Australian joy for Hirvonen

Mikko Hirvonen has narrowed Sebastien Loeb’s lead in the World Rally Championship to 15 points after winning Rally Australia for a third time today (Sunday).

Hirvonen, co-driven by fellow Finn Jarmo Lehtinen, began the final day of the Coffs Coast event 22.7s behind Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. But when Latvala slowed to enable his fellow Fiesta RS WRC driver to get ahead, Hirvonen took a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

In the process the Finn scored his first victory in the WRC since his triumph on Rally Sweden in February - 212 days ago - to end Citroen’s run of success. Latvala made it a one-two for the Blue Oval in second with Petter Solberg third in his privateer Citroen DS3 WRC.

“This is a fantastic feeling and a very important result for the team and for my championship chances,” said Hirvonen, 31. “I have to say a big thank you to my team and also to Jari-Matti for slowing down. I’m back in the game but we have to work really hard now to improve our pace on Tarmac [the surface of the next two rounds].”

Latvala, who won a total of nine special stages during the event, was 14.7s behind Hirvonen at the finish. He said: “Of course it would have been great to have won the rally but it was a great result for the team.”

Ford’s victory, its second of the 2011 season, coincided with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which the American firm marked by carrying memorial stickers on its factory machines.

Solberg’s capture of third place marked the Norwegian’s second podium of 2011. He said: “I’m very happy because I’ve been waiting a long time for that. The team has done a very good job and it’s great to be on the pace again. It’s thanks to them.”

Matthew Wilson equalled his career-best finish of fourth in his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta following a consistent performance alongside co-driver Scott Martin. The Britons have now scored points on eight events this season. “The conditions were absolutely horrible on Friday so I’m absolutely overjoyed with this result,” said Wilson.

Team Abu Dhabi’s Khalid Al Qassimi claimed his highest finish at world level in fifth after a controlled drive in his Fiesta. “It’s a fantastic feeling and thanks to my co-driver Michael [Orr] for supporting me and to the team. It has been a perfect weekend and this is an historical result for Abu Dhabi because no other driver from our country has reached this level before.”

New Zealander Hayden Paddon finished sixth to win the Production Car World Rally Championship title with class rival Michal Kosciuszko, from Poland, seventh and Ukrainian Oleksandr Saliuk eighth.

Mexican Benito Guerra took ninth with Sebastien Loeb battling back from his roll on Friday to claim the final point in 10th after his Citroen team ordered Sebastien Ogier to drop out of the points on the penultimate stage.

To do this Ogier started the second Plum Pudding test five minutes late to incur a 50-second time penalty and fall behind Loeb on the road before parking up nearing the end of the stage for almost 10 minutes.

“On this rally the team made this choice because there is big pressure from Mikko who closed the gap a lot in the championship because of our mistake,” said Loeb.

Ogier said before the start on Thursday evening that he would follow team orders but was downhearted when he was forced to surrender a points’ finish that would have been fitting reward as he fought back from his crash on Friday.

“I received a team order and I respected this,” he said. But when asked if the loss of what would have been two drivers’ championship points would spell the end of his title ambitions, Ogier said: “I have no comment about that. You can draw your own conclusion but no comment for me.”

Ogier’s frustrations intensified when he slowed again before the finish of the Power Stage to ensure he didn’t take any bonus points away from Loeb, who claimed three extra points for topping the times on the rally-closing test. He eventually finished a despondent 11th.

Dutchman Peter van Merksteijn Jr recovered from his exit on Friday due to a double puncture to finish 13th in his Van Merksteijn Motorsport Citroen DS3 WRC. Henning Solberg rolled on Sunday’s third stage but recovered to 14th with John Spencer finishing as the leading Australian driver in 15th.

American Ken Block came home 19th overall in his Monster World Rally Team Fiesta after crashing out on Friday morning. But there was no finish for Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira, who went off the road in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC on Sunday’s second stage.

Evgeny Novikov also hit trouble on the same Plum Pudding test, rolling heavily in his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta. The Russian was ninth at the time.