Ogier keeps command of the field

25.10.14
Jari-Matti Latvala continues to push but team-mate Sebastien Ogier inches closer and closer to his second world title
Reigning FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier has total control of the leaderboard after the second day of RallyRACC Rally de España and while team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala has chipped away at his advantage, the Frenchman still has a 27.3 second lead with four stages and 72.06 competitive kilometres remaining. After a strong and trouble-free run, Fiesta RS WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen is up to third overnight.
 
Today’s route took in six stages, two run twice, but most significantly included two passages over the 50 kilometre Escaladei stage, incorporated in this year’s itinerary to celebrate the 50th running of the event. After a disappointing day on gravel yesterday, Jari-Matti Latvala was right on the pace from the outset on today’s asphalt stages. The Finn claimed a hat-trick of stage victories this morning to close the gap to Ogier, but by the mid-day service was still 28.3 seconds adrift, his only hope being to keep pressurising the Frenchman. This afternoon the battling team-mates won one stage apiece before heading to the final stage on the seafront in Salou. After the closeness of competition yesterday, the fight for the final podium position continued this morning and saw Hirvonen move up the leaderboard at the expense of Andreas Mikkelsen and Mads Østberg. 
 
Østberg is fourth this evening after an uneventful day, but he and Mikkelsen had been battling hard until Mikkelsen was forced to stop and change a puncture in stage 11. Losing nearly three minutes, he dropped from fourth to seventh in this single stage. Dani Sordo remains the lead Hyundai driver in fifth and he too has escaped problems today. Team-mate Thierry Neuville has climbed from an overnight ninth to sixth and now has a chasing Mikkelsen on his tail. Martin Prokop has retained eighth, despite dropping over three minutes in the penultimate stage. The Czech driver pulled over to change what he thought was a puncture only to ascertain it was more likely a damaged drive-shaft. Hayden Paddon has now moved into the top 10 from 14th last night and Yuriy Protasov is 10th in first gravel event in a world rally car.
 
Robert Kubica has had a dreadful day, the Pole suffering with a broken drive-shaft on the way to the first stage this morning. Persevering, the former Formula One driver completed the first three stages with only front-wheel drive, but then took a wheel off in stage 11 this afternoon. 
 
RallyRACC Rally de España – Unofficial Results after Section 7

1.   Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

3hr 04min 14.5sec

2.   Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

3hr 04min 41.8sec

3.   Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

3hr 05min 33.1sec

4.   Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson

Citroën DS3 WRC

3hr 06min 02.8sec

5.   Dani Sordo/Marc Marti

Hyundai i20 WRC

3hr 06min 24.9sec

6.  Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul

Hyundai i20 WRC

3hr 07min 50.6sec

7.   Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

3hr 08min 02.7sec

8.   Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

3hr 11min 45.5sec

9.   Hayden Paddon/John Kennard

Hyundai i20 WRC

3hr 12min 43.0sec

10. Yuriy Protasov/Pavlo Cherepin

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

3hr 14min 05.1sec