Advantage Tanak as Ogier title hopes fade in Catalonia
Sebastien Ogier is 3 minutes 40 seconds behind Tanak at the end of the first day's racing.
SALOU (AFP) - Sebastien Ogier s hopes of securing a seventh straight world rally driver s title and denying Ott Tanak his first were dealt a near fatal blow by mechanical problems in Catalonia on Friday.
Ogier is 3 minutes 40 seconds behind Tanak at the end of the first day s racing following steering and gearbox problems that dogged his Citroen.
The French rally ace trails championship leader Tanak by 28 points in the standings with the 32-year-old Estonian only needing to outscore Ogier by two points this weekend to snatch the title.
"I ve done everything that I could with no mistakes and clean driving. I was quite on the limit in places so I don t know if I can do more," Tanak tweeted.
Record nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb finished the day of racing in the penultimate event of the campaign in top spot, 1.7sec ahead of Belgium s Thierry Neuville.
Spaniard Dani Sordi, who led after the fifth of the day s six stages, is in third spot, less than eight seconds behind Frenchman Loeb.
Ogier s problems began in the second stage with power steering issues, compounded in the next by a malfunctioning gearbox.
It was only after the third stage that his mechanics could try to get his car back firing on all cylinders.
The Rally of Catalonia around Salou, south of Barcelona, is the 13th leg of the season which concludes in Australia next month.
Saturday s seven stages head north-east on asphalt roads before finishing on the Salou seafront.
