Wales WRC: Tanak chasing Ogier, Mikkelsen hits trouble
DMACK's Ott Tanak shared the morning loop spoils with champion Sebastien Ogier on Friday in Wales Rally GB, as the rest of the pack fell adrift.
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Running first on the road, the newly-crowned four-time champion Ogier bossed the first run of the rally, the 31.8km Myherin stage, heading closest rival Tanak by 8.6s.
He was likewise quickest through the short SS2, upping his lead further, only for Tanak to strike back at 35km SS3 Hafren and 18km SS4 Dyfnant, the Estonian leaving the morning loop 7.7s behind.
More worryingly for Ogier, the Frenchman admitted he was concerned about a possible issue with his car. “It's not a good noise on the transmission,” he said.
For Ogier's teammate Andreas Mikkelsen, the car issues were a lot more pronounced.
The Norwegian was already 34 seconds adrift of the champion though the first three stages, his time loss compounded by an SS3 spin, before a developing front-right driveshaft issue cost him another minute and a half in SS4.
“Nothing we can cure for the rest of the day,” Mikkelsen conceded, with no midday service in Rally Wales' Friday schedule.
The third Volkswagen of Jari-Matti Latvala had a largely trouble-free day, an “embarrassing” SS3 spin in the presence of spectators notwithstanding, with the Finn ending the morning loop just clear of Citroen's Kris Meeke and Hyundai's Hayden Paddon for third.
Craig Breen was four seconds behind the trio in sixth, with Hyundai duo Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo only seventh and eighth, both struggling with the slippery conditions.
Mads Ostberg was ninth, ahead of Mikkelsen, the returning Stephane Lefebvre and Eric Camilli.
After SS4:
| Pos. | Driver/Co-driver | Car | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sébastien OgierJulien Ingrassia |
Volkswagen Polo R | 52m04.7s |
| 2 |  Ott Tanak Raigo Molder |
Ford Fiesta RS | +7.7s |
| 3 |  Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila |
Volkswagen Polo R | +32.3s |
| 4 |  Kris Meeke  Paul Nagle |
Citroën DS3 | +32.5s |
| 5 |  Hayden Paddon John Kennard |
Hyundai NG i20 | +32.7s |
| 6 | Craig Breen Scott Martin |
Citroën DS3 | +37.1s |
| 7 |  Thierry NeuvilleNicolas Gilsoul |
Hyundai NG i20 | +42.5s |
| 8 |  Dani SordoMarc Marti |
Hyundai NG i20 | +58.4s |
| 9 |  Mads Ostberg Ola Fløene |
Ford Fiesta RS | +1m18.4s |
| 10 | Andreas Mikkelsen Anders Jæger |
Volkswagen Polo R | +1m57.2s |
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
The harsh realities of being an F1 outcast
Latvala to make WRC comeback at Rally Finland
Latvala gets second Fuji 24h outing in hydrogen-powered Toyota
Why Toyota must rein in its WRC support players
Electric VW breaks Heidfeld’s 20-year old Goodwood record
Volkswagen guns for outright Goodwood record with electric ID.R
The next peak for Volkswagen to conquer
2024 NASCAR at Dover schedule, entry list, and how to watch
The plot twist that gave Arrow McLaren’s Ward his first win as team principal
WRC looking to add F1-style team radio to TV broadcasts
Formula E’s new Gen3 Evo car breaks cover
The eight minutes of madness that saw Ogier strike in Croatia
How Rovanpera showed his class above his WRC rivals in Kenya
How a new 'old' challenge is capturing the spirit of British rallying lore
How Lappi survived Swedish snow carnage to snap his lengthy WRC drought
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments