Jari-Matti Latvala has reclaimed third position on Rally Guanajuato Mexico with a charging drive through the demanding Otates test, held in sweltering ambient and ground temperatures.
The factory Ford pilot was 15.3s faster than team-mate Petter Solberg who he now heads by 12.3s in the overall classification.
Sebastien Loeb continues to build his advantage out front on the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia. The Citroen driver was 5.4s slower than Latvala though the test but now leads team-mate Mikko Hirvonen by 28.7s with three stages of day two remaining.
“We did a good drive with no mistake,” said Loeb. “There were a lot of big stones towards the end so we took it easy to avoid the stones.”
Chris Aktinson completed the run with the 10th fastest time only to crash after the flying finish. The Australian’s Fiesta struck a bank and incurred damage to the extent he has been unable to reach the stage stop line.
Crews are now heading to Leon for a 30-minute service halt. Stage 17, Comanjilla, gets underway at 15:30hrs local time.