SS3: Latvala closes on Loeb

Jari-Matti Latvala has narrowed Sebastien Loeb’s lead of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana to 5.3s after he set the second fastest time on the final stage of Friday morning’s opening loop.

Ford driver Latvala was 1.3s slower than Citroen’s Sebastien Ogier on the mixed-surface stage to cement his grip on second place in the overall standings. The Finn has vowed to help team-mate Mikko Hirvonen’s title bid by going all out to take points away from Loeb.

“It was not too bad on that stage,” said Latvala. “I did a couple of mistakes near the end of the stage and lost some time. I need a clean run this afternoon [to make more progress].”

Stage winner Ogier, third in the overall classification, said: “It’s very slippery with a lot of loose gravel but when you can see the road [without dust] it’s more easy to push.”

Mads Ostberg reported severe handling problems at the wheel of his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta. Team-mate Henning Solberg continues to be plagued by the intercom glitch that struck on the previous run.

Ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen stopped in the stage although it’s currently unclear whether he will be able to continue in his ICE 1 Racing Citroen, which has developed a suspected engine fault.

Standings after SS3: