Sébastien Ogier was fastest in a sun-kissed shakedown at Rallyracc Catalunya on Thursday morning.
The Frenchman blasted his Ford Fiesta through the 2.97km mixed surface speed test on the edge of Salou 0.3sec quicker than longtime leader Kris Meeke. Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak were tied in third, 0.8sec further back.
The opening 1km used dirt roads before switching to asphalt for the rest of the distance and Spanish hero Sordo set the pace in the opening run in his Hyundai i20.
Citroën C3 driver Meeke moved to the head of standings after the second run and looked secure until Ogier pipped him with fastest time in his fourth and final pass.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fourth in a Toyota Yaris with Mads Østberg completing the top six in another Fiesta.
None of the leading drivers encountered major problems, although Esapekka Lappi stalled his Yaris’ engine during his first pass.
LEADING SHAKEDOWN TIMES
| POS | DRIVER | CAR | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogier | Ford Fiesta | 2m05.2s |
| 2 | Meeke | Citroen C3 | +0.3 |
| 3 | Mikkelsen | Hyundai i20 | +0.7 |
| =4 | Tanak | Ford Fiesta | +1.1 |
| =4 | Sordo | Hyundai i20 | +1.1 |
| 6 | Latvala | Toyota Yaris | +1.7 |
| 7 | Ostberg | Ford Fiesta | +1.8 |
| 8 | Neuville | Hyundai i20 | +1.9 |
| 9 | Hanninen | Toyota Yaris | +2.1 |
| 10 | Evans | Ford Fiesta | +2.4 |