Italy WRC: Neuville marching towards victory with two stages left
Rally Italia Sardegna leader Thierry Neuville will kick off the final two stages with a lead of 19.4s over Jari-Matti Latvala.
Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport
The Belgian was quickest in the 14km Cala Flumini stage before taking second in the following run, only beaten by Eric Camilli.
Sebastien Ogier failed to make up ground on the top two as the reigning champion focused on snatching extra points in the Power Stage.
"I'm not fully concentrated. In really, really safe driving mode," said Ogier. "There is a big gap in front and behind now, so it's just about saving the tyres ready for the Power Stage."
Dani Sordo took fourth with a gap bigger than a minute both ahead and behind him as Ott Tanak completed the top five.
Henning Solberg, who started the day with a broken suspension, was passed by M-Sport's Eric Camilli for sixth but the Frenchman's car seemingly developed engine problems at the end of SS17, a stage he had won.
WRC2 leaders Teemu Suninen and Jan Kopecky rounded out the top nine.
Standings after SS17:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Hyundai | 3h21m40.7s |
| 2 |
|
Volkswagen | +19.4s |
| 3 |
|
Volkswagen | +1m28.5s |
| 4 |
|
Hyundai | +2m39.4s |
| 5 |
|
Ford | +5m11.8s |
| 6 |
|
Ford | +5m45.7s |
| 7 |
|
Ford | +5m54.4s |
| 8 |
|
Skoda |
+7m48.5s |
| 9 |
|
Ford |
+8m58.3s |
| 10 |
|
Ford | +12m33.3s |
Thierry Neuville
Jari-Matti Latvala
Sebastien Ogier
Dani Sordo
Ott Tanak
Henning Solberg
Ilka Minor-Petrasko
Jan KopeckyBe part of Motorsport community
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