Friday:
SS2: Ogier and Latvala set pace
Volkswagen Motorsport made the best possible start as Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala set the pace in their Polo R cars to claim first and second on the leaderboard. However, two of the expected frontrunners hit immediate trouble.
Mikko Hirvonen went off early in the stage and with no spectators present, the Finn could not get his Citroen DS3 back on the road. It took almost 25 minutes to get on the move, his hopes of a strong result already over.
Mads Ostberg arrived at the finish fifth fastest, but the Norwegian was far from happy. “I have engine problems. Really bad. Massive overheating and no power,” he said, his Fiesta RS leaving anti-freeze on the road as he left the stop line.
He and co-driver Jonas Andersson stopped 700 metres down the road and identified the problem with advice over the telephone from Qatar M-Sport engineers. They taped up what is believed to be a split pipe and topped up the engine’s coolant system before heading to the next stage.
Temperatures were a relatively mild -7C, but snow since the recce ensured conditions were tricky. Grip improved with the passage of every driver as cars swept the snow clear to leave a faster line.
Ogier was 2.2sec quicker than his team-mate, the Frenchman explaining: “I saw Mikko off the road and lost concentration. I was too careful afterwards but conditions weren’t easy.”
Latvala admitted it was hard to find a rhythm in the fresh snow, but the Finn was 1.3sec faster than overnight leader Sebastien Loeb, who concurred. “It would have been very easy to slide into a ditch,” said Loeb, just 1.0sec behind Ogier overall.
Young Swede Pontus Tidemand was fourth in a Fiesta RS, reaching the finish with a huge smile on his face. “That was great. It was really loose so I dropped a little time with too much sliding but I think everyone is doing that, so it’s OK,” he said.
Matthew Wilson and Khalid Al Qassimi went off at the same bend 3km before the finish. “People had been wide at a left corner and there was no snow bank and we were sucked into the snow. We were almost back on the road but then Khalid went off. He was parked behind us and the spectators were split between trying to get us both out,” said Wilson.
Wilson lost more than four minutes while Al Qassimi dropped over seven minutes.
Jari Ketomaa struggled with a power steering problem on his Fiesta RS, while Michal Kosciuszko finished with a leaking cylinder in the clutch of his MINI John Cooper Works, leaving a trail of oil at the stop line.
Pacesetter in the WRC 2 category was Fiesta RRC driver Eyvind Brynildsen. The Norwegian fought back after collecting a 1min 40sec penalty last night. He was 22.9sec quicker than leader Yazeed Al Rajhi, with Sepp Wiegand 11.4sec further back in third. Brynildsen remains a long way down the WRC 2 order, but narrowed the gap to the leader 1m 19.2s.
click:
wrc.com/news/sweden ss2
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SS3: Ogier edges ahead
Polo R driver Sebastien Ogier was fastest once again on Friday’s second test, the Frenchman completing Varmullsasen 3.1sec quicker than his closest rival on the stage, Mads Ostberg. Sebastien Loeb was third fastest, 5.2sec off Ogier’s pace.
“Another good stage for us. A little problem with the shifting, but okay,” Ogier reported at the finish control.
Ogier’s Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala slipped to third when a layer of fresh snow on the road gave him handling concerns. “It’s alright but I’m struggling a little bit to get confident and I’m worried about losing the rear. Everywhere else is okay it’s just that. I think we can improve things by changing the set-up,” he said.
Now up to second, Loeb was happy with a clean run in his Citroen DS3. “It was a good drive with no mistakes - and that’s the most important thing. There’s still some snow around, but the bite was better in this stage than the first,” he said.
After some worrying over-heating issues on SS2, Ostberg’s Fiesta RS seemed to be running sweetly at the end of SS3. The Norwegian and co-driver Jonas Andersson made roadside repairs to the cooling system on the pre-stage road section but collected a 30-second penalty for checking-in late. Despite his excellent stage time, a still furious Ostberg said nothing at the finish control.
WRC Academy graduate Pontus Tidemand continued his sensational form, going fifth fastest in his Ford Fiesta RS. The Norwegian, 22, moved up to fourth overall. “It’s going good, we’re really happy,” he said.
Jarkko Nikara lost the dubious honour of being first in the running order when he went off near the start, burying his MINI in a snow bank. Fellow MINI pilot Michal Kosciusko now heads the field. “It’s a tough position to be in,” acknowledged Kosciuszko. “From the moment we passed Nikara it got more slippery.”
click:
wrc.com/news/sweden ss3
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SS4: Ostberg fastest, Ogier leads
Mads Ostberg recovered from his early morning problems to post fastest time through the final stage of the morning loop. The Norwegian was quickest by just a tenth of a second in a Ford Fiesta RS from Sebastien Ogier, with Jari-Matti Latvala 1.6sec slower in third.
But as cars headed back to Hagfors for service, it was Ogier at the top of the leaderboard in a Volkswagen Polo R. The Frenchman has a 10.1sec advantage over Sebastien Loeb’s Citroen DS3, with Latvala’s Polo R just 0.8sec back in third.
Ostberg’s overheating woes continued to bother the Norwegian, but didn’t slow him. “The alarm was on and that was annoying and disturbing. I tried to push but the alarm came on and put me out of focus. I couldn’t drive at 100 per cent. It’s trouble for me because I’ve lost too much time,” he said.
He is sixth overall, 40.0sec from the lead, but Qatar M-Sport team boss Malcolm Wilson refused to accept that Ostberg’s chances were gone. “His pace has been incredible given the problem. It’s not all over yet!” he stated.
Ogier, too, was having to compensate for car issues. “I still have a problem with shifting,” he explained. “It’s OK but I have to use the clutch, especially in low gear.”
Loeb and Latvala were engrossed in a tight battle for second overall. Latvala was 2.4 faster than his rival through the stage and is now breathing down his neck.
Loeb was perplexed as where he lost time in one specific split section of the stage. “I didn’t make any mistakes, so maybe it just wasn’t good driving. It’s hard to find a good rhythm and stay on the road,” he said.
Perhaps the star of the morning has been Pontus Tidemand. The 22-year-old Swede was seventh on the stage in a Fiesta RS, but lies fourth overall on his debut in a World Rally Car. His secret? “A good rhythm and no mistakes,” he said.
Fastest time from Norwegian Anders Grondal moved him into the lead of the WRC 2 category. The Subaru Impreza driver headed to service with a 10 second advantage over Fiesta RRC driver Yazeed Al Rajhi, who damaged a wheel near the finish.
Championship leader Sepp Wiegand is third in a Skoda S2000 but under increasing pressure from a resurgent Eyvind Brynildsen. Brynildsen, who picked up a 1m40s penalty earlier, won two of the morning’s stages but had a lucky escape on the third.
“I made a mistake just after Colin’s Crest, and spun flat out in sixth gear,” the Fiesta driver explained. “There was snow everywhere and when we stopped we were in the middle of the road pointing the wrong way. Okay, it’s made the job a bit more difficult but I’ve already got back one minute. Maybe the karma has changed now!”
click:
wrc.com/news/sweden ss4
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