Rally GB, Macau, NASCAR finale
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WRC - Rally GB: Neuville, however, has just set the quickest time with a 4m25.9s and has moved up to second overall - behind Ogier - in doing so.
Stopwatch
WRC - Rally GB: Times are coming in now and, as expected Ogier has beaten Latvala by 3.0s.
WRC - Rally GB: Interestingly, Ogier has never won in Wales. His best result remains the 11th place he scored for Citroen in 2011 after crashing on the opening stage.
WRC - Rally GB: Ogier is already 3.5s up on Latvala at the first split and looks poised to extend his rally lead even further by the end of tonight.
Green flag
WRC - Rally GB: The last of tonight's stages has begun. Latvala is first to tackle the 7.52 kilometres of Clocaenog.
Breaking news
WRC - Rally GB: Interesting news from the Formula 1 paddock this evening as Sebastian Vettel has hailed Kubica's achievements in the WRC this season.
The four-time world champion has shown a keen interest in rallying in the past, so who knows, we may also see him tackle a special stage in the not too distant future...
The four-time world champion has shown a keen interest in rallying in the past, so who knows, we may also see him tackle a special stage in the not too distant future...
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WRC - Rally GB: The third and final of tonight's stages is Clocaenog, which gets underway at 20:38 GMT.
It's not been used on Rally GB in its current configuration for many years and has a reputation for having a smooth road surface and fast flowing bends. It should be a bit of a corker.
It's not been used on Rally GB in its current configuration for many years and has a reputation for having a smooth road surface and fast flowing bends. It should be a bit of a corker.
Checkered flag
WRC - Rally GB - SS2 results:
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +0.9s; 3 Neuville +2.0s; 4 Hirvonen +5.4s; 5 Ostberg +7.2s; 6 Novikov +16.0s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +2.2s; 3 Neuville +3.6s; 4 Hirvonen +12.4s; 5 Ostberg +15.8s; 6 Mikkelsen +22.2s.
Ogier has increased his overall lead at the end of the second stage and the only noteable change in the order is Mikkelsen, who has dropped to sixth overall.
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +0.9s; 3 Neuville +2.0s; 4 Hirvonen +5.4s; 5 Ostberg +7.2s; 6 Novikov +16.0s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +2.2s; 3 Neuville +3.6s; 4 Hirvonen +12.4s; 5 Ostberg +15.8s; 6 Mikkelsen +22.2s.
Ogier has increased his overall lead at the end of the second stage and the only noteable change in the order is Mikkelsen, who has dropped to sixth overall.
WRC - Rally GB: Sordo has completed the stage slower than Citroen team-mate Kubica. The Spaniard's time is a rather slow 5m37.3s.
Gravel isn't his preferred surface of choice, but neither are ill-positioned lights.
"The lights are a little bit down and I can't see much of the road," says Sordo. "It's really tough as they go up and down all the time. The car is OK."
Gravel isn't his preferred surface of choice, but neither are ill-positioned lights.
"The lights are a little bit down and I can't see much of the road," says Sordo. "It's really tough as they go up and down all the time. The car is OK."
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WRC - Rally GB: Kubica's time at the end of Penmachno is 5m35.0s - 16.1s off Ogier's pace.
"It's going OK," says the Pole. "We're taking it very safe as everything is new. There's a lot of work to do, but hopefully we'll have a good rally."
"It's going OK," says the Pole. "We're taking it very safe as everything is new. There's a lot of work to do, but hopefully we'll have a good rally."
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WRC - Rally GB: Ostberg is still being hampered by gear issues it seems.
"It was a good stage," says the Norwegian. "I'm still struggling with the gear changing, which is causing me to lose time."
"It was a good stage," says the Norwegian. "I'm still struggling with the gear changing, which is causing me to lose time."
WRC - Rally GB: And here is the man in question, whose 5m24.3s is 1.8s quicker than Ostberg's effort.
WRC - Rally GB: Ostberg pops in a time of 5m26.1s. He's currently 1.6s behind Hirvonen in the overall classification in sixth, so we'll wait and see what the Finn can do.
WRC - Rally GB: Third place Neuville sets a time of 5m20.9s - 2.0s slower than Ogier.
Stopwatch
WRC - Rally GB: And Ogier's beaten that with a time of 5m18.9s to increase his lead over Latvala to 2.2s.
WRC - Rally GB: Latvala's the first man through and has completed the stage in 5m19.8s.
Green flag
WRC - Rally GB: And Penmachno is live. It's a very fast stage with flowing bends and a tricky section over the mountain and along the bottom road to the finish.
We'd wager some drivers will be complaining about the pesky slippery conditions at the end of it, again...
We'd wager some drivers will be complaining about the pesky slippery conditions at the end of it, again...
WRC - Rally GB: Solowow finally reaches the end suggests he took a trip through a ditch during the stage. Timings are a little bit in the air at the moment as a vital piece of equipment is currently on the fritz.
Hopefully it'll be fixed for the next stage - the 9.28km test through Penmachno - which gets underway very soon.
Hopefully it'll be fixed for the next stage - the 9.28km test through Penmachno - which gets underway very soon.
Checkered flag
WRC - Rally GB - SS1 results:
1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +1.3s; 3 Neuville +1.6s; 4 Mikkelsen +5.3s; 5 Hirvonen +7.0s; 6 Ostberg +8.6s; 7 Novikov +13.3s; 8 Kubica +13.4s; 9 Sordo +13.4s; 10 Prokop +21.6s.
1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +1.3s; 3 Neuville +1.6s; 4 Mikkelsen +5.3s; 5 Hirvonen +7.0s; 6 Ostberg +8.6s; 7 Novikov +13.3s; 8 Kubica +13.4s; 9 Sordo +13.4s; 10 Prokop +21.6s.
WRC - Rally GB: Great time set by Mikkelsen, who finishes Gwydyr just 5.3s behind Ogier.
Meanwhile, reports are filtering through that Solowow has momentarily stopped in the stage. He appears to be trundling to the finish now, however.
Meanwhile, reports are filtering through that Solowow has momentarily stopped in the stage. He appears to be trundling to the finish now, however.
WRC - Rally GB: Sordo faces an uphill struggle to score points this weekend. The Spaniard was hit with a five-minute time penalty after stewards discovered that his Citroen DS3 was built upon the team's ninth chassis of the season - the regulations only allow eight.
He's set a time of 4m56.5s in the first test - 13.4s slower than Ogier.
He's set a time of 4m56.5s in the first test - 13.4s slower than Ogier.
WRC - Rally GB: Kubica has completed his first top-tier WRC stage in 4m56.5s. He has described it as not being particularly easy.
"First time at night and the first time with the (Italian) pace notes," said the former F1 driver. "It was very slippery out there!"
"First time at night and the first time with the (Italian) pace notes," said the former F1 driver. "It was very slippery out there!"
WRC - Rally GB: Ostberg's time is 4m51.7s, which is 7.0s off the ultimate pace.
"I have some problems with my gears, it was very hard to change gears," says Ostberg. "The stage wasn't too bad."
"I have some problems with my gears, it was very hard to change gears," says Ostberg. "The stage wasn't too bad."
WRC - Rally GB: Novikov also laments the slippery conditions at the start of the stage. The Russian's time is a rather slow 4m56.4s.
WRC - Rally GB: Neuville makes a decent start to his final event for M-Sport, having completed the stage in 4m44.7s.
"Yeah, I'm quite happy," says Neuville at the end. "The last part there was big stones and it was difficult to go fast through it."
"Yeah, I'm quite happy," says Neuville at the end. "The last part there was big stones and it was difficult to go fast through it."
WRC - Rally GB: Seems Latvala was right as Ogier sets a time of 4m43.1s - 1.3s quicker than his team-mate.
"Very slippery at the beginning," says this year's champion, "but otherwise, OK."
"Very slippery at the beginning," says this year's champion, "but otherwise, OK."
WRC - Rally GB: Latvala has set a benchmark time of 4m44.4s. He sounds downcast already, saying he reckons Ogier is likely to better that. We shall see...
Green flag
WRC - Rally GB: And we're underway here in Wales as both Latvala and team-mate Ogier are already making their way through the opening stage.
WRC - Rally GB: Tonight's first stage is Gwydyr, which makes its return since the Sixties. It's a 6.95km test that is characterised by fast flowing bends mixed with technical sections.
Ogier
WRC - Rally GB: Sebastien Ogier won what is likely to be the WRC’s last qualifying stage by edging out Thierry Neuville by seven thousandths of a second earlier on today.
The Frenchman was fastest of all through the 3.11km Llandegla test and has elected to run second behind Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala this evening.
The running order for the frontrunners is as follows:
1 Latvala; 2 Ogier; 3 Neuville; 4 Novikov; 5 Ostberg; 6 Hirvonen; 7 Kubica; 8 Sordo; 9 Mikkelsen; 10 Prokop; 11 Solowow.
WRC - Rally GB: And who’ll take Hirvonen’s place at Citroen if he does jump ship? Well Robert Kubica is stepping up from WRC2 to compete in a factory Citroen DS3 WRC for the first time this weekend, so…
We’re just guessing really. But what we do know is that Rally GB will be the toughest test yet for the former Formula 1 driver, who is without regular co-driver Maciek Baran, who assisted him to WRC2 glory this year.
He will be co-driven by Michele Ferrera instead and the notes will be read in Italian rather than Polish, which might prove a little tricky to grasp, even though Kubica speaks near fluent Italian after spending the formative years of his career in Italy.
We’re just guessing really. But what we do know is that Rally GB will be the toughest test yet for the former Formula 1 driver, who is without regular co-driver Maciek Baran, who assisted him to WRC2 glory this year.
He will be co-driven by Michele Ferrera instead and the notes will be read in Italian rather than Polish, which might prove a little tricky to grasp, even though Kubica speaks near fluent Italian after spending the formative years of his career in Italy.
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WRC - Rally GB: Another Finn looking for a good result this weekend is Mikko Hirvonen who is staring down the barrel of his first winless season since 2005.
Problem is, both he and team-mate Dani Sordo were unable to test for Rally GB after the last round in Spain and he hasn’t driven the DS3 WRC in muddy conditions since Argentina back in early May.
Still, with Neuville off to Hyundai, there’s a seat now available with the M-Sport Ford outfit and we’d bet our houses on Hirvonen announcing his return very soon.
Problem is, both he and team-mate Dani Sordo were unable to test for Rally GB after the last round in Spain and he hasn’t driven the DS3 WRC in muddy conditions since Argentina back in early May.
Still, with Neuville off to Hyundai, there’s a seat now available with the M-Sport Ford outfit and we’d bet our houses on Hirvonen announcing his return very soon.
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WRC - Raly GB: Neuville currently has a 14-point advantage over the Finn, but Latvala hasn’t been beaten on the Welsh event since 2010 and starts his 12th Rally GB as the most experienced.
World Rally Championship standings after 12 of 13 rounds:
1 Sebastien Ogier 265
2 Thierry Neuville 158
3 Jari-Matti Latvala 144
4 Mikko Hirvonen 126
5 Dani Sordo 117
6 Mads Ostberg 89
(25 for a win, 3 for powerstage win)
World Rally Championship standings after 12 of 13 rounds:
1 Sebastien Ogier 265
2 Thierry Neuville 158
3 Jari-Matti Latvala 144
4 Mikko Hirvonen 126
5 Dani Sordo 117
6 Mads Ostberg 89
(25 for a win, 3 for powerstage win)
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WRC - Rally GB: While this year’s titles may have already been decided, Rally GB still looks set to be a thrilling climax to the 2013 championship as the drivers blast through the legendary Welsh forests.
One battle worth keeping an eye on is the one for second place which remains up for grabs as Thierry Neuville - who is Hyundai-bound for 2014 - is the only man able to stop Jari-Matti Latvala from making Volkwagen’s debut season perfect.
One battle worth keeping an eye on is the one for second place which remains up for grabs as Thierry Neuville - who is Hyundai-bound for 2014 - is the only man able to stop Jari-Matti Latvala from making Volkwagen’s debut season perfect.
Beefy
WRC - Rally GB: Oh, and more Neuville news, albeit from the other side of his Ford Fiesta, as his co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul has won the coveted Michael Park ‘Beef’ Trophy.
Gilsoul received the award from world champion co-driver Robert Reid this evening. The Belgian has finished on the podium six times this season in only his and Neuville’s second full year in the world championship.
After receiving the award, Gilsoul said: “It’s an incredible honour to receive this trophy and really nice after the season I have had – and am having – with Thierry. I want to thank the people for voting for me.”
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WRC - Rally GB: The drivers have praised the changes to the Rally GB route following the recce for the final round of the season.
M-Sport driver Thierry Neuville spoke to AUTOSPORT soon after arriving back in Deeside following the second of two days of driving the new route.
“It’s very nice,” he said. “The roads are beautiful and in very nice condition and, in some places, very, very fast. I like it a lot.”
Neuville also praised the initiative with the new service park.
“It’s good to see that the organisers are doing things to try and bring more spectators to this rally,” he said, “and the service looks nice.”
M-Sport driver Thierry Neuville spoke to AUTOSPORT soon after arriving back in Deeside following the second of two days of driving the new route.
“It’s very nice,” he said. “The roads are beautiful and in very nice condition and, in some places, very, very fast. I like it a lot.”
Neuville also praised the initiative with the new service park.
“It’s good to see that the organisers are doing things to try and bring more spectators to this rally,” he said, “and the service looks nice.”
Rally GB
WRC - Rally GB: Yes, there’s been a number of changes to the event this year, not least it being shifted back to its more traditional place on the calendar after its September slot last year, but it has also moved from its long-term Cardiff home to a more northerly base at Deeside in Flintshire in the heart of North Wales.
WRC - Rally GB: We kick things off tonight in Snowdonia where the WRC action begins at 19:05 GMT with the first of three challenging night stages in Snowdonia - Gwydyr, Penmachno and Clocaenog - none of which has featured on the rally route for more than 15 years.
Good evening and welcome to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live where we will be providing as-it-happens coverage of the World Rally Championship finale in Wales, the title-deciding NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead and the main Formula 3 race in Macau this weekend.
By: Dan Cross, Matt Beer, David Evans, Scott Mitchell, Marcus Simmons, Sam Tremayne, Charles Bradley
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