Morning wrap: Hirvonen insists battle not over

"The lead is good but I could use another 10 seconds more"

By Franck Drui

13 February 2011 - 10:58
Morning wrap: Hirvonen insists (...)

Mikko Hirvonen insists the outcome of Rally Sweden is far from settled despite completing the morning loop of stages with an increased lead of 13.7s in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Hirvonen, running first on the road, has been fastest on all three stages so far today. Speaking at the midmorning service halt in Hagfors, the 30-year-old said: “The lead is good but I could use another 10 seconds more. The car has been absolutely perfect and maybe running first on the road has helped for a change. But Mads [Ostberg] is driving very well and it’s not over yet.”

Finn Hirvonen said Ostberg’s performance on Rally Sweden thus far means he has established himself as one of the best drivers in the world. “It feels great to hear a great driver like Mikko say that,” said Ostberg, 23. “I have been confident with my car and I’m pushing as much as I can without taking any big risks. I did not have any working splits coming to my car and I really want these.”

Petter Solberg remains in third place but is now 30.5s adrift of leader Hirvonen due to a problem with his Citroen DS3 WRC’s front-left damper. “I felt it on the superspecial last night but the team didn’t find anything this morning. We can fix the damper now and go faster because we have really struggled in the slow sections this morning.”

Jari-Matti Latvala started day three in fourth overall but a brush with a snow bank on stage 17 has cost him dear and dropped him to fifth overall behind Sebsastien Ogier. “We lost the front bumper after five kilometres and we can’t get any heat into the car,” said Ford driver Latvala. “I’m so cold, almost frozen, and I can’t get a rhythm on the stages.”

Sebastien Ogier’s bid for a podium finish remains on course. With three stages remaining he’s now just 8.7s behind Solberg in his factory Citroen DS3.

“I think it helped being first on the road today,” said Ogier. “Maybe the conditions will be better running further back on the second pass. But I am not taking any big risks and I am happy with my morning.”

Swedish hero Patrik Sandell has dropped out of the top 10 after leaving morning service late while his mechanics replaced a faulty gearbox on his Skoda Fabia Super 2000.

Martin Semerad continues to hold a comfortable lead in the Production Car World Rally Championship.

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