SAARBRUCKEN, Germany: Estonia’s Ott Tanak holds the lead going into Saturday at the muddy Rally of Germany as Thierry Neuville claimed a slim advantage over four-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, his rival for the world title. Tanak, 29, who claimed his first win in the championship this year in Sardinia, set the fastest time in his Ford Focus through the soggy vineyards of the Moselle. His performances enabled Tanak to wrestle the lead from unheralded Czech driver Jan Kopecky who had set the pace on Thursday after the super special stage on the streets of Saarbrucken. Neuville, who races in a Hyundai, is third at 28.2 sec, just 2.4 ahead of Ogier, another Ford driver. Ogier’s Fiesta finished the day covered in mud and lost 21 seconds behind Neuville on the eighth stage.

Source: Manila Times August 19, 2017 14:48 UTC