracking day. The roads were much faster and it took a while for me to get used to that after the narrow, twisty stages yesterday," said Hirvonen.
Difficult conditions
"This afternoon there were ruts everywhere but I couldn't afford to ease my pace too much. The conditions were difficult and Jari-Matti drove quickly behind me.
"I came to Japan looking for a victory but even if I achieve that tomorrow, it looks like that won't help my championship challenge now.
"Tomorrow's stages are soft but they shouldn't be as slippery, so I hope we have an easier time."
Meanwhile, Loeb said he ran a higher risk of making a mistake on the narrow tracks.
"It's no secret that I prefer competing to win rallies. Today, though, it was necessary to keep a cool head," said the Frenchman.
"Whenever I felt that the conditions were a little too treacherous, I didn't hesitate to brake earlier than normal.
"There's a great deal at stake here and I didn't want to risk throwing it all away.
"We just tried to stay focused on our objective, which was to consolidate our third place, and I think we succeeded quite well. The goal we are aiming for is within reach."
However, with Loeb's teammate Dani Sordo running outside of the points in 17th, the prospect of BP-Ford Abu Dhabi halving Citroen's 23-point manufacturers' lead - should they secure a one-two finish - remains the teams' aim in the rally.
Latvala said: "I succeeded in keeping Sebastien behind me.
"Maybe he drove carefully in the ruts but, if so, it made my life easier. I needed to drive fast because I didn't want him getting closer to me, but equally I didn't want to put Mikko under pressure, so I followed Se''s split times in the stages.
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