Argentina WRC: Loeb takes lead after Ogier mistake
Sebastien Loeb moved into the Rally Argentina lead on stage seven as Sebastien Ogier made a mistake and dropped to third
Loeb had promised to take the fight to Ogier on day two and immediately started gaining on his arch-rival on the opening Santa Rosa stage.
A mistake near the end of SS6 then sent Loeb off the road briefly, costing him a handful of seconds and bringing stage winner Ogier's lead up to 16s.
But the tables turned on the following Amboy stage, as Ogier dropped 44s with an error of his own.
"It was a long slow corner and then there was big mud on the exit," said Ogier.
"We understeered and had to reverse. My handbrake didn't work to save me."
Ogier's Volkswagen is now 26.3s behind Loeb, with the latter's Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen 8.9s off the lead in second.
Jari-Matti Latvala and Evgeny Novikov continue to fill the top five, while only 7s separate Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville in sixth and seventh.
After retiring from leg one, Mads Ostberg has already made rapid progress under Rally2 rules.
Fastest of all on Amboy despite running first on the road, the Norwegian's M-Sport Ford is back up to ninth.
Ostberg stormed away from fellow returnee Dani Sordo, whose Citroen was slightly drowned in a stage-six water splash.
Leading positions after SS10: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h42m58.1s 2. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 8.9s 3. Sebastien Ogier VW + 26.3s 4. Jari-Matti Latvala VW + 44.8s 5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 1m55.4s 6. Andreas Mikkelsen VW + 2m34.1s 7. Thierry Neuville M-Sport Ford + 2m41.1s 8. Martin Prokop Czech Ford + 9m23.9s 9. Mads Ostberg M-Sport Ford + 10m21.7s 10. Dani Sordo Citroen + 12m03.3s
Argentina WRC: Loeb not giving up on catching Ogier
WRC Argentina: Sebastien Ogier insists he won't chase Sebastien Loeb
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic