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JARIJARI-MATTI |
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JARIJARI-MATTI |
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JARIJARI-MATTI |
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PHOTOSDIARY |
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List of every contest Jari-Matti has participated to so far. Check out upcoming rallies also. |
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World Championship
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International
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National
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| World Championship rallies | ||
| Car: Ford Focus WRC -06 Service Team: Stobart |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| January, 18th-21st, 2007 |
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "It felt good to start the new season in Monte Carlo. Just before the rally we were informed that we can drive a WRC Ford in at least 12 world championships rounds. The competition itself started poorly. I was totally lost with my driving. On Thursday night when the rally started we had to drive the first stages in the dark and the fastest cars were way ahead of me. That was mostly because I was not able to test the car before the race and this was my first rally on tarmac with a Ford Focus 06 WRC. On Friday morning my driving got better and in the afternoon we were able to drive a few good stage times. We had some problems with our launch control on the last two stages on Friday, though. I changed a few adjustments which helped and on Saturday the driving felt pretty good. We even drove the third best stage times twice. Unfortunately Saturday ended badly, I hit a stone wall on the last stage and even though we were able to continue we had to retire because our roll cage got twisted. Only two and a half kilometres before the finish we had to let the eighth position go and retire. There is still much to learn! " |
retirement SS14 |
| December, 1st-3rd, 2006 |
Rally of Wales, Great Britain Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "I was pretty exited before the rally because the last three races in Stobart's car had failed. I had driven off the road in all of them. My racing car was now a -06 Ford which definitely would be a very competitive car. This was my fifth time in the Rally of Wales which made it easier for me to start competing in slippery conditions. I decided to drive nothing but my own speed and didn't mind the times of the other drivers. We had a sticky start but my driving got better and better and on Friday evening we were suddenly fourth. On Saturday I wasn't able to drive as smoothly as on Friday and Xavier Pons beat us. He was now fourth and we were fifth. On Sunday we chose the perfect tyres for slippery and muddy roads. I managed to drive very well, Xavier spun and now we were fourth again. I concentrated on keeping this position till the end of the rally, I succeeded and in the finish we celebrated our best position so far. No fastest times, though - yet." |
Overall 4th |
| Subaru Impreza WRX Sti 06 Service Team: Motoring Club Competition engineer: Asko Kosonen |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| November, 11th-12th, 2006 |
Rally New Zealand Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "We rested properly on a two-week holiday and after that came to New Zealand. The rally had moved from Auckland to Hamilton. Right away on stage one I was able to drive the fastest time but on stage two I swung and lost ten valuable seconds. On Friday I tried to drive as fast as possible but I couldn't catch Juho Hanninen who was leading group N. On Saturday morning we managed to take perfect tyres and we drove fine times on slippery stages. In the middle of the day we were leading group N and the rest of the day went without trouble. When we came to the evening service an unpleasant surprise was waiting for us: we had driven 42km/h at the service area and the speed limit there is only 30km/h. The jury had decided to fine us with one minute. On Sunday morning we started as second in group N 56 seconds behind Mirco Baldacci. But he was unlucky and had to retire because of a broken gearbox. We could maintain our lead till the end of the rally although it wasn't easy to drive on slippery roads. The second win in group N was as sweet as the first one." |
Group N 1st, Overall 8th |
| October, 27th-29th, 2006 |
Rally Australia Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "I think Australia is the best competition in the world championships series what comes to both the special stages and the organising of the rally. Unfortunately this is the last time Australia is in the series. The race started well and we were able to keep almost the same speed as the leaders although we could not drive any of the fastest times. On Friday evening the last two stages were difficult to drive fast because of the dust and the gap to the leader got quite big. Friday's dramatic turn was when Chris Atkinson's car burst into flames and we had to lend him a fire extinguisher which is why we got two compensated stage times. On Saturday my speed improved on the famous Bannister stages (jumps). In the evening we even managed to drive the fastest time once and now we were second in group N, only 27 seconds behind Ligato who was leading. On Sunday morning I tried to attack but that was a wrong choice. I hit the bank and broke my rear suspension. Luckily we were able to change it after the stage. Ligato had to retire in the next service due to a broken engine. The next two stages I drove as fast as I could having Aki Teiskonen breathing to my neck. Unfortunately he drove off the road and had to retire. I eased my driving and for the first time I was able to win a world championships round in group N. We were 6th overall." |
Group N 1st, Overall 6th |
| September, 1st-3rd, 2006 |
Rally Japan Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "Our first time in Japan. The roads were fast and difficult but they suited our car. On Friday I drove carefully, avoiding the worst parts. That was a very good idea because on Friday afternoon I was leading group N. In the evening I slowed down a little bit and still kept the lead. Back to the roads on Saturday morning, even more carefully than the day before. The racing started to feel so good that I raised my speed. On Saturday evening my lead was one minute ten second. On Sunday all that was needed was to drive sensibly, avoiding faults and unnecessary risks. Everything seemed perfect until on the third last stage the rod broke and I lost the control of the car. We slid into a ditch and the car fell; that was the end of Rally Japan. It was a huge disappointment for us as well as for the team. There is no such way the breaking of a rod could be avoided beforehand. But once again something good came out of the bad: we got a lot of attention and new fans in Japan." |
retirement |
| Car: Toyota Corolla WRC Team: Latvala Motorsport Ltd Competition engineer: Asko Kosonen |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 17th-20th, 2006 |
Neste Oil Rally Finland Co-driver: Asko Sairanen "The preparations for Neste Oil Rally 2006 went well. We could update the notes from the 2005 Neste Rally rather easily. Reading numbered notes was a bit confusing beforehand and even in the recce. On the first day we hit the stone Jan Kopecky's car had dug up. This happened on the test special stage in Laajavuori. Our service experts managed to fix the crack in the oil bottom before the stage of Killeri. The first stage on day two was Lankamaa. We spanned there in high speed. Luckily there was large enough a yard of a farm house and we didn't lose much time in our spin. Special stages two and three, Laukaa and Ruuhimäki, went as planned. Last year we retired at Vellipohja which put some pressure on us this year, but we managed well. Mökkiperä didn't have jumps at the beginning like last year so it was easier but the right bend at the end was very slippery. The same stages were driven twice and we had no worries. We had driven like a bus, on time from one bus stop to another. Killeri, which we drove perfectly, was the last stage of day one. Our position was 14th overall. Day two: the special stage of Vaheri ended a bit embarrassingly for us, we kept on driving after the finish. My co-driver hadn't noticed the difference between the special stages in Vaheri and Himos so our notes weren't right. Our time came out alright but guess just how much the rally radio joked about our "go off"! Ouninpohja West and East were controlled driving which got us higher in overall positions. We were already number ten. After Urria it was Ouninpohja West and East again and our rear right tire got totally damaged because there was a crack in the rim. The tire even got into flames and we had to stop to put the fire out. That cost us several minutes. And that was not all, the next stage we had to drive very slowly (not race at all) because of all the damage caused by the fire. Our position was now 23rd. Our tremendous service personnel were able to fix the car again and we drove two good rally days as the first racing car on each stage. We finished 17th overall. Many, many thanks for our sponsors, for our brilliant service team and for all of Jari-Matti's fans from Finland and from abroad." |
17th |
| Car: Ford Focus WRC 04 Stobart Motorsport |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 11th-13th, 2006 |
Rally Germany Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "I had been looking forward to this competition because I like the German Rally. Right away on stage one I was surprised by the slippery road and I hit the railing badly. I had to retire which made me so sad I got tears into my eyes. My car was fixed, though, and I was able to continue the race on Saturday and on Sunday due to the super rally rule. I did the fifth and sixth best times on the stages." |
retirement |
| Car: Subaru Impreza WRX Sti 06 Service Team: Motoring Club Rally Engineer: Asko Kosonen |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| June, 2nd-4th, 2006 |
Rally Greece Co-driver Miikka Anttila "The rally started on Thursday evening with a spectator stage that was driven at the Olympic stadium of Athens. Friday morning, on the first stage, I experienced some extra excitement, when the steering wheel almost came loose due to heavy shaking caused by poor-conditioned roads. We got the steering wheel tightened on the way to the start of the next stage, but it didn't help for long as the problem came back on the second stage. Luckily at the service we were able to fix the problem. When coming to the first service stop I was on the 4th place of the group, nine seconds behind the lead. After that things started to go for the worse as we punctured a tyre on the 6th stage. We had to change it on the stage which caused us to loose two minutes. Our driving was also slowed down by heavy dust. On the following stage I was able to finish second in my group. Saturday morning started with some good stage times, but then the real problems began. At first we broke the backup shocks that had been changed in the service. After that we blew a tyre plus lost our rear brake fluid tube. These problems were accompanied by a minor leak in the fuel tank and by the fact that my suspension was gone and I had to drive with a flat tyre. On Saturday evening we were still on the 5th position in the group because everyone else seemed to be experiencing problems in this tough rally, too. I had to drive with a plastic splint on my hand because my thumb was not fully healed yet after the operation. This was indeed an extra burden on the long stages. Sunday didn't start any better. On the first stage of the day we had a puncture again and on the next stage we got so huge a hole in the fuel tank that the fuel was flowing out in a stream. We were able to get to the service where the options were either to retire or to try and change the fuel tank in 30 minutes plus to get 15 minutes extra of exciding the service time limit. The attempt seemed impossible, but our service team did an excellent job by changing the fuel tank in 43 minutes. We were able to continue the rally despite of the two minutes and ten seconds time penalty of exciding the time limit. On the stage following the service, we caught up with the car ahead of us and had to drive in its dust, dropping to the 6th place. On the second final stage we lost the brake fluid tube again, but were able to get the car fixed in the service. On the last stage I came second in my group. I was 6th of my group and 22nd of the overall competition in the final results of this difficult rally." |
6th group, 22nd overall |
| Ford Focus WRC 04 Team: Stobart Motorsport Rally engineer Asko Kosonen |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| April, 7th-9th, 2006 |
Corsica Rally Co-driver Miikka Anttila. " I continued the same speed as in Catalunya. We were sixth when we arrived at the first service. Our speed stayed the same but unfortunately Daniel Sordo was quicker than us. He was sixth and we dropped to the seventh place when we arrived at the next service. The first stage went very well on Saturday morning. We lost only 0,5 seconds per kilometre to Loeb who was the fastest on that stage. We made a fatal error on stage six. The microphone of Miikka´s helmet jumped up and I only heard a part of the notes. I was stupid and didn´t understand to slow down. When I heard the rest of the notes I started to brake, but there was sand on the road and the car slid. I tried to get a grip but there were rocks in the inner curve and they hit the steering so hard that I broke my thumb. The car rose on two wheels, I lost control and we hit the trees. My best rally ever ended the same way so many other - not to mention good - drivers have ended theirs - driving off the road." |
retirement SS6 |
| March, 24th-26th, 2006 |
Catalunya Rally, Spain Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We had a new car and I didn´t have very much experience in driving a WRC car on tarmac, so we started this rally fairly slowly. I pushed a little bit more on stage two and we were tenth when we arrived at the first service. The speed increased on the third stage and a little bit too much on the fourth. There was sand on the road in one long curve over the bridge. I tried with a higher gear than normally. Our car got under steered and I couldn´t control it anymore. We hit the railing which broke down and dropped into the ravine. Luckily the car stayed on the road. The left suspension was hit very hard but the mechanics were able to repaire it in Friday evening. We got a 15 minute penalty because we didn´t drive all the stages on Friday. Our goal was to make some good stage times on Saturday and Sunday. After a sticky start on Saturday the rest of the rally went well. We drove a few tenth fastest times during the two last days. At best we were fifth on one stage. Our final result was 16th. " |
16th |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI -06 Service team: Motoring club Rally engineer Asko Kosonen |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| March, 3rd-5th, 2006 |
Mexico Rally Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "The beginning of the rally was like a dream. We led the group N after three special stages. The roads were very bumpy and I slowed down on the fourth stage. I don´t know if it was a correct decision because I drove into a hole on stage five. The left suspension and a tyre broke down. We changed the tyre on the stage and drove 30 kilometres with a broken suspension. We lost five minutes. The car was repaired in the service. We were in the seventh place after the day but the difference in time to the fourth place wasn't very big. That was our next target on Saturday morning. Our intentions were doomed when the front diff broke down on the first stage 2,8 kilometres from the start. We did however try to continue to the next stage but the clutch couldn´t last driving without the front diff. An irritating retirement, points would have been nice to have. " |
26th overall, 9th in group N |
| January, 20th-22nd, 2006 |
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo Co-driver: Miikka Anttila "The car felt good in the tests and so our expectations were high. The first three stages were cancelled because of the spectators. We had a lot of trouble in the beginning. A gasket broke in the refuelling and petrol leaked out. That caused our retirement. We continued the driving on Saturday, but the same thing happened again and we retired once more. We continued again on Sunday. The day was excellent, we drove the fastest time in group N on every stage and we were ninth twice in overall. Furthermore we were fifth in group N and got four World Championship points." |
42nd in overall, 5th in group N |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI -05 Service team: Motoring club |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| October, 27th-30th, 2005 |
Rallye de Catalunya, Spain. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. " The Catalunya rally started very well, but on the second stage bad luck struck and we had a front left puncture and had to replace the tyre in the middle of the stage, losing two and a half minutes. After that I pushed very hard to catch the Group-N leader. But, the speed got to be too much and we suffered two more punctures and had to give up the hopes of another win. Luckily I managed to pull some excellent special stage times even though there were a few scary moments. We finished the rally 19th overall and second in Group-N." |
19th overall class 2nd |
| October, 20th-23rd, 2005 |
Rallye de France - Tour de Corse. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. " The Corsica rally started without any problems and I felt very relaxed driving. The only mistake I made was on the second stage when I cought the car infront of me and I lost concentration for a second and went off the road for about 20 seconds, luckily there was no damage to the Subaru. My stage times were competitive on Saturday and I was once reminded of the extreme speeds of the rally when I scrubbed a side rail in a tight left corner, but I don't think any time was lost. On Sunday we stepped up in the overall rankings of the rally to 15th and ended up winning the Group-N. " |
15th overall class 1st |
| Ford Focus WRC Service team Viijari Oy. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| September, 15th-18th, 2005 |
Wales Rally GB. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. " The first two stages went on by getting used to the modern WRC, but already on the third stage we made 8th fastest time. Unfortunately the rest of the stages on Friday failed, because of the wrong tyre choice. On Saturday our hopes were up, but then there was trouble with charger. It took 12 minutes overtime to repair it. As a result we got two minutes penalty and we lost our chances to get some points in this race. Three times in a row I was able to drive the 6th fastest time on Sunday, which was my best performance ever. We were to continue like that on Sunday, but on the first stage throttle lever came off. It took us four minutes to fix that in the middle of the stage. We were more than ready to attack on then next stage, but it didn´t work out that way, because of the terrible accident of Markko Märtin. The rally was stopped and we went to service. We pulled out from the contest to honour Michael Park, Märtin´s co-driver, who died in the accident." |
retirement SS15 |
| Subaru Impreza WRX Service team Motoring Club. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 25th-28th, 2005 |
ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. " The first SS went well, but after the finish line our front brakes caught fire, when we had to wait longer than normally. We lost the front brakes and had to drive the following two stages with the handbrake only, which cost us five minutes. We fixed the problem in service halt. After that we started the chase but then on Saturday afternoon the gearbox broke down. Changing it in service took eight minutes extra and we got two minutes penalty. Then we started the chase all over again. We succeeded very well and we finished 2nd in our group. " |
21st overall class 2nd |
| Toyota Corolla WRC Service team Latvala Motorsport Oy. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 4th-7th, 2005 |
Neste Rally Finland. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "I made a mistake in shakedown and hit a big stone. Luckily we didn´t hit the trees, our car stayed on the road and got only minor damages. Unfortunately this incident made the beginning of the race a bit stressfull. In spite of a sticky start I found a good rhythm in the afternoon. There was a big hole on the road in Vellipohja II, which I drove into while braking heavily. It caused damages to the radiator. I was so impatient that I did not stop immediately so I broke the engine. There would have been many magnificent stages ahead but we had to retire. " |
retirement SS7 |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI Service team Motoring Club. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| July, 14th-17th, 2005 |
Rally Argentina Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Sticky start but my driving improved as we went on, until on Friday evening we had our first puncture. We changed the tyre in the middle of the stage. Misfortune followed us on the same stage, universal ball joint snapped due to exertion and the wheel turned under the car. Retirement was inevitable. We continued on Saturday, thanks to the Super Rally rules. We drove the 2nd fastest time in group N on the first stage the next morning, but we had too much speed and not enough concentration which two together caused driving off on the second stage. The rear of our car hit an iron pole and rear spring broke. We tried to continue but the right rear wheel came off and we retired once again." |
retirement SS8 |
| April 29th - May 1st, 2005 |
Supermag Rally Italia, Sardinia. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We tested the car for little over 100 km before the rally. We managed to adjust the car to be suitable to the conditions of the rally. Rally didn´t start as planned, when gear selector broke down and it stucked to third gear. Anyhow I was able to drive 60 SS km on third gear to get to service. Problem was fixed in service and Friday went ok after that. On Saturday there was long stages ahead and many of them were quite rocky too. Sunday´s first stage was somewhat familiar to me from year 2003 Costa Smeralda rally. I succeed in making an excellent time on that one. Our drive was rewarded with the victory of group N and 16th place in overalls" |
16th overall class 1st |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI Service team Les Walken Rally Team. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| April, 8th-10th, 2005 |
Propecia Rally New Zealand. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "The rally began with a relaxed feeling because the car had felt very good in tests. Two first special stages went by getting used to the conditions in New Zealand. On the third stage I was already the second fastest in group N. On SS4 I speeded up more, what cost me a puncture for hitting a concrete bridge. There I lost 30 seconds. Fifth stage went fine, I was third but on SS6 I made it first being the fastest in group N for the first time in my life. That joy didn´t last for long. After that succesful special stage the engine started leaking oil on road section and unfortunately it was the end for Rally New Zealand." |
retirement SS7 |
| Toyota Corolla WRC Service team Latvala Motorsport Oy. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| February, 11th-13th, 2005 |
Uddeholm Swedish Rally. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "With steady drive rally started well, until on SS3 I hit a stone when I followed the lines of "the big boys". Schock absorber broke and rim went to pieces. I had to change the tyre. Changing did not go as planned because jack fell down. Finally we spend time 5,5 minutes. At finish we were comforted with the knowledge that six other WRC drivers had hit to the same stone. The rest of Friday and Saturday we drove steadily, but yet to get good stage times. We got some slow times too on the last stage before service because studs always came off. On Sunday there was some very nice stages ahead and I managed to do some good times. On new stage we were even 10th fastest. I was content. " |
16th overall class 15th |
| Mitsubishi Evo VIII Service team Reece Jones Rallysport Ltd. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| November, 11th-14th, 2004 |
Propecia Rally Australia. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "My first time with group N Mitsubishi. On Friday morning`s first stage gearbox broke down after 3 km. We drove stages 2 and 3 on second gear, but then bent axle damaged and we retired. We had a chance to continue on Saturday and Sunday. We drove with normal gearbox. It required a bit learning but driving improved stage by stage. On last stage we drove 10th fastest time. Good ending to very difficult year." |
retirement |
| Suzuki Ignis 1600cc Service team JM Engineering. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| October, 29th-31st, 2004 |
Rally Catalunya, Spain. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Last round of JWRC. On first SS we had fourth fastest time. On third stage I run wide in one corner and rear hit to parapet. Luckily only exhaust pipe and after-hatch were damaged. On stage 6 I hit again to parapet. Supporting arm twisted and drive shaft snapped. We would have lost lots of time, but driver ahead us had driven off and blocked the road. So rally was stopped for a while but it was only a good thing for us. Everyone got compensated time. Saturday went well, we raised 4th. On sunday we chose wrong tyres again, but luckily we kept our position. On third last stage we slided to the ditch and hit to rock. We drove 50 km with damaged steering. After that front tyres wore out and we had to change them on stage." |
22nd overall JWRC 9th |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI Service team Motoring Club. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| October, 15th-17th, 2004 |
Rally Corsica, France. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "My first time in Corsica, what is known for it´s curvy roads. I was near to drive off already on first stage. After that I learned how to brake in this rally. By the end of stages on saturday, we were 5th in group N. On sunday I made an error and choose wrong tyres and we fell sixth. On two last stages we had two punctures and we had to change both of the tyres in the middle of special stage. Embarrasing end to this event." |
27th overall group N 8th |
| Date | Event | Placing |
| October, 1st-3rd, 2004 |
Rally Sardinia, Italy. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We got a really good time in shakedown, so we were confident. Our tactic was to save tyres. There is regulation in JWRC which set limits to amount of tyres. So there is no room for punctures. We were well prepared, so it was a big disappointment, when rear suspension broke down on first stage. And no-one knows why." |
retirement SS1 |
| September, 17th-19th, 2004 |
Wales Rally GB. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Clutch broke down already on 2nd stage. In service after SS4 it was repaired. On friday´s last stage we had a puncture and lost some time. On saturday car worked well. Only one puncture slowed us down. On sunday we had two good stage times. By the end of the day control arm tore apart from body. So we had to slow down. This was first time in this year in Junior Championship we drove to the finish line." |
23rd overall JWRC 4th |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI Service team Motoring Club. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 20th-22nd, 2004 |
Adac Rallye Deutschland. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "This was asfalt rally. We were aware that this rally is going to be a hard one if weather varies. Predictions turned out to be true already on the first day´s morning. Driving was extremely hard because of rain. There was an lot of mud on the road. Our rally began relatively well. We were 8th in group N and gaps were small. Great start ended to breaking down of driveshaft on stage 6. We had to drive 2 and half stages with broken drive shaft. We lost lot of time. On next day we tried too hard and we had two punctures. Other one we changed on stage and lost again time. On third day it was dry and everything went well. We got some good times. It was a difficult rally." |
27th overall class 13th |
| Suzuki Ignis 1600cc Service team JM Engineering. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 6th-8th, 2004 |
Neste Rally Finland. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We had a competitive car. We started cautiously the two first stages. Then I decided to go faster on stage 3, Mökkiperä. But I did a fatal error. I didn´t brake in one slope and we ended to the ditch. My disappointment was overwhelming, because we had to retire before the rally even started." |
Retirement SS3 |
| Ford Fiesta Service team Astra Racing Team. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| June, 25th-27th, 2004 |
Rally of Turkey. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Our team had been working a lot with the car, so we were confident. On first stage car overheated a bit, yet we were on the right tracks when the speed was concerned. On next stage began mystical running malfunctions. Rally was over on stage 4, when I drove too fast over the hill. Underpan hit to the ground, causing a puncture to water hose and water ran out." |
Retirement SS4 |
| June, 4th-6th, 2004 |
Acropolis Rally. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We had new Fiesta. I was 6th and 7th fastest on two first stages, so everything seemed to go well. But after that various problems started to bother us. Then on saturday clutch broke down. However we could continue on sunday due to new super rally regulation. After two stages we had to retire when charger failed." |
Retirement SS11 |
| Subaru Impreza WRX STI Service team Motoring Club. Rally engineer Esko Reiners |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| February, 5th-8th, 2004 |
Uddeholm Swedish Rally. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "We took part in the rally with a new car. There was little time to test the car before the rally and only managed to test of 40 kilometres and that was our base to compete in group N. I had a very cautious first stage but felt much more confident going into stage two and increased my pace. My confidence in the car was building but when we go to service oil leak was found from the engine. There was nothing we could do and our rally was over." |
Retirement SS2 |
| Ford Puma. Service team Astra. Rally engineer Esko Reiners |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| January, 22nd-25th, 2004 |
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Rally started catastrophicly. On road section to first stage, car engine started to malfunction and it continued during first stage. A little before halfway it stopped altogether. After really serious hunt we found the problem. Fault was in ECU, which was full of water. We suspected it was result of yesterday´s car wash. We lost time over 20 minutes and we dropped to the last in the race. After that we just tried to drive good stage times and made it too in some of them. On Sunday we made a fatal tyre choice. We presumed there is ice in road and we chose studded tyres in the front and slicks to the rear. When the road was dry, I drove too hard to tight curve and we hit slightly the cliff wall and broke front suspension. Irritating end to this difficult rally." |
Retirement SS12 |
| Ford Focus WRC -01. Service team M-Sport. Rally engineer Esko Reiners |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| November, 5th-9th, 2003 |
Network Q Rally of Great Britain. Co-driver Miikka Anttila. Friday 7.11.03 "Two first special stages were the hardest and most slippery in whole rally. We started truly slowly and yet we saw two cars off road and that increased my insecurity about driving. Times were bad. Luckily we moved to drier special stages and then grip started to be better as well as times." Saturday 8.11.03 "My best drive ever. I made only couple of small mistakes. Once we hit a log and once we ran wide in corner." Sunday 9.11.03 "We could not improve our performance anymore, so we drove stages carefully to finish." |
10th overall |
Ford Focus WRC -02 Service Team M-Sport Rally engineer Esko Reiners |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| August, 7th-10th, 2003 |
Neste Rally, Finland Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "Pressures were terrible after driving off the road on Isle of Man. My instructions were to bring car to finish line in one piece. On first day I drove carefully. On the beginning of second day antilag system started malfunctioning. It troubled us in small roads. On stage 16 (Moksi-Leustu) zylinder head gasket started leaking and engine was lacking of power. After the stage we had to get water from ditch with bottles. When we drove to next stage we got time penalty 1m 40s. We drove Vaheri without ALS. Before Sunday the leak was fixed but engine performance was still weak. We drove and enjoyed being as first car on road on last leg. Our placing was moderate, best newcomer." |
14th overall |
| July, 24th-27th, 2003 |
ADAC Rally, Germany Co-driver Miikka Anttila. "My first World Rally Championship round on tarmac. The accident in Jim Clark was in my mind on first day and I drove really cautiously. On second day I got rid of my tension. My times were getting better even weather kept changing from wet to dry and back. I made only one mistake and I drove off. On third day at first service halt 10 s. we got time penalty, because we couldn´t decide what tyres to take soon enough. But day went well otherwise and I was in finish 17th overall. I lost 16th place by 6s due to time penalty." |
17th overall |
| June, 5th-8th, 2003 |
Acropolis Rally, Greece Co-driver Carl Williamson. "Car was flawless. I started slowly. On the first day engine stopped few times due to my error. In the morning on second day I was tired and I didn´t do very well. But afternoon was better. On third day I attacked and I rose from 11th position one step up in overall. I made history again." |
10th overall |
| Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6,5 four-wheel drive, group A as rally car. Service team Fairfield Motorsport. Motor sport coach Pentti Airikkala. |
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| Date | Event | Placing |
| November, 14th-17th, 2002 |
Network Q Rally Great Britain. Co-driver Carl Williamson. "Aamulehti" newspaper: "The youngest Finnish sixth former of all times who has participated to world championship rally goes through morning´s special stages so enthusiastic that he doesn´t have time to eat his lunch. Roads are awfully slippery. Sometimes there is grip, but when I try to increase speed, problems turn up and I am near to go off the road. It is difficult to drive, when I don´t know where I can drive fast and when not, explains Latvala. Young man seemes simply eager, but admits that maybe also tension affects to his driving. First world championship rally is really something special for a rally driver. " " One puncture, 2 broken drive shafts, a few needless spins and on second last stage troubles with gear changer. Yet 17th in this thrilling rally. (yes !)." "Aamulehti" newspaper: "According to Airikkala, Latvala has excellent contact for driving, but he has yet a lot to learn. Young man has intensive and versatile timetable for next year." |
17th overall Class A8 17th |
