Sebastien Ogier has edged to within 14.3s of leader Jari-Matti Latvala in the battle for victory in Argentina.
The factory Citroen DS3 WRC star was third fastest on the rally’s 11th stage, which was won by his team-mate Sebastien Loeb.
“It was a good stage, not easy when you are discovering the rally but it’s okay and I’m happy,” said Ogier. “I knew the stages would suit me better because they were rough yesterday. Today they are fast and I have a better feeling.”
Latvala, at the wheel of a works Ford Fiesta RS WRC, said: “I lost quite a lot of time on the previous one running first on the road and I was concerned how it was going to be here but I got some of the driving feeling back. But the traction is bad getting out of the corners.”
Petter Solberg reported making a mistake in a narrow section midway through the stage in his DS3 WRC. He remains third overall, 4.2s behind Ogier.
Mikko Hirvonen, second fastest on the stage, is fourth overall in his Fiesta with Loeb 35.3s adrift in his DS3.
Crews are now heading to the 21.36-kilometre Santa Rosa-San Agustin stage, which is due to get underway at 11:13hrs local time.
Standings after SS10:
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | J. LATVALA / M. ANTTILA | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 2h21m31.2s |
| 02 | S. OGIER / J. INGRASSIA | Citroën DS3 WRC | +14.3s |
| 03 | P. SOLBERG / C. PATTERSSON | Citroën DS3 WRC | +18.5s |
| 04 | M. HIRVONEN / J. LEHTINEN | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +39.1s |
| 05 | S. LOEB / D. ELENA | Citroën DS3 WRC | +1m14.4s |
| 06 | M. ØSTBERG / J. ANDERSSON | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +3m37.6s |
| 07 | F. VILLAGRA / J. PÉREZ COMPANC | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +4m19.2s |
| 08 | M. WILSON / S. MARTIN | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +5m02.8s |
| 09 | K. BLOCK / A. GELSOMINO | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +12m55.8s |
| 10 | H. PADDON / J. KENNARD | Subaru Impreza | +15m30.5s |
| 11 | P. FLODIN / M. ANDERSSON | Subaru Impreza | +24m07.3s |
| 12 | M. KOSCIUSZKO / M. SZCZEPANIAK | Mitsubishi Evo X | +24m30.9s |
| 13 | D. TAGIROV / A. ZAVERSHINSKAYA | Subaru Impreza | +24m44.1s |
| 14 | A. LEVY / D. LEVY | Mitsubishi Evo IX | +27m29.1s |
| 15 | A. KREMER / K. WICHA | Mitsubishi Evo X | +28m04.3s |