Cogni snatches Clio lead as Soria hits trouble

The Italian driver soared to the top of the one-make Renault Clio Rally5 series timesheets when early leader Paulo Soria dropped over two minutes on SS3 with a deflated front right tyre. 

Cogni remained unchallenged from that moment onwards and gradually built up a 23.2sec advantage over Spaniard Sergio Fuentes, who holds second place overnight. 

Patrik Herczig trailed Fuentes by almost one minute to end fourth overall, while Soria chalked up a handful of stage wins to haul himself back up the order.

Despite being 2min 8.4sec back from the lead in fifth overall, Soria only needs to finish sixth or above to seal the title. Unless anything changes, he’s in prime position to take the crown on Sunday. 

Turkish driver Emre Hasbay rounded off the leaderboard, while Andrea Mazzocchi crashed out of contention just a few kilometers into the opening Březová test. 

• Full coverage from Barum Czech Rally Zlín is available on WRC+ All Live here, including every stage broadcast as it happens as well as key interviews, features and expert analysis from the service park.