SS2: Latvala hits trouble

Jari-Matti Latvala’s chances of a home win in Finland this weekend took a big knock on SS2 when he broke his car’s suspension.

The Finn began the stage in second place, just 1.2sec off the lead, but he lost 39 seconds after swiping a roadside rock and damaging the left-hand rear of his Volkwagen Polo R.

“It happened just before the road widened, on a right hand corner over a crest,“ Latvala explained when he arrived at the stop control. “The car lifted and went wide and we hit a stone on the outside which broke the rear suspension.”

With another four stages to run before the next team service opportunity in Jyvaskyla, the Finn risks dropping further back unless he can get the car running properly. Asked if he could repair the damage, Latvala said: “I don’t know what we have in the car to fix it. We have to see. We’ll go now and try.”

Meanwhile Thierry Neuville became the new joint rally leader after a terrific stage win at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS. “The road was very slippery but it went okay,” said the Belgian. “Sometimes my pace notes were too slow and at others they were too fast, so I had to adapt my driving a bit, but otherwise it was a nice one.”

Jyvaskyla resident Mikko Hirvonen shares the top spot with Neuville after surviving a scary moment in his Citroen DS3 to go third fastest. “It was really, really slippery and we hit a rock in one corner - it can happen easily on these new stages, ” he said. “My notes were also not great, but we made it okay, so I’m happy with that.”

Second quickest on the stage was Ford Fiesta RS pilot Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian holds third overall but wasn’t totally happy with his driving, feeling he had pushed too hard in some sections.

Early leader Sebastien Ogier could only manage fifth-fastest, the Frenchman 3.1seconds slower than Neuville. “I heard about Jari-Matti before I started, so I took it a bit easy and then I lost my rhythm,” he said.

Citroen substitute driver Kris Meeke was tenth fastest after running more than half of the stage with a problem. “I got a puncture about three kilometres in,” he explained. “There’s a nick in the front right tyre and it cost us maybe seven or eight seconds. I’m disappointed but it’s early in the rally, so okay.”

P-G Anderson’s disappointing start to the rally continued on SS2 when he arrived at the stop control with his Fiesta RS dragging an assortment of forest undergrowth.

“We had another spin at the end,” he explained. “I don’t know what’s happening with the car but when I steer into corners it’s fine, and then the rear just snaps. We have to do something, but I don’t know what.”

Jarkko Nikara was eighth fastest in his Mini, having cured the lack of engine power he experienced on the opening test. “We were missing a part on the engine turbo boost but it’s better now. I went wide in a couple of places, so it wasn’t a clean run, but better,” he said.