SS4: Loeb quickest, Solberg in trouble

There was high drama on stage four of Philips Rally Argentina when leader Petter Solberg stopped 28 kilometres into the run with a reported broken front-right steering arm.

Solberg, in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, started the stage heading the overall classification by 20.1s but his misfortune hands first position to Citroen driver Mikko Hirvonen.

“There’s still a long way to go but hopefully I can keep my pace and fight for the win, I’m really enjoying myself,” said Hirvonen.

Sebastien Loeb was fastest through the stage in his Citroen DS3 WRC, 2.4s quicker than team-mate Hirvonen. He climbs from fourth to second overall as a result as he bids for his third victory in this year’s FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

“I was pushing very hard, it’s the only thing I can do in my situation,” said Loeb, who is 12.3s behind Hirvonen with two stages of day one remaining. “I’ve changed a bit the set-up of the car and I was more confident than in the morning.”

Mads Ostberg reported a power issue on his Adapta Fiesta but still managed the third fastest time, 10.3s adrift of Loeb’s benchmark.

Citroen Junior driver Thierry Neuville impressed with the fourth best run, a mere 11.0s slower than Loeb on his first appearance in Argentina.

Dani Sordo, in the second works Fiesta, was fifth quickest, 15.6s down on Loeb, and falls to third overall as a result.

Ott Tanak’s frustrating Rally Argentina continued when the Estonian stopped 20 kilometres from the stage start in his M-Sport Fiesta.