Monte Carlo Rally
Live Text
Sort by
We're not paying too much attention to the other cars Loeb has to overhaul today, as WRC2 trio Stephane Lefebvre, Martin Koci and Armin Kremer just ahead of him in the standings will be swiftly passed as their machines are lower-spec.
Then it's WRC2-to-WRC graduate Lorenzo Bertelli in 11th. He's three minutes ahead of Loeb at the moment but already lost 45s of that at split one of this stage.
Then it's WRC2-to-WRC graduate Lorenzo Bertelli in 11th. He's three minutes ahead of Loeb at the moment but already lost 45s of that at split one of this stage.
Ostberg and Evans are through safely on a similar pace, which will keep him solidly in fifth and sixth.
Neuville is losing a lot to time to those ahead and there won't be a lot of his advantage over Sordo left. The Belgian reaches the stage finish and says he had to be very careful on soft slicks.
Neuville is losing a lot to time to those ahead and there won't be a lot of his advantage over Sordo left. The Belgian reaches the stage finish and says he had to be very careful on soft slicks.
Breaking news
Bertelli has stopped on the stage. That's another place gained for Loeb.
Crash
Reports at the stage end that our fourth-placed man Tanak has gone off the road.
Stopwatch
Stage order so far:
1 Kubica
2 Meeke
3 Loeb
4 Mikkelsen
5 Latvala
6 Evans
7 Ostberg
8 Ogier
9 Neuville
1 Kubica
2 Meeke
3 Loeb
4 Mikkelsen
5 Latvala
6 Evans
7 Ostberg
8 Ogier
9 Neuville
Sordo's pace was such that he caught and passed Prokop on the road near the end of that stage.
Crash
Spectators are reported to be trying to help Tanak get going again.
Crash
Sordo admits he had a minor off when distracted by catching up with Prokop. But overall he's enjoying himself.
Despite that excursion, we think Sordo will have taken seventh place from Neuville on that stage - and with Tanak off, it's going to become sixth.
Prokop's dramatic lack of pace on that stage was due to his confidence plunging in the conditions.
He's not going to lose any places yet as Solberg's time won't be too different, but it does make it much more likely that Loeb will be zooming past him before today is done.
He's not going to lose any places yet as Solberg's time won't be too different, but it does make it much more likely that Loeb will be zooming past him before today is done.
Loeb took 2m40s out of Prokop there, and he's now 2m37s behind the eighth-placed (after Tanak's exit) Ford overall.
In fact with Bertelli and Tanak off, there's a chance Loeb might actually be straight back into the top 10 on this stage depending on the pace the WRC2 cars manage.
In fact with Bertelli and Tanak off, there's a chance Loeb might actually be straight back into the top 10 on this stage depending on the pace the WRC2 cars manage.
So now we're waiting to see if Tanak manages to get going again, and to see the WRC2 cars' pace to judge where Loeb's going to end up.
Tanak is on the move again after a lot of help from spectators. He should make it to the finish, but he's dropped 15 minutes.
With the WRC2 runners coming through now, we can see that Loeb is now 12th overall, within 10s of 10th place and 30s of ninth place.
This WRC2 battle is shaping up to be quite a thriller too - Citroen protege Stephane Lefebvre leads young Estonian Martin Koci by just 6.7s and they're now 10th and 11th overall amid the WRC attrition.
Checkered flag
SS10 results:
Stage times:
1 Kubica 30m41.9s
2 Meeke +33.4s
3 Loeb +41.2s
4 Mikkelsen +1m04.1s
5 Sordo +1m08.8s
6 Latvala+1m09.0s
7 Evans +1m10.2s
8 Ostberg +1m14.7s
9 Ogier +1m49.5s
10 Neuville +1m58.1s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Latvala +1m04.9s
3 Mikkelsen +1m49.4s
4 Ostberg +2m28.1s
5 Evans +2m35.9s
6 Sordo +3m22.3s
7 Neuville +3m38.5s
8 Prokop +6m22.5s
9 Solberg +8m31.0s
10 Lefebvre +8m49.6s
11 Koci +8m56.3s
12 Loeb +8m59.7s
Stage times:
1 Kubica 30m41.9s
2 Meeke +33.4s
3 Loeb +41.2s
4 Mikkelsen +1m04.1s
5 Sordo +1m08.8s
6 Latvala+1m09.0s
7 Evans +1m10.2s
8 Ostberg +1m14.7s
9 Ogier +1m49.5s
10 Neuville +1m58.1s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Latvala +1m04.9s
3 Mikkelsen +1m49.4s
4 Ostberg +2m28.1s
5 Evans +2m35.9s
6 Sordo +3m22.3s
7 Neuville +3m38.5s
8 Prokop +6m22.5s
9 Solberg +8m31.0s
10 Lefebvre +8m49.6s
11 Koci +8m56.3s
12 Loeb +8m59.7s
Crash
Tanak has made it to the stage finish having lost nearly 20 minutes. He says he lost it under braking on a patch of gravel and went off the road, and is hugely grateful to the spectators who helped him back on.
There's not too much damage to the M-Sport Ford so continuing shouldn't be a problem, but he's going to be somewhere near 30th overall.
There's not too much damage to the M-Sport Ford so continuing shouldn't be a problem, but he's going to be somewhere near 30th overall.
Breaking news
SS10 summary:
* Ogier goes very slowly on the ice and lets his lead drop to 1m04s, but isn't too fussed
* Kubica sets an incredible stage-winning pace, half a minute clear of everyone else, and nearly two minutes faster than Ogier
* Loeb is third quickest and up to 12th overall, within 30s of ninth place
* Tanak crashes from fourth place and loses 20 minutes
* Evans closes to within 7s of Ostberg for fourth
* Sordo takes sixth place from Neuville
* Ogier goes very slowly on the ice and lets his lead drop to 1m04s, but isn't too fussed
* Kubica sets an incredible stage-winning pace, half a minute clear of everyone else, and nearly two minutes faster than Ogier
* Loeb is third quickest and up to 12th overall, within 30s of ninth place
* Tanak crashes from fourth place and loses 20 minutes
* Evans closes to within 7s of Ostberg for fourth
* Sordo takes sixth place from Neuville
Time for a quick service break, but don't be away too long as we'll resume coverage at about 12.45pm UK time.
Two more stages this afternoon: another attempt to run the 12-mile Prunieres - Embrun that had to be cancelled this morning, then the 23 miles of Sisteron - Thoard to finish the day.
See you back here for all of that.
Two more stages this afternoon: another attempt to run the 12-mile Prunieres - Embrun that had to be cancelled this morning, then the 23 miles of Sisteron - Thoard to finish the day.
See you back here for all of that.
Hello, and welcome back to the second half of Saturday's leg of the Monte Carlo Rally.
The opening round of the World Rally Championship has given us plenty of thrills so far, and who's to say that won't continue in this afternoon's brace of stages?
The opening round of the World Rally Championship has given us plenty of thrills so far, and who's to say that won't continue in this afternoon's brace of stages?
As you'll see just below, the the afternoon loop begins with a re-run of the 12-mile run from Prunieres to Embrun.
Here's what our man in the service park, DAVID EVANS, has to say of SS11:
"The Prunieres-Embrun stage has been chopped down slightly from the last time it was used in 2003, running to 12.38 as opposed to 17.62 miles.
"It might be shorter, but it’s still a fabulous stretch of south-facing road, where, if it’s dry, the grip will be high and the cars quick.
"Especially in the final downhill section towards the finish, which is narrow, but still devilishly rapid."
Here's what our man in the service park, DAVID EVANS, has to say of SS11:
"The Prunieres-Embrun stage has been chopped down slightly from the last time it was used in 2003, running to 12.38 as opposed to 17.62 miles.
"It might be shorter, but it’s still a fabulous stretch of south-facing road, where, if it’s dry, the grip will be high and the cars quick.
"Especially in the final downhill section towards the finish, which is narrow, but still devilishly rapid."
Breaking news
Here are the big things to look out for this afternoon:
* As at the start of the day, Ogier just has to keep it smooth. But he's got to be a bit more wary, as team-mate Latvala took a chunk of time out of him early. That probably won't be repeated in the afternoon to the same degree, but it's enough to keep a bit of intrigue ging at the front
* The only VW driver who has room to breathe is Mikkelsen, who is a very comfortable third - especially after M-Sport's Tanak crashed on SS10
* That off for Tanak has left Ostberg, Evans and the Hyundais of Sordo and Neuville sparring over fourth. The i20s lack pack up here and are a minute adrift, but Evans has shown good pace at the times - and is just a few seconds behind Citroen's lone frontrunner
* It'll still be worth keeping an eye on Loeb's progress. He's already on the cusp of the points after the drama on SS10 and is 30 seconds off of ninth
* And Kubica's always fun, especially when he puts on as stunning a performance as he did this morning
There's still a lot to be excited about, even if the Ogier/Loeb fight is but a distant memory.
Ten minutes to go before the start of SS11, and here's a reminder of the running order: Chardonnet - Kubica - Meeke - Loeb - Ogier - Latvala - Mikkelsen - Ostberg - Neuville - Evans - Sordo
As we await the first cars, a little bit of Loeb love.
The legend returned in full flow this week, although a mistake robbed us of a superb lead battle between him and Ogier.
Loeb's status as a WRC hero remains firmly in tact, as this from DAVID EVANS attests:
"Loeb has been confronted by crowds everywhere he's gone this week and, when his heroic return came to an end last night, there was a big bunch of media folk ready to ask him what happened."
More from our man on the scene on Loeb, as Chardonnet approaches the start of SS11. And it's bad reading for anyone hoping this would spark something full-time for the nine-time world champion.
"It’s hard to imagine Sebastien Loeb being a more decent fella. Soon after describing his exit from one of the most fascinating Monte Carlo Rally battles in history, what did he do? He apologised to Citroen for not being able to land them any points from the season-opener.
"In the middle of Loeb's explanation of what was a very minor indiscretion with major consequences, he even found time to praise the efforts and ability of Robert Kubica.
"Unfortunately, he then went on to say he’s not coming back to the World Rally Championship this season. Which is disappointing, because we all know he’s a rally driver. And the WRC is much better than the World Touring Car Championship..."
"It’s hard to imagine Sebastien Loeb being a more decent fella. Soon after describing his exit from one of the most fascinating Monte Carlo Rally battles in history, what did he do? He apologised to Citroen for not being able to land them any points from the season-opener.
"In the middle of Loeb's explanation of what was a very minor indiscretion with major consequences, he even found time to praise the efforts and ability of Robert Kubica.
"Unfortunately, he then went on to say he’s not coming back to the World Rally Championship this season. Which is disappointing, because we all know he’s a rally driver. And the WRC is much better than the World Touring Car Championship..."
A little news on Tanak's return, which is confirmed despite M-Sport having to perform a very rapid clutch replacement on his Fiesta.
We are go on SS11, as Chardonnet and Kubica begin their runs.
We've got more cars on the stage, with Citroen pair Meeke and Loeb up next.
Chardonnet clocks in at the first split at 2m35.7s, with Kubica slightly quicker.
Chardonnet clocks in at the first split at 2m35.7s, with Kubica slightly quicker.
Meeke is 0.4s faster than Kubica at the first split. The Pole was 2.4s quicker than Chardonnet, by the way.
Chardonnet is approaching the stage end already. Loeb has gone 0.8s quicker than Meeke in the first split.
We also have some news on tyre choices, which we will relay shortly.
Meeke has dropped time on Kubica, who has come through to the finish.
Ogier is slower than both Citroens at the first split.
Ogier is slower than both Citroens at the first split.
A couple of times then. Kubica is quickest on 10m44.2s, Chardonnet 27.5s back.
Meeke is through in 10m48.0s, just slower than Kubica.
Meeke is through in 10m48.0s, just slower than Kubica.
Quote
Meeke: "We had a mismatch on the tyres so the car is a little out of balance, but we had a good enough rhythm so we're happy."
Quote
Loeb comes through in 10m42.4s, quickest so far. He's got four soft tyres and two snow tyres.
"It was OK [but] nothing special," he reckons.
"It was OK [but] nothing special," he reckons.
The two leading VWs are dropping time on Loeb. Ogier's down six seconds at the third split, Latvala 2s down at the second split and a fraction quicker than his team-mate at that point.
Mikkelsen's through the first split and quicker at that point than either Ogier or Latvala. Not bad at all.
Ogier's in, we'll have a time in a moment.
Ogier's in, we'll have a time in a moment.
Quote
Ogier confirms he's on soft tyres, commenting: "A good stage for us, no problem at all."
It's 10m49.8s, so he's slower than Loeb, Kubica and Meeke.
Latvala's still a couple of seconds quicker than Ogier at the third split.
It's 10m49.8s, so he's slower than Loeb, Kubica and Meeke.
Latvala's still a couple of seconds quicker than Ogier at the third split.
Latvala is third fastest, 10m47.7s and a small gain on Ogier.
Quote
Latvala suggests that conditions are making life a bit trickier than desired, and that if it was fully dry "it would be nice to drive".
If it was fully dry, it wouldn't be the Monte.
If it was fully dry, it wouldn't be the Monte.
By: AUTOSPORT staff, Scott Mitchell
Published:
Page:
