2009 Rally de Portugal 43º Vodafone Rally de Portugal | |||
---|---|---|---|
Round 4 of the 2009 World Rally Championship
| |||
Host country | Portugal | ||
Rally base | Vilamoura | ||
Dates run | 2 April – 5 April 2009 | ||
Stages | 18 (341.36 km; 212.11 miles) | ||
Stage surface | gravel | ||
Statistics | |||
Crews | 68 at start, 41 at finish | ||
Overall results | |||
Overall winner | Sébastien Loeb Citroën Total World Rally Team |
The 2009 Vodafone Rally de Portugal was the 43rd running of the Rally Portugal and the fourth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. It took place between 2-5 April 2009 and consisted of 18 special stages.
The event was won by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb ahead of Ford's Mikko Hirvonen and Loeb's teammate Dani Sordo. Norwegian drivers Petter Solberg, his brother Henning Solberg and Mads Østberg took the following positions. The last point-scoring places went to Federico Villagra and Khalid al-Qassimi, after Evgeny Novikov crashed out from eighth place on stage 15, and fifth-placed Matthew Wilson and now eighth-placed Conrad Rautenbach both retired on the penultimate stage.
The early leader Jari-Matti Latvala had a big crash on the fourth stage, rolling his Ford Focus WRC 17 times over a distance of 150 metres. Marcus Grönholm, who came out of retirement to contest the rally in a Prodrive-prepared Subaru Impreza WRC, crashed out from fourth place on stage eight. [1]
Day | Stage | Time (WEST) | Name | Length | Winner | Time | Rally leader |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (2-3 APR) | SS1 | 16:50 | Estadio Algarve 1 | 2.21 km | Henning Solberg | 2:09.6 | Henning Solberg |
SS2 | 10:15 | Ourique 1 | 23.42 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 14:26.9 | Jari-Matti Latvala | |
SS3 | 11:12 | Silves 1 | 21.54 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:11.6 | ||
SS4 | 11:55 | Malhao 1 | 22.04 km | Sébastien Loeb | 14:10.8 | Daniel Sordo | |
SS5 | 15:00 | Ourique 2 | 23.42 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 14:27.3 | Mikko Hirvonen | |
SS6 | 15:57 | Silves 2 | 21.54 km | Daniel Sordo | 12:09.8 | ||
SS7 | 16:40 | Malhao 2 | 22.04 km | Sébastien Loeb | 14:06.6 | ||
2 (4 APR) | SS8 | 09:55 | Santa Clara 1 | 22.61 km | Sébastien Loeb | 13:52.3 | |
SS9 | 10:30 | Almodovar 1 | 27.18 km | Sébastien Loeb | 17:14.6 | Sébastien Loeb | |
SS10 | 11:40 | Vascao 1 | 22.8 km | Sébastien Loeb | 14:47.2 | ||
SS11 | 14:50 | Santa Clara 2 | 22.61 km | Sébastien Loeb | 13:50.0 | ||
SS12 | 15:25 | Almodovar 2 | 27.18 km | Sébastien Loeb | 17:20.3 | ||
SS13 | 16:35 | Vascao 2 | 22.8 km | Sébastien Loeb | 14:40.6 | ||
3 (5 APR) | SS14 | 07:50 | Loule 1 | 22.65 km | Sébastien Loeb | 15:46.6 | |
SS15 | 08:45 | S. Bras Alportel 1 | 16.23 km | Sébastien Loeb | 11:40.1 | ||
SS16 | 11:16 | Loule 2 | 22.65 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 15:34.9 | ||
SS17 | 12:11 | S. Bras Alportel 2 | 16.23 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 11:36.0 | ||
SS18 | 14:00 | Estadio Algarve 2 | 2.21 km | Henning Solberg | 2:08.8 | ||
Petter Solberg is a Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver.
Marcus Ulf Johan "Bosse" Grönholm is a Finnish former rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming FIA World Rallycross Championship driver. Grönholm's nicknames are either "Bosse" or "Magic Marcus". Grönholm is one of the most successful WRC drivers of all time, ranking third in rally wins (30), and winning two championships, in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing out to Sébastien Loeb by one point. The next year he again placed second, four points behind Loeb. He and his co-driver Timo Rautiainen retired from rallying after the 2007 season but returned to the championship in 2009 driving a private Subaru for a short period of time, and in the 2019 World Rally Championship where he competed in a Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT-maintained Toyota Yaris under the GRX Team banner.
Sébastien Loeb is a French professional rally, racing and rallycross driver. He is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC), having won the world championship a record nine times in a row. He holds several other WRC records, including most event wins, most podium finishes and most stage wins. Loeb retired from full time WRC participation at the end of 2012. He currently drives part time in the WRC for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, and full time in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) for Bahrain Raid Xtreme.
Henning Solberg is a Norwegian rally and rallycross driver. Together with his female co-driver Ilka Minor, he currently competes in the World Rally Championship (WRC) with cars of M-Sport.
Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish former rally driver, and a current Rally-Raid driver, who drove in the World Rally Championship. He placed third in the drivers' championship and helped Ford to the manufacturers' title in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 he finished runner-up to Sébastien Loeb. Hirvonen's co-driver was Jarmo Lehtinen from the 2003 season until his retirement in 2014, Lehtinen had replaced Miikka Anttila who co-drove with Hirvonen in the 2002 season.
The Citroën C4 WRC is a World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing to compete in the World Rally Championship. It is based upon the Citroën C4 road car and replaced the Citroën Xsara WRC. The car was introduced for the 2007 World Rally Championship season and took the drivers' title in all four seasons it participated in at the hands of Sébastien Loeb between 2007 and 2010, as well as the manufacturers' title in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
The 2007 Vodafone Rally de Portugal was the 41st Rally de Portugal and the fifth round of the 2007 World Rally Championship season. It took place between March 30–April 1, 2007 and consisted of 18 special stages. 61 drivers finished the rally and the winner was Citroën's Sébastien Loeb, followed by Subaru's Petter Solberg and Citroën's Dani Sordo.
The Citroën Total World Rally Team was the Citroën factory backed entry into the World Rally Championship (WRC), run by Citroën Racing.
The 2008 Swedish Rally, officially 57th Uddeholm Swedish Rally, was the second round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally took place during February 7–10, beginning with the Super Special Stage placed in the rally's base, Karlstad. The rally was also the first round of the Production Car World Rally Championship this season.
The 2008 Rally Argentina, officially 28º Rally Argentina, is the fourth round of 2008 World Rally Championship season; it is a second gravel round of the championship and also the second round of the Production World Rally Championship. The event began with a ceremonial start on Thursday, March 27 in Córdoba and ended after a Super Special Stage and ten minutes service "E" in Villa Carlos Paz.
The 20º Corona Rally México, the third round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season took place from March 3–5, 2006.
Sébastien Eugène Emile Ogier is a French rally driver, competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC), who is currently teamed with the co-driver Vincent Landais. He has won the World Rally Drivers' Championship 8 times, in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
The 2009 Rally Argentina was the 29th running of the Rally Argentina and the fifth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was run on 23–26 April. It was won by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb for the fifth consecutive year. His teammate Dani Sordo finished second.
The 2009 Rally d'Italia Sardegna was the sixth running of the Rally d'Italia Sardegna and the sixth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 17 special stages.
The 2009 Acropolis Rally of Greece was the 56th running of the Acropolis Rally and the seventh round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 17 special stages. Ford's Mikko Hirvonen took his first win of the season and Citroën Junior Team's Sébastien Ogier his first-ever podium position. Hirvonen's teammate Jari-Matti Latvala climbed back to third place after going off the road and dropping from first to 11th place on the first day.
The 2009 ORLEN Platinum Rally Poland was the 66th running of the Rally Poland and the eighth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. Rally Poland had previously been part of the WRC schedule during the inaugural 1973 season. The rally consisted of 18 special stages and was won by Ford's Mikko Hirvonen, who took his first-ever back-to-back victories. However, the team's celebration was subdued after Jari-Matti Latvala crashed out from second place on the final super special stage, losing important manufacturers' championship points.
The 2009 Neste Oil Rally Finland was the 59th running of the Rally Finland and the ninth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 23 special stages and was won by Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. This marked his third victory in a row and his first in his home event. Last year's winner Sébastien Loeb of Citroën finished second and took his first podium since the Rally Argentina back in April. Jari-Matti Latvala beat Dani Sordo to the final podium spot.
The 2009 RACC Rallye de Catalunya was the eleventh round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and the 45th running of Rally Catalunya. The rally consisted of 18 special stages and took place between October 2–4, 2009. Citroën's Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo took their fourth Catalunya double win in a row. Loeb's title rival Mikko Hirvonen of Ford finished third and will head to the season-ending Rally GB with a one-point lead over Loeb. Petter Solberg made his debut in a Citroën C4 WRC, finishing fourth and recording four stage wins.
The 2012 Monte Carlo Rally, officially 80ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo was the first round of the 2012 World Rally Championship (WRC) season. The rally took place between 18 and 22 January 2012.
The 2018 FIA World Rally Championship was the 46th season of the World Rally Championship, a rallying championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams and crews were competing in thirteen events—starting with the Monte Carlo Rally in January and finishing with Rally Australia in November—for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Crews were free to compete in cars complying with World Rally Car and Group R regulations; however, only Manufacturers competing with 2017-specification World Rally Cars were eligible to score points in the Manufacturers' championship. The series were once again supported by the WRC2 and WRC3 categories at every round and by the Junior WRC at selected rounds.