Rally GB 2017
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The stage is live, as Ogier gets up and running.
David Evans
SS3 Sweet Lamb (2.63 miles)
People call this a spectator stage, which technically it is, but it’s not your average spectator stage – it’s the best spectator stage in the world! Watching the cars tearing down that famous hill into the watersplash (where you have to be careful to get the car into the water absolutely square on or it can throw you off and spit you out) and into the main bowl area, is brilliant fun. And it’s some challenge for the drivers as well.
People call this a spectator stage, which technically it is, but it’s not your average spectator stage – it’s the best spectator stage in the world! Watching the cars tearing down that famous hill into the watersplash (where you have to be careful to get the car into the water absolutely square on or it can throw you off and spit you out) and into the main bowl area, is brilliant fun. And it’s some challenge for the drivers as well.
No rest for the wicked. Let's crack on with some sweet, Sweet Lamb action next...
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And let's check in on some times...
Leading SS2 times:
1 Evans 11m01.6s
2 Meeke +3.7s
3 Ogier +4.2s
4 Tanak +4.3s
5 Mikkelsen +7.4s
6 Breen +8.3s
Overall classification
1 Evans 12m12.4s
2 Ogier +3.1s
3 Tanak +3.8s
4 Meeke +5.1s
5 Mikkelsen +7.4s
6 Latvala +7.7s
7 Breen +8.5s
8 Paddon +13.7s
Leading SS2 times:
1 Evans 11m01.6s
2 Meeke +3.7s
3 Ogier +4.2s
4 Tanak +4.3s
5 Mikkelsen +7.4s
6 Breen +8.3s
Overall classification
1 Evans 12m12.4s
2 Ogier +3.1s
3 Tanak +3.8s
4 Meeke +5.1s
5 Mikkelsen +7.4s
6 Latvala +7.7s
7 Breen +8.5s
8 Paddon +13.7s
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SS2 summary:
- Evans flies to the fastest time on the stage and leads Rally GB
- Meeke, unhappy on Thursday, goes second on the SS2
- Ogier third and Tanak fourth
- Neuville goes off and stalls and is only 12th overall with a penalty
- Evans flies to the fastest time on the stage and leads Rally GB
- Meeke, unhappy on Thursday, goes second on the SS2
- Ogier third and Tanak fourth
- Neuville goes off and stalls and is only 12th overall with a penalty
Lappi has come through - and is 11th - while Mikkelsen goes fifth fastest on the stage.
Paddon comes through and is eighth on the stage, and says he's having to use the handbrake on fifth- and sixth-gear corners. Not the best of stages for Hyundai; Mikkelsen is yet to come through yet, but so far the i20s occupy three of the bottom four positions on the leaderboard.
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"Really happy, it was really slippery but I'm sure it's muddy for everyone," says a buoyant Meeke. "When the mud gets cleaned a bit you're left with the cobblestones.
"It's the Monte Carlo rally on gravel. It doesn't matter so much about the time, it's more about the rhythm."
"It's the Monte Carlo rally on gravel. It doesn't matter so much about the time, it's more about the rhythm."
Meeke puts in a fine time and goes second on the stage, 3.7s down on Evans.
Twitter
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"I was a bit to ragged in the shakedown and was just trying to calm down and be neat again," says Breen, who's happy enough with his time.
Breen slots into fourth on the stage and fifth overall. He's 8.3s down on Evans.
Hanninen is in now and 14.9s down on Evans, which is good enough for sixth out of seven on the early stage leaderboard. Breen will be next through in his Citroen.
Decent first split too for Citroen man Meeke, who was 0.1s up on Ogier. He's now 0.1s down at split two.
Early days, of course.
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"OK, we tried hard in a few places but the rhythm was so difficult, the grip was so changeable," says Evans. Sound a bit happier, chap - you're leading Rally GB!
Full caps intended.
Stopwatch
EVANS IS FASTEST! He's a full 4.2s up on Ogier.
Sordo is in now and comfortably slowest so far, but Evans is flying behind him...
Latvala is now in and 4.2s slower than Ogier, while Sordo and Evans are now on the run to the finish.
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"I went wide and I stalled the engine," who says Neuville, who's not particularly comfortable with his car. "I had to restart, lost a bit of time, but I was really struggling with understeer."
A total of 8.4s is Neuville's loss on that stage in the end. Not too much forfeited after the horror first split, but with that penalty he's already the best part of 20s down.
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"The beginning was really polished and slippy," says Tanak. "It was still a clean run, no problem."
Tanak comes in and... he's down at the finish! He's 0.1s slower than Ogier.
Stopwatch
Ogier is in, and completes the stage in a time of 11m05.8s.
"It's very, very slippery," he says. "I'm not sure it's getting better behind - I hope not."
"It's very, very slippery," he says. "I'm not sure it's getting better behind - I hope not."
Stopwatch
Second splits in now from Ogier and Tanak. Ogier is through in 7m17.1s, but team-mate Tanak is up 1.2s.
Things look little better on this stage, too, he's 7.8s down on Ogier through the first split, and there are some reports in that he's gone off before continuing very early on in the stage.
Speaking of Neuville, it hasn't been the best of starts to the main who retains a slim shot at the title. He copped a 10-second penalty overnight.
Stopwatch
Tanak is 1.3s up at the first split. Thierry Neuville and Jari-Matti Latvala are also on the stage.
First split time in for Ogier, who's through the first part of Myherin in 3m44.9s.
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Nice and sunny out there this morning, but reports in that the stage is still very slippery.
Ogier's M-Sport team-mate, Ott Tanak, is now also on the stage.
Green flag
And there we are - that man Ogier gets us up and running, right on schedule!
SS2 Myherin (11.30 miles)
Running in the same direction as before, albeit with a different configuration. Unfortunately, some of the best hairpins on the route (the ones knows as Pikes Peak near what was the start) are now part of a car park – good for fans’ access, but a shame for the drivers who love a bit of drifting. New for this year is Elfyn’s Corner (#ELFYNSCORNER), established by a group of fans of the local hero. If you’re up for giving the M-Sport star a cheer surrounded by likeminded folk, car park B’s the place for you. This corner is right in the middle of one of the fastest and most flowing stretches of route through the windfarms. It’s a stunning drive through there. The drivers reckon this one’s Finland without the jumps.
Running in the same direction as before, albeit with a different configuration. Unfortunately, some of the best hairpins on the route (the ones knows as Pikes Peak near what was the start) are now part of a car park – good for fans’ access, but a shame for the drivers who love a bit of drifting. New for this year is Elfyn’s Corner (#ELFYNSCORNER), established by a group of fans of the local hero. If you’re up for giving the M-Sport star a cheer surrounded by likeminded folk, car park B’s the place for you. This corner is right in the middle of one of the fastest and most flowing stretches of route through the windfarms. It’s a stunning drive through there. The drivers reckon this one’s Finland without the jumps.
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Anyway, back to this morning. We're just a couple of moments away from a stage start - Myherin is our first test of the day.
Autosport
A lowly 16th on that test was Citroen's Kris Meeke, who wasn't exactly reserved with his thoughts on the French manufacturer's preparations for his home event. 
Autosport
The action proper starts today, after Thursday evening's Tir Prince superspecial. Sebastien Ogier comes into the event with the very real chance to claim a fifth WRC title, and kicked off his bid in the best possible way with a stage victory last night. 
That was rubbish, wasn't it? Welcome, one and all, to Autosport's live coverage of the Rally GB weekend.
Hello there, and good morning.
So, Alonso's off to Daytona next January, Max Verstappen's used Instagram to make an apology and... well, apparently there's some rally going on in a wood in Wales this weekend.
So, Alonso's off to Daytona next January, Max Verstappen's used Instagram to make an apology and... well, apparently there's some rally going on in a wood in Wales this weekend.
By: Matt Beer
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