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At just 2.58km, SS5 of Sagama 1 is one of the shortest stages of the rally and was specially developed with the WRC in mind, running among fields with hazardous dry stone walls to look out for. This is the last stage before the first service stop of the rally – it’s been a tricky morning and a shorter stage is no doubt welcome to the crews.
 For the first time this rally it was Sebastien Ogier who was the quickest through the stage. ‘Unfortunately there wasn’t quite enough rain for me this morning, but I have to be happy with what we have achieved and the tyre strategy.’ commented the championship leader, before finding out that he was quickest on the stage.
Despite some frustration, it was Jari Matti Latvala that managed to complete the stage second fastest, just one tenth of a second slower than Ogier and making it a Volkswagen 1-2. ‘I felt I had a good run here, maybe one junction I could have done better. Generally it’s been an okay morning, I’m quite satisfied but I know I can improve my driving.’ he explained. The third Volkswagen of Andreas Mikkelsen has been confirmed as a retirement after suffering heavy damage in SS4. Dani Sordo’s been showing some great pace so far this weekend, and he completed the stage third quickest, 1.6 seconds down on Ogier. He promises more pace, however – ”I tried to be a little closer, but here we lost 1.6 seconds in just a couple of kilometres. We can do better.’ Mads Ostberg completed the stage in the exact same time after a frustrating morning. Rally leader Hayden Paddon crossed the line fifth fastest, 2.4 seconds down on Ogier – not enough to threaten his rally lead just yet, but it’s the first stage that he hasn’t won so far today. ‘To be leading is much more than we were expecting.’ explained Paddon. ‘This afternoon will be more difficult in the rougher conditions – but we’ll see what we can do.’ Overall, Paddon still holds a 23 second lead over Latvala, with Ogier a further 2.1 seconds down. Sordo’s pace means that he would be sitting just ahead of Ogier if it wasn’t for a ten second penalty in SS1 due to a jump start. He’s 35 seconds down on the leader, with Neuville and Tanak 4.0 and 6.4 seconds down on him respectively. Paddon’s extraordinary performance this morning has given him a buffer to the hard-charging Volkswagens, but he’ll have his work cut out this afternoon if he can hope to hold or improve that lead. The crews now head to a 30 minute service break at the Alghero HQ. SS6 begins at 14.37 local time. Story and photo: iRallylive.com |
