Sebastien Ogier builds huge lead in Rally of Germany

20 August 2016 09:53

Sebastien Ogier leads the Rally of Germany by a massive 33 seconds after the second day of action at the Baumholder Military Proving Ground.

The 32-year-old three-times world champion trailed overnight leader and Volkswagen team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway and Belgium's Thierry Neuville on Friday, but the Frenchman made up the 4.3secs and put a significant advantage between himself and his nearest rivals during Saturday's nine stages.

After starting the day at the top of the leaderboard, Mikkelsen suffered from a lack of pace which meant he dropped down to second overall with Hyundai duo Dani Sordo and Neuville hot on his heels ahead of Sunday's final day in Germany. New Zealand's Hayden Paddon rounded off the top five in his Hyundai.

Ogier currently leads the world standings with 143 points ahead of Mikkelsen (98) and is eyeing his third win this season.

He told www.wrc.com: "We had a difficult tyre choice for these last two stages but I think we managed the soft tyres pretty well and had a clean stage.

"I'm happy and I hope it's a comfortable gap for tomorrow. But we have vineyard sections which can be tricky and almost 60kms to race on Sunday. I will have to push."

Source: PA