Although he did encountered a few problems with his Ford Focus WRC, the cleaner road helped Latvala top the timing sheets in all 3 stages, while teammate Mikko Hirvonen secured two consecutive runner-up spots and a 3rd place in SS3 (when outpaced by Loeb).
“Our times have been getting a little bit better, so it’s looking quite good now. I’m not completely happy with the set-up yet, so we’ll be having a look at that when we get back to service,” said Latvala after Friday's mid-point.
“I pushed really hard in there. It’s still slippery but the car is good and I have a good feeling so it’s okay. It’s going okay for the moment. I can’t really do anything else,” added Citroen's Loeb.
Fourth overall in the rally classification is privateer Petter Solberg, who could have done better on the Italian roads on Friday morning hadn't it been for his engine-overheating problem during SS1 – which forced him to drive in conservative mode.
“Apart from the overheating on the first stage it’s been a great morning but I have to do something more. I’m going to make a few tweaks to the chassis in service. I know what I need to do. I’m pleased with the mechanical diffs - they are working a little bit better than the previous ones,” said Solberg.
Citroen's Dani Sordo sits in 9th place at the Friday mid-point, as he was handed a 30-minute penalty after being late at the start of SS1 and was slowed down by a damper problem during SS3.
Citroen Junior drivers Sebastien Ogier and Evgeny Novikov are 5th and 6th respectively, while followed by Adapta's Mads Ostberg and Stobart's Henning Solberg.
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