Rally Mexico, Las Vegas NASCAR
Live Text
Sort by
Hirvonen's time is now in and it's 11s down on Ogier. Not perfect but not terrible, so no obvious problem there.
Hirvonen doesn't stop to talk to the media at the end of that stage - which is highly unusual. Problems? Hard to tell with no timing information right now.
Tyre
Next up will be Hirvonen. This happened to one of Mikko's tyres at the start of SS3.
Hirvonen then drove the remainder of the monster Chocolate stage and the two following tests after puncturing his only spare on the day's opener.
Quote
Meeke finishes the stage 7s slower than Ogier and 10s quicker than Ostberg.
"I got into a really good rhythm. To see '10 up' on Ogier, '10 up' on Ostberg is quite nice. It was comfortable."
"I got into a really good rhythm. To see '10 up' on Ogier, '10 up' on Ostberg is quite nice. It was comfortable."
If the times listed at the stage end are correct, Ostberg has lost a massive 17s to Ogier and the rally lead.
Quote
Rally leader Ostberg completes the stage - and he's not at all happy.
"Not so perfect. I struggled a little bit on the stage, with a lot of oversteer. Disappointed. I thought at the start it was going to be a long stage... and it was."
"Not so perfect. I struggled a little bit on the stage, with a lot of oversteer. Disappointed. I thought at the start it was going to be a long stage... and it was."
Despite the timing system failing to provide any of his splits, we can confirm that Ogier was on the stage and has indeed finished it.
Not a clue what his time was yet, though...
Not a clue what his time was yet, though...
Quote
Asked if he still thinks he can fight for the win, Latvala replies: "it's looking a little bit less realistic now I'm losing more time..."
He remains the slowest of the first batch of cars on the splits, as you'd expect for the man getting the worst of the loose gravel.
He remains the slowest of the first batch of cars on the splits, as you'd expect for the man getting the worst of the loose gravel.
Stopwatch
Latvala has made it through.
"It felt alright, but the stage was still quite slippery," he reports.
"I think it was a similar speed to this morning."
"It felt alright, but the stage was still quite slippery," he reports.
"I think it was a similar speed to this morning."
Still not a single split for Ogier through El Chocolate. Latvala into the final sector of the stage though.
Meeke eight up on Latvala at split five, just over halfway in - but all a bit pointless when we don't know how fast the champ's travelling...
Meeke eight up on Latvala at split five, just over halfway in - but all a bit pointless when we don't know how fast the champ's travelling...
Also on the Race Centre Live schedule for this weekend is round three of the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Las Vegas.
Carl Edwards has just gone fastest in opening practice, ahead of Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr was fourth despite a mild smack of the wall, while there was more bad luck for Martin Truex Jr, whose Furniture Row Chevrolet dumped a large amount of oil on the track as it erupted in a cloud of smoke early on.
Carl Edwards has just gone fastest in opening practice, ahead of Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr was fourth despite a mild smack of the wall, while there was more bad luck for Martin Truex Jr, whose Furniture Row Chevrolet dumped a large amount of oil on the track as it erupted in a cloud of smoke early on.
Stopwatch
Still good pace coming through from Meeke, who is a couple of seconds faster than his rally-leading Citroen team-mate Ostberg at split three.
Quote
Kris Meeke
It's hard to get much of an impression with quite a few split times not being transmitted, but we have seen some good times from Meeke on El Chocolate as he tries to come back at Latvala for fourth.
Meeke's certainly not flustered by long stages such as this one. When he was squeezed out of the WRC after the Prodrive/Mini deal collapse a couple of years ago, one of the ways he kept busy was contesting the Baja 1000 (which included just one stage… of 1,121 miles) on a motorbike on his own in 2012. Meeke finished the Mexican event in 40 hours and 18th in class.
"I love those longer stages and when you've done the Baja, 55km [the longest Mexican stage] is just a bit of a blip!" joked Meeke.
"Definitely it'll take its toll when it's 30 degrees and above outside and we're going to be going flat-out in the car for 35 or 40 minutes at a time, but this is why we put in all the hardwork, this is what it's all about."
Splits being a bit rubbish through the first part of SS7. Have Latvala at third split, but that's about all from the five cars into the stage.
Probably should have mentioned, there is a second split for Latvala in SS7 - so Finnish fans can stop holding their breath.
And Atko update... WRC Live reporter Colin Clark is reporting a 40cm trail of oil left by the i20 WRC.
"More than a thimble, less than a cup," was the Scot's deeply informative and engineering-based explanation.
And Atko update... WRC Live reporter Colin Clark is reporting a 40cm trail of oil left by the i20 WRC.
"More than a thimble, less than a cup," was the Scot's deeply informative and engineering-based explanation.
No first split for Latvala in SS7. Meanwhile in SS6, Atko gets through without any problems. That's a first for the chipper Queenslander.
Ogier in to SS7 and Ostberg under the lights... and go!
Checkered flag
Fri 20:39 SS6 results:
1 Ogier 7m33.7s
2 Ostberg +2.1s
3 Hirvonen +2.5s
4 Latvala +3.9s
5 Meeke +5.8s
6 Evans +8.4s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ostberg
2 Ogier +1.2s
3 Hirvonen +11.7s
4 Latvala +21.0s
5 Meeke +28.7s
6 Kubica +1m11.2s
1 Ogier 7m33.7s
2 Ostberg +2.1s
3 Hirvonen +2.5s
4 Latvala +3.9s
5 Meeke +5.8s
6 Evans +8.4s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ostberg
2 Ogier +1.2s
3 Hirvonen +11.7s
4 Latvala +21.0s
5 Meeke +28.7s
6 Kubica +1m11.2s
Lights out
Actually, why wait a couple of minutes - Latvala's into SS7.
Kubica through and reporting no problems with the hydraulic shift, but as he points out - it was in the long stage which follows where the drama came this morning.
And that long one is just minutes away...
And that long one is just minutes away...
Neuville comparatively quicker second time through Los Mexicanos - 14 down on the fastest this morning, he was only nine slower second time through.
Quote
Elfyn Evans through the stage.
"There was a lot more grip in there this time," he said, "but I've still got some work to do."
Evans was 8.4 down on Ogier's fastest time.
"There was a lot more grip in there this time," he said, "but I've still got some work to do."
Evans was 8.4 down on Ogier's fastest time.
Quick leaderboard update: 1 Ostberg; 2 Ogier +1.2s; 3 Hirvonen +11.7s; 4 Latvala +21.0s; 5 Meeke 28.7s.
No. He drops a bit in the final split. Third quickest.
Hirvonen just 0.2s down on Ogier's fastest second split time. Can the Finn win the stage?
Meeke completes the stages 5.8s down on Ogier's scratch, but 5.5 up on his first run through the stage this morning.
"I'm happy with that," says the driver who's not interested in the times - while staring intently at the times at the stage end...
"I'm happy with that," says the driver who's not interested in the times - while staring intently at the times at the stage end...
Ostberg admits he could have pushed harder in a couple of places in Los Mexicanos.
Hirvonen fastest at the first split 0.5s up on everybody.
Hirvonen fastest at the first split 0.5s up on everybody.
Ostberg's lead won to 1.2 seconds after he drops time to Ogier in SS6.
Quote
Ogier breaks the stage record in SS6 - and he could have been quicker.
"We almost spun at the first hairpin," said the Frenchman. "I lost at least two seconds there. After that it was a good stage."
"We almost spun at the first hairpin," said the Frenchman. "I lost at least two seconds there. After that it was a good stage."
Ogier 3.9 quicker - making three seconds in the final split. Great finish to the stage for the champion.
Quote
Latvala very upbeat at the end of the stage - despite almost spinning.
"It was easier this afternoon, there was a lot more grip," he said, "but there were some soft sections as well. We almost had a spin at a hairpin where we caught some soft ground on the inside of the corner."
"It was easier this afternoon, there was a lot more grip," he said, "but there were some soft sections as well. We almost had a spin at a hairpin where we caught some soft ground on the inside of the corner."
Latvala through in 7m37.6s.
Ogier into the stage, but no first split for him yet.
Latvala's job as road-sweeper will be slightly easier this afternoon. Talking about the job ahead, the Finn said: "I will get more traction out of the corners and the braking sections will be a little bit cleaner, but in a lot of the corners I will still have to clean. The cars, especially the front-wheel drive cars which followed us through this morning take a different line and cover the road with loose gravel again."
The Los Mexicanos stage starts from just outside Guanajuato. Ogier was quickest through this morning, six tenths up on current rally leader Mads Ostberg.
Lights out
The afternoon is go. J-ML is on the road and into SS6.
Among the other interesting service park stories was Kris Meeke's new role as a Citroen hooker. The Dungannon driver might not have the build of your average number two in a rugby team, but he was forced into the role when his headset came lose and dropped into his footwell in SS4.
"I was having to try and hook it out from behind the pedals," he said. "That was quite exciting at times."
He made it through, though and goes into the afternoon 25 seconds off the lead.
"I was having to try and hook it out from behind the pedals," he said. "That was quite exciting at times."
He made it through, though and goes into the afternoon 25 seconds off the lead.
Breaking news
M-Sport has fitted extra cooling to the hydraulic system on Robert Kubica's LOTOS-backed Fiesta RS WRC ahead of this afternoon's six stages.
Kubica was forced to drive 15 miles of the Chocolate stage using the car's back-up manual shift after the hydraulics overheated and stopped working this morning.
Kubica was forced to drive 15 miles of the Chocolate stage using the car's back-up manual shift after the hydraulics overheated and stopped working this morning.
Quote
Rally leader Mads Ostberg explained his issue on the morning's final stage in more detail, telling AUTOSPORT: "Basically, Jonas [Andersson, co-driver] told me before we started the stage that he hadn't taken the plate out.
"I don't have experience of this with this car, so I took it steady - I didn't know what might happen if we pushed, but we didn't have any warning lights or anything like that."
Ostberg's six second lead was halved in the 1.5-mile dash around the Bicentennial Park.
"I don't have experience of this with this car, so I took it steady - I didn't know what might happen if we pushed, but we didn't have any warning lights or anything like that."
Ostberg's six second lead was halved in the 1.5-mile dash around the Bicentennial Park.
Typically detailed lunchtime chat with championship leader Jari-Matti Latvala. VW's Finn was very upbeat ahead of his plate of pasta, admitting he'd feared losing as much as 40 seconds while running first on the road this morning.
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Scott Mitchell, Pablo Elizalde
Published:
Lap:
