Loeb’s perfect opening
Although he led initially, Loeb was a second ahead of the Mini WRC of Dani Sordo — the leaderboard changed dramatically on the second test. A brave tyre choice by Latvala, who had opted for a super soft compound, paid dividends. His time for the stage was 52 seconds faster than Loeb and catapulted the Finnish ace from fourth (28 seconds off the lead) to first – as he opened up a 30.5 second advantage over Loeb. Latvala’s team mate, Petter Solberg slotted into third, he was also quicker than Loeb on the second test. Sordo damaged the suspension of his Mini when he clipped a rock and nursed the car to finish fourth followed by Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen DS3).
There was little between the top duo on SS 3. However, the rally took a turn on the final stage when Latvala rolled his Fiesta after he missed a note from his co-driver, Latvala concentrating too much on the ice surface.
Meanwhile, Waterford’s, Craig Breen (Fiesta S2000) was 18th in general classification after the opening stage but endured a number of spins on the second test. Wexford’s, Eamonn Boland and his Waterford co-driver, Mickey Joe Morrissey had a disappointing start. Just five miles into the opening stage their Mitsubishi EvoX suffered a blown turbo. They incurred a six minute road penalty for late arrival into the control for the second stage. On the repeat of the stages in the afternoon, Breen lost time with a puncture on SS 4 but still ended the day second in the S2000 category and 15th in general classification. Boland starts today’s six stages from 52nd position.
