Tyre scare for leader Ogier
Frenchman breathes sigh of relief as temperatures soar
Four out of five for Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala claimed his fourth win from five stages during Saturday’s leg of Rally RACC - Rally de España but Volkswagen team-mate Sébastien Ogier remained in control at the top of the leaderboard.
Stage info: SS12
Colldejou 2, 26.48km
A classic stage, Colldejou is a very technical test on wide and narrow roads, with many changes in pace. The beginning and end are typically fast and smooth asphalt, demanding good racing lines and strong braking, but the middle is narrower and bumpier.
A classic stage, Colldejou is a very technical test on wide and narrow roads, with many changes in pace. The beginning and end are typically fast and smooth asphalt, demanding good racing lines and strong braking, but the middle is narrower and bumpier.
Latvala was fastest by 0.2sec from Kris Meeke, with Ogier 5.0sec back, to leave the gap between the Polo R duo at 27.9sec with just a short seafront test in Salou remaining today.
Despite the win, Latvala was unhappy with his car’s braking. “I tried as hard as I can, and the car was good, but there’s no bite with the brakes. I had to push, so, so hard. I didn’t have the feeling,” he explained.
Ogier was as cool as a cucumber as he told WRC Live the stage went without problem.
Mikko Hirvonen was fourth to retain third position, but Martin Prokop lost almost three minutes when he stopped to investigate a problem 13km after the start. “I thought it was a puncture but it wasn’t that. I think we have a broken driveshaft,” said the Czech driver, who retained eighth place in Fiona the Ford Fiesta RS.
