SS10 : Rapid Latvala fastest again
Solberg picks up a puncture
Jari-Matti Latvala continues to set a staggering pace on Rally d’Italia Sardegna with his second successive fastest stage time on round five of the world championship.
Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, the Finn was 11.8s quicker than the Citroen DS3 WRC of Sebastien Ogier, who is now just 1.9s behind second-placed Petter Solberg in the overall standings.
Solberg’s privately entered DS3 WRC suffered a front-right puncture on the stage. As a result the Norwegian slips to 37s behind overall leader Sebastien Loeb, who is running first on the road and struggling for grip creating a clean line for those running behind.
Despite his pace, Latvala is making little impact on the overall positions due to the time penalties he incurred following his retirement on Friday’s second stage.
Standings after SS10: