Date: Saturday, March 18th
Day: 3 Flash N°: 16
Special stage: El Mosquito 2 Distance: 22.56 km
Weather: Hot and sunny, 30°C
Road conditions: Dry and dusty
LEADER OGIER SETS SCINTILLATING TIME IN EL MOSQUITO 2
The re-run of Ibarrilla (SS15) was cancelled after Esapekka Lappi’s morning accident. Action resumed with the second pass through El Mosquito. Remarkably, it was a first proper gravel stage of the day for competitors running behind the Rally1 cars.
Safe in fourth overall, Kalle Rovanperä was not able to make in-roads into the stage times of the top three and he could only watch as Thierry Neuville pinched another 0.2 seconds from Elfyn Evans to trail the Welshman by 8.5 seconds.
But Sébastien Ogier was driving on another level and the Frenchman crushed his rivals to win the stage by 8.1 seconds.
Car 8. TÄNAK/JÄRVEOJA
“It’s a bit progress but a bit progress is needed to be competitive in the first place.”
Car 69. ROVANPERÄ/HALTTUNEN
“There is always some margin when you don’t need to push 100%. It is not easy and it is still quite
slippery. I know that the guys behind will be faster anyway. I cannot do much more.”
Car 11. NEUVILLE/WYDAEGHE
“I thought it was better than this. I had a very good run through the stage. I expected a bigger gap to
Kalle to be honest.”
Car 33. EVANS/MARTIN
“I wasn’t sure how that would go but it looks like it was similar (grip) for everybody. It’s driving to the
grip.”
Car 17. OGIER/LANDAIS
“I think it’s all down to tyre management. The tyres were dropping off towards the end.”
Car 18. KATSUTA/JOHNSTON
“It’s not so easy to drive. It’s slippery, It’s all about the confidence. I try to find it.”
Car 7. LOUBET/GILSOUL
“I have a feeling for the car on gravel but, when you are first on the road, it is difficult to have a feeling!
It was an okay stage.
Car 6. SORDO/CARRERA
“I just try to enjoy the different set-ups for the future. It is really slippery rom the rear. All the time the
rear is sliding., It is difficult.”
Car 9. SERDERIDIS/MICLOTTE
“Still slippery and we are still cleaning but less than this morning. We improved. Nine seconds I think.
We had a good feeling. It was nice.”
