Rally Catalunya, Formula E opener, MotoGP Sepang
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David Evans
Our resident weatherman David Evans is on call to let you know what it's like out there in Spain this morning. He also has a pretty good excuse for having a hearty full English breakfast.
"Weather wise, it's much cloudier this morning - yesterday's clear blue skies have gone for now. There is the threat of some rain after lunch, but nobody seems too concerned. I was more concerned at the lack of porridge in M-Sport this morning - it forced me into a full English..."
"Weather wise, it's much cloudier this morning - yesterday's clear blue skies have gone for now. There is the threat of some rain after lunch, but nobody seems too concerned. I was more concerned at the lack of porridge in M-Sport this morning - it forced me into a full English..."
He rolled yesterday and he hasn't had the best of starts today either.
Crash
Bertelli has stopped on the stage
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Do you want a stage guide? Of course you do. Here is Khalid Al-Qassimi's co-driver Chris Patterson to talk you through it:
SS10 Porrera 4.61 miles
"This is a new stage for everybody and it’s a very, very tricky one – but at the same time it’s really nice. There are a lot of ditches on the inside and a lot of immediate corners with a cliff face on the outside. This one would certainly be more twisty and technical than the more flowing Catalunya stages. We use a number system in the notes, with the tightest corner being a ‘one’, so we’re all one left, one right… in this stage."
SS10 Porrera 4.61 miles
"This is a new stage for everybody and it’s a very, very tricky one – but at the same time it’s really nice. There are a lot of ditches on the inside and a lot of immediate corners with a cliff face on the outside. This one would certainly be more twisty and technical than the more flowing Catalunya stages. We use a number system in the notes, with the tightest corner being a ‘one’, so we’re all one left, one right… in this stage."
Green flag
SS10 is go! Hope you're all ready for another crazy day of rallying!
So, it's almost asphalt time at Rally Catalunya. SS10 gets underway in less than five minutes, with Lorenzo Bertelli first out.
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In MotoGP, Dani Pedrosa dominated qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Valentino Rossi in third ahead of his title rival and team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. 
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We have coverage from the opening round of the 2015/16 Formula E season from Beijing at 9am, where Sebastien Buemi starts from pole position and eigning champion Nelson Piquet Jr starts from the back. 
We have a lot of action for you today. Very shortly we will be underway at Rally Catalunya, where Sebastien Ogier will try to retain his lead after having to fight back to reclaim it from Jari-Matti Latvala on yesterday’s monster 22.17-mile stage, Terra Alta.
Good morning and welcome to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live.
It's goodbye for now, but Race Centre Live resumes tomorrow from 8am UK time for another day of WRC action from Catalunya, as well the season opening Formula E race from Beijing.
Here's the final report on how that hard-fought WRC afternoon unfolded: 
That's just about it from Race Centre Live for today
No signs of improvement from those remaining in the WRC2 field, so the top three at the end of today should finish like this:
1 Tidemand2 Kopecky +33.7s3 Lappi +39.4s
1 Tidemand2 Kopecky +33.7s3 Lappi +39.4s
We've had eight WRC2 runners through the final stage now. Of those, Lappi has gone quickest on the stage from Kopecky and Tidemand, the latter continuing to lead in his Skoda Fabia R5.
Here's a quick recap on where we stand after nine stages:
- Ogier reclaims Rally Catalunya lead after a blistering run on SS9
- Champion leads team-mate Latvala by 4.0s
- Tanak impressive third after topping more stages than any other driver
- Early leaders Ostberg and Kubica hit trouble in morning; Bertelli crashes out on SS1
And with today's WRC running now complete, here's how the overall leaderboard looks at the end of Friday:
1 Ogier2 Latvala +4.0s3 Tanak +11.3s4 Sordo +26.9s5 Ostberg +29.7s6 Mikkelsen +37.4s7 Paddon +38.3s8 Meeke +59.4s9 Neuville +1m03.8s10 Evans +1m09.2s
1 Ogier2 Latvala +4.0s3 Tanak +11.3s4 Sordo +26.9s5 Ostberg +29.7s6 Mikkelsen +37.4s7 Paddon +38.3s8 Meeke +59.4s9 Neuville +1m03.8s10 Evans +1m09.2s
Checkered flag
With Lefebvre in, too, let's have a run down of the fastest times from SS9...
1 Ogier2 Latvala +7.2s 3 Mikkelsen +13.5s4 Tanak +13.6s5 Ostberg +14.9s6 Paddon +17.8s7 Meeke +18.7s8 Sordo +19.0s
1 Ogier2 Latvala +7.2s 3 Mikkelsen +13.5s4 Tanak +13.6s5 Ostberg +14.9s6 Paddon +17.8s7 Meeke +18.7s8 Sordo +19.0s
Kubica is in, and says he got stuck in third gear, which cost him 3m23.7s.
Still waiting for Kubica and Lefebvre to come through in the WRC class.
Prokop is through, too, but is quite a way behind those in front of him on stage times after picking up a puncture towards the end of SS9.
Sordo brings his Hyundai home with the eight-quickest time on that stage.
There we are! Tanak is home - but there's a bit of an anticlimax as he ends the stage 13.6s down on Ogier, and slips to third overall.
Nevertheless, a fantastic day for the M-Sport driver.
Nevertheless, a fantastic day for the M-Sport driver.
Paddon is through, and has lost sixth overall to Mikkelsen.
A rally shouldn't be the hardest place to spot a driver, but we're getting close to playing a game of 'Where's Tanak?'.
No suggestion yet that he has gone off, especially given that his first split didn't register, but we've gone 10 minutes without an update on his progress.
No suggestion yet that he has gone off, especially given that his first split didn't register, but we've gone 10 minutes without an update on his progress.
Neuville is in next, 20.9s down, and he's narrowly beaten by Meeke who brings his Citroen DS3 home 18.7s down.
"It hasn't been a good day but that last stage gives me a bit more encouragement," says Meeke.
"It hasn't been a good day but that last stage gives me a bit more encouragement," says Meeke.
Mikkelsen has completed the stage, and Ostberg makes it home too - 14.9s down on Ogier at the end of it.
"I tried but I struggled quite a lot on the stage," he says. "I think I have a broken left-front suspension strut. I had no support on the front-left."
Still, he's overcome a fair few hurdles today and will end it well in the mix for a podium.
"I tried but I struggled quite a lot on the stage," he says. "I think I have a broken left-front suspension strut. I had no support on the front-left."
Still, he's overcome a fair few hurdles today and will end it well in the mix for a podium.
There was a bit of a scare, too, as his first split didn't register.
Everyone, that is, except...
Yep, you guessed it, Tanak. He's quicker than Ogier after the second split by 0.6s!
Yep, you guessed it, Tanak. He's quicker than Ogier after the second split by 0.6s!
A sea of red blots on the timing screens, as everyone struggles to match Ogier.
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"He [Ogier] did very well," accepts Latvala. "So many places have...so much stuff on the road. I couldn't do better than that - I had a small mistake at the beginning."
Latvala is through but he's lost 7.2s to his team-mate by the end of the stage, and with it the lead of the rally.
Stopwatch
Ogier is through and it's a pretty mega time - he's through in 22m49.4s.
"It was a stage where we wanted to make difference, but the tyre wear is not big enough," says Ogier, suggesting he could have pushed a little harder.
Let's see if anyone can match that - suspect that will be difficult to do.
"It was a stage where we wanted to make difference, but the tyre wear is not big enough," says Ogier, suggesting he could have pushed a little harder.
Let's see if anyone can match that - suspect that will be difficult to do.
Still no one close to Ogier yet, who has extended his advantage through the fourth split to 3.1s over Latvala - that would leave them 0.1s apart at the end of the day!
Has Ogier pulled a blinder? The champ is fastest through every split at the moment, and at the third check has clawed back 2.6s on Latvala.
...and where that leaves us overall going into SS9:
1 Latvala2 Tanak +0.9s3 Ogier +3.2s4 Sordo +11.1s5 Ostberg +18.0s6 Paddon +23.7s7 Mikkelsen +27.1s8 Meeke +43.9s9 Evans +44.7s10 Neuville +46.1s
1 Latvala2 Tanak +0.9s3 Ogier +3.2s4 Sordo +11.1s5 Ostberg +18.0s6 Paddon +23.7s7 Mikkelsen +27.1s8 Meeke +43.9s9 Evans +44.7s10 Neuville +46.1s
Checkered flag
A quick run down of SS8 times for you:
1 Tanak2 Latvala +0.7s3 Sordo +0.9s4 Ogier +1.1s5 Kubica +1.4s6 Paddon +1.6s
1 Tanak2 Latvala +0.7s3 Sordo +0.9s4 Ogier +1.1s5 Kubica +1.4s6 Paddon +1.6s
Seems Prokop isn't the only one dreading the final stage. Kubica comes through SS8 in fifth, but admits he's not looking forward to a second run at Terra Alta.
His position is perhaps a bit more forgivable, though, after his double-puncture on the first run.
His position is perhaps a bit more forgivable, though, after his double-puncture on the first run.
Information
As we start to get the first splits on the stage, here's Dan Barritt one final time to talk you through what the drivers will be facing:
SS5/9 Terra Alta (22.17 miles)
This is the long one of the loop. It’s been used in this configuration before, about five years ago. There are five surface changes in here from gravel to Tarmac, but the big thing about this stage is the 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) of Tar in the middle. It’s really important that you look after the tyre in this section because you need them for there’s about six miles down to the finish. And that final section to the finish is pretty tricky again, with lots of rocks at the side of the road – there are a lot of “don’t cuts” in our notes in this section.
SS5/9 Terra Alta (22.17 miles)
This is the long one of the loop. It’s been used in this configuration before, about five years ago. There are five surface changes in here from gravel to Tarmac, but the big thing about this stage is the 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) of Tar in the middle. It’s really important that you look after the tyre in this section because you need them for there’s about six miles down to the finish. And that final section to the finish is pretty tricky again, with lots of rocks at the side of the road – there are a lot of “don’t cuts” in our notes in this section.
A couple of WRC cars still to come through SS8, but all focus has pretty much turned to Terra Alta, and whether anyone will succumb to worn tyres on the final stage of the day.
By: Matt Beer
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