SS3: Loeb moves in front in Australia

Sebastien Loeb has demoted Sebastien Ogier into second place on Rally Australia after setting the fastest time through the 29.03-kilometre Shipmans test north-west of the event base in Coffs Harbour.

Loeb and Ogier had been expected to drop time running at the head of the field through the loose gravel. However, overnight rain helped to compact the stage surface and negate any potential time loss. It also made the road slippery, particularly in the forest section approximately halfway through the stage.

“It was not cleaning for sure,” said Loeb. “There are some places where it is a bit muddy but I was quite surprised with the grip. Some places were very tricky and difficult to find a rhythm. It was okay but you are not allowed to do a mistake here.”

Ogier, who led outright at the start of the day following the two runs through the Castrol EDGE Super Special Stage in Coffs Harbour on Thursday evening, was second fastest and slips 2.0s behind Citroen team-mate Loeb in the overall classification. He said: “It’s okay, not a bad start for us. In the forest it was quite slippery in some places but no risk at all in the first one.”

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen was third quickest despite going off the road approximately two kilometres from the end of the test. “We went a little bit off into one of those steel posts. I lacked confidence because it was so slippery in places. I didn’t enjoy it at all.”

Team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala endured a tough stage in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, which he completed 26.3s slower than Loeb. “At the beginning of the stage there is a long-left into a very fast right. I went a bit wide but thought it was okay but there was something on the very exit of the corner, it snapped the rear left and I spun. It was a bit stressful driving after that but we are here and we need to make sure we don’t lose any more today. The steering is pulling a bit to the right but it’s nothing serious.”

Petter Solberg was matching Loeb and Ogier for pace early in the stage but said his stiff suspension settings meant he dropped time in the muddy forest section midway through the test. “I lost a lot of time there but that’s how it is. But I was happy with my performance before that it so it’s okay.”

Evgeny Novikov was fifth fastest in his M-Sport Stobart Ford Fiesta as team-mate Matthew Wilson reported a half-spin in the forest section, where Peter van Merksteijn Jr rotated his privateer Citroen DS3 WRC.

Daniel Oliveira completed the stage in his Brazil World Rally Team MINI John Cooper Works WRC after recovering from an early off-road moment. His delay completing the test slowed Production Car World Rally Championship points’ leader Hayden Paddon during the closing four kilometres of the run.

Nevertheless the New Zealander, in a Subaru Impreza, has climbed ahead of Michal Kosciuszko in the PWRC leaderboard after the Pole slid into a bank in fifth gear at the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer.

Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block is believed to have gone off the road in his Fiesta.

Standings after SS3: