Mikko Hirvonen has staved off Dani Sordo’s advances in the battle for third place by beating the Spaniard through Saturday’s final stage.
Hirvonen, in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, increased the margin to the fourth-placed MINI John Cooper Works WRC driver to 37.4s heading into Sunday’s final six stages after he went second fastest.
The Finn’s performance ended a frustrating day during which he struggled to make an impact. “Dani is getting close so I have to push hard,” said Hirvonen. “But at least it’s been a good end of the day.”
In the battle for outright victory on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana, Jari-Matti Latvala has edged closer to leader Sebastien Loeb after clocking the fastest time through the stage. The Ford driver is now 27.6s behind his Citroen rival heading to the overnight service halt in Salou.
Kris Meeke impressed with a time that was 1.0s slower than his more experienced team-mate Sordo. “I took the pressure off myself today and accepted I have to get the experience,” said Meeke. “When I’m not trying the times come.”
Standings after SS12:
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | S. LOEB / D. ELENA | Citroën DS3 WRC | 3h06m01.3s |
| 02 | J. LATVALA / M. ANTTILA | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +27.6s |
| 03 | M. HIRVONEN / J. LEHTINEN | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +1m51.8s |
| 04 | D. SORDO / C. DEL BARRIO | MINI WRC | +2m29.2s |
| 05 | S. OGIER / J. INGRASSIA | Citroën DS3 WRC | +3m41.7s |
| 06 | K. MEEKE / P. NAGLE | MINI WRC | +4m11.9s |
| 07 | M. ØSTBERG / J. ANDERSSON | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +4m49.1s |
| 08 | H. SOLBERG / I. MINOR | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +6m42.0s |
| 09 | E. NOVIKOV / D. GIRAUDET | Citroën DS3 WRC | +7m19.8s |
| 10 | M. WILSON / S. MARTIN | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +8m48.8s |
| 11 | D. KUIPERS / F. MICLOTTE | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +9m14.7s |
| 12 | N. AL-ATTIYAH / G. BERNACCHINI | FORD Fiesta S2000 | +10m12.6s |
| 13 | J. HÄNNINEN / M. MARKKULA | SKODA Fabia S2000 | +10m13.0s |
| 14 | M. PROKOP / J. TOMÁNEK | FORD Fiesta S2000 | +10m59.3s |
| 15 | A. ARAÚJO / M. RAMALHO | MINI WRC | +11m01.2s |