SS9: Solberg edges closer

Citroen privateer Petter Solberg continued his stage winning form on SS9, narrowing the gap on Dani Sordo’s second place to less than 10 seconds.

With no sign yet this afternoon of the forecast rain, Solberg’s choice of hard compound tyres proved once again to be the best option for the bone dry asphalt.

Sebastien Loeb admitted his team’s decision to fit soft compound tyres wasn’t the best but the rally leader still managed the second fastest time - just seven-tenths slower than Solberg’s. Dani Sordo - running a mixture of soft compound tyres at the front and hard at the rear - was third fastest.

After his power steering system broke on the previous stage, Jari-Matti Latvala drove all 18km of SS9 without any hydraulic assistance. Incredibly, the Finn’s stage time was only 14.3seconds slower than Petter’s.