Rally Italy
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This, by the way, is the longest stage of the day. Ogier gets us going now, but it'll be half an hour or so before we get our first stage time from the Frenchman.
As quickly as that, we've reached our final stage of the day. Here's one last stage guide from Seb Marshall:
SS15 Monte Lerno (27.50 miles)
Bits of this are the same as last year – I’d say 75 per cent of this is the same as 2014. You struggle for rhythm on this one, like the stage before: the road’s diving off down what almost looks like a firebreak. Then you’re into a technical, twisty section, then it opens up again and gets quicker. It’s tough. And it will be quite tough in the car with the heat of the afternoon.
Micky’s Jump comes just before halfway and it’s quite slow, it’s got a bit of a reputation. A few people have parked it in the wall on the other side of the jump a few times, so we do tend to be quite cautious over there. After that, it opens out and gets a bit quicker towards the finish, but in places this stage is quite rough as well. There’s been a fair bit of water damage down the middle of the road in places, so it’s already a bit rutted.
SS15 Monte Lerno (27.50 miles)
Bits of this are the same as last year – I’d say 75 per cent of this is the same as 2014. You struggle for rhythm on this one, like the stage before: the road’s diving off down what almost looks like a firebreak. Then you’re into a technical, twisty section, then it opens up again and gets quicker. It’s tough. And it will be quite tough in the car with the heat of the afternoon.
Micky’s Jump comes just before halfway and it’s quite slow, it’s got a bit of a reputation. A few people have parked it in the wall on the other side of the jump a few times, so we do tend to be quite cautious over there. After that, it opens out and gets a bit quicker towards the finish, but in places this stage is quite rough as well. There’s been a fair bit of water damage down the middle of the road in places, so it’s already a bit rutted.
David Evans
In other news, two-time world champion and Italian rallying God Miki Biasion has won the Historic Rally Italy in his Group A Lancia Delta Integrale.
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A bit more of an update from Volkswagen on Mikkelsen:
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...and SS14 stage classifications:
Leading stage times
1 Latvala 13m56.5s
2 Neuville +0.8s
3 Ogier +3.2s
4 Sordo +6.4s
5 Ostberg +6.8s
6 Camilli +19.3s
Overall leaderboard
1 Neuville 2h38m48.1s
2 Latvala +12.9s
3 Ogier +1m04.4s
4 Ostberg +1m14s
5 Sordo +1m45.2s
6 Tanak +3m54.2s
Leading stage times
1 Latvala 13m56.5s
2 Neuville +0.8s
3 Ogier +3.2s
4 Sordo +6.4s
5 Ostberg +6.8s
6 Camilli +19.3s
Overall leaderboard
1 Neuville 2h38m48.1s
2 Latvala +12.9s
3 Ogier +1m04.4s
4 Ostberg +1m14s
5 Sordo +1m45.2s
6 Tanak +3m54.2s
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SS14 summary:
- Latvala gets another stage win as he fights back from cautious SS13
- Neuville limits damage with second-fastest time
- Mikkelsen crashes out after hitting a rock and retires for the day
- Latvala gets another stage win as he fights back from cautious SS13
- Neuville limits damage with second-fastest time
- Mikkelsen crashes out after hitting a rock and retires for the day
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It's worth flagging up in WRC2 that it's likely to be a while until the confusion from earlier (see 10:56)is sorted out.
Right now, Karl Kruuda is shown as the class leader from Julien Maurin and Armin Kremer. Nicolas Fuchs and Teemu Suninen remain from the earlier fight for honours, but Esapekka Lappi and Umberto Scandola did not rejoin this afternoon.
Right now, Karl Kruuda is shown as the class leader from Julien Maurin and Armin Kremer. Nicolas Fuchs and Teemu Suninen remain from the earlier fight for honours, but Esapekka Lappi and Umberto Scandola did not rejoin this afternoon.
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SS13 stages times to come, but first, here's your SS14 stage guide - courtesy once again of Seb Marshall:
SS14 Coiluna-Loelle (13.91 miles)
Some parts of this are the same as last year, but there’s such a network of roads around this area that you’re going along in one place then you dive off down into another road. This stage has the first of two famous jumps today. This is the faster of the two: you arrive after an almost flat-left through a small dip. It’s a nice launch pad for some monster air (see picture).
We’re turning square right 200 metres after the jump this time, but that’s still not really going to slow the approach or take-off speed. That junction takes us to a new road we’ve never used before; we come back to the roads we have been on via a kind of autocross track. There’s potential for this one to be quite rutted, it’s quite sandy in here. It’s on this stage that Hayden [Paddon] broke his gearbox last year. You get rocks uncovered and it’s impossible to avoid them because it’s so narrow.
SS14 Coiluna-Loelle (13.91 miles)
Some parts of this are the same as last year, but there’s such a network of roads around this area that you’re going along in one place then you dive off down into another road. This stage has the first of two famous jumps today. This is the faster of the two: you arrive after an almost flat-left through a small dip. It’s a nice launch pad for some monster air (see picture).
We’re turning square right 200 metres after the jump this time, but that’s still not really going to slow the approach or take-off speed. That junction takes us to a new road we’ve never used before; we come back to the roads we have been on via a kind of autocross track. There’s potential for this one to be quite rutted, it’s quite sandy in here. It’s on this stage that Hayden [Paddon] broke his gearbox last year. You get rocks uncovered and it’s impossible to avoid them because it’s so narrow.
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Just a couple of minutes until the start of SS14, so here's a quick wrap of that stage:
- Neuville extends lead back out to over 10 seconds with fastest stage time
- Latvala 'cautious' and fourth-fastest on stage
- Ogier increases gap to Ostberg in fight for third
- Mikkelsen hit with 10-second late out of service penalty
- Neuville extends lead back out to over 10 seconds with fastest stage time
- Latvala 'cautious' and fourth-fastest on stage
- Ogier increases gap to Ostberg in fight for third
- Mikkelsen hit with 10-second late out of service penalty
Stopwatch
Camilli is now in and 12s slower than Neuville, our pacesetter.
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"I pushed quite hard but had a very clean run," says Neuville. "In one very fast part the car was jumping like hell; I thought I might get puncture but after that it was fine."
On a very fast stage time?
"Yes, but I sweated a lot."
On a very fast stage time?
"Yes, but I sweated a lot."
Stopwatch
Finally, we here of Neuville. He's completed the stage, and is a whopping 6.7s faster than anyone else!
With that, his lead goes back out to 13.7s over Latvala.
With that, his lead goes back out to 13.7s over Latvala.
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"I think I presed down on the rubber and it exploded. I was lucky that the other didn't too," he says.
Confirmation at the finish that it's a front-left puncture for Tanak.
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Stopwatch
In comes Tanak now, who ends the stage 53.4s slower than Ogier.
Tanak will be next through, but there are reports that the Estonian has a puncture.
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"I thought I had a good run but I was a bit more cautious," says Latvala.
Stopwatch
Latvala completes the stage now and is 4.1s slower than Ogier. We don't know how that compares yet with Neuville, whose splits are not showing.
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"It's a difficult stage. Outside of the line you don't have much grip," says Sordo. "I'm happy with the car."
Stopwatch
Sordo is now in and second quickest so far, 3s down on Ogier's time. Latvala has come back a bit, and is 1.8s down on Ogier now.
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"Big confusion because Andreas was late out of service," says Ostberg, before he gets cut off. "It's not a normal procedure to have to fight. I know they tried to do their job."
The start marshalls wanted to send him in a minute after Mikkelsen, but Ostberg stood his ground.
The start marshalls wanted to send him in a minute after Mikkelsen, but Ostberg stood his ground.
Stopwatch
Tanak starts the stage well, and is 1.2s up through the third split.
One car in front, Latval has now dropped 3.5s to Ogier through the second split.
One car in front, Latval has now dropped 3.5s to Ogier through the second split.
Stopwatch
Ostberg comes through and is 5.7s down on Ogier, and 1.4s slower than Mikkelsen.
WTCC
In Moscow, it's raining - and hard. World Touring Car Championship Qualifying has just started, but in completely different conditions to what the drivers have been used to so far this weekend.
Jose Maria Lopez is the first man out on track, and should complete his first lap shortly.
Jose Maria Lopez is the first man out on track, and should complete his first lap shortly.
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"Today has beena good day," says Suninen, who has just completed the stage. "We have had good speed after puncture so I can be quite happy. The puncture was my mistake."
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Stopwatch
Kevin Abbring is the last of the WRC cars to complete the stage, with first WRC2 runner Fuchs due in shortly.
Right on cue, the Peruvian brings his Fabia home, 33.4s off Neuville's pace.
Right on cue, the Peruvian brings his Fabia home, 33.4s off Neuville's pace.
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It's a day of landmarks...
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Prokop is fastest of the three most recent drivers to complete the stage and slots into seventh on the stage rankings - though that's not done much for his overall position, the Czech currently sitting eight minutes off the pace after incurring a five-minute penalty.
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Let's turn our attention to the second stage of the afternoon, which is about to start.
SS7 Tula (9.32 miles)
The first completely new stage. Quite a sandy surface this one, so likely to cut up a bit for the second run through. The organisers have worked hard to clean this new road up, but there’s still some grass in the middle of some of the sections. Generally quite quick – especially in the section through the wind farm. Slower towards the end where the stage narrows and gets a bit more tricky with some hairpins towards the finish.
SS7 Tula (9.32 miles)
The first completely new stage. Quite a sandy surface this one, so likely to cut up a bit for the second run through. The organisers have worked hard to clean this new road up, but there’s still some grass in the middle of some of the sections. Generally quite quick – especially in the section through the wind farm. Slower towards the end where the stage narrows and gets a bit more tricky with some hairpins towards the finish.
You can scratch Tanak from eighth, as class of the WRC2 field Teemu Suninen retains his place on the overall leaderboard with the eighth-fastest time on that stage.
This is a mighty effort so far from the Finn, who is faster than six of the remaining 13 WRC cars on that stage.
This is a mighty effort so far from the Finn, who is faster than six of the remaining 13 WRC cars on that stage.
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And here are some stage classifications to kick off your afternoon:
Leading stage times
1 Latvala 4m01.5s
2 Mikkelsen +1.3s
3 Paddon +1.4s
4 Ogier +2.4s
5 Neuville +2.4s
6 Tanak +4.4s
Overall leaderboard
1 Latvala 42m36.9s
2 Neuville +0.9s
3 Ogier +24.6s
4 Ostberg +29.3s
5 Mikkelsen +34.9s
6 Sordo +47.3s
7 Paddon +1m0.2s
8 Tanak +1m13.4s
Leading stage times
1 Latvala 4m01.5s
2 Mikkelsen +1.3s
3 Paddon +1.4s
4 Ogier +2.4s
5 Neuville +2.4s
6 Tanak +4.4s
Overall leaderboard
1 Latvala 42m36.9s
2 Neuville +0.9s
3 Ogier +24.6s
4 Ostberg +29.3s
5 Mikkelsen +34.9s
6 Sordo +47.3s
7 Paddon +1m0.2s
8 Tanak +1m13.4s
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Less than 10 minutes until we turn our attentions to SS7, the second run of the new Tula stage, so here's a quick recap of SS6:
-Latvala regains rally lead with fastest stage time
- Neuville remains within striking distance with fifth-fastest time
- Mikkelsen second on stage ahead of Paddon and Ogier
-Latvala regains rally lead with fastest stage time
- Neuville remains within striking distance with fifth-fastest time
- Mikkelsen second on stage ahead of Paddon and Ogier
Prokop and Solberg, both in after Camilli, are also both slower than the Frenchman. That's a shame for the latter in particular, who had a good run on SS5 to place seventh overall.
Cries of "the throttle, the throttle" from Solberg when quizzed about his problems, though the issue was rectified during the run.
Cries of "the throttle, the throttle" from Solberg when quizzed about his problems, though the issue was rectified during the run.
By: Matt Beer
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