WRC Rally Germany: Neuville leads after Latvala and Meeke crash
Thierry Neuville leads Rally Germany for Hyundai with two stages to go after crashes for both Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke during a chaotic Sunday morning loop
Latvala's exit from the first stage of the day left Meeke in the lead of the rally and in with a chance of taking his maiden World Rally Championship victory, the Ulsterman winning the stage to lead from Neuville by 8.4 seconds.
But, in the ultra-slippery conditions, Meeke hit a wall in his Citroen DS3 just over a mile onto the very next stage, handing the advantage to Neuville.
The Belgian now leads Hyundai team-mate Dani Sordo by 35s in the overall standings with just two stages left to run, putting the Korean manufacturer on course for its first WRC victory.
The sole remaining Volkswagen of Andreas Mikkelsen runs third, losing time to Sordo on the opening stage of the loop after spinning in the same place Latvala went off the road.
The Norwegian sits 20s seconds adrift of Sordo, with M-Sport Ford driver Elfyn Evans - who is seeking his maiden WRC podium - a further 8.5s back after overhauling team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.
The Finn runs in fifth place, 10s behind the Welshman and just ahead of Mads Ostberg, who rounds out the top half-dozen.
Robert Kubica was another casualty of the loop, retiring on the road section prior to the first stage after his M-Sport Ford Fiesta became stuck in third gear. The Pole had been running 10th at the time.
Follow the final two stage of Rally Germany as they happen with AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live from 9.45am UK time
Leading positions after SS16: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Thierry Neuville Hyundai 2h43m52.4s 2. Dani Sordo Hyundai +35.7s 3. Andreas Mikkelsen VW +56.1s 4. Elfyn Evans M-Sport Ford +1m04.6s 5. Mikko Hirvonen M-Sport Ford +1m14.2s 6. Mads Ostberg Citroen +1m18.0s 7. Martin Prokop Czech Ford +4m16.3s 8. Dennis Kuipers M-Sport Ford +8m01.5s 9. Julien Maurin Maurin Ford +10m16.4s* 10. Ott Tanak Autotek Ford +10m40.7s* * WRC2
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