Monte Carlo Rally 2018
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Mikkelsen's into the 'tree' part of the stage now. Ran wide at a hairpin a little while back, must have cost him a second or two. Nice and tidy for the most part, though.
Demevius has started his run. Obviously that's not our focus, but it means we have another car on the stage.
This is such a beautiful powerstage, hairpin after hairpin, stunning view of the Monte Carlo roads and mountains. Nice pictures. Really nice.
Mikkelsen's onto the stage. Here we go! The final stage begins.
Mikkelsen has been saving his car and his tyres for this stage. He's going for maximum points. Could be a fun run.
Information
Here's the running order for the powerstage:
Mikkelsen
Demevius
Kopecky
Breen
Bouffier
Neuville
Evans
Meeke
Lappi
Latvala
Tanak
Ogier
Mikkelsen
Demevius
Kopecky
Breen
Bouffier
Neuville
Evans
Meeke
Lappi
Latvala
Tanak
Ogier
Hello, we're back. You ready for this? The opening round of the WRC season is almost over.
Taking a quick breather before returning for the powerstage. Join us in around 25 minutes (11.15am UK time) for the conclusion of a very fun rally!
Information
Leading positions with one stage left:
1 Ogier 4h08m40.7s
2 Tanak +57.9s
3 Latvala +1m53.2s
4 Lappi +4m32.6s
5 Meeke +4m51.2s
6 Evans +4m52.4s
7 Neuville +4m59.6s
1 Ogier 4h08m40.7s
2 Tanak +57.9s
3 Latvala +1m53.2s
4 Lappi +4m32.6s
5 Meeke +4m51.2s
6 Evans +4m52.4s
7 Neuville +4m59.6s
Nice little battle for fifth brewing. Meeke's fallen further away from Lappi, and fallen so far he's now at risk of being beaten by Evans and Neuville.
Mikkelsen's in, true to form he's at the bottom of the times – saving his car and tyres for the powerstage.
Quote
"We don't have the right tyres," says Ogier. He doesn't think he has the rubber to challenge on the powerstage. It's just about getting to the end and banking the win.
Ogier's not repeated his stage-topping effort from this morning but it's rapid enough. He's 24.8s down on Neuville but 12s faster than Tanak!
Tanak's reached the end of the stage. Even slower than Latvala. Some 36.5s off Neuville's pace.
He says it was "a very clean run". Slow, but clean.
He says it was "a very clean run". Slow, but clean.
Latvala's in, looked like he was pushing but the time's not great. He's 26.3s slower than Neuville. Slowest of all except Bouffier so far.
Lappi's in and he's faster than Meeke! What a lucky boy. He adds 5.6s to his advantage over Meeke. He ends the stage 17s slower than Neuville. Not at all bad in the circumstances.
"Straight through the bank. The pacenote was correct but I don't know what happened. I just went through straight."
"Straight through the bank. The pacenote was correct but I don't know what happened. I just went through straight."
Quote
Meeke's in. Has that Lappi moment given Meeke fourth?
"It's crazy conditions, full black ice," says Meeke. "I have no idea of my time."
He's done a 13m30.9s. That's 23.1s off the pace. Has Lappi got away with it?
"It's crazy conditions, full black ice," says Meeke. "I have no idea of my time."
He's done a 13m30.9s. That's 23.1s off the pace. Has Lappi got away with it?
Crash
Lappi's had a moment! In the same place Bouffier ploughed into the snow bank and Neuville got lucky.
Lappi splits the difference. He runs wide, smacks into the snow bank, but it falls to pieces and he can get going quite quickly.
Lappi splits the difference. He runs wide, smacks into the snow bank, but it falls to pieces and he can get going quite quickly.
Evans loses just 1.5s to Neuville – so he'll have a lead of just over 7s going into the final stage. Nice work.
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Evans: "The stage was OK but not perfect. Had a few moments. It looks like Thierry is pushing hard today. Not a lot [of changes to the car]."
Evans is in, but we don't have a time. Has he held on from Neuville?
Stopwatch
"I didn't take risks but I tried to drive fast." Prophetic stuff from Neuville, who stops the clocks 15s faster than Breen: 13m07.8s.
Quote
"Very bad. The corner was completely frozen. We got stuck, lots a lot of time. It was in a snow bank, that's it. Fortunately there were a lot of spectators."
Breen's time for the stage: 13m23.1s. That's 1m24.7s faster than Bouffier.
Neuville almost did exactly what Bouffier managed – but he slid wide slightly later through the corner, and just brushed the snow bank with the left rear. Got away with it, there.
Bouffier's got back going.
Quote
Breen: "It's polished in some places. Some are a little bit better, but every car that goes past it's a bit more shiny. It's like glass. Not the nicest on slicks."
Crash
Bouffier's in a snow bank! Just locked up on some of the ice, and slid wide and nose-first into and through a snow bank. He's stuck.
Meeke on the stage, Lappi will be next.
The problem is, in the sun the road has dried significantly. But in the shade, and there's lots of it in the mountains, the layer of ice and slush has glazed over and is treacherously slippery
Well, that's half the problem. The other half is that because of the shadows being cast over the road, it's very patchy – almost impossible to tell which bit will be grippy and which bit will send you into a wall.
Well, that's half the problem. The other half is that because of the shadows being cast over the road, it's very patchy – almost impossible to tell which bit will be grippy and which bit will send you into a wall.
Wow, the top of this stage is super-slippery. Breen's onboard show how tip-toey he's having to be. Sliding, sliding, sliding everywhere!
We've got Breen, Bouffier, Neuville and Evans on stage. Looks like three-minute intervals, not two as maps suggested.
Bouffier was meant to be on stage by now but according to maps he's started a bit later than he should have.
Sun's out, run's out. Breen's on the stage, which is brighter and drier than it was at the start a couple of hours ago.
Hello, we're back, two minutes before the stage starts. Have a little scroll down to our 7.39am entry for what's in store – we've been here before already this morning!
Autosport
If you're just joining us, here's what happening this morning: 
We'll take a break now until the resumption of the rally in about an hour's time. Two stages left!
Mikkelsen through and second-quickest. Good test for the powerstage run, he pushes for the first time in a while. Just 3s slower than Neuville.
Information
Here's the leaderboard after SS15:
1 Ogier 3h55m08.1s
2 Tanak +46.2s
3 Latvala +1m51.7s
4 Lappi +4m39.9s
5 Meeke +4m52.9s
6 Evans +5m15.7s
7 Neuville +5m24.4s
1 Ogier 3h55m08.1s
2 Tanak +46.2s
3 Latvala +1m51.7s
4 Lappi +4m39.9s
5 Meeke +4m52.9s
6 Evans +5m15.7s
7 Neuville +5m24.4s
Ogier's in. He's 1.2s faster than Tanak – so no repeat of his stage-topping SS14 (only seventh this time) but his rally lead is boosted once more.
By: Matt Beer
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