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We've still got some major names to come through SS3, but SS4 is also about to begin for Chardonnet and Kubica.
Juha Kankkunen still holds the record for Aspres-les-Corps - Chauffayer, says DAVID EVANS, largely because the stage hasn’t been used since he rocketed his Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD through the 16-miler in 14m57s.
This stage doesn’t have any significant climbs, but there are undulations for the whole route – and a couple of changes of tempo in the road as well.
After a typically narrow start, the stage widens for the middle section before it gets narrow and more slippery towards the finish.
Juha Kankkunen still holds the record for Aspres-les-Corps - Chauffayer, says DAVID EVANS, largely because the stage hasn’t been used since he rocketed his Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD through the 16-miler in 14m57s.
This stage doesn’t have any significant climbs, but there are undulations for the whole route – and a couple of changes of tempo in the road as well.
After a typically narrow start, the stage widens for the middle section before it gets narrow and more slippery towards the finish.
Stopwatch
First split for Loeb - he's 6s quicker than Ogier!
Tanak is still going well too, on a similar pace to flying M-Sport team-mate Evans at split one.
And now at split two, Tanak has fallen away from Evans's pace and is around the same time as Neuville and Ostberg.
Prokop, Sordo and Solberg have all made it through.
Prokop, Sordo and Solberg have all made it through.
Stopwatch
Loeb continues to fly - he's an amazing 16s quicker than Ogier at split two.
Tanak is in, fifth fastest and just behind Ostberg in the times.
"It's really, really crazy how tricky it is," he says of the ice and fog.
"It's really, really crazy how tricky it is," he says of the ice and fog.
Stopwatch
Loeb completes the stage, comfortably fastest and extending his rally lead to 28s.
Quote
Loeb's verdict:
"That was not easy. There is a lot of fog in the stage, so in some fast sections you have to trust the notes 100 per cent, and when it's a new stage, that's tricky.
"But we made no mistakes. There was some mud in some places, but the time is not too bad..."
Not too bad/astonishingly brilliant - one of the two.
"That was not easy. There is a lot of fog in the stage, so in some fast sections you have to trust the notes 100 per cent, and when it's a new stage, that's tricky.
"But we made no mistakes. There was some mud in some places, but the time is not too bad..."
Not too bad/astonishingly brilliant - one of the two.
Checkered flag
SS4 is already under way, but first, let's recap the standings from SS3:
Stage times:
1 Loeb 10m23.9s
2 Ogier +15.0s
3 Evans +22.7s
4 Mikkelsen +22.8s
5 Ostberg +30.6s
6 Tanak +31.4s
7 Neuville +33.3s
8 Kubica +35.0s
9 Meeke +35.5s
10 Sordo +37.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Loeb
2 Ogier +28.3s
3 Tanak +1m10.0s
4 Evans +1m10.1s
5 Latvala +1m18.8s
6 Mikkelsen +1m22.7s
7 Meeke +1m35.3s
8 Ostberg +1m39.3s
9 Neuville +1m40.1s
10 Sordo +2m02.2s
Stage times:
1 Loeb 10m23.9s
2 Ogier +15.0s
3 Evans +22.7s
4 Mikkelsen +22.8s
5 Ostberg +30.6s
6 Tanak +31.4s
7 Neuville +33.3s
8 Kubica +35.0s
9 Meeke +35.5s
10 Sordo +37.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Loeb
2 Ogier +28.3s
3 Tanak +1m10.0s
4 Evans +1m10.1s
5 Latvala +1m18.8s
6 Mikkelsen +1m22.7s
7 Meeke +1m35.3s
8 Ostberg +1m39.3s
9 Neuville +1m40.1s
10 Sordo +2m02.2s
Stopwatch
And intrigue straight away on SS4, where Kubica is a few tenths faster than Ogier at the first split.
Sadly Kubica is somewhere outside the top 60 overall after last night's major electrical problems.
Sadly Kubica is somewhere outside the top 60 overall after last night's major electrical problems.
Ott Tanak
No apologies for being as excited as we are about what Loeb is doing, but also we need to give a massive shout for M-Sport's two young guns Tanak and Evans.
To be third and fourth (just a tenth apart) with so little Monte experience, and still driving what is basically last year's car against upgraded opposition, is pretty remarkable.
Stopwatch
Ogier is now fastest of all at the mid-stage split, though Kubica is only 1.5s down.
Mikkelsen is 4s slower, and we're missing that split for Latvala though he is still moving at the right speed on the tracking system.
Mikkelsen is 4s slower, and we're missing that split for Latvala though he is still moving at the right speed on the tracking system.
At split one (which we do have) Latvala was on the same pace as Kubica and Ogier, which was 5s faster than Mikkelsen was doing.
Stopwatch
Kubica is through, he's back ahead of Ogier at the later splits so could be our early pacesetter.
"Very slippery, very difficult conditions," is his summary.
"Very slippery, very difficult conditions," is his summary.
Ogier completes the stage and he's three seconds slower than Kubica.
The champion says he was struggling to keep the studs in his snow tyres on that one, which made it "very slippery".
The champion says he was struggling to keep the studs in his snow tyres on that one, which made it "very slippery".
Latvala is basically matching Ogier's pace on this one, and everyone else so far is a long way off the speed the first two VWs and Kubica are showing.
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Third-fastest for Latvala, just 2s off Ogier this time after losing half a minute to him as he struggled on SS3.
"A lot better than the first one. I didn't have a good feeling at all on the first one," Latvala admits.
"That was very tricky with the ice and snow, and there was big fog. I didn't feel comfortable, so I drove it very carefully."
This is going to pull Latvala well clear of Mikkelsen. The Norwegian closed to within 3.9s of his team-mate as Latvala floundered on SS3, but Latvala is on course to add over 20s to that gap here.
"A lot better than the first one. I didn't have a good feeling at all on the first one," Latvala admits.
"That was very tricky with the ice and snow, and there was big fog. I didn't feel comfortable, so I drove it very carefully."
This is going to pull Latvala well clear of Mikkelsen. The Norwegian closed to within 3.9s of his team-mate as Latvala floundered on SS3, but Latvala is on course to add over 20s to that gap here.
Looking at Evans's early splits, which are on a similar level to Mikkelsen's, Latvala has a good shot at getting back ahead of at least one of the M-Sport Fords too.
Quote
It's Mikkelsen's turn to be the unhappy VW. He completes the stage fourth fastest so far and a full half-minute off Kubica, Ogier and Latvala:
"Not a very good stage, the rhythm was terrible," says Mikkelsen.
"We tried to save some studs for the next stage."
"Not a very good stage, the rhythm was terrible," says Mikkelsen.
"We tried to save some studs for the next stage."
Ostberg reaches the finish and is 7s faster than Mikkelsen.
The drivers to watch for Ostberg are Citroen team-mate Meeke and Hyundai's Neuville, currently either side of him in a battle for seventh.
On the splits, Ostberg is faster than Neuville but a bit slower than Meeke.
Ostberg said he was trying to save the studs in his snow tyres as increasing patches of asphalt were appearing on the stage, but he's not sure he succeeded.
The drivers to watch for Ostberg are Citroen team-mate Meeke and Hyundai's Neuville, currently either side of him in a battle for seventh.
On the splits, Ostberg is faster than Neuville but a bit slower than Meeke.
Ostberg said he was trying to save the studs in his snow tyres as increasing patches of asphalt were appearing on the stage, but he's not sure he succeeded.
Neuville drops 5s to Ostberg, but he's still pulling away from his Hyundai team-mate Sordo on the splits. The Spaniard is next man up behind the Belgian overall at present.
Stopwatch
Stage order so far:
1 Kubica
2 Ogier
3 Latvala
4 Ostberg
5 Neuville
6 Mikkelsen
1 Kubica
2 Ogier
3 Latvala
4 Ostberg
5 Neuville
6 Mikkelsen
Meeke is in, he's fourth fastest and that's edged him away from Ostberg and brought him onto Mikkelsen's tail for what should be sixth overall.
"We found a better rhythm in there, but it's still tricky with a lot of mud being pulled out. The mud is as tricky as the ice. I'm trying to stay disciplined."
"We found a better rhythm in there, but it's still tricky with a lot of mud being pulled out. The mud is as tricky as the ice. I'm trying to stay disciplined."
Loeb is on the stage and he's 2.9s slower than Ogier at the opening split.
Evans comes in fifth fastest. He falls behind Latvala overall.
At split two, Loeb is 4.3s down on Ogier. His lead at the start of the stage was 28s.
Tanak is slightly quicker than team-mate Evans in their battle for third as he reaches the middle split, but Latvala is likely to jump both the M-Sport men with his resurgent performance on SS4.
A slow time from Sordo, who is quicker only than Prokop and half a minute off the stage pace. The Spaniard sounds bemused at that lack of pace, which will keep him in 10th.
Lights out
Last big guns to come through SS4 are Tanak and the biggest gun of all, Loeb, but meanwhile Chardonnet and Kubica are about to begin SS5.
Here's DAVID EVANS on the final stage of this morning's rapid-fire loop:
The third stage in the loop will be a big one for Sebastien Ogier – it ends in St Julien-en-Champsaur, his backyard.
Running in its entirety at over 1000 metres (with a peak at 1542 metres), this new-for-this-year stage will be littered with snow and ice until the final descent – the home run for the defending champion – which is all south facing and flat out.
Here's DAVID EVANS on the final stage of this morning's rapid-fire loop:
The third stage in the loop will be a big one for Sebastien Ogier – it ends in St Julien-en-Champsaur, his backyard.
Running in its entirety at over 1000 metres (with a peak at 1542 metres), this new-for-this-year stage will be littered with snow and ice until the final descent – the home run for the defending champion – which is all south facing and flat out.
Loeb is pulling time back later on the stage, only 0.4s off Ogier and within 0.9s of pacesetter Kubica.
Now Loeb is quicker than Ogier at the final split, though still a touch slower than Kubica.
Tanak is 5s faster than Evans in the M-Sport battle, but 10s down on Latvala, who jumps back ahead of the two Fords to third overall.
Loeb loses a bit of ground in the run to the finish. He's fourth fastest, 4s down on Ogier and 7s behind Kubica.
That means the Citroen man's overall lead stands at 24.3s to Ogier.
That means the Citroen man's overall lead stands at 24.3s to Ogier.
Quote
Loeb puts that slight deficit down to "a little mistake, I pushed hard" but overall he's pretty happy with that.
Checkered flag
SS4 results:
Stage times:
1 Kubica 15m27.0s
2 Ogier +3.0s
3 Latvala +5.3s
4 Loeb +7.0s
5 Tanak +15.4s
6 Meeke +17.3s
7 Evans +20.6s
8 Ostberg +23.0s
9 Neuville +28.4s
10 Mikkelsen +30.0s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Loeb
2 Ogier +24.3s
3 Latvala +1m17.1s
4 Tanak +1m18.4s
5 Evans +1m23.7s
6 Meeke +1m45.6s
7 Mikkelsen +1m45.7s
8 Ostberg +1m55.3s
9 Neuville +2m01.5s
10 Sordo +2m30.4s
Stage times:
1 Kubica 15m27.0s
2 Ogier +3.0s
3 Latvala +5.3s
4 Loeb +7.0s
5 Tanak +15.4s
6 Meeke +17.3s
7 Evans +20.6s
8 Ostberg +23.0s
9 Neuville +28.4s
10 Mikkelsen +30.0s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Loeb
2 Ogier +24.3s
3 Latvala +1m17.1s
4 Tanak +1m18.4s
5 Evans +1m23.7s
6 Meeke +1m45.6s
7 Mikkelsen +1m45.7s
8 Ostberg +1m55.3s
9 Neuville +2m01.5s
10 Sordo +2m30.4s
Breaking news
SS4 summary:
* Loeb loses a little time but holds a 24s lead over Ogier
* Kubica takes the stage win - though it's little help after last night's electrical problems left him outside the top 60 overall
* Latvala recovers his confidence and moves back past Tanak and Evans into third
* Mikkelsen loses his confidence and falls back to seventh behind Meeke
* Loeb loses a little time but holds a 24s lead over Ogier
* Kubica takes the stage win - though it's little help after last night's electrical problems left him outside the top 60 overall
* Latvala recovers his confidence and moves back past Tanak and Evans into third
* Mikkelsen loses his confidence and falls back to seventh behind Meeke
Stopwatch
Kubica's pace isn't letting up on SS5, at the middle split he's still 1.2s quicker than Ogier.
Latvala was 4s down on this pair at the first split.
Latvala was 4s down on this pair at the first split.
Bakery
Meanwhile in excellent news for the future of rallying journalism, DAVID EVANS is no longer starving:
After eight hours in the car to and from Monaco, reporting at the end of the first stage then offering massive technical insight to a Canadian Grand Prix winner at the side of the Route Napoleon, all I managed to eat yesterday was a couple of croissants - followed by a half-eaten packet of Jaffa Cakes found at the bottom of the bag and tasting like the'd been there since Rally GB.
Which is why I raided this place this morning.
Mikkelsen is still off the pace on SS5, he's slowest of the main contenders so far at split one, 6s down on Kubica and Ogier.
Just a tenth between Kubica and Ogier's pace at the latest split to come in.
By: AUTOSPORT staff, Scott Mitchell
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