Sardinia SS2 win for Hayden Paddon, Meeke out

The 26.31km stage of Grighine Sud is our first stage of the day and SS2 of the rally – the usually dusty conditions in Sardinia are a little different today, thanks to heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight and light, patchy rain today. It’s a typical Sardinian stage, with a combination of tight narrow sections and fast, relatively open parts with changeable surface condition. A real challenge for the crews, especially as it’s the longest stage of the opening leg of the rally.

As the cars move through the stage, it’s clear that the overnight rain has had a huge effect, with little to no visible dust. ‘I was almost lucky with the rain but it’s much too warm and it’s already dry. Very slippery for me, but I do what I can.’ commented championship leader and first on the road, Ogier.\

Fastest through the stage was Kiwi Hayden Paddon; he’s proved his talent on gravel already this year and this stage victory shows clear intent, which puts him into the rally lead. ‘We were lucky! We hit a massive rock that pitched us up in the air. I had two soft compound tyres in the car. We tried them on the back – for the first time – and what a surprise!’ smiled Paddon.

Second fasest, 5.2 seconds down on Paddon, was the aforementioned Ogier, with Dani Sordo proving some strong pace and taking third quickest, seven seconds down on Paddon, despite commenting that he wasn’t pushing it. ‘I didn’t drive really fast, no risks, I stayed in the line.’ the Spaniard commented. ‘The time is not so bad but we can do better.’

Jari Matti Latvala powered through the stage to take the fourth quickest time, with Kubica and Mikkelsen rounding out the top six. Reports of inconsistent grip, slippery sections and even touches of mud unfortunately claimed one victim – Rally Argentina winner Kris Meeke came off the road and broke his rear suspension – he’s out for the day. The crew is ok and we can hope to see them rejoin tomorrow.

SS3, the 18.34km Grighine Nord, begins at 09:13 local time. It’s a test for the men and the machines and will be a great chance to see what pace Paddon is able to uphold.