Latvala suffers suspension damage

The Finn had moved past Dani Sordo to reclaim the rally lead in SS17, but a rear suspension problem then developed in the following stage and he lost nearly 50 seconds, falling to third place.

Latvala and co-driver Miikka Antilla have worked frantically on the road section to repair the suspension so that they can complete both the 41-kilometre Jordan River stage and the road sections to and from the stage. They are currently heading to the Jordan River start.

"Something on the rear suspension is broken," Antilla confirmed to World Rally Radio. "We tried to fix it and managed to pass the time control, but I don't know (about the next stage)."

He did not believe the damage had been caused by striking an obstacle, but suspected the suspension could have been weakened by a rock in SS17.

"It just broke, but a rock hit under the car on the previous stage," Antilla said.