The opening stage of the final day of the 2014 Vodafone Rally de Portugal saw rally leader Sebastien Ogier lessen his pace while other drivers continued to push. Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, however, failed to make the start.
Further demonstrating his amazing skill of preserving tyres, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sebastien Ogier finished the stage with the fifth fastest time, somewhat of a departure from yesterday’s pace. He went on to say the power stage wasn’t a priority, finishing the rally is. A push is still expected though, despite what’s been said.
Team mate Jari-Matti Latvala took the stage win in his Polo R WRC while Mads Ostberg completed 3.8 seconds slower. Third fastest went to Andreas Mikkelsen who just wanted to build up a better rhythm in the car.
Before the stage began, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo was forced to retire, plagued once again by a broken driveshaft, though this time the damage is thought to be more serious.
In WRC2, Nasser Al-Attiyah further increased his lead over Jari Ketomaa, who finished the stage after having lost a further 4.4 seconds to the class leader.