Sebastien Loeb starts Day 3 with stage win in SS 11 St. Jean en Royans - La Cime du Mas 1 33.19 km. Second in the stage is Sebastien Ogier at +1.5 seconds only. Mads Otsberg is at very good distance of only 3.8 seconds a nice progress in Day 3 while Novikov who battle for the third position overall with Dani Sordo remains fourth at +9.8 seconds. Dani Sordo is eight as lose 17.6 seconds by Loeb and 7.8 by Novikov.
Comments by the stage:
Loeb: Incredible stage. It was nicest stage of the rally, lot of snow with big snowbanks. I didn't take a risk on the stage. Maybe we will loose some time, but we are in finish.
Ogier:  It was not easy, I don't know this stage so much, it is my first time here in WRC car. I prefer to be safe, I can be much faster. I am ok.
Sordo: We had a spin in high speed in the middle of the stage. We hit the snowbank with the front of car, lost about 15 sec.
Hirvonen: Few moments on the stage, it was very slippery there. I need to push harder.
Latvala: It is better, I am happy with the car now. Biggest problem is that I don't know this stage, I was doing it maybe 5 years ago. We are getting closer to Mikko Hirvonen.
In stage 12 St. Mazaire le Desert - La Motte Chalancon 22.11 km Evgeny Novikov moved to third position overall ahead Dani Sordo. Novikov finished the stage at second position 2.1 behind the winner Mads Ostberg. Sordo remains 9th at +18.1 my Ostberg. In the overall standing Novikov is third with 8.6 seconds advantage to Sordo.
The tyres for SS 12 and 13 are the follow:
Citroen and VW: 4x studded + 2 super soft
M-Sport 4x studded + 2x winter
Bouffier 6x studded
Hanninen 2x studded + 4x winter
Comments:
Loeb: It was very tricky stage, not nice to drive. You never had two tyres on same grip. It was difficult to keep the car straight.
Loeb using tyres at SS 12: front studded, rear super soft. The same tyres using Ogier and Sordo.
Sordo: Rear of the car was moving a lot. On the beginning I had almost a spin and after that I was not driving very well. Road is getting more dirty, but it is difficult to find where are the dirty places
In the last stage 13 Sisteron - Thoard the longest for day 3, 36.70 km Sebastien Loeb extend his lead with another 12.1 seconds by Ogier to total 1:47.7 minutes due too Ogier stalled in hairpin.
Loeb finished first as Latvala finally find a good rhythm to score second result in the stage.
Dani Sordo get back 6.9 seconds by Novikov but still remain fourth overall.
Another perfect strategy for Sebastien Loeb who said: I think this was right tyre decision (mixture of super soft and winter tyres). Not the most exciting but it is the fastest choice.
Novikov:  I have two studdy and two winter tyres, it was good in the middle on icy passage, but I have lost on the rest. But today it was good.
Ostberg: We did quite good stage, but we had absolutely wrong tyres. We take some time from Juho, but it was not good to drive with winter tyres on dry tarmac. But I have learned a lot. I am looking forward to go down to French riviera.
Results after Day 3:
1. S. Loeb 4:16:41.9
2. S. Ogier +1:47.4
3. E. Novikov +3:19.9
4. D. Sordo +3:21.6
5. J. Latvala +4:04.9
6. M. Hirvonen +4:19.1
7. J. Hanninen +5:15.5
8. M. Ostberg +6:18.2