Second-placed Jari-Matti Latvala was quickly out of his Volkswagen Polo at the end of the marathon 55.92km Guanajuatito (SS20) to investigate what he thought might have been suspension issues on his Volkswagen Polo R.
The Finn took a close look at the front of the car but couldn’t see anything untoward and headed off towards the refuel zone in Nuevo Valle de Moreno.
Brake issues were a common complaint after almost 56km of hard work. Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans and Chris Atkinson all struggled, and both Evans and Atkinson planned to bleed their brakes before going into the following Derramadero test.
Atkinson also reported gearshift issues on his Hyundai i20 and the Australian was more than 2min 20sec down on stage winner Mads Ostberg.
Benito Guerra spun near the finish without damaging his Ford Fiesta RS while Martin Prokop did likewise, but the consequences were almost far more severe.
The Czech driver’s spin almost turned into a roll in what he described as one of his biggest moments of the year. Prokop said he was driving cautiously, but perhaps too much so as he lost his rhythm.
In WRC 2, Quentin Gilbert retired his Fiesta R5 with radiator problems following the previous super special stage (SS19).