From WRC
Jari-Matti Latvala has reached an overnight halt of an FIA World Rally Championship round in the lead for the first time since Portugal in late March following an impressive charge on Wales Rally GB on Friday.
Latvala was slightly hesitant through the opening brace of tests while he found the “feeling” on board his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. But a quartet of stage wins has put him out front by 12.1s heading into Saturday’s seven runs.
Indeed, it’s been a day dominated by the works Ford squad with Petter Solberg moving into an early lead after going quickest on the first two stages. The Norwegian, a four-time winner in Wales, holds second with Citroen’s multiple world champion Sebastien Loeb 9.2s further back after conceding that he couldn’t live with the pace of the Fords on the slippery gravel stages.
Loeb, who is on course for his ninth world title and can help Citroen secure its eighth world crown in Wales, carried two spare tyres for each loop in the event of his soft compound tyres losing performance in the drying conditions. Latvala and Solberg both relied on one spare.
Mads Ostberg is fourth overnight in his Adapta Fiesta having lost precious seconds in the morning when he slowed in the mistaken belief he’d picked up a puncture on stage two. His decision to use an old set of pace notes on stage three also led to a loss of confidence. Mikko Hirvonen is fifth in the second factory Citroen with Ott Tanak sixth despite reporting a powersteering glitch in his M-Sport Fiesta.
Classification after day 1:
1. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 1.25'05”7
2. P. Solberg-Patterson (Ford Fiesta Wrc) + 12”1
3. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 21”3
4. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 32”6
5. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 53”8
6. Tanak-Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'19”2
7. Novikov-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'32”8
8. Neuville-Gilsoul (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 2'27”9
9. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3'17"0
10. Prokop-Hruza (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3'36”8
Etc.
Jari-Matti Latvala has reached an overnight halt of an FIA World Rally Championship round in the lead for the first time since Portugal in late March following an impressive charge on Wales Rally GB on Friday.
Latvala was slightly hesitant through the opening brace of tests while he found the “feeling” on board his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. But a quartet of stage wins has put him out front by 12.1s heading into Saturday’s seven runs.
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| Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford. (Photo: WRC) |
Indeed, it’s been a day dominated by the works Ford squad with Petter Solberg moving into an early lead after going quickest on the first two stages. The Norwegian, a four-time winner in Wales, holds second with Citroen’s multiple world champion Sebastien Loeb 9.2s further back after conceding that he couldn’t live with the pace of the Fords on the slippery gravel stages.
Loeb, who is on course for his ninth world title and can help Citroen secure its eighth world crown in Wales, carried two spare tyres for each loop in the event of his soft compound tyres losing performance in the drying conditions. Latvala and Solberg both relied on one spare.
Mads Ostberg is fourth overnight in his Adapta Fiesta having lost precious seconds in the morning when he slowed in the mistaken belief he’d picked up a puncture on stage two. His decision to use an old set of pace notes on stage three also led to a loss of confidence. Mikko Hirvonen is fifth in the second factory Citroen with Ott Tanak sixth despite reporting a powersteering glitch in his M-Sport Fiesta.
Classification after day 1:
1. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 1.25'05”7
2. P. Solberg-Patterson (Ford Fiesta Wrc) + 12”1
3. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 21”3
4. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 32”6
5. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 53”8
6. Tanak-Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'19”2
7. Novikov-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'32”8
8. Neuville-Gilsoul (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 2'27”9
9. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3'17"0
10. Prokop-Hruza (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3'36”8
Etc.