Marmaris (Turkey) (AFP)
Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), leading the Rally of Turkey on Saturday at noon, is engaged in a fierce battle with Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), second at 1 sec.
6/10 for the Frenchman, while Estonian Ott Tänak (Hyundai) retired on Saturday morning.
The Top 4 is completed by Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota), at 12 seconds, and by Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai).
The nine-time world champion was in the lead on Friday night after the first two stages, he has not raced in the WRC since Monte-Carlo in January.
Ogier's main rival for the world title, Tänak retired in the 3rd special stage on Saturday morning, with a management problem, the South Korean team said.
Leader of the Hyundai team and reigning world champion, the Estonian returned to the title race by winning his country's rally in early September.
Seventh Friday evening after the first two specials, Tänak was in attack mode, 6 km from the end of Yeşilbelde (SS3, 31.79 km) when his Hyundai shot straight, off the track, into the rock, without her pilot can catch up with her.
The crew were not injured in the accident.
The mechanical issue was to be investigated upon returning the car to the Marmaris service park, Hyundai said.
A second passage in the same loop of three specials is scheduled for Saturday afternoon to complete this second day, that is to say another fifty kilometers timed on rough tracks.
Provisional classification of the Rally of Turkey, Saturday at noon, after the first three stages of the 2nd day (SS3 to SS5):
1. Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia (FRA / Toyota) 57: 52.4
2. Thierry Neuville-Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL / Hyundai) at 1.6
3. Elfyn Evans-Scott Martin (GBR / Toyota) at 12.3
4. Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena (FRA-MON / Hyundai) at 21.7
5. Kalle Rovanperä-Jonne Halttunen (FIN / Toyota) at 25.4
6. Teemu Suninen-Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN / M-Sport Ford) at 54.1
7. Esapekka Lappi-Janne Ferm (FIN / M-Sport Ford) at 1: 23.1
8. Gus Greensmith-Elliott Edmonson (GBR / M-Sport Ford) at 1: 47.5
9. Pierre-Louis Loubet-Vincent Landais (FRA / Hyundai) at 2: 27.1
...
11. Adrien Fourmaux-Renaud Jamoul (FRA-BEL / Ford / WRC2) at 3: 49.8 (1st WRC2)
Best times in the special stages: Neuville 2 (SS1, SS5), Ogier 3 (SS2 to SS4)
Abandonment:
Ott Tänak-Martin Järveoja (EST / Hyundai), broken steering (ES3)
© 2020 AFP