Bad weather greets crews on day 2

Pictures coming from Portugal this morning are not what you’d like to see if you’re expected to do some rally racing – heavy rain, wind and even fog are reported in the hills around the rally base.

Difficult conditions will surely put crews under extra pressure, making it necessary to find a fine balance between raw speed and raw survival instincts.

As we know, Sebastien Loeb is out of contention and Mikko Hirvonen will be flying Citroën’s colours in the remainder of the event. Finnish driver currently lies 5 seconds behind the leading Jari-Matti Latvala, with Petter Solberg tucked neatly between them.

Meanwhile, Loeb explained the accident that put him and co-driver Daniel Elena out of the rally yesterday.

“I just didn’t hear well the note,” said Loeb. “I thought left it was right. It was like that, I went on the wrong side so I was off the line. It was just over the crest so I couldn’t see the corner. Finally when I was off the line it was too late but luckily it happens not so often. It was a completely blind corner in the dark so for sure it was more difficult. It was a misunderstanding.” Loeb said.