Sébastien Ogier a perdu sa place de leader après une touchette (roue avant gauche endommagée) dans l’ES3. Jari-Matti Latvala (Polo R WRC/Michelin) est en tête du rallye devant Thierry Neuville (+5s8) vainqueur de cette spéciale.
The second day of the 2013 ADAC Rallye Deutschland took crews to the vineyard-cloaked slopes of the meandering Mosel Valley between Kenn and Bernkastel-Kues. The green vines, heavy with maturing grapes, provided a stunning contrast to the grey-blue sky.
We found a place to park in the middle of one vineyard, just up the hill from the village of Küsserath which competitors crossed six kilometres after the start of SS3. They then looped back to the same picturesque hamlet for the middle part of the stage before continuing to nearby Trittenheim after 22.95km of competitive driving.
The views here for spectators were superb and, as often in this region, panoramic. To our right, we could see a fast downhill section out of a forest before a left-hand turn over a small stream. Behind us was a sequence of tight hairpin corners as the narrow road swept through the neatly aligned rows of vines.
For our viewing point, we chose a fast left-right kink a little further along the steep hillside. By our calculations, the N°8 VW Polo of the championship leader was late and, when it finally came into view, it seemed strangely slow for a World Rally Car. Ogier had switched on his hazard-warning lights and, after passing in front of our feet, left a lingering burning smell in the air. “I made a mistake under braking and went straight on,” admitted the Frenchman who dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes in the incident.
The new leader is Latvala who appeared in front of us almost immediately and, soon afterwards, succeeded in overtaking his unfortunate team-mate on the stage. However, the fastest time on the morning’s first test went to Thierry Neuville (Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin) who is only 5.8s behind the Finn. The two factory Citroëns aren’t far behind, either, since Dani Sordo (+15.4s) and Mikko Hirvonen (+28.7s) are now third and fourth respectively.
We found a place to park in the middle of one vineyard, just up the hill from the village of Küsserath which competitors crossed six kilometres after the start of SS3. They then looped back to the same picturesque hamlet for the middle part of the stage before continuing to nearby Trittenheim after 22.95km of competitive driving.
The views here for spectators were superb and, as often in this region, panoramic. To our right, we could see a fast downhill section out of a forest before a left-hand turn over a small stream. Behind us was a sequence of tight hairpin corners as the narrow road swept through the neatly aligned rows of vines.
For our viewing point, we chose a fast left-right kink a little further along the steep hillside. By our calculations, the N°8 VW Polo of the championship leader was late and, when it finally came into view, it seemed strangely slow for a World Rally Car. Ogier had switched on his hazard-warning lights and, after passing in front of our feet, left a lingering burning smell in the air. “I made a mistake under braking and went straight on,” admitted the Frenchman who dropped more than two-and-a-half minutes in the incident.
The new leader is Latvala who appeared in front of us almost immediately and, soon afterwards, succeeded in overtaking his unfortunate team-mate on the stage. However, the fastest time on the morning’s first test went to Thierry Neuville (Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin) who is only 5.8s behind the Finn. The two factory Citroëns aren’t far behind, either, since Dani Sordo (+15.4s) and Mikko Hirvonen (+28.7s) are now third and fourth respectively.
La deuxième journée de l’ADAC Rallye Deutschland se déroule entre Kenn et Bernkastel-Kues dans les coteaux escarpés bordant les méandres de la Moselle. Les vignes feuillues et verdoyantes se détachent sur un fond de ciel gris-bleuté.
C’est justement au milieu des ceps alourdis de grappes que nous sommes garés, pile au-dessus du village de Küsserath que les concurrents vont frôler une première fois après six kilomètres de course dans cette ES1. Ils reviendront tout près du hameau à mi-spéciale avant de filer vers Trittenheim pour l’arrivée après 22,95 km.
Le point de vue est spectaculaire et multidirectionnel. A droite, une descente rapide dans la forêt avec un changement de direction gauche en contre-bas. Derrière nous, plusieurs épingles au milieu des vignes dans un dédale de chemins étroits.
C’est un gauche-droite rapide que nous avons choisi un peu plus loin, à flanc de coteau. Mais la VW Polo n°8 se fait attendre et lorsqu’elle surgit enfin du gauche, c’est à une vitesse étrangement lente pour une World Rally Car. Elle est en « warnings ». Des étincelles s’échappent de la roue avant gauche et une odeur de brûlé accompagne le passage de l’ex-leader Sébastien Ogier. « J’ai raté un freinage et tiré droit dans les vignes », avouera le Français à l’arrivée qui se retrouve à 2min26s au général.
Jari-Matti Latvala est déjà là. Le Finlandais ne va pas tarder à doubler son équipier et prendre la tête du rallye malgré le meilleur temps réalisé par Thierry Neuville (Ford Fiesta RS WRC/Michelin). Le Belge n’est qu’à 5s8 du leader. Les Citroën sont à l’affût avec Dani Sordo à 15s4 et Hirvonen à 28s7.
