Rally Australia leader Andreas Mikkelsen hit trouble in the 14.84km Valla II stage, allowing teammate Sebastien Ogier to close the gap between them at the end of the Saturday afternoon loop. The Norwegian's lead of 12s after SS15 was trimmed down to a mere 2.8s at the end of SS16 after his Polo R suffered a bizarre issue where the clutch pedal was bent and touching the brake pedal. "The clutch pedal and brake pedal are pushing down together," said a disappointed Mikkelsen after the stage. Meanwhile, having passed Hyundai's Hayden Paddon in SS15, Ogier is now within striking distance of the lead of the rally - with two short stages on Saturday and five on Sunday still left to run....
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