Rally GB Preview

Mikko Hirvonen goes into next weekend’s Rally GB just 1 point clear of season-long rival Sebastien Loeb.

Last time out in Spain, Loeb led home his Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo to send the title chase to the season’s final round.

Loeb, who has won every title since 2004, needs only to finish equal on points with Hirvonen to win the title, as he would be crowned virtue of having won six rallies to Ford driver Hirvonen’s four.

Local interest comes from British privateer Steve Perez who will drive the Stobart Ford car.

The biggest story other than the title chase is the small entry for this year's event. Just 17 World Rally Cars will be present at the ceremonial start in Cardiff Bay on Thursday 22nd September.

Perhaps more disappointing is the fact that Mark Higgins, the 3 times British Rally Champion, is one of those not on the list to complete.

So who do I think is going to win the championship?

The obvious choice would be to go for Sebastien Loeb. He has won the last five titles and was the winner of this event last year. The momentum has mainly with Mikko Hirvonen in the second half of the season, but by winning Rally Catalunya on October 4th, Loeb has broken that trend.

However, Hirvonen won the Rally GB in 2007 and stormed back up to 8th place after a first day roll last year, so he clearly has the know how when it comes to the South Wales event.

What will be key however is the the role of the team-mates. Dani Sordo has had a much more accomplished season than Hirvonen's team mate Jari-Matti Latvala and has looked odds-on to take his first win at various points over the season.

He will surely figure at some stage in the rally, perhaps taking critical stage wins or even reducing the amount of points that Hirvonen gains should he place further down. I would think it unlikely that Latvala will finish ahead of Loeb.

As such, I am going to go for a Sordo win over Loeb, who as a result will take a stunning sixth consecutive championship.