Marmaris (Turkey) (AFP)
Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) leads Rally Turkey on Friday night in Marmaris after the first two special stages of Round 5 (of 7) of the World Championship (WRC).
The nine-time world rally champion is a big second ahead of his Belgian teammate Thierry Neuville, 2nd in another Hyundai and closely followed, one tenth, by another Frenchman, Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), winner last year in Turkey and provisional leader of the 2020 ranking.
Loeb has not raced in the WRC since his 6th place in the Rallye Monte-Carlo in January and therefore missed the following heats in Sweden, Mexico and Estonia in early September, after a six-month hiatus linked to the coronavirus pandemic and to his part-time pilot contract with the Korean manufacturer.
Two passages in a loop of three specials are planned for Saturday during the second day, on rocky and very brittle tracks, in the hills and mountains above Marmaris, a seaside resort in southwestern Turkey.
© 2020 AFP