Day 2 review
Unbeatable in the rain and dominant on the stage through Baumholder military base, Sbastien Loeb and Daniel Elena extended their leadsubstantially on day two of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Some 1m 42s clear of their nearest challengers, the eight-time World Champions canlook forward to a ninth win at this event in a reasonably relaxed frame of mind. The day was positive for Citron Total World Rally Team overall, asMikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen moved back up into third place.
As had been the case yesterday, the leg began with a question mark regarding tyre choice. The Citron DS3 WRCs setoff from the service park with hard Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, as the forecast indicated that conditions would be dry.However, a few kilometres after the start of Stein & Wein, rain began to fall on the stage. First on the road, SbastienLoeb fared better than his rivals: I only had rain from around the fifteen kilometre mark and I benefitted from a cleanracing line. Thats another reason why its good to be leading after the first leg. I nonetheless remained cautious,because there was already quite a bit of aquaplaning. At the end of SS7, the Frenchmans lead over Petter Solberghad gone from 20s to 41s.After completing the next stage, equally in wet conditions, the competitors enjoyed a short remote service period inBirkenfeld. The purpose of this stop was to enable competitors to choose the tyres for the Arena Panzeplatte stage, awinding 46km-long test on the concrete roads of the Baumholder military base. As the risk of rainfall remained high,Seb opted for soft tyres. Once again, this stage proved decisive in determining the outcome of the rally. A brokenwheel for Solberg, a puncture for Sordo and an off for Neuville: there was drama all around as Seb took the stage win.In the overall standings, Loeb enjoyed a comfortable lead of one and a half minutes over his closest challenger, Jari-Matti Latvala. Meanwhile, Mikko Hirvonen moved up into the final podium spot: This morning was full of drama, butI managed to stay out of trouble and we moved up the overall standings. At the same time, I feel Im making progressso its been positive all round.
A service period back at the main park in Trier enabled the competitors to take a breather before heading off for asecond run on the stages. This time, rain did not disrupt proceedings. Pushing just a fraction less than before, Sebnonetheless managed to extend his lead slightly over Latvala. Yet again, the Arena Panzerplatte stage proved fatal forseveral leading drivers, the most prominent being Ott Tnak, who had been running in fourth place.Back at the base, Sbastien Loeb enjoyed the cheers from the crowd gathered to support him: Weve had anothergreat day! On Baumholder, I was the fastest on both runs, but I didnt really push. Its not worth it: if you push toohard at the start, the tyres get worn very quickly and you have to ease off at the end. Its better to adopt an even pacewhich means you can stay clear of the worst of the trouble At the same time, the guys who came after us mademistakes and so the gap widened. We just have to finish the job tomorrow, so everythings looking good.Still third overall, Mikko Hirvonen also felt that the day had gone well: Most of all, Im pleased to have improved mydriving on tarmac. I was a bit lucky, but you also need to be consistent if you want to get a good result. My aim will beto hold onto third position tomorrow.
AL-ATTIYAH MOVES BACK INTO THE POINTSAmong those caught out by the Arena Panzerplatte stage, Thierry Neuville went off on the first run: I went off on acorner marked as flat out in the notes, but which unexpectedly lifted the car off the ground. I could have carriedstraight on and into a field but there were spectators. We hit a tree and that broke the radiator. Its true that I waspushing quite hard. The team had asked me to put pressure on the Fiestas. Obviously, Im disappointed because Idefinitely had a chance of making it onto the podium. Well be back to compete in the final leg tomorrow.Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah had an error-free day, which enabled him to move up into eighth overall: There areundoubtedly a lot of tricky sections on this rally. I was careful and I am pleased to still be in the rally this evening. Andmost of all, Im learning! That was my main goal for this weekend. Obviously, Ill be pleased if I can score some pointstomorrow, but its my progress which is the most important to me.
After going off in the same place as Ott Tnak, Peter Van Merksteijn Jr. retired from the rally when running ninthposition. The Dutch driver will not rejoin the race
OVERALL STANDINGS
1 Loeb / Elena Citron DS3 WRC 2:58:51.82 Latvala / Anttila Ford Fiesta RS WRC +1:42.93 Hirvonen / Lehtinen Citron DS3 WRC +2:12.74 stberg / Andersson Ford Fiesta RS WRC +3:07.85 Atkinson / Prvot Mini JCW WRC +6:59.06 Ogier / Ingrassia Skoda Fabia S2000 +8:10.67 Mikkelsen / Floene Skoda Fabia S2000 +10:20.48 Al-Attiyah / Bernacchini Citron DS3 WRC +10:52.09 Tnak / Sikk Ford Fiesta RS WRC +12:43.110 Arzeno / Jamoul Peugeot 207 S2000 +13:03.515 Neuville / Gilsoul Citron DS3 WRC +21:21.1
