Both BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers retained top three positions after today s longest and most difficult leg of Rally de Portugal. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen lie second in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car, while fellow Finns Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen maintained third in a similar car during the tricky gravel speed tests in the hills above the Algarve coastline.
The second leg was the longest of this fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Drivers tackled two identical loops of special stages covering 152.92km north-west of the rally base on the edge of Faro. All were technically demanding and some drivers rated the opening 30.69km test as one of the most difficult they have seen, with the nature of the roads changing frequently and upsetting their rhythm.
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