Germany WRC: Ogier takes the lead as crash halts rally
Sebastien Ogier took the lead of Rally Germany from Volkswagen teammate Andreas Mikkelsen at the end of the morning loop on Saturday, winning two of the five stages.
Photo by: Volkswagen Motorsport
The overall lead changed twice during the morning's running, with Ogier and Mikkelsen both setting close times during the course of five stages.
But in the end it was Ogier who managed to build a 13.2s buffer over Mikkelsen in mixed conditions, as tyre choices proved to be troublesome for both Volkswagen drivers.
"Once again I was wrong with the tyre choice! It was drier than we expected. I did what I could with the tyres I had," Ogier said after the stage.
Meanwhile, Mikkelsen commented: "I had a crossed tyre set-up - and that meant oversteer one corner then understeer the next. Not the perfect choice."
Behind, Hyundai's Thierry Neuville maintained his third place from Friday, but teammate Dani Sordo gained on the Belgian in the five stages, and now sits only 1.6s behind.
After completing SS10, Neuville revealed his power steering failed with 4km remaining in the stage. "The car was undriveable on these roads. We're lucky to be here," he said.
The leading Ford of Ott Tanak was fifth with Mads Ostberg classified sixth and Hayden Paddon seventh, as SS10 was halted due to an off for Citroen privateer Stephane Lefebvre.
Lefebvre was running a strong sixth after taking the win in SS8.
The official word from the WRC feed stated: "The Frenchman crashed at the 12.4km point. Medical team in attendance. More info as we get it."
UPDATE: SS10 stands cancelled, with drivers making their way back for midday service. The stewards will award notional times to drivers who couldn't complete the stage.
Reports suggest Lefebvre slid off the road and both him and co-driver Gabin Moreau were injured. No spectators were involved in the incident.
Lefebvre and Moreau have been transferred to hospital by helicopter, both conscious.
Overall results after SS10 - Top 10:
Pos | Driver | Car | TIME | DIFF 1ST |
1. | Sebastien Ogier | Volkswagen | 1:43:21.1 | |
2. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Volkswagen | 1:43:34.3 | +13.2 |
3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 1:43:47.9 | +26.8 |
4. | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | 1:43:49.5 | +28.4 |
5. | Ott Tanak | Ford | 1:45:01.5 | +1:40.4 |
6. | Mads Ostberg | Ford | 1:46:02.7 | +2:41.6 |
7. | Hayden Paddon | Hyundai | 1:46:08.7 | +2:47.6 |
8. | Pontus Tidemand | Sokda | 1:48:18.3 | +4:57.2 |
9. | Esapekka Lappi | Skoda | 1:48:20.3 | +4:59.2 |
10. | Armin Kremer | Skoda | 1:48:48.6 | +5:27.5 |
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments