Rally GB and Sepang MotoGP
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Paddon fares better than his team-mate, though, and is 8s down on Ogier through the finish.
Next up will be Sordo, then Latvala, then Ostberg - they're all through the final split before the stage end.
Next up will be Sordo, then Latvala, then Ostberg - they're all through the final split before the stage end.
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No issues as such for Neuville, he's simply not comfortable on the slippery Myherin stage: "I'm not confident. There was some fog, but not so bad, but I struggled so much. I don't feel the grip and the limit of it; I was sliding around."
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We've had no indication of how Neuville was getting on, but he's really struggled in there and is 22.3s slower than Ogier at the stage end.
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"Everything was fine it was just really tricky, so I just stayed on the safe side," says Mikkelsen. "It's so easy to do a mistake. Yeah, it's OK - but wow, that was difficult."
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Mikkelsen is through, and completes the stage 11.5s slower than his Volkswagen team-mate.
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A filthy Ogier says conditions were challenging out on the stage, although the rain does appear to have stopped falling: "They [conditions] are very difficult, very slippy and the visibility is quite bad in the middle with heavy fog. I had an issue with my wipers, they were not working at parts, and it was hard to get some confidence."
Stopwatch
There's Ogier through the finish. He safely completes the first stage of the day in 18m07s.
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OK; after that distraction, let's bring you up to date.
A lot of red times up on the board, with Ogier through the third split in a time of 13m15.3s. Mikkelsen is 6.9s down on his team-mate at that split, we're yet to see any split times from Neuville (though he is still running), Paddon is keeping pace well while Sord, Latvala, Ostberg and Tanak are all on the stage.
A lot of red times up on the board, with Ogier through the third split in a time of 13m15.3s. Mikkelsen is 6.9s down on his team-mate at that split, we're yet to see any split times from Neuville (though he is still running), Paddon is keeping pace well while Sord, Latvala, Ostberg and Tanak are all on the stage.
Great handiwork from Marshall
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JACK BENYON: Most World Rally Championship co-drivers spend the week before events preparing by checking road books and timetables. But when Autosport rang Seb Marshall to help with our magazine stage guide for the event, he was doing something a bit different.
DIY is the name of the game in the Marshall household as he was putting up this magnificent fence!
To top that, when we called the next day to firm up the guide, he'd moved onto installing a radiator in the upstairs bathroom. Being a homeowner is hard.
DIY is the name of the game in the Marshall household as he was putting up this magnificent fence!
To top that, when we called the next day to firm up the guide, he'd moved onto installing a radiator in the upstairs bathroom. Being a homeowner is hard.
You may have noticed that our earlier stage guide hasn't come from our usual companion, Seb Marshall.
Kevin Abbring's co-driver is now a stalwart of our WRC coverage, and while he hasn't provided today's stage guides, his preview do feature in this week's free Rally GB supplement in Autosport (if you haven't picked up a copy yet, make sure you do so).
But there's a funny story about that, as we may have interrupted him to get some of his thoughts...
Kevin Abbring's co-driver is now a stalwart of our WRC coverage, and while he hasn't provided today's stage guides, his preview do feature in this week's free Rally GB supplement in Autosport (if you haven't picked up a copy yet, make sure you do so).
But there's a funny story about that, as we may have interrupted him to get some of his thoughts...
Ogier's through the second split in 7m23.9s.
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Weather update: it is damp out on the stage, with fog in places. Visibility not great at the moment.
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A notice for those of you out on Myherin...
Mikkelsen's first split is 2.1s down on Ogier's time.
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Ogier is through the first split in a time of 4m16.4s. Mikkelsen and Neuville are now also on the stage.
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Lights green
Wales Rally GB is underway - Sebastien Ogier is on the stage.
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SS1 Myherin (19.77 miles)
The first four kilometres of this stage are completely new, we have never seen them or competed on them before – but it’s good. It keeps with the rhythm of Myherin. Some of the downhill sections in the first half of the stage are quite tricky now, but the uphill in the second half is more straightforward. When you are over the top, by the windfarm, the road is really fast and the same in both ways. It doesn’t change so much because it’s running in the other way. The end is going to be nice as well, with the hairpins coming downhill.
The first four kilometres of this stage are completely new, we have never seen them or competed on them before – but it’s good. It keeps with the rhythm of Myherin. Some of the downhill sections in the first half of the stage are quite tricky now, but the uphill in the second half is more straightforward. When you are over the top, by the windfarm, the road is really fast and the same in both ways. It doesn’t change so much because it’s running in the other way. The end is going to be nice as well, with the hairpins coming downhill.
David Evans
Stage guides for you this weekend are courtesy of Volkswagen's Jari-Matti Latvala.
Latvala famously loves Myherin – it’s one of his favourite stages in the world. But what does he think of it in the opposite direction? He tells Autosport about the first test in the loop and then goes on to fill us in with the other three as well…
Latvala famously loves Myherin – it’s one of his favourite stages in the world. But what does he think of it in the opposite direction? He tells Autosport about the first test in the loop and then goes on to fill us in with the other three as well…
Autosport
We've not one, but two men on the ground this weekend - with Autosport Group National Editor and general rallying nut JACK BENYON out in the field as well. They'll both be on hand for plenty of insight this weekend, but with the rally start just a couple of minutes away, let's switch our attention to the real stars of the show!
David Evans
Today’s stages are the most southerly of the route and run in the opposite direction to last season.
After prolonged dry, windy weather, the road surface is drier than many have expected before, making tyre choice more complicated than in previous years. As Kris Meeke said: “When you came to Rally GB, it was straightforward: you put a coat on your back and soft tyres on the car… it’s not like that this year.”
Indeed, coats will be discarded with temperatures reckoned to be heading north towards 20 degrees this weekend, but the tyre choice is much more complicated.
Friday’s stages are generally the wettest and slowest drying of the event. The recce is a good indicator of what to expect in terms of road condition, with the weight of the first pass of cars usually bringing the damp to the surface and turning it to mud and slime for the second pass. That didn’t happen this time. The second pass of the recce was dry as well.
After prolonged dry, windy weather, the road surface is drier than many have expected before, making tyre choice more complicated than in previous years. As Kris Meeke said: “When you came to Rally GB, it was straightforward: you put a coat on your back and soft tyres on the car… it’s not like that this year.”
Indeed, coats will be discarded with temperatures reckoned to be heading north towards 20 degrees this weekend, but the tyre choice is much more complicated.
Friday’s stages are generally the wettest and slowest drying of the event. The recce is a good indicator of what to expect in terms of road condition, with the weight of the first pass of cars usually bringing the damp to the surface and turning it to mud and slime for the second pass. That didn’t happen this time. The second pass of the recce was dry as well.
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Yes, we're ready for a fabulous event to get going in about five minutes' time. With a host of stars at the front, plus a great supporting cast of of British drivers and co-drivers AND some commemorative Group B fever later in the weekend, this year's Wales Rally GB promises to be a thrilling affair.
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Yes, hello, good morning and welcome to Autosport Race Centre Live for weekend-long coverage of Wales Rally GB.
What's that you can hear? The forests are alive...
By: Matt Beer
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