2011 Rally Australia
Native name21st Rally Australia
Round10
Championship2011 World Rally Championship season
Previous round2011 Rallye Deutschland
Next round2011 Rallye de France
RallybaseCoffs Harbour, New South Wales
Startdate8 September
Enddate11 2011
Stages26
Stagekm368.96
Overallkm1246.78
SurfaceGravel
Driver 1Mikko Hirvonen
Team 1Ford World Rally Team
Teamsstart29
Teamsfinish24

The 2011 Rally Australia was the 21st Rally Australia and the tenth round of the 2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 8–11 September, and was based in Coffs Harbour, a coastal city in the New South Wales state of Australia.[1] The rally was also the fifth round of the Production World Rally Championship. Rally Australia returned to the WRC calendar after a year's hiatus, and after demonstrations marred the 2009 running of the rally, held north of Coffs Harbour in the Northern Rivers area. Residents' concerns for the event meant that the rally was moved for the foreseeable future to Coffs Harbour.[2]

Ford World Rally Team's Mikko Hirvonen took his third successive Rally Australia victory, after team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slowed tactically on the penultimate stage, in order to aid Hirvonen's chances for the drivers' championship title.[3] The Ford drivers had moved into the top two placings on the opening day of the rally after Citroën's Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier both had to retire from the day's proceedings and return to the rally the following day under the SupeRally regulations.[4] Loeb recovered to score a tenth-place finish with the Power Stage victory, to extend his championship by four points over Ogier, who slowed on the last two stages to drop from eighth to eleventh behind Loeb.

Petter Solberg finished third behind the Ford pairing, 44.8 seconds in arrears, but finished over seven minutes clear of the fourth-placed driver Matthew Wilson, who matched his career-best placing from Rally Japan in 2007. Khalid Al Qassimi scored a career-best fifth place, ahead of a quartet of PWRC competitors. Hayden Paddon was the best of the PWRC competitors with sixth place overall, securing his fourth PWRC victory in succession, and the championship title as Martin Semerád – who elected not to compete at the event – could only tie Paddon on points and lose on countback.[5] Michał Kościuszko, Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr. and Benito Guerra also scored overall championship points by finishing in the top ten.

Results

Event standings

Pos.DriverCo-driverCarTimeDifferencePoints
1.Mikko HirvonenJarmo LehtinenFord Fiesta RS WRC3:35:59.00.025
2.Jari-Matti LatvalaMiikka AnttilaFord Fiesta RS WRC3:36:13.714.720
3.Petter SolbergChris PattersonCitroën DS3 WRC3:36:43.844.816
4.Matthew WilsonScott MartinFord Fiesta RS WRC3:44:44.28:45.212
5.Khalid Al QassimiMichael OrrFord Fiesta RS WRC3:48:32.312:33.310
6.Hayden PaddonJohn KennardSubaru Impreza WRX STI3:53:28.317:29.38
7.Michał KościuszkoMaciej SzczepaniakMitsubishi Lancer Evolution X3:55:00.319:01.36
8.Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr.Pavlo CherepinMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX3:57:07.521:08.54
9.Benito GuerraBorja RozadaMitsubishi Lancer Evolution X3:58:47.922:48.92
10.Sébastien LoebDaniel ElenaCitroën DS3 WRC4:06:01.930:02.94
PWRC
1. (6.)Hayden PaddonJohn KennardSubaru Impreza WRX STI3:53:28.30.025
2. (7.)Michał KościuszkoMaciej SzczepaniakMitsubishi Lancer Evolution X3:55:00.31:32.018
3. (8.)Oleksandr Saliuk, Jr.Pavlo CherepinMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX3:57:07.53:39.215
4. (9.)Benito GuerraBorja RozadaMitsubishi Lancer Evolution X3:58:47.95:19.612
5. (12.)Valeriy GorbanAndrey NikolayevMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX4:06:21.112:52.810
6. (16.)Gianluca LinariNicola ArenaSubaru Impreza WRX STI4:14:49.221:20.98
7. (17.)Brendan ReevesRhianon SmythSubaru Impreza WRX STI4:17:19.223:50.96
8. (18.)Nathan QuinnDavid GreenMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX4:17:53.624:25.34
9. (20.)Harry HuntRobbie DurantCitroën DS3 R34:25:40.932:12.62
10. (21.)Bader Al JabriStephen McAuleySubaru Impreza WRX STI4:29:41.236:12.91

Special stages

DayStageTimeNameLengthWinnerTimeAvg. spd.Rally leader
Leg 1
(8–9 September)		SS119:15Coffs Jetty Precinct 13.77 kmSébastien Ogier2:46.181.71 km/hSébastien Ogier
SS219:30Coffs Jetty Precinct 23.77 kmSébastien Loeb2:41.184.25 km/h
SS310:03Shipmans 129.03 kmSébastien Loeb15:17.0113.97 km/hSébastien Loeb
SS410:58Brooklana 112.78 kmPetter Solberg10:01.976.44 km/hSébastien Ogier
SS511:29Ulong 112.45 kmJari-Matti Latvala6:37.9112.64 km/h
SS614:42Shipmans 229.03 kmJari-Matti Latvala16:15.2107.17 km/hMikko Hirvonen
SS715:37Brooklana 212.78 kmMikko Hirvonen10:23.173.84 km/h
SS816:08Ulong 212.45 kmJari-Matti Latvala6:55.1107.97 km/h
SS918:30Coffs Jetty Precinct 33.77 kmJari-Matti Latvala2:51.079.37 km/h
SS1018:45Coffs Jetty Precinct 43.77 kmMikko Hirvonen2:49.979.88 km/h
Leg 2
(10 September)		SS118:33Welshes 121.10 kmJari-Matti Latvala12:10.2104.03 km/hJari-Matti Latvala
SS129:21Grace 119.77 kmJari-Matti Latvala11:10.9106.08 km/h
SS1310:14Valla 114.84 kmJari-Matti Latvala8:56.299.63 km/h
SS1410:54Urunga 113.79 kmJari-Matti Latvala8:41.895.14 km/h
SS1514:02Welshes 221.10 kmSébastien Ogier11:55.2106.21 km/h
SS1614:50Grace 219.77 kmSébastien Ogier10:56.0108.49 km/h
SS1715:43Valla 214.84 kmSébastien Ogier8:39.7102.80 km/h
SS1816:23Urunga 213.79 kmSébastien Loeb8:28.897.57 km/h
SS1918:30Coffs Jetty Precinct 53.77 kmSébastien Loeb2:34.987.62 km/h
SS2018:45Coffs Jetty Precinct 63.77 kmSébastien Ogier2:33.888.24 km/h
Leg 3
(11 September)		SS216:56Bucca 114.83 kmMikko Hirvonen7:18.3121.81 km/h
SS228:19Plum Pudding 130.00 kmJari-Matti Latvala16:26.3109.50 km/h
SS239:32Clarence 14.58 kmSébastien Loeb2:22.8115.46 km/h
SS2412:03Bucca 214.83 kmMikko Hirvonen7:10.6123.99 km/h
SS2513:26Plum Pudding 230.00 kmMikko Hirvonen16:07.8111.59 km/hMikko Hirvonen
SS2615:30Clarence 2 (Power stage)4.58 kmSébastien Loeb2:18.1119.39 km/h

Power stage

The "Power stage" was a live, televised 4.58 km (2.85 mi) stage at the end of the rally, held in Clarence.

PosDriverTimeDiff.Avg. speedPoints
1Sébastien Loeb2:18.10.0119.39 km/h3
2Jari-Matti Latvala2:19.3+1.2118.36 km/h2
3Petter Solberg2:19.4+1.3118.28 km/h1

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1Sébastien Loeb196
2Mikko Hirvonen181
3Sebastien Ogier168
4Jari-Matti Latvala119
5Petter Solberg110
Constructors' Championship standings
PosConstructorPoints
1Citroen Total World Rally Team347
2Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team285
3M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team117
4Petter Solberg World Rally Team98
5Ice 1 Racing48
  • Bold text indicates World Champion.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

  1. ^ "Itinerary". Rally Australia. World Rally Championship; International Sportsworld Communicators. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  2. ^ Evans, David (29 September 2010). "Rally Australia moves to new location". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Hirvonen moves into top spot". World Rally Championship. International Sportsworld Communicators. 11 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Ogier not giving up on top 10 in Australia". World Rally Championship. International Sportsworld Communicators. 10 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Paddon wins rally, claims title". World Rally Championship. International Sportsworld Communicators. 11 September 2011. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.