From www.wrc.com
Jari-Matti Latvala will begin day two of Rally Argentina with a lead of 18.2s in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC following Friday's six testing stages in the punishing Traslasierra mountains of the country's Cordoba region.
Apart from a minor stall on stage seven, the Finn has driven impeccably all day, recording a total of four fastest stage times as he chases his first win of 2011 in front of tens of thousands of passionate rally fans who braved cold early morning temperatures to watch the close battle for glory unfold.
Co-driven by Miikka Anttila, the highlight of Latvala’s day occurred on the first run through the mixed-surface El Condor stage, which concluded with a 20-kilometre all-asphalt stretch. Latvala was 9.3s faster than his closest rival, Petter Solberg, and recorded an average speed of 196.2kph over the final 5.94-kilometres of the test.
Solberg will start day two in a strong second place in his privateer Citroen DS3 WRC. Sebastien Ogier began Friday afternoon’s loop of three stages in third overall, 16.2s adrift of leader Latvala. But his efforts to close the gap to the Finn suffered a setback when he spun on stage five, the repeat of the El Mirador-San Lorenzo test. The moment cost the Citroen star approximately five seconds. He also admitted to being “scared” on the Tarmac section during the second run through the El Condor stage as his gravel tyres became increasingly worn.
Works Ford pilot Mikko Hirvonen trails Ogier by 14.7s in fourth spot after reporting a lack of confidence through the asphalt sections of El Condor.
Seven-time world champion Sebastien Loeb’s hopes of landing his sixth win in Argentina hang in the balance after the Frenchman was handed a one-minute time penalty following an early check-in prior to the midday regroup in Villa Carlos Paz. Despite rounding out Friday’s stages with the fastest time through the final test, the Citroen driver is 1m30.3s off the pace overnight.
Mads Ostberg reported a rear differential glitch on his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta as he completed day one in sixth overall. Federico Villagra is the top Argentine driver in eighth overall at the wheel of his Munchi’s Fiesta, one place behind Briton Matthew Wilson who drove without error in his M-Sport Stobart example. Ken Block is ninth in his Monster Fiesta and the last of the World Rally Car runners following the retirements of Daniel Oliveira and Peter van Merksteijn Jr due to technical failures.
Day 1 classification:
1. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 1h48’59”7
2. P. Solberg-Patterson (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 18”2
3. Ogier-Ingrassia (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 28”8
4. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 43”5
5. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 1'30”3
6. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 2’55”2
7. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3’27”4
8. Villagra-Perez Companc (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3’40”9
9. Block-Gelsomino (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6’04”8
10. Paddon-Kennard (Subaru Impreza STi) + 11’49”6
Etc.
Jari-Matti Latvala will begin day two of Rally Argentina with a lead of 18.2s in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC following Friday's six testing stages in the punishing Traslasierra mountains of the country's Cordoba region.
Apart from a minor stall on stage seven, the Finn has driven impeccably all day, recording a total of four fastest stage times as he chases his first win of 2011 in front of tens of thousands of passionate rally fans who braved cold early morning temperatures to watch the close battle for glory unfold.
Co-driven by Miikka Anttila, the highlight of Latvala’s day occurred on the first run through the mixed-surface El Condor stage, which concluded with a 20-kilometre all-asphalt stretch. Latvala was 9.3s faster than his closest rival, Petter Solberg, and recorded an average speed of 196.2kph over the final 5.94-kilometres of the test.
Solberg will start day two in a strong second place in his privateer Citroen DS3 WRC. Sebastien Ogier began Friday afternoon’s loop of three stages in third overall, 16.2s adrift of leader Latvala. But his efforts to close the gap to the Finn suffered a setback when he spun on stage five, the repeat of the El Mirador-San Lorenzo test. The moment cost the Citroen star approximately five seconds. He also admitted to being “scared” on the Tarmac section during the second run through the El Condor stage as his gravel tyres became increasingly worn.
Works Ford pilot Mikko Hirvonen trails Ogier by 14.7s in fourth spot after reporting a lack of confidence through the asphalt sections of El Condor.
Seven-time world champion Sebastien Loeb’s hopes of landing his sixth win in Argentina hang in the balance after the Frenchman was handed a one-minute time penalty following an early check-in prior to the midday regroup in Villa Carlos Paz. Despite rounding out Friday’s stages with the fastest time through the final test, the Citroen driver is 1m30.3s off the pace overnight.
Mads Ostberg reported a rear differential glitch on his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta as he completed day one in sixth overall. Federico Villagra is the top Argentine driver in eighth overall at the wheel of his Munchi’s Fiesta, one place behind Briton Matthew Wilson who drove without error in his M-Sport Stobart example. Ken Block is ninth in his Monster Fiesta and the last of the World Rally Car runners following the retirements of Daniel Oliveira and Peter van Merksteijn Jr due to technical failures.
Day 1 classification:
1. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) in 1h48’59”7
2. P. Solberg-Patterson (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 18”2
3. Ogier-Ingrassia (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 28”8
4. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 43”5
5. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 1'30”3
6. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 2’55”2
7. Wilson-Martin (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3’27”4
8. Villagra-Perez Companc (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 3’40”9
9. Block-Gelsomino (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6’04”8
10. Paddon-Kennard (Subaru Impreza STi) + 11’49”6
Etc.