Friday- SS2: Sordo fastest
to claim lead
Dani Sordo won Friday's opening stage at Vodafone Rally de Portugal to move into a slender lead at this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The Spaniard delighted his legions of fans who had crossed the border to cheer him on by topping the timesheets by 1.3sec in his Hyundai i20. It promoted him above overnight leader Andreas Mikkelsen's Volkswagen Polo R by 0.1sec.
However, Sordo was not entirely happy, reporting a noise from the i20's engine and feeling it was down on power.
Ott Tanak was second in the stage in the new Ford Fiesta RS, 1.5sec ahead of Mikkelsen, who continued to enthuse about the 2015-specification Polo R on his first outing in it.
"I was working on my driving style all the way through," he said. "No risks, just driving and feeling comfortable. It was really, really good. I love it."
Tanak was one of several drivers to report loose rocks being unearthed from the soft, sandy surface and championship leader Sebastien Ogier punctured the rear right tyre on his Polo R midway through and dropped 12sec.
Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala were fourth and fifth in Citro?n’s DS 3 and a Polo R respectively, to hold the same positions overall ahead of Ogier in sixth.
Thierry Neuville lost more than 30sec but the Belgian said there were no specific issues. "Everything is good, but I had a very bad stage, I couldn't find the rhythm. There were lots of stones and I wanted to be careful with the tyres," he said.
Elfyn Evans stopped 3km before the finish with an electrical problem on his new Fiesta RS while Martin Prokop had no rear brakes on his similar car.
Organisers and emergency services had earlier fought an 18-hour battle to bring forest fires under control near the stage. Almost 250 people and 60 vehicles were involved.
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87th. 112 USA W. HUDSON 26:54.1 +1.1 +4:28.8
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SS3:
76th. 112 USA W. HUDSON 40:44.1 +0.4 +7:27.5
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SS4: Latvala takes charge in Portugal
Jari-Matti Latvala became the third leader in four stages at Vodafone Rally de Portugal after a blistering performance in the final test of Friday morning's loop.
On roads covered in thick loose gravel, the Finn took advantage of his low start position to win the Viana do Castelo test by 5.6sec to vault from third to first in his Volkswagen Polo R.
"That was a big push," he admitted. "There was a lot of loose gravel and a lot of cleaning by the cars ahead. Sometimes when you have an opportunity you have to use it. I haven't had a time like that for a long time, so it's nice to use it now."
Latvala led Kris Meeke by 6.1sec, the Briton third in both Viana do Castelo and the previous Caminha test in Citroen's DS 3. Andreas Mikkelsen, who led overnight and again after Caminha, was 9.2sec off the lead in third in his Polo R.
Dani Sordo headed the field after SS2 but the Spaniard was fifth in each of the next two tests to hold fourth in his Hyundai i20, 12.3sec off the lead.
Ott Tanak was fifth in the new Ford Fiesta RS, nine seconds clear of Mads Ostberg, who was fastest in Caminha but fell foul of the gravel in the following test.
Worst hit was first on the road Sebastien Ogier, who described it as 'one of the worst stages I've driven for sweeping'. The Frenchman was seventh, 25.7sec off the lead as competitors returned to Matsosinhos for service.
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67th. 112 USA W. HUDSON 54:49.4 +4.8 +9:52.3
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SS5: Fires force stage cancellation
Forest fires forced the cancellation of Friday afternoon's second pass through the Ponte de Lima stage at Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
Emergency services battled overnight blazes to allow the 27.53km test to start as scheduled this morning, but it was stopped after 33 cars as the hillsides continued to burn.
Organisers had no option but to scrub the second run and cars were held in Matosinhos following the mid-leg service before heading directly to the Caminha test, which will start on schedule at 16.35 (CEST).
Almost 250 people and 60 vehicles were involved in an 18-hour battle to bring the fires under control after they started yesterday afternoon.
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SS6: Ogier opens account in Portugal
Sebastien Ogier became the fifth different winner in five completed stages at Vodafone Rally de Portugal when he topped the timesheets in Friday's second pass through the Caminha test.
First on the road Ogier benefited from roads cleaned of loose gravel during the initial run, but the morning’s sandy surface was replaced by rocks and ruts and several drivers regretted not raising their car’s ride height.
Ogier was fastest by 2.6sec in his Volkswagen Polo R from team-mate and leader Jari-Matti Latvala, with Ott Tanak a tenth of a second further back in a Ford Fiesta RS.
Ogier, who climbed to sixth ahead of Mads Ostberg, jumped out of his car at the stage finish to check the tyre wear while Tanak, like many, was surprised just how demanding the roads were.
"It was really rough compared to the earlier pass. It was hard on the tyres and we have to keep nursing the car," said the Estonian.
Second for Latvala enabled him to extend his lead to 7.4sec over fourth fastest Kris Meeke, who admitted his DS 3 was bouncing so much on the rough tracks that he struggled to see the road.
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59th. 112 USA W. HUDSON 1:09:11.5 +1.0 +13:22.2
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SS7: Latvala finds form to lead in Portugal
Jari-Matti Latvala put a smile back on his face after a dismal run of three consecutive pointless rounds by leading Vodafone Rally de Portugal after Friday's opening leg.
He won the same stage this morning and this afternoon in his Volkswagen Polo R to open a 11.1sec advantage over Kris Meeke in Citroen's DS 3. 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. I've had hard times recently so it would be great to have a good event, but tomorrow will be tough."
Latvala's low start position, the result of his disappointing season, helped him on soft, sandy roads this morning as the early starters swept away loose gravel to leave a cleaner road for those behind.
The stages were less slippery but rougher this afternoon, rocks and deep ruts prompting many drivers to raise the height of their cars to protect them from damage.
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, 1.8sec behind Mikkelsen. 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.
More:
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55th. 112 USA W. HUDSON 1:23:39.1 +23.9 +16:19.7
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