Ogier quickest as the rain pours down

Sebastien Ogier was the pace-setter through the repeated 32km Hafren - taking the stage win as the Welsh weather turned increasingly nasty.

After the remote service in Builth Wells, crews began the repeat pass of the morning’s loop of stages in torrential rain, which added sections of standing water to the long list of potential hazards.

Ogier, driving a Citroen C4 WRC, completed the stage three-tenths quicker than rally leader Jari-Matti Latvala, who was second fastest. “The rain is making it difficult but actually the grip is better than it was this morning,” said Ogier.

Petter Solberg set the third fastest time but was concerned about an ongoing gear selection problem. “The gearbox is changing on its own,” he explained. “I’ll be in fifth then it will shift into neutral for no reason. It did that all the way through. I have to be careful [not to stall] because I have no starter motor either. Considering this my time is unbelievable!”

Sebastien Loeb was fourth fastest but said his start position of first on the road was causing problems. “There’s too much water on the road now - it’s filling the ruts and we’re aquaplaning. I’m pushing really hard but it’s impossible to do anything,” he said.

Citroen Junior team driver Dani Sordo said he was lucky to escape unscathed after an enormous spin. “We were in sixth gear when we went off on a right-hand corner,” said the Spaniard. “We ended up in the middle of the road, pointing in the right direction but in first gear!”