There was drama on the first stage of the final day of the 2013 Vodafone Rally de Portugal, with both Volkswagen Motorsport drivers, Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala suffering transmission problems and dropping time.
Latvala was the first driver to appear in trouble, losing time at the in-stage split points and by the end of the stage, had lost 1m11.1s to Mikko Hiroven, as a result of a suspected broken driveshaft.
Ogier was also losing time – more in the early part of the stage in fact – but seemed to regain his pace towards the end. He also reported a problem with the car but did not discuss it. However, the following car, Esapekka Lappi reported he left the start line of the stage with only front wheel-drive.
As a result, Mikko Hirvonen leap-frogged Latvala to claim second overall and now, is just 38s behind Ogier.
The stage win though went to Qatar M-Sport WRT’s Mads Ostberg, running fourth on the road and not being disadvantaged too much by the dust which was beginning to hang in the air for later cars. Team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah and Thiery Neuville were fourth and fifth respectively.
Car 2, Hirvonen/Lehtinen
“I don't know but for me, dust was a problem. It was tricky and I now the next one is a long stage and my tyres are not so great so we will see.”
Car 3. Sordo/del Barrio
“The feeling in the car is not the same today as yesterday. There is already some dust in the air, even with the three-minute gaps. I think it will be harder for the later cars today.”
Car 4, Ostberg/Andersson
“It was very difficult to see as there was dust in the air, especially under the trees. The stage was really nice and I really enjoyed it.”
Car 5, Novikov/Minor
“It was dusty. It was a bit difficult. Everything is fine with the car.”
Car 6, Al-Attyah/Bernacchini
“The stage is a little dusty. It was fast and in some places tricky as we started in mist. I am happy to beat Andreas, as I am trying to keep him behind. I took care of the tyres but we have enough tyres for today.”
Car 7, Latvala/Anttila
“Third corner of the stage, something broke on the transmission. It feels like a driveshaft but I don’t know yet. We will have to go to the next one.”
Car 8, Ogier/Ingrassia
“I have a problem with the car. I don't want to say what it is.”
Car 9, Mikkelsen/Markkula
“No problems in the stage and I am feeling more comfortable in the car. In the end, there are faster corners and I am not so committed so I lost some time.”
Car 10, Al Qassimi/Martin
“It was very difficult to see the corners, In some fast corners, you are backing off as you can't see the corner. There is dust in maybe 70% of the stage.”
Car 11, Neuville/Guilsoul
“There is a lot of road cleaning. I saw when we got to the stage it was a bit damp so we adjusted the set-up but it wasn’t as damp as I thought. But a good stage – no mistakes.”
Car 12, Kosciuszko/Szczepaniak
“The tyres went off quickly in the stage. There was a lot of dust between the trees. Maybe four minutes would be better.”
Car 15, Kuipers/Buysmans
“There is a lot of dust and the intercom was not working. ”
Car 21, Prokop/Ernst
“The car is working well but the road conditions are very tricky. There is no visibility with the dust from the previous car. I decide not to take any risks as I can't see the road. Just check my pace notes. Not easy – bad conditions.”
Car 31, Lappi/Ferm
“It was a bit dusty in the first five KM. It was not nice in there but I think Ogier had problems in there and stopped before the stage. It was only front wheel-drive when he left the start line.”
Car 32, Wiegand/Christian
“It is OK for us. There is a little mist and dust in the stage but it is OK. We had good speed but we take no big risks over the crests. We are trying to keep second place. Now it is the longest stage in my life and I am really looking forward to it, to learn how to drive it and look after the car and tyres.”
Car 41, Fuchs/Mussano
“I did my best to save the tyres for the long stage, so we will see.”
Car 59, Bouffier/Panseri
“It is OK. It is a quiet day for us – nothing crazy. We lost some time in the dust but you have probably heard that a lot!”
Car 74, Kubica/Baran
“Everything seems to be fine this morning.”
Car 75, Evans/Barrit
“It is very fast in there. But I have no problems today.”
Car 79, Barrable/Loudon
“I had a clean run – we have nothing to gain and a lot to lose so I do not try to overdo it.”