Ott Tänak widens the gap, Thierry Neuville abandons in Germany

Tied on points at the start of this Rally from Germany 2017, Sébastien Ogier (Ford) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) seemed set for a fierce duel to gain an initial advantage before the final events of the season.

If the Belgian had taken the lead against the Frenchman yesterday evening, after an error from his rival in the last sector, the Hyundai driver lost big this morning in the first special after a problem with the left rear wheel of your i20.

.@thierryneuville encountered problems on SS9 this morning. @ADACRally #WRC pic.twitter.com/HLO3jaEvcB

— AUTOhebdo.fr (@autohebdo) August 19

After inspecting the damage, Neuville gave up before returning to assistance. If the causes of the problem are not yet clear, Nicolas Gilsoul, the Belgian's co-driver, has given the beginning of an explanation.

« It was at a slow intersection, a left turn with a rope, and we don't understand what happened, Gilsoul explained. We just felt a little shock on the rear axle. It looks like something is broken on the suspension. I do not know. We need to analyze first, then we'll learn more. »

Ott Tänak widens the gap

Setbacks which in no way disrupt the almost perfect progress ofOtt Tänak sur ce Rallye d’Allemagne. L’Estonien de M-Sport a évité les pièges des spéciales de ce matin, notamment dans le long et rude passage dans Panzerplatte et ses 41 km, pour pointer avec 23″ d’avance au terme de cette boucle sur Andreas Mikkelsen (Citroën).

The Norwegian, who spun in SS11 Freisen 1, had lost a full 10″ on Ogier but set the best time in the following sector of Römerstrasse. The former Volkswagen driver thus maintains a 6″ lead over his ex-teammate before the afternoon specials.

Elfyn Evans (Ford) garde sa quatrième place et précède toujours Juho Hänninen (Toyota), meilleur temps dans Panzerplatte avec un choix de gommes dures approprié. Le Finlandais est revenu à huit dixièmes d’Evans. Craig Breen (Citroën), Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota), victim of a handbrake problem, and Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) follow in the standings.

En WRC-2, Jan Kopecky (Skoda Fabia R5), ninth overall, remains leader of the category ahead of Eric Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5) and Pontus Tidemand (Skoda Fabia R5), slowed down in Panzerplatte by a puncture.

The second passage in the ES of the day, with two laps in Arena Panzerplatte to start the afternoon, will begin at 15:16 p.m. and will always be followed live on our website.

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