Hirvonen keeps his distance

Mikko Hirvonen made things clear in SS7. After losing time in SS6, the snowiest stage of the day, during which he suffered a puncture, the Finn regained his distance. In SS7, between Lamastre and Alboussière, in less than 22 km, the vice-world champion took more than twenty seconds from all his teammates.

He pushed back Nicolas Vouilloz (Skoda Fabia S2000) to 23??2, Juho Hanninen (Skoda Fabia S2000) to 24??3, Stéphane Sarrazin (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 28??5 and Sébastien Ogier (Peugeot 207 S2000) at 34??2. As a result, the driver of the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 regained a good advantage at the top of the general classification. He is 1 ahead of Juho Hanninen, 08 ahead of Nicolas Vouilloz and 5 ahead of Sébastien Ogier.

Earlier in the morning, the list of candidates for victory or the podium was further reduced. Two kilometers into SS5, Kris Meeke, then second overall, slipped in a right turn, hitting a parapet and falling onto the shoulder. Race over for the Northern Irishman, 2009 IRC champion. He is experiencing the same misfortune as Nicolas Vouilloz last year. Then reigning IRC champion, the Frenchman had to give up prematurely.

In SS6, it was another Peugeot driver, Stéphane Sarrazin, who missed out. In the last corner before the finish of the special, the Frenchman went too wide, hitting the shoulder and damaging the front of his 207 S2000. Now seventh, the Cévenol has lost all hope of returning to the first four, grouped together in less than two minutes.

Two Finns, Mikko Hirvonen and Juho Hanninen, and two Frenchmen, Nicolas Vouilloz and Sébastien Ogier, are therefore fighting for the first places, even if the vice-world champion appears a notch above, especially when the snow does not come disrupt the adhesion conditions. Three stages are on the program this Thursday afternoon, while five timed sections are planned for Friday.