Tanak strengthens lead as Neuville drops down order

Top 15 classification after SS14 at Wales Rally GB

Ott Tanak holds a healthy advantage leading Wales Rally GB while World Rally Championship leader Thierry Neuville made a costly error to drop down to ninth place with fellow title contender Sebastien Ogier charging up to second.

Fresh from three consecutive WRC event wins, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver looks strong favourite to add a fourth straight victory with a 48.0s lead over nearest challenger Ogier midway through Saturday’s stages.

M-Sport Ford’s Ogier, who still holds hopes of defending his WRC title this year, charged up to second place in the overall classification from fifth in the overnight standings.

WRC championship leader Neuville suffered an off on SS11 which cost the Hyundai driver almost a full minute to drop from second place to eighth at the end of the stage. Following damage sustained to his i20 Couple car in the incident, Neuville has continued to lose further time to fall behind teammate Andreas Mikkelsen into ninth place.

With Tanak comfortably leading Ogier, teammates Jari-Matti Latvala and Esapekka Lappi are applying the pressure on the defending WRC champion in third and fourth respectively. Latvala ends SS14 just 1.7s off Ogier with Lappi 2.5s off his fellow Finnish Toyota teammate.

Craig Breen continues to lead the Citroen charge in fifth place 12.7s ahead of teammate Mads Ostberg who holds a similar gap over Hayden Paddon in seventh place for Hyundai.

With Mikkelsen and Neuville eighth and ninth respectively, Kalle Rovanpera continues to lead the WRC2 class for Skoda in the final overall points’ place with a 59.9s lead over Pontus Tidemand.