Hyundai World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville has retired from Rally México with a suspected engine issue, as team-mate Ott Tänak leapt from seventh to the podium places in third.
Neuville headed into Las Minas 2 in a secure third place, but stopped early on the stage as his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC ground to a halt. The team has not confirmed the issue, but it appeared similar to the one that blighted team-mate Dani Sordo on the previous El Chocolate test.
Sébastien Ogier continues to lead the rally, with his lead now back up to 12 seconds with just three superspecial tests to go on Friday.
“It’s always good when you start third on the road and are in the lead,” said Ogier.
Teemu Suninen is in second place, but having gained time back on El Chocolate the M-Sport Ford driver gave up 3.8s on SS9.
“I wasn’t feeling too good with the cold, hard tyres, but at least we are here,” he said, referring to a longer wait for this stage to start due to a fire for his team-mate Esapekka Lappi.
Las Minas 2 was won by Tänak, who is now the sole surviving Hyundai. The world champion vaulted up an astonishing four places on the leg’s final pure gravel test, profiting from Lappi and Neuville’s misfortune while also usurping Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä on pace.
“We’ve [Hyundai] had a really bad day today,” said Tanak, who damaged his suspension in the morning.“I think we caught some places back now but it’s been a difficult day.”
Tänak is 32.8s adrift of Ogier’s lead and just 0.5s ahead of Evans.
Evans set a strong time on Las Minas 2, just 0.9s adrift of his rally leading team-mate, but is under pressure from behind from the third Toyota Yaris WRC of team-mate Rovanperä.
Rovanperä adopted a cautious approach in the morning following a slow puncture but has wound his pace up throughout the day and is now fifth, just one second shy of Evans, on his gravel WRC debut.
“I’m starting to get used to the car on gravel and finding some things I need to do and don’t need to do,” he said. “There’ll still be some learning tomorrow but it’s getting better.”
Gus Greensmith is now up to sixth place as he looks to increase his pace with every passing stage.
Leading R5 driver Pontus Tidemand is now up to seventh overall amid all the chaos, leading WRC 2 in his Škoda.
Class rival Nikolay Gryazin trails by 47.5s in his Hyundai i20 but is ahead of WRC 3 leader Marco Bulacia who lies ninth in his Citroën.
Leading positions after SS9
1 Ogier (Toyota)
2 Suninen (M-Sport Ford) +12s
3 Tänak (Hyundai) +32.8s
4 Evans (Toyota) +33.3s
5 Rovanperä (Toyota) +34.3s
6 Greensmith (M-Sport Ford) +1m7.8s
7 Tidemand (Škoda) +4m6.1s
8 Gryazin (Hyundai) +4m53.6s
9 Bulacia (Citroën) +5m39.9s
