Citroen Junior Team driver Sébastien Ogier has taken the lead of the Rally New Zealand, but day two was all about Sébastien Loeb.
The six-time world champion was 1m19.8s adrift of the lead at the start of the day following a disastrous run through Friday’s fourth stage, when he damaged his Citroen C4 WRC’s door striking a bridge.
But a sensational performance by Loeb has catapulted the world championship leader to within touching distance of a fourth consecutive win after he went fastest on all six of Saturday’s gravel stages.
He will start day three of the Auckland-based event just 5.3 seconds behind Ogier, who is chasing his first WRC victory in only his second full season.
“We’ve pulled back all the time we lost due to our off yesterday. I have been flat-out all the time, pushing on the limit and I am very happy,” said the 36-year-old Frenchman, who said he had made the most of starting seventh on the road.
"We really enjoyed ourselves today. We were able to get the utmost out of our C4 WRC’s potential, and the roads are simply magnificent. We’re well placed to aim for victory tomorrow, but above all we’ll have to cope with a short leg that’s full of traps.”
His countryman Ogier began day two in third place behind Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala, but moved ahead of the pair on Saturday’s opening stage. With Solberg and Latvala fighting through the loose surface gravel, Ogier gradually pulled clear and cemented a strong day with fastest time through the concluding superspecial.
'We’ve pulled back all the time we lost due to our off yesterday. We’re well placed to aim for victory' – Sébastien Loeb
Jari-Matti Latvala is third overnight in his Ford Focus, 33.2 seconds behind Ogier. The Finn said he was too cautious in the morning and also admitted that he had struggled to adapt his pacenotes to dry conditions, following rain during the reconnaissance.
Citroen’s Dani Sordo began the day in fourth place, passed Solberg to run as high as third at midday, before dropping back a place to returned to overnight service in Auckland in fourth, 6.1s ahead of Solberg.
“I didn’t manage to get into the right groove today,” explained Sordo. “The grip was more consistent today, and I felt more at ease in the car. Even so, I still couldn’t set good times in relation to my rivals. The day’s over and I’m now thinking about tomorrow. We’re still in the running for the third step of the podium.”
The Norwegian’s pursuit of his first WRC win since 2005 appears to have fallen short after he slipped to fifth overall, 53.6s behind Ogier, as a result of running first on the road. Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen, currently in sixth, was also denied a shot at victory by a time-consuming spin in the morning.
For daily start lists, a timetable and stage maps off the New Zealand Rally, head to WRC.
GEPA/McKlein/CItroen Sport
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