Date: Friday, March 17th
Day: 2 Flash N°: 9
Special stage: Las Dunas Super Special 1 Distance: 3.53 km
Weather: Hot and sunny, 30°C
Road conditions: Dry and dusty
LAPPI STORMS THROUGH TO EXTEND HIS LEAD TO 6.9 SECONDS
The first of four passes through the undulating Las Dunas stage used gravel roads in a nearby quarry. The winding path of the tracks meant that drivers actually passed through their own dust in a few places.
Thierry Neuville trimmed Elfyn Evans’s grip on third to 10.2 seconds and Esapekka Lappi threw caution to the wind. He beat Sébastien Ogier by 3.5 seconds and his lead increased to 6.9.
Oliver Solberg was third quickest and fastest in WRC2. Gus Greensmith’s lead over Adrien Fourmaux was trimmed to 8.8 seconds.
Car 11. NEUVILLE/WYDAEGHE
“We had a rear damper completely blocked. We got it free again on the road section. Obviously a lot of
cleaning in there. We need to be prepared to lose a lot of time.”
Car 33. EVANS/MARTIN
“It’s hard to judge. It didn’t feel like a good run. I struggled to turn a bit to be honest, I didn’t drive that
well.”
Car 17. OGIER/LANDAIS
“So far so good. Still a small one to go. It was not easy, it was slippery and twisty and dificult to get
some speed.
Car 20. GREENSMITH/ANDERSSON
”They have replaced the Autodrome stage, where you go head-to-head, with a stage in a quarry!”
Car 21. SOLBERG/EDMONDSON
Third fastest overall. “After the puncture earlier on I am quite pissed off so I am pushing hard now.”
Car 22. FOURMAUX/CORIA
“It is a good fight with my old team-mate. We are pushing actually. It was a good day.”
Car 24. LINDHOLM/HÄMÄLÄINEN
“It was an okay run and one miss over a crest but we dropped nine seconds (to Solberg).”
Car 25. KAJETANOWICZ/SZCZEPANIAK
“It was really slippery in the tight corners. It is difficult because there are many stones on the cuts and
it is easy to hit something.”
