04.09.2010 - Ford in search of victory hat-trick in Land of the Rising Sun

After winning the last two versions of Rally Japan in 2007 and 2008, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team returns to the Pacific Ocean island of Hokkaido next week intent on sealing a third consecutive win there. Rally Japan (9 - 12 September) takes the squad back to its preferred gravel roads, the team having won two of the last three loose-surface rallies with its Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.

This 10th round of the FIA World Rally championship is the last of the 2010 season to journey outside Europe and returns to the series after a year's absence. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen climbed onto the top step of the podium in both 2007 and 2008 while team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are on form on gravel, having won in New Zealand and Finland recently.

The rally is again based in Sapporo, Japan's fifth-largest city, in the central Do-oh region of Hokkaido, the country's most northerly island. It is the biggest motorsport event in Japan, with more than 540,000 fans attending in 2008. The jewel in the rally's crown is the 43,000 capacity Sapporo Dome, a modern baseball and soccer stadium that hosted the 2002 World Cup. It will host a spectacular indoor super special stage on each day of the rally, over a course modified since 2008.

The bulk of the competition is based on undulating, medium to fast gravel forest tracks, many of which are particularly loose. The rally is held seven weeks earlier than in 2008, so the cold weather and leaf-covered surface is likely to be replaced by drier roads and temperatures of around 25ºC. However, a strong likelihood of rain could make the tracks slippery and muddy.

This will be 25-year-old Latvala's fourth start in Japan, his best result in 2008 when he was runner-up to Hirvonen as Ford claimed a formation finish. "The stages are fast and although there are trees close to the road, visibility through the corners is good and the speeds remain high. I prefer fast, flowing rallies like New Zealand and Finland. Japan is another rally of that nature although the roads are narrower here.

"My confidence is highest on that type of road and I want to fight for a podium. I had good speed when I won in Finland in July and the Focus RS WRC is competitive in those conditions so I'm confident a top three finish is possible.

"We have to use Pirelli's soft compound tyres and the warmer weather will make it more difficult for them. But the road surface is quite soft and sandy and the distances we must drive on the same set of tyres are not particularly long, so I have no worries about excessive wear," added Latvala.

Team News

* Tyre partner Pirelli will provide BP Ford Abu Dhabi with one regulation tyre pattern. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in soft compound only, one of just three rounds in which soft gravel rubber is used. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spare wheels.

* Three other Focus RS WRCs are entered. Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin will be rejoined in the Stobart M-Sport Ford team by Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor, while Argentines Federico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc will drive for the Munchi's Ford team. The rally is the eighth round of the S-WRC and three Ford Fiesta S2000 cars will start.

* Latvala will drive Ken Block's Monster World Rally Team Focus RS WRC at the 10th anniversary Rallyday at Castle Combe race circuit in Britain on Saturday 18 September. Latvala will join other rally celebrities including Stig Blomqvist, Phil Mills, Nicky Grist, Gwyndaf Evans and Guy Wilks at the non-competitive event.

Rally Route

Organisers have made significant changes, including a totally new final leg. While Sapporo Dome remains the location for the super special stage, the rally base and single service park have been moved to the nearby Tsukisamu Dome. The rally begins with two passes over the Sapporo Dome test on Thursday and these are repeated at the end of each leg, with the stage used eight times in total. The opening two legs journey south of Sapporo and close to Lake Shikotsuko for stages near the towns of Tomakomai, Chitose and Eniwa, which were all used in 2008. The final day heads north-east of the city for two loops of three new stages near the towns of Sunagawa, Bibai and Naie, taking the route further north than in 2008. Drivers tackle 26 stages covering 303.54km in a route of 1220.43km.

Older season 2010 press releases:
- 22.08.2010 - Confidence boost for Latvala after strong finish in Germany
- 21.08.2010 - Latvala fights for podium as German battle warms up
- 20.08.2010 - Latvala heads Ford's challenge among vineyards of Mosel area
- 14.08.2010 - Ford looks to transfer high-speed win from gravel to asphalt
- 31.07.2010 - Latvala enters record books with Rally Finland victory for Ford
- 30.07.2010 - Latvala delights home fans by leading Rally Finland for Ford
- 29.07.2010 - Rally Finland - after stage 1, Laajavuori
- 23.07.2010 - Latvala plans celebration in Rally Finland speed fest
- 11.07.2010 - Ford Focus duo takes double points haul in Rally Bulgaria
- 10.07.2010 - Tyre choice the key as weather turns against Ford in Bulgaria
- 09.07.2010 - Ford duo shakes off asphalt rust as Bulgaria debuts in WRC
- 07.07.2010 - Ford's rally drivers put on the spot in football shoot-out
- 02.07.2010 - Summer ends for Ford as WRC switches to asphalt in Bulgaria
- 22.06.2010 - Ford's WRC team launches dedicated You Tube channel
- 30.05.2010 - No points for Jari-Matti Latvala in WRC Portugal
- 29.05.2010 - Latvala crashed out in WRC Rally Portugal
- 28.05.2010 - Portugal's roads provide tough times for Ford's WRC duo
- 21.05.2010 - Ford plans to prosper in Portugal's abrasive Algarve hills
- 17.05.2010 - Latvala buoyed by Ford Focus race experience in Nurburgring 24-hour event
- 09.05.2010 - Latvala wins Rally New Zealand for Ford after dramatic finale
- 08.05.2010 - Latvala in podium place as New Zealand rally heads into last day
- 07.05.2010 - Latvala well-positioned in second after New Zealand opener
- 30.04.2010 - New Zealand gravel rush excites Ford's Finnish drivers
- 18.04.2010 - Latvala eight in in gruelling Rally of Turkey
- 17.04.2010 - Pace note fault caused an off for Latvala in second day of Turkey
- 16.04.2010 - Hirvonen and Latvala well placed for Ford after Turkey starter
- 09.04.2010 - Ford's quartet tuned up to strike the right note in Istanbul
- 03.04.2010 - Happy returns for Latvala as Jordan delivers podium present
- 02.04.2010 - Front-running Latvala rewarded for persistence in Jordan desert
- 01.04.2010 - Latvala takes charge for Ford in Jordan's rocky deserts
- 25.03.2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala hunt for highs in Jordan's Dead Sea lowlands
- 07.03.2010 - Ford maintains world championship lead after Mexican double
- 06.03.2010 - Ford targets solid points finish after tricky second leg in Mexico
- 05.03.2010 - Dirt roads make the going tough for Ford challengers in Mexico
- 26.02.2010 - Latvala's centenary adds spice to Mexican independence fiesta
- 14.02.2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala gave full support for Hirvonen in Rally Sweden
- 13.02.2010 - Latvala climbs to podium position in second day of Rally Sweden
- 12.02.2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala opens WRC season in style to lead in Sweden for Ford
- 11.02.2010 - Rally Sweden - after stage 1, SSS Karlstad 1
- 04.02.2010 - Focus rally car begins final fling as Ford launches 2010 title bid
- My season 2009 press releases
- My season 2008 press releases