SS5: Ostberg edges ahead
Another fastest time from Mads Ostberg on the Los Mexicanos test enabled him to extend his overall lead to a slender 1.9sec, however Sebastien Ogier in second was keeping up the pressure.
Ostberg said clouds of dust inside the cockpit of his Fiesta RS had made it hard to see the stage properly but he was happier with the way the car was handling.
“We were going to adjust the set-up after the first stage today but actually we haven’t touched it,” said the Norwegian. “It seems better suited to these twisty stages, so I’m trying to gain as much as I can when it’s like this.”
Ogier was second fastest, 0.5sec adrift of Ostberg, in his Polo R and felt this was the best he could do from his position of eighth in the start order. “It was a good drive and I can’t go faster or push more. The road is still cleaning, improving car to car, so it’s better for the cars behind me,” he said.
Thierry Neuville was third quickest, 0.5sec slower than Ogier and satisfied with the pace he had found without reference to other competitors. “We’re not getting any split times in the car, so until we get to the end I don’t know whether my speed is good or not,’ he explained. “Looking at where we are though, so far it seems okay."
Mikko Hirvonen was fourth fastest in his Citroen DS3, with Evgeny Novikov rounding off the top five times. Novikov’s Fiesta was back to full health after his earlier electrical problems were traced to a bad connection.
Chris Atkinson was eighth fastest, having made running repairs to his Citroen DS3. "We damaged the steering arm earlier and now I have really bad power steering. It won’t be easy but we should be able to get it through the next stage like this and back to service,” he said.
Benito Guerra had an anxious time on the stage when his Citroen’s driver display incorrectly reported that the car was on fire. “I was pretty sure we weren’t but it was quite a distraction,” he acknowledged. Guerra was 11th fastest.
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SS6: Ogier lays down marker to rivals
Sebastien Ogier delivered a real statement of intent in the longest and most difficult stage of the leg by blitzing his rivals to reclaim the lead.
The Volkswagen Polo R pilot was quickest by 9.0sec from Mikko Hirvonen and headed back to Leon with an 11.8sec advantage at the top of the leaderboard. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Frenchman.
“I had no splits,” he said. “I had times for the cars ahead but not those behind me so I didn’t know what they were doing. It was very slippery with a lot of loose gravel and you have to be clean here. It’s long, and by the finish I just wanted to complete it.”
Hirvonen arrived at the finish with a cracked windscreen on his Citroen DS3 after clipping a branch. The Finn was surprised at how slippery the roads were, commenting: “It felt as if the tyres were going off.”
Thierry Neuville continued his consistent morning with third fastest, but the Belgian was another to have no splits coming into his Fiesta RS.
“I never know where I am. I took it carefully, maybe a bit too carefully. It’s three rallies that I have had this and it’s not so nice,” he said.
Fourth was Mads Ostberg and while that was enough to place him second overall, his frustration at losing the rally lead was clear.
“The car feels very, very strange. Maybe the tyres are overheating. I was sure I had a puncture so I slowed down at the end. I struggled with grip at the beginning. The car was too stiff for this stage and there was no traction,” he said.
Evgeny Novikov was fifth, his earlier problems now seemingly solved, and he also had a cracked windscreen on his Fiesta RS.
Rounding off the top six was Dani Sordo, but the Spaniard was another to cut a frustrated figure. “I drove really, really badly. It’s very slippery, narrow and difficult to stay in the lines and brake well,” he said.
Martin Prokop spun into a ditch in a narrow section and then lost the brakes on his Fiesta RS 10km from the finish. “It took a long time to get back on the road after the spin because it was a narrow place. When the brakes went I had to drive slowly because the road was narrow and dangerous,” he said.
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SS7: Ogier leads in Mexico at Friday midpoint
Volkswagen’s Sebastien Ogier holds the lead of Rally Mexico at the midpoint of Friday’s competition, the Frenchman returning to service in Leon after SS7 with a 12.9 sec advantage over Ford Fiesta driver Mads Ostberg.
Ogier began today’s second leg in fourth after Thursday night’s two sprint tests, but converted this into a 5.3sec lead after a convincing stage win on the opening El Cubilete.
The Polo R driver lost the position on the next stage, however, when a fastest time from Ostberg moved him up to first. Ostberg took another stage win on SS5, but Ogier responded on the 30km El Chocolate test, completing it 13.7sec quicker than his rival to retake the lead.
The Frenchman rounded off the morning loop with a win on the short Street Stage in Leon. “Okay, we haven’t had the best road position but we’re leading the rally now, so we can be happy with that,” said Ogier.
“Considering the grip we had we have done a good job. Mads is going really well, he’s just behind. We have to work hard this afternoon to keep him there.”
Ostberg wasn’t always comfortable with the handling of his Fiesta RS but remains confident that he can catch Ogier. “I’ve been struggling with the set-up all the way but the times were good,” he said.
“It’s difficult to have a car that works well on both fast and slow corners here. We had a good run on the long one [SS6] but near the end I hit a rock and thought I had a puncture because the car felt strange. I slowed a bit but I think it was just the tyres overheating.
“I’m happy that we are still in the fight, we’ll refill our water bottle now and get out there again. I think I can match Ogier’s pace. After what we have done this morning it’s definitely possible,” he added.
Mikko Hirvonen is third, 5.3sec behind Ostberg in his Citroen DS3. The Finn was frustrated with his driving on Friday’s opener but improved as the day progressed and was Ogier’s closest rival on the El Chocolate stage.
Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville is fourth, 7.9sec behind Hirvonen and satisfied with his morning’s work. Without the benefit of split times in his car, the Belgian felt he had judged his pace well - with just one exception: “I lost 13 seconds on Las Minas [SS4] because I thought I needed to save my tyres more than I did,” he explained. “But we’re still in the fight with Mikko and Mads. We can go faster, but I don’t know if we should go faster…”
A disappointed Dani Sordo is fifth, 39sec adrift of Neuville and at a loss to explain how his Citroen team-mate Hirvonen was 30-seconds quicker than him through SS6.
Nasser Al Attiyah is sixth, with Ken Block seventh in his Hoonigan Racing Division Fiesta RS. “My last event was Finland last year, so it’s taken me a while to get familiar with the car again,” said Block. “I’m driving a bit too much sideways because of the loose stuff on the road, but I’m hoping the conditions will be cleaner for the repeat.”
Reigning P-WRC champion Benito Guerra is eighth on his first event in a World Rally Car. “I’m learning a lot and I’m satisfied with my first morning in the Citroen,” he said. “I’m still aiming to be the leading private driver here, and that means we now have Ken Block in our sights. We’re going to try to be progressive in our learning and increase our speed as we go on.”
WRC 2
After the opening seven stages, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari holds a healthy 1m.49.7sec lead of the WRC 2 category
Making his season debut in Mexico, the Qatari driver took the lead on Thursday night’s Super Special and has held it ever since, winning all but one of the tests so far in his state-of-the-art Ford Fiesta RRC.
Behind him, the fight is between a field of Group N specification cars. Armin Kremer is second, at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX, with Nicolas Fuchs 9.1sec further back in third in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
Yuriy Protasov was third overnight but dropped more than three minutes on Friday’s opener with a left-hand front puncture. He lost more time on SS6 when his Subaru’s power steering failed.
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