Provided by 7DAYS.ae
THE BP-Ford Abu Dhabi team's hopes of glory in the Dead Sea are alive and kicking after a bizarre crash ended Sebastien Loeb's chances of victory at the Rally of Jordan.
The Frenchman had carved out a healthy lead with a blistering display early on day two. But the championship leader's chances of a 40th WRC win were dashed by a head-on crash on a road section between stages with fellow Citroen C4 WRC driver Conrad Rautenbach.
The crash was a real gift to BP-Ford Abu Dhabi duo
Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen, who adopted safety first tactics to ensure Loeb's Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo finished first and goes out as roadsweeper early today.
Loeb's five-point lead at the top of the drivers' standings is sure to disappear if Hirvonen and Latvala can hold things together on some tricky stages today - including two lengthy 41km runs alongside the River Jordan. And barring any major shocks they are also set to ramp up their pursuit of a third straight manufacturers' title.
Loeb refused to apportion any blame despite such an elementary mistake when free from danger.
He said: "It's difficult to explain, and very stupid.
"The start and the end of SS11 are very close together, so after I finished the stage I was driving away from it and Rautenbach was heading to the start on the same road.
"It was a hidden corner, he was a bit late so he had to go a bit fast.
"I was not very concentrated on the road section because I had just come out of the stage. The fact is we've lost the lead of the rally and a lot of points maybe."
Latvala produced a great tactical drive on the final stage, finishing 11th to take second spot overall and allow Sordo the dubious honour of starting first on the final 134km.
That means the stages will be clearer for the 23-year-old who runs second. And they will be a whole lot smoother still for team-mate and senior driver Hirvonen, who will overtake Loeb at the top of the drivers' standings with a first or second placed finish.
Latvala said: "At the end of stage 11 my co-driver warned me about the two-way traffic in what's a very narrow stretch of road, then we saw Loeb. He was very quick and Mikko and I were content staying with Sordo.
"I made no mistakes but when I try to push it is difficult to gain time. I couldn't believe it when I saw Seb's accident."
UAE driver Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi's policy of safety first appears to be paying dividends, although a nasty spill on stage ten almost scuppered his plans.
"Thankfully, there wasn't much damage and I completed the stage," Qassimi said.
"My confidence was a bit low after that but I was able to build that back up."
The Abu Dhabi driver is currently in ninth spot and on course for his highest-ever finish in a WRC event.
[c] 2007 Al Sidra Media LLC
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