Mads Østberg scored a podium finish in Portugal having tackled the final day’s 3 stages with three new soft tyres out of the five he took with him. He was third overall going into the first stage of the final day and scored a stage win on SS15 before tackling the Power Stage. He grabbed third place in this final test, adding a bonus point to the fifteen he claimed for finishing third overall in the rally. Those 16 points he scored have now consolidated his third place in the Driver’s World Championship standings.Khalid Al Qassimi with Chris Patterson alongside finished in thirteenth position in his Citroen DS3.
Things weren’t quite so good for Kris Meeke who retired on the Friday’s first full day of competition. On the 7th stage of the event, he put the Citroen off the road: “We braked a bit late into a right-hand corner,” said Kris, “It was a spot where there wasn’t much grip and where Elfyn Evans went off this morning. The notes just weren’t accurate enough.”
He was not alone. Marty McCormack was lying in 19th place overall and 9th in the WRC2 when he punctured a tyre and the Fiesta R5 slid off the road on the penultimate stage of the rally! Young Alastair Fisher was lying 42nd overall and 5th WRC3 at the overnight halt on Saturday despite a puncture on the last stage of the day, but then retired on the first stage of the final day.
