Spaniards Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were ‘encouraged' into a slender 8.5-second overall advantage after the second action-packed day of the 2008 Jordan Rally here Saturday. The overnight leader Sordo was forced to run first through the slippery gravel stages this morning and his French teammate Sébastien Loeb stormed into the lead over the opening three timed tests, before colliding with fellow Citroën driver Conrad Rautenbach on a two-way liaison section after the 11th stage and crashing out. Neither driver was hurt but both cars were badly damaged in the impact. Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford teammate Mikko Hirvonen and Sordo then became embroiled in a fascinating tussle for the podium places over the second loop, with Sordo disadvantaged by running first on the road. But Ford played a master stroke on the final stage of the second day and both leader-elect Latvala and Hirvonen eased their pace over the closing meters of SS16 to ensure that Sordo would have to start first again on what promises to be a thrilling final day at the Dead Sea. Australian Chris Atkinson and Estonian Urmo Aava filled fourth and fifth position, with Britain's Malcolm Wilson and Norwegian Henning Solberg close behind. The UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi was on course for his first ever World Championship point if he could overcome the Argentine Federico Villagra and snatch eighth place. Emirati rival Suhail Khalifa was in the top 15 and maintaned a good Group N lead, while Sweden's Patrick Sandell continued to dominate the JWRC category, with Estonia's Jaan M?lder delayed by differential woes. Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi succumbed to ninth stage mechanical problems and Jordanian Ala' Khalifeh never started the day's stages after a fire destroyed his Mitsubishi. But there was positive news down the leaderboard for regional drivers: Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi was Al-Maktoum's closest Group N challenger and Lebanon's Nick Georgiou, Jordan's Mazan Tantash, Kuwait's Salah Bin Eidan and veteran Michel Saleh were well-placed. __
