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Slight delay to the start of this stage. Neuville was due in four minutes ago but is still being held on the startline at the moment.
David Evans
There is some rain in the air this morning, expect fairly inconsistent conditions.
Most drivers have a mix of soft (what you want in wet weather) and hard tyres, with Meeke, Breen, the Toyotas and the M-Sport Fords carrying four softs and two hards, and Sordo and Neuville taking three softs and three hards.
Paddon and Mikkelsen are gambling on there being plenty of rain - they've got five softs, so are also the only drivers not playing it safe and carrying an extra spare.
Paddon put his slow time on the last stage down to taking it easy on his softs while it's dry.
Most drivers have a mix of soft (what you want in wet weather) and hard tyres, with Meeke, Breen, the Toyotas and the M-Sport Fords carrying four softs and two hards, and Sordo and Neuville taking three softs and three hards.
Paddon and Mikkelsen are gambling on there being plenty of rain - they've got five softs, so are also the only drivers not playing it safe and carrying an extra spare.
Paddon put his slow time on the last stage down to taking it easy on his softs while it's dry.
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Hayden Paddon's co-driver Seb Marshall is doing our stage guides for us this weekend, here are his thoughts on what's ahead.
SS3 Mittelmosel (13.67 miles)
This was the first stage from last year, but because I didn't do the event in 2016, it's been a while since I was in here.
Like Grafschaft, the second stage, this isn't a pure vineyard stage like the ones further north in Moselland; there are link sections which take you from one vineyard to the next on today's stages.
We've only got two stages featuring the vineyards, which is a bit of a shame really. The farmland or countryside road which takes us from one vineyard to the next is much, much quicker than the sections between the vines – this breaks the rhythm for the driver, but it also gives the brakes a chance to cool down between the hairpins.
The end of Mittelmosel will be quite tricky as we drop in and under the trees; there's been quite a lot of logging done in these forests and the roads are quite dirty with a lot of dust on top where the trucks have pulled the trees out.
If it rains, this one will be a nightmare.
SS3 Mittelmosel (13.67 miles)
This was the first stage from last year, but because I didn't do the event in 2016, it's been a while since I was in here.
Like Grafschaft, the second stage, this isn't a pure vineyard stage like the ones further north in Moselland; there are link sections which take you from one vineyard to the next on today's stages.
We've only got two stages featuring the vineyards, which is a bit of a shame really. The farmland or countryside road which takes us from one vineyard to the next is much, much quicker than the sections between the vines – this breaks the rhythm for the driver, but it also gives the brakes a chance to cool down between the hairpins.
The end of Mittelmosel will be quite tricky as we drop in and under the trees; there's been quite a lot of logging done in these forests and the roads are quite dirty with a lot of dust on top where the trucks have pulled the trees out.
If it rains, this one will be a nightmare.
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Kopecky's now down to 12th as Friday started early with the first running of the longer Wadern-Weiskirchen stage, on which Dani Sordo was quickest and moved into the overall lead.
Here's how they stand heading into the first full-length stage of the event:
1 Dani Sordo
2 Ott Tanak +1.5s
3 Thierry Neuville +1.9s
4 Andreas Mikkelsen +2.3s
= Jari-Matti Latvala +2.3s
6 Craig Breen +3.1s
7 Sebastien Ogier +4.4s
8 Elfyn Evans +5.2s
9 Esapekka Lappi +7.9s
10 Juho Hanninen +8.7s
11 Hayden Paddon +8.9s
Here's how they stand heading into the first full-length stage of the event:
1 Dani Sordo
2 Ott Tanak +1.5s
3 Thierry Neuville +1.9s
4 Andreas Mikkelsen +2.3s
= Jari-Matti Latvala +2.3s
6 Craig Breen +3.1s
7 Sebastien Ogier +4.4s
8 Elfyn Evans +5.2s
9 Esapekka Lappi +7.9s
10 Juho Hanninen +8.7s
11 Hayden Paddon +8.9s
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That was the first of last night's shocks - the second was WRC2 driver Jan Kopecky taking the overall lead.
Running a long way down the order and on a very rubbered-in course, Kopecky took advantage of how close the R5s can get to WRC pace on short asphalt roads to lead overnight.
Running a long way down the order and on a very rubbered-in course, Kopecky took advantage of how close the R5s can get to WRC pace on short asphalt roads to lead overnight.
Crash
The rally kicked off with a superspecial in Saarbrucken last night, and it took less than a mile of the event for Kris Meeke's weekend to be ruined.
On a rally where Citroen has one of its best chances to be competitive in a largely horrible season, Meeke broke his steering on a concrete barrier after less than a mile of running.
He's back out today but with a 10-minute Rally2 penalty, which leaves him 50th and last overall right now.
On a rally where Citroen has one of its best chances to be competitive in a largely horrible season, Meeke broke his steering on a concrete barrier after less than a mile of running.
He's back out today but with a 10-minute Rally2 penalty, which leaves him 50th and last overall right now.
It's the first asphalt WRC rally since Corsica in April, the first time Thierry Neuville has ever arrived at a WRC round as championship leader, and a chance to strike a psychological blow in the title fight that will linger for nearly two months as we have another gap until Rally Catalunya in October after this one.
Good morning and welcome to Autosport Live's Rally Germany coverage.
By: Matt Beer
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