Acropolis: Stobart M-Sport Ford - FinishStobart M-Sport Ford's Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud have finished the BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece in fifth position after a gruelling three days of rally action.
It was a sterling effort by the Norwegian pair
who helped add four points to their driver's, and their team's, championship campaigns.
Matthew Wilson and Michael Orr drove superbly to again finish in the top-ten. Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila put on an impressive display for most of the rally. However, a few unfortunate punctures on the ultra-tough Saturday stages saw them finish in a creditable twelfth spot.
True to its form, the 54th running of this historical event was no doubt the most demanding in the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship calendar to date. The loose, rocky surface combined with dry air temperatures in excess of 31°C made things tough for crews who battled through the sun-drenched conditions.
Fitness definitely became a factor in this event especially during Saturday's leg when competitors took on the monstrous, 48-kilometre Agii Theodori test. This stage proved to be a turning point for many crews as its length and arduous conditions took their toll on several top WRC crews.
Spread evenly from Athens on all sides of the compass, stages wound their way from coastal settings to mountainous regions; coming to a close under the watchful eye of thousands of spectators in the Olympic Equestrian venue in Markopoulo.
All Stobart drivers paid tribute to the excellent performance of their BF Goodrich g-Force tyres which stood up amazingly to the extreme temperatures and razor-sharp rocks they encountered on a daily basis.
After finishing leg 1 in eighth position Latvala fell victim to the unbelievably harsh conditions on Saturday picking up a total of four punctures over both passes of the extremely hot and rocky, long stage, losing nearly twelve minutes in the process. It was an unfortunate end to his points-chase after showing good form on day 1 where he set several top-four stage results.
To his credit the young Finn fought on today showing amazing speed and winning the final main test of the event, his third WRC career stage win. Latvala is now relishing the opportunity to perform on home soil in Finland after the summer break.
Of all WRC crews Solberg was one of the most consistent performers throughout the rally and was justly rewarded with his fifth placing overall. Apart from stalling twice on the opening stage on Friday morning and some minor brake issues today, the Norwegian had no major dramas in his Ford Focus RS WRC06 during his Acropolis quest.
This is now the third consecutive event Solberg has scored points and finished within the top-five crews. Driving here with a cautious approach has rewarded the 34-year-old who now lies sixth in the driver's championship, nine points ahead of seventh-placed Chris Atkinson.
After a sluggish start Wilson began to race up the leaderboard preying on a top-ten position by the end of leg 1. On Saturday morning the young Brit bruised his ribs on the opening test creating an uncomfortable ride during the lengthy stage. While he battled these problems his sensible approach to finish each day rewarded him with a tenth placing overall and more importantly, for the 20-year-old, valuable experience miles on this notoriously difficult event.
The WRC now moves into its summer break and will restart in August as competitors head to the rapid gravel roads of Rally Finland.
Source Stobart M-Sport Ford
