The 2009 Repco Rally Australia was the 20th Rally Australia and the tenth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season. The rally consisted of 35 special stages and was won on the road by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb. However, Loeb's win was short-lived as his Citroën along with those of his teammate Dani Sordo, and Sébastien Ogier were given one-minute time penalties for irregularities with their cars' anti-rollbars. Ford's Mikko Hirvonen inherited the win, for his fourth win in succession.

2009 Rally Australia
20th Repco Rally Australia
Round 10 of the 2009 World Rally Championship
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Eventual winner Mikko Hirvonen during day one.
Host countryAustralia Australia
Rally baseKingscliff
Dates run3 – 6 September 2009
Stages35
Stage surfaceGravel
Statistics
Crews40 at start, 25 at finish
Overall results
Overall winnerFinland Mikko Hirvonen
United Kingdom BP Ford WRT

Entries

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The final entry list included 40 crews. 10 drivers contested in the World Rally Car class and 14 contested in the Production World Rally Championship class. This was the first time in the season that Petter Solberg and co-driver Phil Mills did not compete in their privately entered Citroën Xsara WRC since Rally Ireland.

Protests

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The event was disrupted by environmental activists protesting against the running of the rally, claiming that the event threatened local wildlife. One week before the rally, protesters unsuccessfully filed an injunction against the event in an effort to stop it. During the rally itself, signs were placed around the route of the rally, telling the drivers and those involved in the rally to go home.[1] The CTEK East stages, scheduled to be held on 4 September as the sixth and eleventh stages of the rally, were cancelled after rocks were thrown at the course car and the stage itself was blocked when protesters pulled a fence across the road.[2] Early reports also emerged claiming that protesters had taken animals killed on local roads and placed them along the rally route to give the appearance that wildlife had been killed by rally cars, though these reports were later denied.[citation needed] Following the cancellation of the CTEK East stages, New South Wales police announced that they would prosecute those responsible as public nuisances.

Results

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Pos. Driver Co-driver Car Time Penalty Difference Points
WRC
1   Mikko Hirvonen   Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Focus RS WRC 09 2:53:06.5 0.0 10
2   Sébastien Loeb   Daniel Elena Citroën C4 WRC 2:53:54.0 1:00 +47.5 8
3   Dani Sordo   Marc Martí Citroën C4 WRC 2:54:11.1 1:00 +1:04.6 6
4   Jari-Matti Latvala   Miikka Anttila Ford Focus RS WRC 09 2:54:58.5 +1:52.0 5
5   Sébastien Ogier   Julien Ingrassia Citroën C4 WRC 2:55:29.8 1:00 +2:23.3 4
6   Matthew Wilson   Scott Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 08 2:58:32.8 +5:26.3 3
7   Henning Solberg   Cato Menkerud Ford Focus RS WRC 08 3:00:24.3 0:20 +7:17.8 2
8   Federico Villagra   Jorge Pérez Companc Ford Focus RS WRC 08 3:00:45.9 +7:39.4 1
PWRC and class N4
1   Hayden Paddon   John Kennard Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3:08:42.6 0.0 -
2   Martin Prokop   Jan Tománek Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3:08:51.2 +8.6 10
3   Richard Mason   Sara Mason Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3:09:33.4 +50.8 8
4   Cody Crocker   Ben Atkinson Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3:10:26.5 +1:43.9 6
5   Armindo Araújo   Miguel Ramalho Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3:12:59.3 +4:16.7 5
6   Stewart Taylor   Warwick Searle Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3:14:30.3 +5:47.7 4
7   John Gouasdoue   Scott Beckwith Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI 3:60:41.8 7:20 +21:59.2 -
8   Stephen Tonna   Lorell Tonna Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V 3:60:41.8 2:00 +21:59.2 -
9   Gianluca Linari   Massimo Salvucci Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3:38:52.8 +30:01.6 3

Special stages

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Day Stage Time (AEST) Name Length Winner Time Rally leader
1
(3-4 Sep)
SS1 18:53 Tweed 1 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:49.0   Sébastien Ogier
SS2 19:08 Tweed 2 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:46.1
SS3 7:38 Kyogle 1 7.32 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:05.5
SS4 8:36 Repco 1 22.41 km   Mikko Hirvonen 10:27.3   Jari-Matti Latvala
SS5 9:24 Kyogle 2 7.32 km   Dani Sordo 3:59.1
SS6 10:37 CTEK East 1 11.33 km stage cancelled
SS7 11:40 Mooball 1 5.85 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:41.7
SS8 11:58 Kidney Health 1 5.74 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:29.4
SS9 12:16 Castrol Edge 1 6.85 km   Sébastien Ogier 4:38.9
SS10 14:03 Castrol Edge East 2 6.85 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:29.3
SS11 15:03 CTEK East 2 11.33 km stage cancelled
SS12 16:06 Mooball 2 5.85 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:36.7
SS13 16:24 Kidney Health 2 5.74 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 4:26.0
SS14 18:30 Tweed 3 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:48.1
SS15 18:45 Tweed 4 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:46.8
2
(5 Sep)
SS16 7:28 Dayco 1 20.31 km   Mikko Hirvonen 9:45.1
SS17 8:13 Bosch 1 18.75 km   Sébastien Loeb 9:26.3
SS18 9:04 Armor All 1 8.2 km   Sébastien Loeb 3:47.2
SS19 10:42 Urliup 5.24 km   Mikko Hirvonen 4:25.7
SS20 13:55 Armor All 2 8.2 km   Sébastien Loeb 3:42.8
SS21 14:34 CTEK West 1 8.59 km   Sébastien Loeb 4:28.3   Sébastien Loeb
SS22 15:27 Dayco 2 20.31 km   Sébastien Loeb 9:38.3
SS23 16:12 Bosch 2 18.75 km   Dani Sordo 9:30.6   Mikko Hirvonen
SS24 19:15 Tweed 5 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:47.4
SS25 19:30 Tweed 6 2.55 km   Sébastien Ogier 1:46.2   Dani Sordo
3
(6 Sep)
SS26 7:14 Monroe 1 7.4 km   Sébastien Loeb 3:25.8   Sébastien Loeb
SS27 7:36 Castrol Edge West 1 21.52 km   Dani Sordo 10:01.9
SS28 8:37 Gondwana 1 10.88 km   Mikko Hirvonen 6:19.0
SS29 8:56 Upper Clarence 1 6.94 km   Jari-Matti Latvala 3:14.6
SS30 9:40 CTEK West 2 8.59 km   Sébastien Loeb 4:27.5
SS31 11:03 Monroe 2 7.4 km   Sébastien Loeb 3:21.1
SS32 11:25 Castrol Edge West 2 21.52 km   Dani Sordo 9:46.9
SS33 12:26 Gondwana 2 10.88 km   Sébastien Loeb 6:09.1
SS34 12:45 Upper Clarence 2 6.94 km   Jari-Matti Latvala
  Sébastien Ogier
3:12.2
SS35 13:27 Repco 2 22.41 km   Mikko Hirvonen 10:14.4   Mikko Hirvonen

Championship standings after the event

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Drivers' championship

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Pos Driver IRL
 
NOR
 
CYP
 
POR
 
ARG
 
ITA
 
GRC
 
POL
 
FIN
 
AUS
 
ESP
 
GBR
 
 Pts 
1   Mikko Hirvonen 3 2 2 2 Ret 2 1 1 1 1 78
2   Sébastien Loeb 1 1 1 1 1 4 Ret 7 2 2 73
3   Dani Sordo 2 5 4 3 2 23 12 2 4 3 50
4   Jari-Matti Latvala 14 3 12 Ret 6 1 3 Ret 3 4 36
5   Henning Solberg 4 4 18 5 3 8 15 3 30 7 29
6   Petter Solberg 6 3 4 Ret 3 Ret 4 Ret 25
7   Matthew Wilson 7 7 5 Ret 5 6 14 5 8 6 23
8   Sébastien Ogier 6 10 Ret 17 7 Ret 2 Ret 6 5 20
9   Federico Villagra 7 7 4 Ret 4 11 8 15
10   Conrad Rautenbach 18 Ret 6 Ret Ret 9 5 8 Ret Ret 8
11   Mads Østberg 9 6 7 7 Ret Ret 7
12   Khalid al-Qassimi 8 8 8 16 6 9 19 6
13   Evgeny Novikov 12 Ret Ret 5 16 9 Ret 4
14   Chris Atkinson 5 4
15   Matti Rantanen 5 4
16   Krzysztof Hołowczyc 6 3
17   Jari Ketomaa 7 2
18   Nasser Al-Attiyah 11 16 8 10 EX 1
19   Urmo Aava 10 8 29 1
20   Lambros Athanassoulas 8 1
Pos Driver IRL
 
NOR
 
CYP
 
POR
 
ARG
 
ITA
 
GRC
 
POL
 
FIN
 
AUS
 
ESP
 
GBR
 
Pts
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Black Excluded (EX)
Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Cancelled (C)
Blank Withdrew entry from
the event (WD)

Manufacturers' championship

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Pos Team Event Total
points
IRL
 
NOR
 
CYP
 
POR
 
ARG
 
ITA
 
GRC
 
POL
 
FIN
 
AUS
 
ESP
 
GBR
 
1   Citroën Total World Rally Team 18 14 16 16 18 8 4 12 13 14 133
2   BP Ford World Rally Team 8 14 10 8 3 18 18 10 16 15 120
3   Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team 8 8 6 5 10 7 5 11 4 5 69
4   Citroën Junior Team 5 2 4 0 2 5 6 5 4 4 37
5   Munchi's Ford World Rally Team 0 0 3 4 5 0 6 0 2 1 21

References

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  1. ^ Evans, David (September 4, 2009). "Loeb defends rally amid protests". Autosport.
  2. ^ Evans, David (September 4, 2009). "Police warn of action on protests". Autosport.
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