Saturday
SS9: Ostberg's fight back is go!
Mads Ostberg’s bid to fight back to fourth place on Rally Italia Sardegna is on track after he set the pace through Saturday’s first test. Despite struggling for grip running on hard compound tyres, Ostberg was 14.1s faster than event leader Mikko Hirvonen and moves into sixth overall
Ostberg, who was delayed on Friday afternoon with a broken rear differential on his Adapta Fiesta, started day three in seventh place and more than one minute adrift of his target position of fourth, which is currently occupied by Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sebastien Ogier in a Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia.
Meanwhile, Hirvonen, who has extended his lead to 1m17.2s over Evgeny Novikov, said he was extremely cautious, adding that he “hated” driving to avoid rocks on the road.
After clocking the third fastest time 5.4s down on Ostberg, Ott Tanak suggested a possible electronic issue at the stage finish. The M-Sport Fiesta driver holds third overall behind team-mate Novikov.
Several drivers restarted under Rally 2 rules following their exists on Friday with factory Ford pair Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg both back in action. However, neither was going flat out in order to secure manufacturers’ championship points for the Blue Oval, although Latvala was second fastest, 2.3s down on Ostberg.
Thierry Neuville, who has also restarted under Rally 2, reported a lot of movement in his Citroen on soft-compound tyres, which he said had overheated at the stage finish. He also said he was experiencing some pain from the second-degree burns he suffered to his hands pushing his car back onto four wheels when he rolled on Friday.
Luca Pedersoli admitted he’s finding it hard running second on the road on a rare outing on gravel and his first start in a Citroen DS3 WRC. Meanwhile, Martin Prokop lost time when he got stuck momentarily after spinning.
Paulo Nobre is back in action after retiring on the road section heading to final service last night with an overheating engine. The Brazilian MINI driver, who is running first on the road on day three, started the day in 22nd overall as a result of the 10-minute time penalty he incurred.
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SS10: Hat-trick for Novikov
Evgeny Novikov has set his third fastest time on Rally Italia Sardegna but his pace through Saturday’s second test has done little to erode Mikko Hirvonen’s advantage in the battle for victory on the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Novikov, in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RS WRC, was fastest by 1.2s but trails his Finnish rival, in a Citroen DS3 WRC, by 1m10.6s. “Everything is fine and I am satisfied,” said Russian Novikov. “Now I just have to keep going and take no risks. Everything is okay.”
Hirvonen reported no problems after setting the fifth best time, 6.6s down on Novikov.
Chris Atkinson said the rear of his MINI John Cooper Works WRC was sliding too much. Nevertheless he is now 4.4s behind Sebastien Ogier in the battle for fourth, albeit coming under increasing pressure from Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian, who was second fastest, is now 23.0s behind Australian Atkinson with one stage of Saturday’s opening loop of runs remaining. Ogier, meanwhile, is bemoaning his decision to fit a long-ratio gearbox to his Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000.
Martin Prokop’s difficult Rally Italia Sardegna continued when he picked up a front-right puncture. The Czech drove for four kilometres with the deflation but was unsure how it had occurred.
Nicolas Fuchs continues to lead the Production Car World Rally Championship division despite picking up a front-right puncture. Indonesia’s Subhan Aksa was quickest in the class.
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SS11: Ostberg closes on fourth
Mads Ostberg is now 11.2s behind Chris Atkinson in what is now a three-way battle for fourth place on Rally Italia Sardegna.
Ostberg, driving for the Adapta World Rally Team, was 11.8s quicker through the stage than WRC Team MINI Portugal’s Atkinson. They have both edged closer to Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sebastien Ogier, who said his decision to fit a long-ratio gearbox to his Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia has affected his outright speed.
“All the stages have been quite strong this morning,” said Ostberg, who was quickest on the stage in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC. “It’s been quite tricky on hard tyres but we’ve pushed hard and really enjoyed it.”
Atkinson, who is now 3.3s behind fourth-placed Ogier, said: “I’m trying everything I can but we’ve already had some moments so you start to worry.”
Following his exit on Friday, Jari-Matti Latvala is spending today experimenting with different settings on his works Fiesta in preparation for the gravel leg of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana next month. “I’m trying to get the feeling for Spain and the confidence on gravel,” said Latvala, who was second fastest, 3.7s down on Ostberg.
Out front, Mikko Hirvonen has grown his lead to 1m18.7s after going third quickest in his Citroen DS3 WRC. “For sure I can just take it steady without having to push but it’s not easy because you have to keep the rhythm,” said the Finn.
Thierry Neuville, in a Qatar World Rally Team Citroen, said running third on the road on such a slippery surface was a “new experience”. He also said he was experiencing some pain from his burnt hands.
Italian privateer Luca Pedersoli described an “amazing atmosphere” on the stages due to the huge numbers of fans watching the action.
Crews are now heading to Olbia for a regroup and service halt. Stage 12, the repeat of Coiluna-Loelle, gets underway at 14:48hrs local time.
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wrc.com/italy ss11
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