WRC: Rally Spain

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Meeke: The Most Challenging Part is Over. (minimotorsport.com)

22 October 2011
Dust, dirt and darkness on the final stage of Rally Spain's day one made it tough for most of the teams. Find the quotes and photos from the MINI WRC Team after day one in Spain here.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director: "We started the day with great expectations but clearly from the first split we could see the stages were going to be an issue due to dust. On the first stage our two drivers had notes called for sixth gear and they were having to drive through in third! It was not a level playing field for everybody. The three minute gaps put in by the organisers to combat this didnâ€™t work and we took the option to take a ten second penalty for Kris for checking in a minute late for stage one, and he probably gained around 25 or 30 seconds on the stage time, so it was a 15 second gain. Also on the first loop Kris was carrying a small problem as he droped into a small hole and slightly damaged the suspension, but was able to get back to service with no problems. When Dani got into service we found he had a small amount of damage that may have affected his handling on the first three stages. On the afternoon loop we hoped to claw something back, and the first stage was okay, but then on the next one Dani had an intermittent intercom problem with lost some seconds but was repairable for the final stage by replacing a lead. Going into the last stage the crews had four minute gaps, expecting dust, but like the first stage was completely horrendous and was a complete lottery. We finished the day two minutes down on the leader and most of that is due to dust. We are not very happy, but tomorrow we start the tarmac rally tomorrow and we shall try and recover."

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37): "Today the first stage, like the last one, was where we lost a lot of time - in fact over 40 seconds. On the second pass of the long stage today, which was 35 kilometres, the intercom to the co-driver was broken at the start of the stage and it kept cutting out. I didnâ€™t hear very Carlos well so it was difficult to know where the corners, and that was bad. Then after the final night stage was really bad as we had all the dust and it was impossible to see. Today was really difficult because there were many problems. I need to try and push hard tomorrow and to try to show everybody that the MINI is fast on tarmac, so do the same as I did in France. It is a new rally tomorrow, with just tarmac which is good for our car, so perhaps we can make up some positions. It should be an interesting day."

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52): "I had a challenging day. However, if I had really pushed myself to the limit risking everything maybe I would have been on a similar time to Dani, but then I know he is going to pull away tomorrow as I donâ€™t have the experience of the roads. I said for once use the wise head and try to relax and go out to learn the rally. Certainly the most challenging part of the rally is over and the last stage was the most difficult stage I have ever driven. Tomorrow is all about tarmac driving, finding the rhythm there and trying to find tenths of seconds as the stage times will be separated by a lot less. Today with the dust and the rocks falling onto the road it made it very, very difficult."
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Steve · Oct 22, 2011

After stage 7: Sordo up to 4th, Meeke up to 5th (though only by 0.4 sec).

SS7: Loeb rapid on asphalt opener (wrc.com)

22 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS7, El Priorat 1 (45.97 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œItâ€™s a nice stage. Dani was quite fast through this stage last year. I think he made two special times in this stage. The only difference is last year it ended at the 42-kilometre point. Now we go close to four kilometres more at the end of a stage, which was a road section last year. The stage is quite wide and demanding for the tyres but only because of the length of the stage - itâ€™s not as twisty as you can expect compared to other stages. But itâ€™s very well known for the drivers because itâ€™s been run since the early 1990s. Itâ€™s a fast and smooth road but now with no possibility to cut because the road is higher with the new Tarmac. Now the possibility of cuts or even having a puncture is very low.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Loeb cemented his position as the leader of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana by going fastest through the grueling all-asphalt 45.97-kilometre El Priorat stage, the longest of Spainâ€™s world championship qualifier.

Loebâ€™s performance in his Citroen DS3 WRC means he now heads Fordâ€™s Jari-Matti Latvala on the mixed-surface round by 34.9s.

â€œItâ€™s a long stage but the car was very well balanced, which is very important on a long stage like this,â€ said the defending world champion following his run through Saturdayâ€™s first test. â€œIt was a very good drive, constant start to the end, with no mistake.â€

Latvala impressed by recording a time just 4.3s slower than Loeb, an established asphalt expert. He was thrilled at the stage finish: â€œItâ€™s the best performance on this stage ever, I have never been so quick but on the other hand itâ€™s not enough. We are taking two spares [compared to Loebâ€™s one] so we have a bit of extra weight. It means there are some places towards the end where the rear of the car is sliding a bit but it is going very well on Tarmac.â€

Sebastien Ogierâ€™s efforts to recover the time lost on Friday with a puncture suffered a setback when he picked up another deflation. He was 1m44.4s slower than Citroen team-mate Loeb as a result and has slipped behind MINI WRC Team aces Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke as a result. â€œIt was a rear puncture but this time I was completely in the middle of the road,â€ he said. â€œYesterday it was my fault but today I really donâ€™t know.â€

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen stays in third but was surprised that his time was slower than that of his rivals. â€œI really donâ€™t understand my time, thatâ€™s unbelievable because I felt I had a really good stage. Iâ€™m amazed, thatâ€™s all I can say.â€

Mads Ostberg reported a vibration at the front of his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta nearing the stage end. Team-mate Henning Solberg revealed that he is suffering from a fever, while Evgeny Novikov said a powersteering glitch had slowed his Citroen.

Key moment:
Loeb extends lead as puncture slows Ogier.
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Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Sordo still 4th, Meeke back to 6th:

SS8: Latvala continues to pressure Loeb (wrc.com)

22 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS8, Riba-roja dâ€™Ebre 1 (12.27 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œThis stage is the Tarmac section from the second stage on Friday but in reverse. Itâ€™s very demanding for the tyres in spite of the stage not been very long. There is no rest because itâ€™s corner, corner, corner. You start on a flat section then uphill, very much uphill before you go downhill. This is very demanding for both the driver and co-driver. Itâ€™s very twisty and the average speed on this stage will be the lowest of the rally. There are a lot of corners on the downhill with no rest. Then you pass through a bridge, itâ€™s less twisty here but the uphill is also twisty. We will have problems with the tyres, everybody will. The tyres will work like they do for a stage of 25 kilometres.â€

How the action unfolded:
Jari-Matti Latvala continues to pile the pressure on Sebastien Loeb in the battle for victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana but once again was fractionally slower than the event leader through Saturdayâ€™s second test.

Latvala, in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, took 1.1s longer than Loeb to complete the Riba-roja dâ€™Ebre run, a new stage for 2011. As a result his gap to the Citroen driver is now 36.0s.

MINIâ€™s Spanish ace Dani Sordo continues to edge closer to third-placed Mikko Hirvonen after setting the third fastest time in his John Cooper Works WRC, 1.4s slower than Loeb. Sordo is now 49.4s behind Hirvonen.

Sebastien Ogier, in the second factory Citroen DS3 WRC, has reclaimed fifth from MINIâ€™s Kris Meeke. The Frenchman is now 3.4s in front of his British rival heading to stage nine, the Punta de les Torres test, which goes live at 1133hrs local time.

Key moment:
Loeb continues to lead as Latvala sets another rapid time.
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Steve · Oct 22, 2011

No change to the order for front runners after stage 9:

SS9: Latvala fastest in Spain (wrc.com)

22 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS9, Punta de les Torres 1 (13.53 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œItâ€™s a very nice stage, quite flat. The road is not as wide as the others. Because it was easy to make cuts in every corner and put a lot of gravel on the roads they have put a lot of stones especially on the first seven kilometres. The stones are marked with pink circles to avoid people cutting. Itâ€™s not so stressing for the tyres this stage but there are some tricky corners and a crossroad in the middle where you go onto a new road although the road conditions are the same. At the beginning of the stage there is a tricky corner after a straight. There is a crest with a corner to the left. This place is not so easy.â€

How the action unfolded:
Jari-Matti Latvala has trimmed Sebastien Loebâ€™s lead of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana by 3.2s after winning the Punta de les Torres stage, another new addition to the event itinerary.

Latvala is now 32.8s behind Loeb at the completion of Saturday morningâ€™s loop of three stages.

â€œItâ€™s a new stage, the grip was good and I had a good feeling,â€ said the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver. â€œIt has to be all the time this way if I want to pressurise him.â€

Loeb, in a Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, reported slightly damp sections in the stage. He admitted he was slightly cautious as a result.

Mikko Hirvonen, equal on points with Loeb in the battle for the 2011 WRC driversâ€™ crown, maintains a comfortable gap to Dani Sordo in third place but conceded he canâ€™t go any quicker after he managed the fifth fastest time. â€œI really try, as hard as I can,â€ said the Ford Fiesta RS WRC pilot. â€œBut this is as fast as I can go now.â€

Spanish hero Sordo was third fastest in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC despite reporting that he hadnâ€™t driven as well as he could have done. He is 46.8s behind Hirvonen in the overall classification.

Citroenâ€™s Sebastien Ogier is holding MINIâ€™s Kris Meeke at bay in the battle for fifth despite admitting he has â€œno motivationâ€ following his puncture on Saturdayâ€™s first stage. Meeke, meanwhile, has adopted a no-risk strategy in his bid to reach the finish.

Mads Ostberg complained that the brakes were overheating in his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta. An intermittent steering problem continues to plague Evgeny Novikov.

Crews are now heading to service in Salou. Stage 10, the repeat of the 45.97-kilometre El Priorat stage, gets underway at 14:48hrs local time.

Key moment:
Latvala scores stage win for Ford to narrow Loebâ€™s lead.
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minimark · Oct 22, 2011

Settling in and getting closer, with just a tiny bit of help from lady luck.........another podium maybe!

Justa Jim · Oct 22, 2011

Kris is driving smart this time and Dani could sneak into third, which would still be very impressive. I believe he really wants to beat Loeb badly and is capable, but that might not be till next year.

Jim

Justa Jim · Oct 22, 2011

Here is a good, overhead clip of Kris. There are some other good ones on the WRC site. I could be wrong, but it looks like he is doing an "early apex" most of this run.

World Rally Championship - Video - Browse All - Spain 2011: Fly through SS7 with Kris Meeke

Jim

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Still no position changes for the top 10 after stage 10.

However, Sordo has the best time so far on stage 11, 2.3 sec faster than Loeb. Looks like he might get a stage win. :fingerscrossed:

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

SS11: Sordo fastest for MINI (wrc.com)

22 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS11, Riba-roja dâ€™Ebre 2 (12.27 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œThis stage is the Tarmac section from the second stage on Friday but in reverse. Itâ€™s very demanding for the tyres in spite of the stage not been very long. There is no rest because itâ€™s corner, corner, corner. You start on a flat section then uphill, very much uphill before you go downhill. This is very demanding for both the driver and co-driver. Itâ€™s very twisty and the average speed on this stage will be the lowest of the rally. There are a lot of corners on the downhill with no rest. Then you pass through a bridge, itâ€™s less twisty here but the uphill is also twisty. We will have problems with the tyres, everybody will. The tyres will work like they do for a stage of 25 kilometres.â€

How the action unfolded:
Dani Sordo has recorded his first fastest stage time on this yearâ€™s RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

The Spaniardâ€™s performance on his home round of the WRC has halted Jari-Matti Latvalaâ€™s run of wins by going quickest on the penultimate stage of day two, the 12.27-kilometre Riba-roja dâ€™Ebre test.

Driving a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, Sordo was 2.3s faster than event leader Sebastien Loeb to close to within 32.5s of third-placed Mikko Hirvonen.

Loeb, in a Citroen DS3 WRC, now heads Ford Fiesta RS WRC driver Latvala by 29.8s in the battle for first place. Hirvonen, level on points with Loeb in the driversâ€™ standings is now 1m23.1s behind Loeb.

Key moment:
Sordo ends Latvalaâ€™s winning run with stage victory.
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minimark · Oct 22, 2011

Oh this is getting good!!!

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Stage 12, last stage of the day:

SS12: Hirvonen hits back (wrc.com)

22 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS12, Punta de les Torres 2 (13.53 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œItâ€™s a very nice stage, quite flat. The road is not as wide as the others. Because it was easy to make cuts in every corner and put a lot of gravel on the roads they have put a lot of stones especially on the first seven kilometres. The stones are marked with pink circles to avoid people cutting. Itâ€™s not so stressing for the tyres this stage but there are some tricky corners and a crossroad in the middle where you go onto a new road although the road conditions are the same. At the beginning of the stage there is a tricky corner after a straight. There is a crest with a corner to the left. This place is not so easy.â€

How the action unfolded:
Mikko Hirvonen has staved off Dani Sordoâ€™s advances in the battle for third place by beating the Spaniard through Saturdayâ€™s final stage.

Hirvonen, in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, increased the margin to the fourth-placed MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver to 37.4s heading into Sundayâ€™s final six stages after he went second fastest.

The Finnâ€™s performance ended a frustrating day during which he struggled to make an impact. â€œDani is getting close so I have to push hard,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œBut at least itâ€™s been a good end of the day.â€

In the battle for outright victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana, Jari-Matti Latvala has edged closer to leader Sebastien Loeb after clocking the fastest time through the stage. The Ford driver is now 27.6s behind his Citroen rival heading to the overnight service halt in Salou.

Kris Meeke impressed with a time that was 1.0s slower than his more experienced team-mate Sordo. â€œI took the pressure off myself today and accepted I have to get the experience,â€ said Meeke. â€œWhen Iâ€™m not trying the times come.â€

Key moment:
Hirvonen ups pace to beat Sordo as Latvala wins stage.
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Steve · Oct 22, 2011

MINI Motorsport's day 2 summary:

Sordo Homes in on Top Three.

22 October 2011

Dani Sordo produced a promising fight back on day two of the Rally Spain, moving ever closer to third place overall. Kris Meeke is also setting a good pace.

Special Stage 12: It was to be expected that Mikko Hirvonen would not simply sit back and let Dani fight back to take third place overall. Hivronen sets the second fastest time on the final stage of day two, while Dani crosses the line as the fifth fastest driver. "That is okay," says Dani. The Spaniard made up ground on Hirvonen on five of the six stages today. Dani and co-driver Carlos del Barrio are now 37.4 seconds off third place going into the third and final day in Spain. The duo has another six stages and 102.62 competitive kilometres to reel in Hirvonen's lead on Sunday and claim a place on the podium again.

Meanwhile, Kris is relaxed in the second MINI John Cooper Works WRC. "I took the pressure off myself for this rally," says Kris at the end of the special stage. This season is a year for learning and gaining experience for him and the entire MINI WRC Team. Kris is to complete as many kilometres of stages as possible in order to be prepared for the 2012 season. The retirement at the Rally France once again made this clear to him. As such, Kris is taking a more balanced approach in Spain â€“ and with success. Sixth place overall and a comfortable lead over his closest rival, Mads Ostberg, just go to show that Kris and his co-driver Paul Nagle are on the right track.

Special Stage 11: Dani sets his first fastest stage time at the Rally Spain â€“ a sign that he has put yesterday's difficult day behind him. Dani has made up 22.9 seconds on third-placed Hirvonen since the first special stage of the day, thus underlining his desire to challenge for a podium finish at his home rally.

In the #52 MINI WRC, Kris goes 3.3 seconds faster than Ostberg to give himself breathing space in sixth place. Kris's lead is now 36.9 seconds over his closest rival.

Special Stage 10: The "El Priorat" special stage is almost 46 kilometres long, and Dani is visibly enjoying himself. Dani and Carlos are flying again after the lunch break. The fourth fastest time on this stage sees the pair move closer to third place overall.

Meanwhile, Kris continues what he described this morning as his "Speed Recce". His goal: not too risk too much, to guide the MINI WRC safely through each stage, to get a feel for the special stages on the WRC events, and to regard it as valuable experience for 2012. Kris and Paul go about their task well and extend their lead over Ostberg. Sixth place still for Kris and Paul.

Special Stage 9: Hirvonen once again loses time to Dani and Carlos: 2.6 seconds on the final stage before the service break. "The MINI WRC feels very good," says Dani. That is clear to see, as Dani and Carlos set a fast pace. The pair is now just 46.8 seconds off third place.

Kris crosses the line in sixth place and defends his sixth place overall. His closest rival, Mads Ostberg, loses 2.1 seconds to Kris.

Special Stage 8: Dani continues to put Hirvonen under pressure and shows the Finn that he will have to fight all the way to hang onto his podium position. Dani makes up six seconds on Hirvonen on the morning's second stage, reducing the deficit to 49.4 seconds.

Kris is just a few seconds slower than Dani on this stage, but has to make way for SÃ©bastien Ogier, which costs him a place in the overall standings. Kris now lies in sixth place overall.

Special Stage 7: Following the dusty Friday, Dani and Carlos are pumped up as they line up on Saturday morning. The pair sets the third fastest time on the longest stage of the rally and also benefits from a puncture for Ogier. This sees Dani and Carlos move into fourth place overall, 55.4 seconds behind Hirvonen in third place.

Kris and Paul also set a fast time on the 45-kilometre special stage, crossing the finish line as fifth fastest. Like Dani and Carlos, the duo moves up a place into fifth overall.
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Justa Jim · Oct 22, 2011

I was out and about with the wife today, but thanks to you Steve, I could slip off and quickly check the standings in the rally. You are a good man, buddy.

Jim

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Slammed Rallyman...

There's a bunch of great photography here.

Here are a couple more examples:

Steve · Oct 22, 2011

Let's call this a wheelie.

Steve · Oct 23, 2011

SS13: Ogier sets early pace (wrc.com)

23 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS13, Santa Marina 1 (26.51 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œThe first run of this stage will be in the dark for the top drivers. Itâ€™s a well-known special stage. I donâ€™t say itâ€™s easy but what is true is since 10 years ago we have passed through this stage in both directions and we know it pretty well. Itâ€™s very nice for the spectators also. The road is quite wide but in the middle there are around seven kilometres or so that are bumpy, quite twisty, narrow and quite tricky. Then it continues with smooth Tarmac to the end but itâ€™s quite twisty also. It has a good average speed.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Ogier has gone fastest on Sundayâ€™s opening stage despite reporting that he slowed down towards the end of the run fearing he had a puncture.

The Citroen DS3 WRC driver dropped out of contention for victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana with a brace of punctures earlier in the event. He remains in fifth overall after going 0.1s faster than team-mate Sebastien Loeb.

â€œItâ€™s a surprise because we slow down at the end when we had a feeling something was wrong with our front tyres - we had the same feeling when I had a puncture,â€ said Ogier. â€œWe have to try otherwise the rally is so long. We stay in a good rhythm.â€

Loeb, who was second fastest to maintain his overall lead, said: â€œItâ€™s not easy because the stage is quite fast and with the headlights [in the dark] you discover everything quite late compared to daylight. You have to be very concentrated. But the grip was good in the stage so no problem.â€

Jari-Matti Latvala, in second overall, reported a moment after moving back onto the wide road following the narrow mid-stage section in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. â€œI did a mistake,â€ said the Finn, who is now 31.1s behind Loeb. â€œI didnâ€™t realise how quickly the road was turning. I thought I would overshoot so I pulled the handbrake. I went massive sideways but I didnâ€™t lose too much time.â€

Mikko Hirvonen, bidding to fend off Dani Sordo for third, said: â€œI found the rhythm and I was understanding how to drive the car. Iâ€™m getting the hang of it now.â€

MINI driver Sordo has all but given up on catching Hirvonen for the final podium spot after he was 3.4s slower than the Ford-driving Finn. â€œAfter this stage itâ€™s impossible,â€ said the Spaniard. â€œI think I will drive more quiet now.â€

Norwegian Mads Ostberg, in an M-Sport Stobart Fiesta, reported wearing out his brakes by the mid-point of the stage. Armindo Araujo stopped his Motorsport Italia MINI John Cooper Works WRC less than a kilometre into the test. Itâ€™s not clear if the Portuguese will be able to complete the run.

Matthew Wilson survived a scare early in the run when he outbraked himself into a tight left-hand corner. Ken Block has also stopped in the stage after going off the road.

Key moment:
Stage win for Ogier as Loeb extends lead in Spain.
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Steve · Oct 23, 2011

Araujo and Block hit trouble in Spain (wrc.com)

23 Oct 11

The World Rally Car contingent on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana has been reduced by two after Armindo Araujo and Ken Block both went off the road on Sunday's first stage, the 26.51-kilometre Santa Marina test.

Although full details of their exits are not yet known, both drivers are understood to have hit trouble within the opening three kilometres of the stage, which was held under the cover of darkness, albeit in dry conditions.

Portuguese Araujo was 15th at the time. Block, from America, was in 31st. Both drivers and their co-drivers are reported to be uninjured.

It marks the second event in a row that Araujo, in a Motorsport Italia MINI John Cooper Works WRC, has retired on the first stage of the closing morning of a world championship qualifier after he also went out early on Rallye de France Alsaceâ€™s final day.

Block was recovering from his exit on Fridayâ€™s dust-coated first stage, when he broke his steering striking a drainage culvert in his Monster World Rally Team Fiesta.

Citroenâ€™s Sebastien Loeb continues to lead the event and has now grown is advantage over second-placed Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala to 31.1s.
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Steve · Oct 23, 2011

Bad news for Sordo on this stage but no change to the order.

SS14: Hirvonen quickest (wrc.com)

23 Oct 11

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS14, Le Mussara 1 (20.48 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œThis stage is very, very fast and not so wide for the first 11 kilometres. Then we head into a downhill, which is fast at the beginning but then there are more or less five kilometres with lots of corners where Sebastien Ogier went off last year. Itâ€™s low-speed and not so good for the brakes at this point. The last two kilometres are again flat out. The surface is keen with no possibility for cuts. Itâ€™s a demanding stage because you have two different situations.â€

How the action unfolded:
Mikko Hirvonen proved heâ€™s not going to give up on his dream of winning his first world title without a fight after setting his first fastest stage time on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

In a remarkable transformation of form following his lacklustre showing on Saturday, Hirvonen was 4.0s faster than world championship rival Sebastien Loeb through Sundayâ€™s second test. Although his performance wonâ€™t impact on the overall classification, itâ€™s proof that the factory Ford driver has what it takes to run at the front.

â€œIt was difficult yesterday but I finally realised how to drive with this set-up,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œIâ€™m glad I found it finally.â€

Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala once again underlined his emergence on asphalt with another strong stage time in his Fiesta RS WRC. He is now 29.4s behind leader Loeb with four stages left to run.

â€œIt was a good stage but we lost a little towards the end when it was a bit more technical,â€ said Latvala.

Loeb, who like Latvala is carrying two spare soft compound tyres to counter the threat of rain, said: â€œThere was some [damp] in the first part of the stage so I didnâ€™t want to take any risks. Itâ€™s okay.â€

Spaniard Dani Sordo lost almost 30 seconds when he picked up a rear-left puncture on his MINI John Cooper Works WRC. It means his margin over fifth-placed Sebastien Ogier, who was second fastest in his Citroen, is now down to 38.3s.

Key moment:
Hirvonen fastest as puncture allows Ogier to close on Sordo.
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Steve · Oct 23, 2011

After SS15 Sordo reported a steering issue...3 stages to go.

Steve · Oct 23, 2011

MINI drivers made an odd tire decision for the final stages...seems to have been a poor choice...

SS16: Loeb closes on Spanish success (wrc.com)

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS16, Santa Marina 2 (26.51 kilometres)

Stage description:
By MINI World Rally Team co-driver Carlos Del Barrio : â€œThe first run of this stage will be in the dark for the top drivers. Itâ€™s a well-known special stage. I donâ€™t say itâ€™s easy but what is true is since 10 years ago we have passed through this stage in both directions and we know it pretty well. Itâ€™s very nice for the spectators also. The road is quite wide but in the middle there are around seven kilometres or so that are bumpy, quite twisty, narrow and quite tricky. Then it continues with smooth Tarmac to the end but itâ€™s quite twisty also. It has a good average speed.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Loeb has moved a step closer to winning RallyRACC-Rally de Espana for a seventh time after his closest rival, Jari-Matti Latvala, confirmed he wouldnâ€™t be taking any risks in a last-ditch attempt to catch the Citroen ace.

Ford driver Latvala was second fastest through the stage and is now 28.2s behind Loeb with two stages left to run. He said: â€œI didnâ€™t want to take any risks. I took no cuts and made no mistakes. It was a smooth run.â€

Loeb said: â€œI was just looking at the splits of Jari-Matti, there is no more to do. I just try to stay on the road and hope not to have any puncture like always. I didnâ€™t cut anywhere.â€

Mikko Hirvonen, in the second factory Fiesta, said: â€œNow thereâ€™s no pressure [from fourth-placed Dani Soro] I donâ€™t have to take risks or anything. Maybe I have to look after the tyres a bit more [for the Power Stage].â€

MINI driver Kris Meeke was using a combination of soft and hard compound Michelin tyres after reports that it might rain in the next stage, La Mussara. â€œWe had soft tyres on the right and hards on the left,â€ said Meeke. â€œIt was a tricky combination so I was concentrating keeping the car on the road.â€

Team-mate Dani Sordo also made the same tyre choice, which proved less than ideal in the dry conditions. As a result his margin over fifth-placed Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier has been narrowed to 13.7s with two stages remaining.

â€œI knew he had a soft tyre on the car so we tried to push a bit just to know if the gap can be closer than that,â€ said Ogier, who was fastest through the stage.

Asked whether he could keep Ogier at bay, Sordo said: â€œIt will be very difficult. With the soft tyres the car is much slower. Itâ€™s difficult but we decided in the service as a team to do this.â€

Peter van Merksteijn Jr suffered a high-speed spin in his Citroen. Daniel Oliveira completed the run with a front-left puncture on his Brazil World Rally Team MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

Juho Hanninen continues to lead the Super 2000 World Rally Championship standings from Nasser Al-Attiyah with Patrik Flodin ahead on the Production Car World Rally Championship, albeit by 3.2s from Michal Kosciuszko.

Key moment:
Ogier narrows Sordoâ€™s advantage in battle for fourth.
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