Jari-Matti Latvala leads Rally Portugal after rough second day

Sport360 staff 12:07 23/05/2015
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  • Leader of the pack: Jari-Matti Latvala.

    Jari-Matti Latvala put a smile back on his face after a dismal run of three consecutive pointless rounds by leading Rally Portugal.

    He won two stages in his Volkswagen Polo R to open a 11.1sec advantage over Citroen Total Abu Dhabi’s Kris Meeke in a DS3.

    Andreas Mikkelsen was a further 4.9sec behind in another Polo R.

    “It’s coming good,” said the Finn. “After a steady start we increased the pace stage by stage and attacked more. That final stage suited me well.”

    Latvala’s low start position helped him on soft, sandy roads in the morning as the early starters swept away loose gravel to leave a cleaner road for those behind.

    The stages were less slippery but rougher in the afternoon, rocks and deep ruts prompting many drivers to raise the height of their cars.

    Meeke was the closest challenger for the lead for much of the day, but top spot changed hands on several occasions as Dani Sordo and Mikkelsen each led before Latvala took control.

    Ott Tanak enjoyed a strong debut in the new Ford Fiesta RS to hold fourth while Sordo’s Hyundai i20 was fifth and road opener Sebastien Ogier, who suffered most from sweeping the gravel, completed the top six in his Polo R.

    Citroen’s Mads Ostberg joined Sordo, Latvala, Mikkelsen and Ogier as a stage winner in his DS3 and was seventh, 5.4sec behind Ogier. 

    Soft compound tyres were the option of virtually all the frontrunners in the morning – except Neuville, who opted for hard rubber in the hope of benefiting from more soft tyres left later in the event.

    Lorenzo Bertelli completed all the stages in his Fiesta RS, but could not drive the final liaison section after two punctures left him with no more spare wheels.

    The afternoon’s opening stage was cancelled due to fires in the hills near the Spanish border.

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