Monte Carlo Rally 2014
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Lights out
All the leading crews are onto the stage now.
On-the-road order this morning is: Jaroslav Melicharek, Andreas Mikkelsen, Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala, Elfyn Evans, Mads Ostberg, Sebastien Ogier, Robert Kubica, Kris Meeke and Bryan Bouffier - so the top 10 World Rally Cars in reverse order.
On-the-road order this morning is: Jaroslav Melicharek, Andreas Mikkelsen, Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala, Elfyn Evans, Mads Ostberg, Sebastien Ogier, Robert Kubica, Kris Meeke and Bryan Bouffier - so the top 10 World Rally Cars in reverse order.
Without much snow and ice around in the first stage this morning, the big question is going to be about the state of the road for the leaders running further down the field.
Leader Bryan Bouffier will suffer the worst effects of the corner-cutting from those ahead of him.
Leader Bryan Bouffier will suffer the worst effects of the corner-cutting from those ahead of him.
Momentarily, the sky looks to have run out of rain above the Alps. AUTOSPORT's hotel close to Sisteron was almost washed away last night.
All of the drivers have taken the softest asphalt tyres available with a couple of winters in the boot. Mistakes made yesterday morning won't be repeated today.
Rain
More of a straight fight expected this morning: the overnight weather has been heavy rain so snow and ice problems are currently unlikely, but the stages will be very wet and muddy.
It's a slightly later start than yesterday but by no means a gentle one: the Vitrolles-Faye stage is a massive 49 kilometres.
Welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for day two of what is already proving to be an epic Monte Carlo Rally.
The Monte Carlo Rally resumes in pretty ferocious style tomorrow morning.
Drivers' wake-up call is a 49-kilometre monster of a stage just as daylight breaks over the mountains.
AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live will be online from 7.45am UK time on Friday morning for SS7 and everything that follows. See you then to find out if Bouffier can hang on, Kubica can get back on top, and whether Ogier can be stopped.
Drivers' wake-up call is a 49-kilometre monster of a stage just as daylight breaks over the mountains.
AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live will be online from 7.45am UK time on Friday morning for SS7 and everything that follows. See you then to find out if Bouffier can hang on, Kubica can get back on top, and whether Ogier can be stopped.
Breaking news
And on a non-WRC note, this week's AUTOSPORT magazine features our choice of the 25 best drivers who never won the F1 title - and one of them is lost Brazilian talent Carlos Pace. Here's an in-depth look at his truncated career.
Apologies for the lack of a Michel Nandan update on Hyundai's situation, but AUTOSPORT was sidetracked by the brilliantly eloquent 1985 Monte Carlo Rally winner.
Ari Vatanen was on superb form describing his legendary victory – including detail even AV himself had almost forgotten – in the Peugeot 205 T16. Look out for the full story next week.
Now, back out into the rain to find the good Mr Nandan. Stay tuned...
Ari Vatanen was on superb form describing his legendary victory – including detail even AV himself had almost forgotten – in the Peugeot 205 T16. Look out for the full story next week.
Now, back out into the rain to find the good Mr Nandan. Stay tuned...
Breaking news
Some reading material for you this evening:
Monte Carlo Rally day one report
AUTOSPORT's full Monte Carlo Rally supplement
Monte Carlo Rally day one report
AUTOSPORT's full Monte Carlo Rally supplement
Twitter
Chris Atkinson: "Feel gutted for @HyundaiWRC Everyone had put in so much effort and hard work to get to here! But awesome to see the potential of the car..."
Right now, the storylines going into day two look like Meeke versus Kubica for second/third while Ogier prepares to sweep past them and hunt down Bouffier, with Latvala poised to chase after Ostberg and Evans to get back into the top five.
But... that's if the weather stays as it is, and looking at the clouds around the mountains, that's not going to happen.
This event has got a lot of twists ahead yet over the next two days.
But... that's if the weather stays as it is, and looking at the clouds around the mountains, that's not going to happen.
This event has got a lot of twists ahead yet over the next two days.
We've been keeping an underdog eye on Olivier Burri's WRC2-spec Ford all day and he's still hanging in there in 10th place behind Mikkelsen. Good effort.
Meeke describes Thursday as one of his most difficult days in a rally car so far, and reckons he wouldn't have expected to be in the top six at the end of the day before the event.
Bouffier finds himself holding a big Monte Carlo Rally lead for the second time in four years.
He admits his position is due in part to typical unpredictable Monte Carlo conditions, but is understandably jubilant.
He admits his position is due in part to typical unpredictable Monte Carlo conditions, but is understandably jubilant.
Checkered flag
That's all the frontrunners through for day one, so here are the standings from SS6:
Stage times: 1 Ogier 11m11.9s; 2 Latvala +4.0s; 3 Ostberg +17.0s; 4 Meeke +17.7s; 5 Hirvonen +18.5s; 6 Bouffier +19.8s.
Overall standings: 1 Bouffier; 2 Meeke +38.8s; 3 Kubica +39.5s; 4 Ogier +47.3s; 5 Ostberg +1m20.7s; 6 Evans +1m38.6s.
Stage times: 1 Ogier 11m11.9s; 2 Latvala +4.0s; 3 Ostberg +17.0s; 4 Meeke +17.7s; 5 Hirvonen +18.5s; 6 Bouffier +19.8s.
Overall standings: 1 Bouffier; 2 Meeke +38.8s; 3 Kubica +39.5s; 4 Ogier +47.3s; 5 Ostberg +1m20.7s; 6 Evans +1m38.6s.
Meeke is quicker than Kubica and retakes second place. They'll start Friday 0.7s apart, with Ogier just behind.
Kubica lost a little time to Bouffier at the end of that stage.
The Frenchman's overnight lead is going to be 39s - and Kubica now has Ogier just 7s behind him.
Let's see where Meeke slots in. He started the stage third.
The Frenchman's overnight lead is going to be 39s - and Kubica now has Ogier just 7s behind him.
Let's see where Meeke slots in. He started the stage third.
Kubica completes the stage fifth fastest, 22s slower than Ogier, and behind the two VWs, Ostberg and Hirvonen.
Stopwatch
Kubica 1.4s faster than Bouffier at the stage's midway point, 7s down on Ogier.
Drama on the Dakar meanwhile, with a six-minute delay for Peterhansel just as he was about to reclaim the outright lead from Roma.
Still waiting for a final time from Evans, but judging by the splits he'll drop away from Ostberg in their battle for fifth, while remaining comfortably clear of Latvala and Hirvonen.
Who would've predicted a top six spot for Evans at the end of his first day in Monte Carlo?
Who would've predicted a top six spot for Evans at the end of his first day in Monte Carlo?
Kubica quicker than both Meeke and Boullier after first split but looks like he drops a little time in the middle relative to cars that have already completed.
Ostberg is third quickest on the stage now, 17s slower than Ogier, who he was trying to stay in touch with. Ostberg's mission will probably now have to be pulling away from Evans, who is just behind him in sixth overall.
Mikkelsen completes half a minute off the pace of team-mates Ogier and Latvala. Not a great start to 2014 for the Norwegian, but he's kept it safe and sensible.
Mikkelsen completes half a minute off the pace of team-mates Ogier and Latvala. Not a great start to 2014 for the Norwegian, but he's kept it safe and sensible.
On the opening splits, Kubica is third behind the two VWs, but Bouffier and Meeke are behind him on the road so the shape of the lead battle isn't clear yet.
That leaves Hirvonen 26s behind Latvala overall.
Provided no one hits huge trouble ahead, they are set to end in the day in seventh and eighth in the outright standings as they continue to make up for their faltering starts to the event.
Provided no one hits huge trouble ahead, they are set to end in the day in seventh and eighth in the outright standings as they continue to make up for their faltering starts to the event.
Hirvonen's time loss to Ogier over the stage is 19s. Muted return to M-Sport for the Finn so far.
Latvala had the early edge there but he dropped time to Ogier at the end and completes the stage 4s slower.
Stopwatch
Ogier completes and his time is four minutes quicker than this morning.
That's the difference a lack of snow makes.
That's the difference a lack of snow makes.
Stopwatch
By split three, Latvala is 2.7s faster than Ogier.
Hirvonen is dropping more time to the VWs, he's 5s slower than Latvala so far.
Hirvonen is dropping more time to the VWs, he's 5s slower than Latvala so far.
Stopwatch
Good start to this stage for Latvala, who's 1.9s up on Ogier at the first split.
Lights out
And back in Monte Carlo, SS6 is go and the running order is: Ogier, Latvala, Hirvonen, Ostberg, Mikkelsen, Evans, Kubica, Bouffier, Meeke
Over on the Dakar, Al-Attiyah is setting a storming pace again on stage 11, while Peterhansel is within 42s of getting the overall lead back from Roma, a week after he dropped nearly 40 minutes adrift.
We're two minutes away from the final stage of day one beginning.
Ogier is on the startline and all eyes are going to be on his split times. He's still 1m07s off the lead but has two more days to close that gap.
Ogier is on the startline and all eyes are going to be on his split times. He's still 1m07s off the lead but has two more days to close that gap.
Sainz seat
Carlos Sainz might not have competed on this event since 2004 (when he dropped a Citroen Xsara WRC), but his presence was still felt on the opening round of the WRC via M-Sport's use of one of the Spaniard's seats in an ice-noting car.
The service park in Gap is beginning to resemble a late 1990s round of the British Rally Championship with Gwyndaf Evans and Mark Higgins walking around in team kit.
Higgins is ice-noting for Kris Meeke, while Evans is working for his son Elfyn (which is a bit of a role reversal from the hierarchy in Ford's most fever Dolgellau dealership).
Both former British champions were loving the chance to work on the world's most famous rally – right up until the point where they had to set their alarm for 2am to get up and drive the stages before the competing crews.
Higgins is ice-noting for Kris Meeke, while Evans is working for his son Elfyn (which is a bit of a role reversal from the hierarchy in Ford's most fever Dolgellau dealership).
Both former British champions were loving the chance to work on the world's most famous rally – right up until the point where they had to set their alarm for 2am to get up and drive the stages before the competing crews.
Breaking news
Hyundai team confirms there was no warning about Dani Sordo's retirement.
The Spaniard switched his i20 WRC off ahead of SS5, having arrived at the start of the stage early. When he tried to fire it up to go into the test, it was dead and refused to start.
Sordo and co-driver Marc Marti worked on the car after discussing possible solutions with the engineers, but couldn't get it going.
The Spaniard switched his i20 WRC off ahead of SS5, having arrived at the start of the stage early. When he tried to fire it up to go into the test, it was dead and refused to start.
Sordo and co-driver Marc Marti worked on the car after discussing possible solutions with the engineers, but couldn't get it going.
It's proving to be a massive news day for all forms of motorsport.
After this morning's announcement that Bernie Ecclestone will face trial in Germany following the bribery allegations that emerged last year, he has now stood down from the Formula 1 board - though he will continue to run the sport.
After this morning's announcement that Bernie Ecclestone will face trial in Germany following the bribery allegations that emerged last year, he has now stood down from the Formula 1 board - though he will continue to run the sport.
Half an hour to go until today's final stage.
It's 19 kilometres and it's where the snow arrived and sent the leaderboard into turmoil this morning...
It's 19 kilometres and it's where the snow arrived and sent the leaderboard into turmoil this morning...
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Scott Mitchell
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