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We're already onto the next stage, here's the vibe of it - as described by Elfyn Evans:
SS17 Alwen (6.46 miles)
Alwen is another really good stage. It’s quite fast but has more square junctions than you find in the likes of Dyfi and Hafren – the sections between those junctions are pretty quick, though!
SS17 Alwen (6.46 miles)
Alwen is another really good stage. It’s quite fast but has more square junctions than you find in the likes of Dyfi and Hafren – the sections between those junctions are pretty quick, though!
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SS16 summary:
* Tanak crashes out of fourth place, elevating Sordo
* Ogier sits on his big lead and cruises through eighth quickest
* Rally2 returnee Latvala sets the pace but is somewhere outside the top 50 overall
* Paddon inches clear of Evans in battle for what is now fifth
* Tanak crashes out of fourth place, elevating Sordo
* Ogier sits on his big lead and cruises through eighth quickest
* Rally2 returnee Latvala sets the pace but is somewhere outside the top 50 overall
* Paddon inches clear of Evans in battle for what is now fifth
Checkered flag
SS17 results:
Stage times:
1 Latvala 6m46.5s
2 Mikkelsen +3.6s
3 Sordo +5.7s
4 Paddon +7.3s
5 Meeke +9.3s
6 Evans +9.8s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Meeke +30.1s
3 Mikkelsen +49.1s
4 Sordo +2m46.6s
5 Paddon +3m06.3s
6 Evans +3m13.2s
Stage times:
1 Latvala 6m46.5s
2 Mikkelsen +3.6s
3 Sordo +5.7s
4 Paddon +7.3s
5 Meeke +9.3s
6 Evans +9.8s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Meeke +30.1s
3 Mikkelsen +49.1s
4 Sordo +2m46.6s
5 Paddon +3m06.3s
6 Evans +3m13.2s
Leader Sebastien Ogier is through and firmly in cruise mode, emphasising there's no point pushing with a good lead. That's a lesson learned, from his last-stage shunt in Catalunya three weeks ago...
Meeke is safely through, reporting a "comfortable run".
He's on course for the first British podium on this event since Richard Burns finished third to claim the title in 2001, and the best result for a home driver here since Burns's 2000 win.
This time a year ago Meeke was fighting Mikko Hirvonen for second and it all went wrong, so "comfortable" is a good plan right now.
He's on course for the first British podium on this event since Richard Burns finished third to claim the title in 2001, and the best result for a home driver here since Burns's 2000 win.
This time a year ago Meeke was fighting Mikko Hirvonen for second and it all went wrong, so "comfortable" is a good plan right now.
Are both M-Sport Fords in trouble? Evans is reported to be stopped on the next road section attending to an issue.
It sounds like Tanak has gone a long way off - next man in Andreas Mikkelsen reports that he couldn't see where the M-Sport Ford had ended up.
No injuries to Tanak or co-driver Raigo Molder, but they're not going any further.
Tanak's exit is going to guarantee fourth for Sordo, make Paddon vs Evans a fight for fifth, and bring Lorenzo Bertelli back into the points.
Tanak - one of many drivers fighting for their career this weekend - began the day sitting on a 14.7s cushion over Sordo in a battle for fourth.
Crash
Reports coming in from the stage that the Estonian has crashed.
Crash
Tanak is stopped on the stage on the tracking system! He'd been running fourth...
Paddon is 2.5s faster than Evans though, which brings the gap up to 6.9s. The Kiwi declares himself very determined to beat the Welshman to sixth at home and is going to give it a proper push.
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Still no challenge to Latvala for the stage win, Stephane Lefebvre and Mads Ostberg all a long way off, and even second-fastest man Elfyn Evans is 9s down.
Ostberg and Lefebvre are very much set for eighth and ninth, but Evans has a job to do - trying to chase down Hayden Paddon for sixth place and defending Wales' honour.
"I told everybody they picked the wrong week to come to Wales as usually it's sunny," he insists, soggily.
Ostberg and Lefebvre are very much set for eighth and ninth, but Evans has a job to do - trying to chase down Hayden Paddon for sixth place and defending Wales' honour.
"I told everybody they picked the wrong week to come to Wales as usually it's sunny," he insists, soggily.
Robert Kubica is through, second fastest to Latvala for now, 10s off his pace.
Is this Kubica's final morning in the WRC? Either way, it will be good if he could hang onto his current 10th place, which would be only his third points finish of a pretty draining 2015 campaign.
Is this Kubica's final morning in the WRC? Either way, it will be good if he could hang onto his current 10th place, which would be only his third points finish of a pretty draining 2015 campaign.
Irish brothers Sam and Josh Moffett are getting a bit of extra profile this morning as they're running among the delayed WRC drivers in their pair of Ford Fiesta World Rally Cars.
They're in a battle for 15th overall, and Josh has just extended his advantage over Sam up to 25s.
They're in a battle for 15th overall, and Josh has just extended his advantage over Sam up to 25s.
Also running under Rally2 today is Martin Prokop. The Czech driver had a bizarre road section collision with Hayden Paddon's Hyundai and is now a distant 23rd, and slower than Latvala here.
Stopwatch
First on the road this morning is Jari-Matti Latvala, who sets a 6m46.5s benchmark.
The Finn shunted on Friday's second stage then had a driveshaft break on Saturday's second stage, now he's basically checking out conditions for everyone else.
"The water has washed away the mud, it's just the standing water in places, but it's generally fine," he reports.
Latvala is here for pride and powerstage points today. Having missed so much of the distance, he's down in 56th overall and 1hr24m behind the lead.
The Finn shunted on Friday's second stage then had a driveshaft break on Saturday's second stage, now he's basically checking out conditions for everyone else.
"The water has washed away the mud, it's just the standing water in places, but it's generally fine," he reports.
Latvala is here for pride and powerstage points today. Having missed so much of the distance, he's down in 56th overall and 1hr24m behind the lead.
This is what we're kicking off with this morning, description courtesy of Elfyn Evans:
SS16 Brenig (6.61 miles)
Brenig is very different in character to the rest of the rally. The roads are more artificial than you find in a true forest stage, and there's a section on Tarmac in the middle as well.
But the gravel surface and character are still good. It's very open in parts – particularly alongside the reservoir – making it a little more difficult to read the road without the trees.
This is the powerstage again this year and, if the weather's with us, I can't imagine a better view from the final stopline of the season!
SS16 Brenig (6.61 miles)
Brenig is very different in character to the rest of the rally. The roads are more artificial than you find in a true forest stage, and there's a section on Tarmac in the middle as well.
But the gravel surface and character are still good. It's very open in parts – particularly alongside the reservoir – making it a little more difficult to read the road without the trees.
This is the powerstage again this year and, if the weather's with us, I can't imagine a better view from the final stopline of the season!
Watersplash or just the average North Wales road this morning? Hard to say.
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To put things in perspective - the organisers have just announced that no spectators will be permitted on the penultimate stage, Great Orme, due to the storm force winds.
Four stages left, not too much close action among the top cars, but a lot of tension in storm-lashed Wales.
Good morning and welcome back to Autosport Race Centre Live for the final hours of the 2015 World Rally Championship.
Checkered flag
And the overall order:
1 Ogier 2h40m25.2s
2 Meeke +35.7s
3 Mikkelsen +1m0.4s
4 Tanak +2m41.1s
5 Sordo +2m55.8s
6 Paddon +3m13.9s
1 Ogier 2h40m25.2s
2 Meeke +35.7s
3 Mikkelsen +1m0.4s
4 Tanak +2m41.1s
5 Sordo +2m55.8s
6 Paddon +3m13.9s
Checkered flag
Here's the stage times for SS15:
1 Ogier 7m50.5s
2 Evans +3.2s
3 Mikkelsen +3.8s
4 Meeke +4.7s
5 Paddon +4.8s
6 Tanak +7.1s
1 Ogier 7m50.5s
2 Evans +3.2s
3 Mikkelsen +3.8s
4 Meeke +4.7s
5 Paddon +4.8s
6 Tanak +7.1s
Meeke is clearly a happy man after SS15.
"It's been another strong day. There was no intention to catch Ogier, we know what he has underneath him. Job done for today, but tomorrow will be tricky. We have the experience of last year and we're happy enough."
The Northern Irishman has driver brilliantly all weekend and irrelevant of Ogier, his pace has been very strong.
"It's been another strong day. There was no intention to catch Ogier, we know what he has underneath him. Job done for today, but tomorrow will be tricky. We have the experience of last year and we're happy enough."
The Northern Irishman has driver brilliantly all weekend and irrelevant of Ogier, his pace has been very strong.
Tanak is up next, and he's sixth on the stage. Crucially he's quicker than Sordo and the Estonian now sits 14.7s clear of the Spaniard overall in fourth.
Tanak must be having flashbacks to Mexico for the amount of water he's seen today.
Tanak must be having flashbacks to Mexico for the amount of water he's seen today.
Sordo completes and he's 10.3s down on the leader. Paddon also slots in and goes 5.5s quicker than the Spaniard. Both Paddon and Evans are reeling in Sordo in the battle for fifth..
Mikkelsen is also rightly pleased with his day:
"We're battling small problems and we've survived the conditions quite well. [The reset] it was nothing special"
"We're battling small problems and we've survived the conditions quite well. [The reset] it was nothing special"
Ogier is very happy through the stage end and he should be with that time.
"It has been a great day in tough conditions," he says. "The grip was good in that one and better than we thought it was going to be."
"It has been a great day in tough conditions," he says. "The grip was good in that one and better than we thought it was going to be."
Evans is through, excellent! He goes second and only 3.2s down on Ogier's benchmark. Great stuff for his fans in Aberhirnant.
Meeke is in and drops 4.7s to Ogier. He decreased the margin in the second half of the stage having been 6.3s slower at the split.
Brits Meeke and Evans will be the next cars through.
Mikkelsen completes and he's 3.8s down on Ogier. Ostberg also comes in, 16.3s down on Ogier.
Meeke is also through the split and he's 6.3s down on Ogier. That's a sorry sight for Brits eyeing a home win.
Ogier's time is a 7m50.5s, 5.8s slower than this afternoon's quickest. Not bad considering the rain.
Ostberg is through the split and his torrid day continues. 11.6s down on Ogier
By: Matt Beer
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