Jari-Matti Latvala takes Rally Australia lead from Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen
Jari-Matti Latvala moved into the Rally Australia lead on the first loop of Saturday stages, as Friday's heavy rain was replaced with dry conditions
Although Ford boss Malcolm Wilson has hinted that team orders will be employed to ensure potential title contender Mikko Hirvonen finishes ahead of Latvala at the end of the event, for now the younger Finn was able to take advantage of his team-mate running first on the dusty roads. All four of this morning's stages were won by Latvala, who duly established a 17.2-second lead over Hirvonen.
Petter Solberg might have been expected to benefit from Hirvonen's road position too and close on the lead, but instead handling issues on the Solberg Citroen have seen the 2003 champion drift away in third. He is now just over a minute off the lead.
Stobart Ford duo Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson are still fourth and fifth, with Wilson escaping a spin to remain a minute behind his team-mate and two and a half minutes clear of sixth-placed Khalid Al Qassimi (Abu Dhabi Ford).
Hayden Paddon lost seventh overall and the Production class lead to Michal Kosciuszko when his Subaru developed a turbo problem, but the division points leader was able to limp to the end of the loop still in eighth and only 49s behind his class rival. He should be able to effect repairs in the midday service.
All the WRC runners who retired on Friday were able to rejoin under superally today, including works Citroen pair Sebastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb, who are now 15th and 19th.
Leading positions after SS14: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 1h58m17.3s 2. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 17.2s 3. Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen + 1m02.8s 4. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 3m29.0s 5. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 4m31.0s 6. Khalid Al Qassimi Abu Dhabi Ford + 7m07.4s 7. Michal Kosciuszko Lotos Mitsubishi + 9m56.1s 8. Hayden Paddon Symtech Subaru + 10m45.7s 9. Oleksandr Saliuk Mentos Mitsubishi + 11m22.5s 10. Brendan Reeves Reeves Subaru + 11m38.4s
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