Day two of the Rally Germany. Volkswagen’s home event has not only been dominated by the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer, but also a battle between two genuine rally aces: Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala are taking no prisoners at the top of the overall standings. After an exciting Friday, the duel for the lead has carried on where it left off at the rally around the Trier. Andreas Mikkelsen is currently third in the third Polo R WRC. As such, the trio of Volkswagens continue to lead the way. You could not ask for more – and at the home race to boot!
Saturday morning featured the absolute highlight of the rally. Three of the morning’s five special stages were held on the Baumholder military training ground – site of the legendary Panzerplatte. That meant the WRC cars had to negotiate slippery and sometimes uneven concrete slabs, as well as massive rocks – known locally as Hinkelsteins – that lined the route. The cars often passed very close to these inconspicuous rocks, which are actually intended to stop tanks. It is not hard to imagine what can happen when a WRC car comes into contact with this hidden peril.
Thankfully the Volkswagen drivers did not have a close encounter with the Hinkelsteins, but there was no sign of them taking a cautious approach. They first had to tackle the Arena Panzerplatte stage (2.87 kilometres, before moving on to the massive Panzerplatte Lang, with its 45.61 kilometres against the clock. In front of thousands of thrilled fans, Ogier took 1.1 and 1.6 seconds out of Latvala to extend his overall lead.
CLASSIFICATION AFTER 17 OF 21 STAGES
| Position | Driver / Co-driver | Total Time / Diff 1st | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. Ogier / J. Ingrassia | 2h 55m 42.5s | |
| 2 | J. Latvala / M. Anttila | +33.8s | |
| 3 | A. Mikkelsen / O. Fløene | +1m 47.5s | |
| 4 | D. Sordo / M. Martí | +2m 14.3s | |
| 5 | T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul | +2m 23.8s | |
| 6 | E. Evans / D. Barritt | +2m 53.5s | |
| 7 | M. Østberg / J. Andersson | +2m 56.7s | |
| 8 | O. Tänak / R. Mõlder | +4m 10.7s | |
| 9 | H. Paddon / J. Kennard | +4m 34.6s | |
| 10 | S. Lefebvre / S. Prévot | +4m 43.3s |
