Words by Vishnu G Haarinath
Streaming through snow covered forests; Sweden witnessed Thierry Neuville taking the lead in the Sweden rally. Piloting his Hyundai i20 WRC, the Belgian finished first day of rallying at the top of the leaderboard, ahead of the Toyota Yaris WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala. Neuville took the lead in the initial stages but later Latvala charged to the lead through the midway point. But it was Neuville who took a 28.1 seconds lead ahead of Latvala.
“Jari-Matti had the advantage of the conditions this morning, but this afternoon was better for me as the driving line was cleaner and I tried to take the benefit,” commented Neuville. “The last stage was tricky in the dark and my door was opening which disturbed me.”
Ott Tänak finished third, amidst his Ford Fiesta facing gearbox issues.
Citroen’s Kris Meeke missed to negotiate a bump and smacked into a snowbank which cost him precious 10 seconds and he finished 2.1 seconds behind Tänak.
Four-time WRC Champion and 2017 Monte Carlo rally winner Sébastien Ogier completed the top five with the ex-Volkswagen driver finishing 3.9 seconds behind the Brit in his Ford Fiesta.