Latvala extends lead in Rally Argentina

Sebastien Ogier slipped further behind Jari-Matti Latvala at the Rally Argentina, but the World Rally Championship leader has not given up hope of catching his Volkswagen teammate.

Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala steers his Volkswagen Polo R WRC with his compatriot co-driver Miikka Anttila during the 3rd stage of the WRC Argentina 2014 near Agua de Oro, Cordoba, Argentina. Diego Lima / AFP
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Sebastien Ogier slipped further behind Jari-Matti Latvala at the Rally Argentina, but the World Rally Championship leader has not given up hope of catching his Volkswagen teammate.

Latvala began the day with an already commanding lead of 17.7 seconds, but he increased that margin to 21.2 secs after seven stages, with Ogier particularly struggling on the stage from Amboy to Yacanto.

Following the rally’s halfway point, Ogier accepted Latvala will prove hard to catch, but the Frenchman will not throw in the towel.

“For now second place is not so bad for us,” he told www.wrc.com. “If the rally ends like that it would not be a big drama – it would be another good result.

“That doesn’t mean that I’m giving up, because there is still a long way to go and a lot of things can happen.”

Ogier, who leads the overall standings by 29 points, added: “If Jari-Matti continues like this morning it will be hard to catch him.”

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