| 2011 Wales Rally GB 67th Wales Rally of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
Round 13 of the2011 World Rally Championship season
| ||
 | ||
| Host country |  Great Britain | |
| Rally base | Cardiff,Wales | |
| Dates run | 10 November – 13 November 2011 | |
| Stages | 23 (358.59 km; 222.82 miles)[1] | |
| Stage surface | Gravel with some tarmac | |
| Overall distance | 1,883.73 km (1,170.50 miles)[1] | |
| Statistics | ||
| Crews | 78 at start, 39 at finish | |
| Overall results | ||
| Overall winner |  Jari-Matti LatvalaFord World Rally Team | |
The2011 Wales Rally GB, formally the67th Wales Rally of Great Britain, was the thirteenth and final round of the2011 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over 10–13 November, and was based inCardiff, the capital city ofWales.[1] The rally was also the seventh and final round of theProduction World Rally Championship, and the sixth and final round of theWRC Academy. The route returned to theGreat Orme stage for the first time in thirty years,[2] as well as the Dyfnant and Dyfi East and West stages for the first time in fifteen years.
Jari-Matti Latvala took his first WRC victory since2010 Rally Finland, and the fifth of his career, after taking the lead midway through the running on Saturday. WithSébastien Loeb's retirement on Sunday after a collision on a road section,[3] Latvala's eventual winning margin was almost four minutes overMads Østberg,[4] who matched his best WRC result fromRally Sweden at the beginning of the season.Henning Solberg took his first podium since2009 Rally Poland afterKris Meeke, who had been challenging Solberg for his first WRC podium, spun on the final stage of the event.[4]Patrik Flodin took the PWRC victory to finish in second place in the class championship, whileCraig Breen took the WRC Academy victory, and enough bonus points to win the championship.
Sébastien Loeb andMikko Hirvonen headed into the final round of the championship for the second time in three years as the only drivers that could claim the world title. Loeb held the lead of the championship with 222 points, having wonRally Catalunya, the event prior to Rally GB. Hirvonen was eight points in arrears,[5] with a maximum of 28 points possible on the rally including Power Stage bonus points. Ultimately, the championship was decided during Friday's running when Hirvonen hit a tree stump during the first passing of the Dyfnant stage. He was forced to retire from the event after Ford deemed the damage to Hirvonen's Fiesta to be too extensive for him to rejoin.[6] With Hirvonen unable to restart, Loeb claimed his eighth consecutive world title.[7] While running second, 7.5 seconds behindJari-Matti Latvala, Loeb retired from the event after a head-on collision with a spectator vehicle on the liaison route between the Halfway and Crychan stages on Sunday morning.[3] There were no injuries in the accident.[8]
The PWRC title had already been decided prior to the rally, asHayden Paddon had clinched the title inAustralia after four wins from the first four rallies he contested. Paddon did not compete in the class in Great Britain, instead moving to an R4-specificationSubaru Impreza.[9] Seven drivers remained within mathematical contention for the runner-up placing, all of whom contested the event. The WRC Academy title was also yet to be decided prior to the rally, withEgon Kaur,Craig Breen andYeray Lemes the only drivers in contention for the €500,000 scholarship given to the champion. Kaur held a 20-point lead over Breen[10] and a 36-point advantage over Lemes with 42 points on offer. Breen won the event, and with numerous stage wins – including the final five stages – managed to beat Kaur for the championship title,[11] winning it on countback of stage wins.
| Day | Stage | Time | Name | Length | Winner | Time | Avg. spd. | Rally leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 (10–11 November) | SS1 | 14:38 | Great Orme 1 | 4.74 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 2:39.3 | 107.12 km/h | Jari-Matti Latvala |
| SS2 | 14:55 | Great Orme 2 | 4.74 km |  Sébastien Loeb | 2:40.4 | 106.38 km/h | ||
| SS3 | 16:18 | Clocaenog | 15.77 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 9:14.1 | 102.46 km/h | Sébastien Loeb | |
| SS4 | 7:33 | Gartheiniog 1 | 19.72 km | Sébastien Loeb | 11:18.9 | 104.57 km/h | ||
| SS5 | 8:30 | Dyfi West 1 | 10.31 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 6:14.1 | 99.21 km/h | ||
| SS6 | 8:48 | Dyfi East 1 | 6.72 km | Mikko Hirvonen | 3:41.5 | 109.22 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen | |
| SS7 | 9:43 | Dyfnant 1 | 21.34 km | Sébastien Loeb | 12:41.0 | 100.95 km/h | Sébastien Loeb | |
| SS8 | 14:18 | Dyfi West 2 | 10.31 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 6:24.8 | 96.46 km/h | ||
| SS9 | 14:36 | Dyfi East 2 | 6.72 km | Kris Meeke | 3:46.8 | 106.67 km/h | ||
| SS10 | 14:51 | Gartheiniog 2 | 19.72 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 11:24.3 | 103.74 km/h | ||
| SS11 | 16:01 | Dyfnant 2 | 21.34 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:47.1 | 100.15 km/h | ||
| Leg 2 (12 November) | SS12 | 9:24 | Hafren 1 | 32.14 km | Sébastien Loeb | 18:39.1 | 103.39 km/h | |
| SS13 | 10:05 | Sweet Lamb 1 | 4.01 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 2:48.5 | 85.67 km/h | ||
| SS14 | 10:23 | Myherin 1 | 27.88 km | Sébastien Loeb | 15:44.6 | 106.25 km/h | ||
| SS15 | 13:51 | Hafren 2 | 32.14 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 19:11.6 | 100.47 km/h | Jari-Matti Latvala | |
| SS16 | 14:32 | Sweet Lamb 2 | 4.01 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 2:50.8 | 84.52 km/h | ||
| SS17 | 14:50 | Myherin 2 | 27.88 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 15:57.4 | 104.83 km/h | ||
| Leg 3 (13 November) | SS18 | 7:38 | Halfway 1 | 14.93 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 8:45.6 | 102.26 km/h | |
| SS19 | 8:06 | Crychan 1 | 22.73 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:29.6 | 109.16 km/h | ||
| SS20 | 8:42 | Monument 1 | 4.36 km | Sébastien Ogier | 2:41.9 | 96.95 km/h | ||
| SS21 | 10:36 | Halfway 2 | 14.93 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 8:59.8 | 99.57 km/h | ||
| SS22 | 11:04 | Crychan 2 | 22.73 km | Sébastien Ogier | 12:39.8 | 107.70 km/h | ||
| SS23 | 12:11 | Monument 2 (Power stage) | 4.36 km | Sébastien Ogier | 2:41.3 | 97.31 km/h |
The "Power stage" was a live, televised 4.36 km (2.71 mi) stage at the end of the rally, held nearBuilth Wells.
| Pos | Driver | Time | Diff. | Avg. speed | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sébastien Ogier | 2:41.3 | 0.0 | 97.31 km/h | 3 |
| 2 |  Dani Sordo | 2:44.0 | +2.7 | 95.71 km/h | 2 |
| 3 | Jari-Matti Latvala | 2:44.5 | +3.2 | 95.42 km/h | 1 |
