WRC Finland: Two VW drivers go head to head before last day

"Fred (FreddsterExprs)" (freddsterexprs) 08/02/2014 at 15:58 • Filed to: wrc, rally, finland

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Finland is to WRC what Indianapolis is for Indycar: the absolute highlight of the annual season, paired with a huge spectacle and enthusiastic fans along the track. This year was no exception, so here's a quick summary ahead of the very last stages that will take place tomorrow.

Day 1 & 2 were dominated by Jari Matti Latvala, the fast rock enthusiast of Volkswagen. He extended his lead to about 20 seconds. The bigger surprise was Kris Meeke sitting in second. Citroen team principal Yves Matton said that the next rallys and their results would be crucial for the careers of both his drivers, and Meeke was eager to deliver. He was quick while not taking unnecessary risk. Basically, he was performing at the maximum for anyone not driving a mighty Polo WRC.

Position 3 and 4 were held by Ogier and Mikkelsen in their VWs, and Mads Östberg managed to get a feel for his Citroen DS3 by the end of the day, leaving him in P5, just ahead of local hero Hirvonen as the best Ford driver. Hänninen, another finish rally ace, showed that the updated Hyundai is more or less on pace with the worlds best but unfortunately rolled the i20 in what was a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! event. That's part of the magic of WRC Finland: fast, sweeping roads paired with jumps and trees that usually win a confrontation with a rally car.

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Today was Day 3 of the event, a day that saw the field tackle 10 stages. Reigning World Champion Ogier went by Meeke rather quickly and grabbed second, committed to hunt down his teammate JML. His chances were good because he didn't have to start first and be the "road sweeper", and JML also suffered from technical issues, which had him lose brake power. The lead of 30 seconds over Ogier melted to a mere 3.4. Both drivers are looking to win the prestigious event and JML will need this win to keep his championship hopes alive.

Kris Meeke kept his fast, safe driving style and now has a comfortable gap over Mikkelsen in the third VW who inherited 4th place from Östberg, as the second Citroen driver hit a rock and had to retire.

Tomorrow, the two VW drivers will have about 42 km to decide who's the faster one. Finish flamboyance against french Loeb-style control. I can't wait for the last three stages, I think we are in for an epic team duel, and VW is known to let the drivers to their thing.

Somethingwittyer likes noisy > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 08/02/2014 at 16:23

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Two VW drivers at the top? What a shock

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Somethingwittyer likes noisy 08/02/2014 at 16:43

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At least it's not three.

Dusty Ventures > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 08/02/2014 at 16:52

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Great battle for sure! Can't wait to see how it plays out!

Side note, where do you stand on Ogier's view that the championship leader shouldn't have to be first on the road at the start of the rally? Considering it doesn't seem to be costing him wins and is helping make for more exciting events I think he doesn't have adequate reason to complain.