The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team crew of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila has scored a hat-trick of podium placed stage finishes to end the first day of Rally de Portugal in a strong sixth position overall. After early morning woes the young Finn powered on to set up a solid start for the manufacturer points chase.
Team-mates Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud have both steered their Stobart Ford Focus RS WRC06 cars to commendable positions in 13th and tenth respectively. It was a tough day with road conditions catching out several competitors.
Leg one officially kicked-off under the watchful eye of 20,000 boisterous Portuguese fans who were treated to some class acts. The Algarve Stadium proved a huge success with the highlight being a massive table-top jump which ignited the crowd as cars flew up to 30 feet through the air.
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