SS9: Latvala fastest in Spain

Jari-Matti Latvala has trimmed Sebastien Loeb’s lead of RallyRACC-Rally de Espana by 3.2s after winning the Punta de les Torres stage, another new addition to the event itinerary.

Latvala is now 32.8s behind Loeb at the completion of Saturday morning’s loop of three stages.

“It’s a new stage, the grip was good and I had a good feeling,” said the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver. “It has to be all the time this way if I want to pressurise him.”

Loeb, in a Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, reported slightly damp sections in the stage. He admitted he was slightly cautious as a result.

Mikko Hirvonen, equal on points with Loeb in the battle for the 2011 WRC drivers’ crown, maintains a comfortable gap to Dani Sordo in third place but conceded he can’t go any quicker after he managed the fifth fastest time.

“I really try, as hard as I can,” said the Ford Fiesta RS WRC pilot. “But this is as fast as I can go now.”

Spanish hero Sordo was third fastest in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC despite reporting that he hadn’t driven as well as he could have done. He is 46.8s behind Hirvonen in the overall classification.

Citroen’s Sebastien Ogier is holding MINI’s Kris Meeke at bay in the battle for fifth despite admitting he has “no motivation” following his puncture on Saturday’s first stage. Meeke, meanwhile, has adopted a no-risk strategy in his bid to reach the finish.

Mads Ostberg complained that the brakes were overheating in his M-Sport Stobart Fiesta. An intermittent steering problem continues to plague Evgeny Novikov.

Crews are now heading to service in Salou. Stage 10, the repeat of the 45.97-kilometre El Priorat stage, gets underway at 14:48hrs local time.

Standings after SS9: