| The action finally began with the shortened 4.28km Sweet Lamb special stage and the early starters found conditions hazardous. BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were ninth in their Focus RS World Rally Car, with team-mates and 2007 winners Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen 11th in a similar car.
Latvala was then fastest through the reduced 18.28km Myherin to reach the service area in Builth Wells in third, just 3.9sec from the lead. "I couldn't see where the slippery parts were in Sweet Lamb but started to gain confidence in Myherin, although I had two close escapes on ice near the finish. The tyres are working well on the gravel, which they are designed for, but it's hard to stop the car in the ice and snow. It's a shame the stages have been shortened because they are great roads but it's the right decision. I would be happy on these roads with winter tyres, but not with this rubber," said Latvala.
Hirvonen was 11th in Myherin to hold 11th overall, the 28-year-old Finn admitting he was too cautious. "Conditions were difficult but maybe I was too steady. I need to step up my pace now and while I need to be cautious, I don't need to be this cautious. I can see the lines on the road from Sébastien Loeb ahead of me so I can follow those and get more grip, but it's hard to stop on the ice with gravel tyres. It would have been too dangerous to run the first stage because the grip was changing all the time - from gravel to ice to snow. Conditions are improving with every car so those further down the start order have had the better of the morning," said Hirvonen.
Khalid Al Qassimi, on his debut here, and Michael Orr lie 27th in a third Focus RS WRC, the Abu Dhabi driver admitting: "I don't have confidence in these conditions and I have to learn what to do."
Leaderboard after stage 3 of 19
1. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Citroen C4 13min 55.0sec
2. M Østberg/O Unnerud NOR Subaru Impreza 13min 57.3sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 13min 58.9sec
4. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 14min 01.7sec
5. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 14min 03.1sec
6. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 14min 05.5sec
7. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 14min 06.0sec
8. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 14min 07.8sec
9. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 14min 08.6sec
10 F Duval/D Giraudet BEL Ford Focus RS 14min 10.0sec
For more information: Contact Mark Wilford or Georgina Baskerville on the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team media desk in Cardiff Tel: + 44 2920 668408. Images available on www.worldrallypics.com/ford
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