Tanak takes lead after Neuville, Ogier retire

MARMARIS, Turkey: After a dramatic day in which the two men ahead of him in the championship retired after leading, Ott Tanak finished Saturday in first place in the Rally of Turkey.

Championship leader Thierry Neuville broke his suspension on the first special stage of the day. Sebastian Ogier then inherited the lead, survived a shattered wheel in the next stage, but drove off the course in the one after that. Belgian Neuville is 23 points ahead of Frenchman Ogier in the driver standings. Both could rejoin the rally on Sunday in the hope of picking up some championship bonus points in the closing Power Stage. Tanak is third in the driver standings, 36 points behind Neuville. The Estonian finished the day 13.1 seconds ahead of his Toyota teammate Jari-Matti Latvala a Finn, with New Zealander Hayden Paddon 1min 10,5sec behind in his Hyundai.

At the start of the day, Neuville led Ogier by 0.3 seconds and was 8.0sec faster than the Frenchman two thirds of the way through the 34.24-kilometre eighth stage, but then the top mounting punched through the bonnet of his Hyundai, the World Rally Championship website reported.