Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, the defending FIA World Rally Champions, maintained their outright lead after 10 timed special stages of LOTOS 71st Rally Poland on Friday evening.
Despite a fierce challenge from Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Ole Floene, Ogier won two of the day’s five specials to carve out a tiny advantage of nine-tenths of a second in the first of three Volkswagen Polo R WRCs.
“Of course I am happy,” said leader Ogier. “I would always take second place after the opening day and to lead at the end of the day after the last stage is even better.”
Norwegian Mads Østberg climbed to third in the first of the works Citroën DS3 WRCs and Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala - despite being disappointed with his own performance in the third Polo - moved ahead of Østberg’s team-mate Kris Meeke and into fourth. A disillusioned Meeke had lost a chunk of time driving through the rutted Lithuanian stages.
Finnish drivers Juho Hänninen and Mikko Hirvonen filled sixth and seventh overall and a spin and a brake fire failed to halt Thierry Neuville’s progress to ninth. Local hero Robert Kubica and Welshman Elfyn Evans were eighth and 10th, although it had been a disappointing opening two days for the Ford team, with the leading three Ford Fiesta R5 WRCs down in seventh, eighth and 10th.
Talented Estonian Ott Tanak increased his WRC 2 lead over Finland’s Jari Ketomaa to 14.9 seconds and held 14th overall behind Kiwi Hayden Paddon, Norwegian Henning Solberg and Czech Martin Prokop.
“I am quite happy with the day, even though there was not too much driving,” said Tanak. “I was able to gain two seconds a stage and that has given me the lead to take into Saturday.”
French driver Stéphane Lebebvre continued to lead the JWRC category in a Citroën DS3 R3T from Romania’s Simone Tempestini.
Repeat runs through two special stages in Lithuania were cancelled on safety grounds after the soft track surface began to rapidly deteriorate and large ruts appeared on the racing line. It meant that competitors only tackled five timed stages on Friday.
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, the defending FIA World Rally Champions, maintained their outright lead after 10 timed special stages of LOTOS 71st Rally Poland on Friday evening.
Despite a fierce challenge from Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Ole Floene, Ogier won two of the day’s five specials to carve out a tiny advantage of nine-tenths of a second in the first of three Volkswagen Polo R WRCs.
“Of course I am happy,” said leader Ogier. “I would always take second place after the opening day and to lead at the end of the day after the last stage is even better.
Norwegian Mads Østberg climbed to third in the first of the works Citroën DS3 WRCs and Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala - despite being disappointed with his own performance in the third Polo - moved ahead of Østberg’s team-mate Kris Meeke and into fourth. A disillusioned Meeke had lost a chunk of time driving through the rutted Lithuanian stages.
Finnish drivers Juho Hänninen and Mikko Hirvonen filled sixth and seventh overall and a spin and a brake fire failed to halt Thierry Neuville’s progress to ninth. Local hero Robert Kubica and Welshman Elfyn Evans were eighth and 10th, although it had been a disappointing opening two days for the Ford team, with the leading three Ford Fiesta R5 WRCs down in seventh, eighth and 10th.
Talented Estonian Ott Tanak increased his WRC 2 lead over Finland’s Jari Ketomaa to 14.9 seconds and held 14th overall behind Kiwi Hayden Paddon, Norwegian Henning Solberg and Czech Martin Prokop.
“I am quite happy with the day, even though there was not too much driving,” said Tanak. “I was able to gain two seconds a stage and that has given me the lead to take into Saturday.”
French driver Stéphane Lebebvre continued to lead the JWRC category in a Citroën DS3 R3T from Romania’s Simone Tempestini.
Repeat runs through two special stages in Lithuania were cancelled on safety grounds after the soft track surface began to rapidly deteriorate and large ruts appeared on the racing line. It meant that competitors only tackled five timed stages on Friday.