SS5: Latvala flies in the rain
An closes on Ogier
With heavy rain making driving conditions increasingly treacherous Mikko Hirvonen has narrowed Sebastien Ogier’s lead on Rally Australia to 9.1s after the Ford driver edged his Citroen rival through stage five.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through the test despite his Fiesta RS WRC nursing damaged steering following his off-road moment on stage three. The Finn has moved ahead of Petter Solberg into third position in the overall classification after Solberg suffered a high-speed spin.
Ogier, who moved to the top of the overall leaderboard following Sebastien Loeb’s dramatic roll on stage four, said: “It’s pressure but it’s difficult to drive, very slippery. The tyres are not working so I have to drive with no risk. The plan is still the same, we try to do a good rally and score good points. That’s it for me. The rally is still long and anything can happen.”
Hirvonen added: “It’s incredibly tricky - every corner the grip is different and you never know how the grip is. If you go too fast that’s it.”
Henning Solberg spun his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta but was able to set a time faster than team-mate Matthew Wilson.
Crews are now heading back to service at Coffs Harbour’s regional airport. Stage six, Shipmans II, goes live at 15:37hrs local time.
Standings after SS5: