SS8: Loeb hits back in Wales

Sebastien Loeb proved he won’t be settling for third position on Wales Rally GB after he closed the gap to second-placed Petter Solberg to 7.9s after claiming his first stage victory on the FIA World Rally Championship, the first time a non-Ford driver has gone fastest on the gravel event.

Out front, Jari-Matti Latvala leads by 15.2s after he nearly stalled at the stage start due to a fault with his Ford Fiesta RS WRC’s starting mechanism. Nevertheless he was second fastest, 0.3s slower than Loeb.

Stage seven winner Mads Ostberg reported better grip in comparison to the previous run, which he reckoned actually helped his rivals. He was 0.6s slower than Loeb and is now 9.4s behind the Frenchman in the battle for third place.

Mikko Hirvonen continues to struggle for pace in his factory Citroen. He was seventh fastest in his DS3 WRC. “I don’t have really anything to say,” he said. “It’s just not going well.”