Ford today won the manufacturers’ title in the FIA World Rally Championship for the second straight season with the Focus RS World Rally Car. Fourth place for BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen in Rally Ireland was sufficient to ensure the crown with one round remaining next month in Great Britain. The team holds a 21-point lead with a maximum 18
available on the 16th and final event.
Rally Ireland’s championship debut proved every bit as challenging as was expected. The narrow, bumpy asphalt lanes were full of crests and dips and presented the kind of test not found on any other round of the series. Rain during the opening two legs of the three-day event provided treacherous conditions as cars dragged mud onto the already shiny asphalt, and drivers
likened the special stages to driving on ice.
This cross-border event was based in Sligo, and featured tests in the Republic of Ireland during the first leg before crossing the border into Northern Ireland on the second day. The final leg covered both countries, ending with a spectacular test hugging the Donegal Bay coastline which was broadcast live on television. Drivers tackled 20 stages in total, covering 328.72km of
competition.
Hirvonen’s target from the outset was to obtain the points necessary to ensure BP-Ford’s second consecutive manufacturers’ title. Sixth position or better would provide the three points required to do that and his role became even
more important when team-mates Marcus Gr
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