2011 Rallye Deutschland
The Rally Germany 2011 was held from 18 to 21 August, 2011 around Trier instead. She was the host of the 29th Rally of Germany and the ninth round of the World Rally Championship in 2011. Additionally, the classes SWRC and WRC Academy were held.
- 3.1 final
- 3.2 stages
Background
Before the Rally Germany Sebastien Loeb led the Drivers' Championship with 31 points ahead of his teammate Sébastien Ogier. Loeb won all eight sweeps the Rally Germany, which were previously held as running the WRC, and was undefeated since 2004 when asphalt rallies.
At the Rally Germany, the WRC was the first time in 2011 on mostly paved roads as a guest. After the shake down on August 18, followed the next three days, a total of 19 special stages over 359.59 timed kilometers. The total distance including liaison stages was 1245.96 km.
The mini- factory team set for the third time in 2011 his vehicles. Among the German participants were located next to the SWRC Hermann Gassner junior regular drivers also some other young drivers who got the chance to present themselves on an international level. Aaron Burkart, the Junior World Champion in 2010, drove a Ford Fiesta RS WRC Ford customer teams Stobart. Christian Riede man got a place in a Skoda Fabia S2000 of Volkswagen Motorsport. Felix Herbold was with his private Ford Fiesta S2000 a guest appearance in the WRC. In the WRC Academy class Sepp Wiegand started. A total of 85 teams participated in the WRC field.
Reports
Shakedown ( Thursday, August 18 )
In Shakedown Sébastien Ogier set the fastest time.
Day 1 ( Friday, August 19 )
The largest part of the field, including the Ford factory pilots selected for the three stages in the morning of the first day the hard tire for dry conditions. The Citroën factory team equipped its vehicles with soft tires, however, and sat in part to the unusual strategy to fit different tire compounds on both sides of the vehicle. So Sébastien Loeb started with two hard and two soft tires per vehicle side in the competition. Since he and Sébastien Ogier took advantage of the opportunity each two additional spare tire in the vehicle and shall this be mounted between the special stages around they were able to weather changes to respond better. In WP 1 posted Jari -Matti Latvala the fastest time and sat down with it to the top in the overall standings. But since it was raining on WP 2, Loeb and Ogier could play in wet conditions the advantage of their soft tires. They distanced the competition by more than half a minute and thus ensured even for a preliminary decision. In the overall standings Ogier was now just ahead of Loeb in the lead. As a 3 again prevailed on WP dry conditions, Loeb set the fastest time and so took over the overall lead. About half of the route Latvala had a puncture that cost him more than a minute and threw back in the overall standings.
After a service break in the afternoon were on the last three trials of the first day. Loeb and Ogier continued to deliver at the top a tight duel, where first a best time then two went to the account of Ogier and to the account of Loeb. Loeb was at the end of the day 7.4 seconds ahead of his teammate in the lead. Ford works driver Mikko Hirvonen lost to WP 4 due to a contact with a wall and a resulting damage to the suspension again about half a minute. It was after the first day in third place in the overall standings, but even with just one and a half minutes behind the leaders. Behind him, the Mini Duo Daniel Sordo and Kris Meeke ranked, followed by Citroen privateer Petter Solberg. Latvala was slowed by engine problems in the Fiesta, which only ran on three cylinders, and another puncture. He lay back in the standings already over six minutes.
Day 2 ( Saturday, August 20 )
On the morning of the second day Latvala set the fastest time on WP 7 Ogier was on the next special stage of the Fastest and shortened the gap to Loeb in the overall standings to 3.8 seconds. At this time arose speculation about team orders at Citroën, that Ogier the world champion should not attack because of the large protrusion on the competition in order not to jeopardize the double guide. With a best time on WP 9 Loeb extended his lead back out easily. In chasing Petter Solberg lost around 40 seconds due to a puncture. Thus he fell back to sixth place behind Meeke, on which he had passed on WP 7 after his mistake. It was the WP 10, the famous " armor plate " test, with 34.18 kilometers longest test of the rally, on the program. Ogier completed the examination fastest and pushed himself back up to 4.8 seconds Loeb zoom. Hirvonen lost due to a puncture over a minute and had the third place in the Appreciation of Sordo, who was now almost 33 seconds ahead of Hirvonen.
In the afternoon, initially marked Ogier the best time on WP 11, WP 12 On countered again Loeb, as Ogier was ordered not to attack. The two teammates then parted just 3.4 seconds of each other. Behind it took five seconds to Hirvonen on Sordo. Also WP 13 Loeb decided for themselves. In chasing several drivers of punctures were equally affected, including re Latvala, who finally fell out of the points. In the subsequent second crossing of the " armor plate ", it caught even the previous leader Loeb. He lost due to a puncture 1:15 minutes, which brought the decisive turning point in the rally. A summary score led at the end of the day his team-mate Ogier with 1.11,3 minutes ahead of Loeb.
Day 3 (21 August )
On the third and final day of the rally Ogier managed his comfortable lead. He did not cut the curves in order to capture any tire damage. After the two tests in the morning Loeb had made up for around 10 seconds Ogier, but his deficit was still over a minute. The best times secured Hirvonen WP 15 and WP 16 Hirvonen Latvala but managed not to come within striking distance of third-placed Dani Sordo. Kris Meeke was meanwhile due to an error in the pace notes back to sixth place behind Petter Solberg. During the lunch break began rain. On the wet streets of the WP 17 Loeb took the leading Ogier, who was taking no chances, from 15 seconds. Hirvonen now gave up his attacks on Sordo, since he could not make up enough time on him without great risk. Loeb marked on WP 18 again the fastest time and took Ogier a further four seconds. Now Loeb had but still 41.8 seconds behind in the overall standings. The previous sixth-placed Meeke was forced to abandon after his Mini lost Bordnetztspannung and stopped short of the goal of WP 18.
The final Power Stage, the so-called "Circus Maximus " in Trier, Loeb won with more than two seconds ahead of Ogier and Petter Solberg. Ogier won the overall standings with 39.8 seconds ahead of his teammate Loeb and thus achieved his first victory in a tarmac rally. In addition, Ogier broke two of his winning streaks, because Loeb was generally unbeaten since 2002 in the Rally of Germany and since 2004 in asphalt rallies in the WRC. After the rally Loeb held the lead to 25 points ahead of Ogier the driver standings. Third place is Sordo, who thus import the first podium with the new Mini John Cooper Works WRC. The other points placements completed Hirvonen, Petter Solberg, Kimi Raikkonen, Henning Solberg, Armindo Araújo, Peter van Merksteijn junior and Dennis Kuipers. Jari -Matti Latvala finished the rally after numerous problems only 14th best German was Christian Riede man in 15th Aaron Burkart crossed the finish line just under SupeRally conditions and was considered 23. The SWRC competition was won by Ott Tanak before Nasser Al- Attiyah and Frigyes Turán. In this class, Hermann Gassner junior was rated seventh and Felix Herbold ninth. In the WRC field reached a total of 48 of 85 starters in the target. The competition of the WRC Academy was completed already after the second day, so that their participants did not drove on to the end. Since one of the most influential factors were the many punctures for the race course of the Rally Germany, presented Michelin Rally Manager Jacques Morelli clear in retrospect: "In Germany there were only 14 punctures. " - "But there were 113 broken wheels and only 14 punctures. Actually there was only one correct tire damage. That was that of Loeb. He had the curve that is not cut. That's why he got the stone in the middle of the street. The remaining riders took full risk, went everywhere and 113 rims have damaged. People need to understand that. "