Sebastien Loeb’s lead of Rally Deutschland got a good deal more secure on SS11 after his closest rival, team-mate Dani Sordo, abandoned his fight for victory.
Sordo completed the 11km Hermeskeil / Gusenburg stage in only the sixth fastest time - 3.5sec slower than Loeb.
At the stage end, Sordo conceded that the latest instructions from his Citroen team were to secure a one-two finish.
“We’ve got to finish second,” he said. “It’s important we get both cars to the end.”
The stage was won by Citroen privateer Petter Solberg, who was 1.1sec quicker than Loeb.