CORSICA // The BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team got their stuttering season back on track yesterday when Mikko Hirvonen and Francois Duval claimed second and third places in Rally de France. Sebastian Loeb won the race - his 10th in a remarkable 2008 season - but Hirvonen and Duval's 14-point haul have edged BP-Ford Abu Dhabi closer to the title rivals Citroen in their season-long manufacturers' battle. However, with only two gravel-based WRC events remaining this year, BP-Ford Abu Dhabi are still 23 points behind.
And Hirvonen is not celebrating just yet. "I understand what the team are doing. Now I want to repay them with a win in Japan," he said. "I have to win there if I am going to win the title," he said. Meanwhile, the UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi came home in 12th - his highest asphalt finish. "It is a great accomplishment for me," he said. "There are at least 20 world-class drivers here this weekend and I have battled my least favourite surface to finish just outside the top 10.
"I have a few weeks off before my final round and I'll be watching closely to see what happens in Japan in the meantime," he added. sports@thenational.ae
