Ott Tänak eased through Sunday morning’s opening two speed tests at ADAC Rallye Deutschland to maintain a comfortable advantage over Andreas Mikkelsen.
Third in the country roads of Losheim am See and fourth in the following St Wendeler Land on the edge of the Bostalsee service park left the Estonian 18.0sec clear with just a repeat of the two tests remaining.
“I have a good feeling at the moment. The second stage wasn’t as fast as the first, it was a bit more greasy and dirty in places. It’s very enjoyable when the grip is consistent,” said the Ford Fiesta driver.
Mikkelsen was second in the opener and third in the following test in his Citroën C3 to cast off the shadow of Sébastien Ogier behind him. The gap between the pair widened to 19.3sec.
“It’s difficult to catch all the time to Ott but we have to try to keep the pressure on, there’s nothing else we can do,” said the Norwegian.
With a big haul of points at stake, Ogier seems to have settled for third, preferring to chase bonus points in the final Power Stage. “That would be the plan, but it’s never easy. Now we just recce the stage, checking the notes,” said the Frenchman.
Juho Hänninen regained fourth place that he lost to Elfyn Evans last night. The Toyota Yaris man was fastest in Losheim am See to overhaul the Welshman, who overshot a corner and stalled his Fiesta’s engine.
The Finn took more time in St Wendeler Land as Evans admitted opting for soft compound tyres on the Fiesta was the wrong choice. The gap is 13.1sec and Evans has only 7.1sec in hand over a chasing Craig Breen.
Esapekka Lappi was fastest in St Wendeler Land after an analysis of his driving style last night reaped instant rewards.