Rally Mexico, WTCC opener
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WRC - Mexico: Paddon, take us away. SS15 begins.
Things to look out for on this and the other remaining Saturday stages:
* Will Ogier continue to dominate?
* Ostberg versus Mikkelsen for second
* Can Evans hold off Sordo for fourth?
Things to look out for on this and the other remaining Saturday stages:
* Will Ogier continue to dominate?
* Ostberg versus Mikkelsen for second
* Can Evans hold off Sordo for fourth?
WRC - Mexico: If you're not up to speed, we will not seeing Ott Tanak on the stages today - despite the best effort of M-Sport.
Here's why.
Here's why.
Twitter
WRC - Mexico: Wow! One hell of a screen grab courtesy of the WRC Twitter account.
Another view of the Ott Tanak lake incident:
Another view of the Ott Tanak lake incident:
Tanak screen
WRC - Mexico: It's a repeat of the first half Saturday's stages now, starting with Ibarrilla, which is scheduled to kick off in five minutes. Hayden Paddon will do the honours.
This is an 18.7-mile run. Plenty to be lost or gained.
This is an 18.7-mile run. Plenty to be lost or gained.
WRC - Mexico: We're back, and ready to see what further dramas lie in wait on Rally Mexico.
Breaking news
WRC - Mexico: We're going to take a short break now during service, but will return at 21:00 GMT.
World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier holds a commanding Rally Mexico lead, and you can catch up with all of "this morning's" action with our report.
Ogier leads, fierce fight behind
Ogier's advantage comes after his nearest challenger Jari-Matti Latvala hit trouble on Saturday morning.
Read more on that here.
World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier holds a commanding Rally Mexico lead, and you can catch up with all of "this morning's" action with our report.
Ogier leads, fierce fight behind
Ogier's advantage comes after his nearest challenger Jari-Matti Latvala hit trouble on Saturday morning.
Read more on that here.
Sebastien Ogier, VW, Rally Mexico 2015
Breaking news
WTCC - Argentina: Dominance from Jose Maria Lopez. Utter dominance.
Don't believe us? Read the first qualifying report of the 2015 World Touring Car Championship season and see for yourself.
Lopez dominates qualifying for home race
And while you're at it, have you seen our interview with Yvan Muller? STUART CODLING spoke to the Frenchman to find out how he intends to respond to new-boy Lopez's 2014 title triumph.
Can the vanquished champion bounce back?
Don't believe us? Read the first qualifying report of the 2015 World Touring Car Championship season and see for yourself.
Lopez dominates qualifying for home race
And while you're at it, have you seen our interview with Yvan Muller? STUART CODLING spoke to the Frenchman to find out how he intends to respond to new-boy Lopez's 2014 title triumph.
Can the vanquished champion bounce back?
Jose Maria Lopez, Citroen, Termas de Rio Hondo WTCC 2015
Checkered flag
WRC - Mexico: A wonderfully close way to end the morning loop.
Here's the leaderboard:
1 Ogier 2h38m36.9s
2 Ostberg +1m08.3s
3 Mikkelsen +1m18.0s
4 Evans +1m52.5s
5 Sordo +2m11.7s
And here are the leading times from SS14:
1 Kubica 1m11.8s
2 Ogier +0.2s
3 Sordo +0.2s
4 Ostberg +0.3s
5 Neuville +0.3s
6 Mikkelsen +0.3s
Here's the leaderboard:
1 Ogier 2h38m36.9s
2 Ostberg +1m08.3s
3 Mikkelsen +1m18.0s
4 Evans +1m52.5s
5 Sordo +2m11.7s
And here are the leading times from SS14:
1 Kubica 1m11.8s
2 Ogier +0.2s
3 Sordo +0.2s
4 Ostberg +0.3s
5 Neuville +0.3s
6 Mikkelsen +0.3s
WRC - Mexico: Sordo matches Ogier, another fine run from the Spaniard.
WRC - Mexico: Sordo's next, and then it's Prokop and WRC2 runners Protasov, Al-Attiyah and the rest.
WRC - Mexico: Not a good run from Evans, 2.9s off the pace. Slowest of all except Paddon.
WRC - Mexico: Ostberg's time is identical to Mikkelsen's. That battle for second's going to rage.
WRC - Mexico: Nope, he can't. Good effort though, 0.1s back from Ogier. Ostberg's up.
WRC - Mexico: THAT'S how good Kubica's effort was - Ogier falls 0.2s short.
Can Mikkelsen succeed where his team leader failed?
Can Mikkelsen succeed where his team leader failed?
WRC - Mexico: Guerra is 0.8s slower than Kubica. Fine effort that. Ogier is next.
WRC - Mexico: Neuville up next. He falls 0.3s short of Kubica's best. Next: Guerra.
WRC - Mexico: WRC Radio plays an interview with Jari-Matti Latvala, in which the Finn sounds like a broken man. We're only three rounds in but it sounds like his championship outlook has now completely changed - especially if Ogier converts a third victory from three.
WRC - Mexico: Meeke's completed his SS14 run. He's 2.2s slower than Kubica. Not a good rally for Citroen's man, this.
WRC - Mexico: Here's how the WRC media service describes this street stage:
"This is a new version of a test which used to run on the edge of the service park. Some of those roads are now used to house the teams' service set-up, so this new edition mixes old and new."
"This is a new version of a test which used to run on the edge of the service park. Some of those roads are now used to house the teams' service set-up, so this new edition mixes old and new."
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: So, Kubica into SS14 now. Paddon's benchmark is 1m18.7s...
Beaten. The Pole's 6.9s quicker.
Beaten. The Pole's 6.9s quicker.
Checkered flag
WTCC - Argentina: So that's Jose Maria Lopez on pole position for Citroen in front of a delighted home crowd. "I don't think anybody apart from me did a clean lap," he says. "It's not possible to have a gap of one second in Q3."
WRC - Mexico: Paddon's into the stage and already at the end, actually. We wonder how Ostberg's going to fare, and whether his problem from the last stage continues into this one.
WTCC - Argentina: Ma is backing himself to beat Lopez in this shoot-out. Super-committed through sector one, but he puts it on the grass. Dirty tyres cost him in the twisty final sector and he crosses the line in 1m47.203s. P4.
WRC - Mexico: Right, almost time for the morning loop's final stage. That's weird to write, as it's 19.11 UK time...
It's less than a mile in length, the street stage of Leon. Hayden Paddon's up first in just a few minutes.
It's less than a mile in length, the street stage of Leon. Hayden Paddon's up first in just a few minutes.
WTCC - Argentina: Jose Maria Lopez now. Timing screens show purple in sector one. Boom! It's a full house. 1m45.461s. Just Ma Qing Hua to go now but we doubt anyone will beat J-Lo's time.
WTCC - Argentina: Yvan Muller nails it when it counts: provisional pole with a 1m46.701s.
WTCC - Argentina: Tiago Monteiro is next up; he's been the quickest of the Hondas on a day when his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini has described the performance of the Citroens as "in another place". 1m47.633s isn't good enough to beat Loeb.
WTCC - Argentina: Sebastien Loeb blows his lap with an off-track moment and clocks in at 1m47.061s.
WTCC - Argentina: Dramatic scenes in the final moments of Q2, and mixed news for Lada fans. Rob Huff couldn't quite do the business and ended the session 11th, but team-mate James Thompson was 10th and will now start on pole position in race two.
It's a 1-2-3 for Citroen with Ma Qing Hua P1 from Jose Maria Lopez and Yvan Muller, with Tiago Monteiro's Honda fourth. Sebastien Loeb is fifth for Citroen and these drivers will now shoot-out for pole in race one.
It's a 1-2-3 for Citroen with Ma Qing Hua P1 from Jose Maria Lopez and Yvan Muller, with Tiago Monteiro's Honda fourth. Sebastien Loeb is fifth for Citroen and these drivers will now shoot-out for pole in race one.
WTCC - Argentina: Huff has Yvan Muller glued to his diffuser and appears to decide to let him past. It's actually Ma Qing Hua in P1 at the moment with 1m45.808s
Crash
WRC - Mexico: Half an hour before the final stage before service...and Al-Attiyah, who is fighting for the WRC2 lead, has spun. He's going again but that will have cost him a big chunk of time.
WTCC - Argentina: Just five minutes left and nobody has a time on the board yet. No wonder Huff is so keen to have an empty track ahead.
Green flag
WTCC - Argentina: We're rolling again and the two Ladas lead the conga line of remaining TC1 weaponry out of the pitlane, with Rob Huff at the front.
Checkered flag
WRC - Mexico: So, with the street stage remaining before service, here's the current order after SS13:
1 Ogier 2h37m24.9s
2 Ostberg +1m08.2s
3 Mikkelsen +1m17.9s
4 Evans +1m49.8s
5 Sordo +2m11.7s
Leading SS13 times:
1 Sordo 4m41.9s
2 Ogier +0.6s
3 Mikkelsen +1.3s
4 Neuville +1.8s
5 Evans +3.5s
6 Kubica +9.9s
1 Ogier 2h37m24.9s
2 Ostberg +1m08.2s
3 Mikkelsen +1m17.9s
4 Evans +1m49.8s
5 Sordo +2m11.7s
Leading SS13 times:
1 Sordo 4m41.9s
2 Ogier +0.6s
3 Mikkelsen +1.3s
4 Neuville +1.8s
5 Evans +3.5s
6 Kubica +9.9s
Red flag
WTCC - Argentina: The extraction crew would have a much easier job if Bennani put the car in neutral. Its front wheels are locked solid as the tow truck drags it out of the gravel.
Red flag
WTCC - Argentina: Huff has to abort another fast lap as Mehdi Bennani beaches his C-Elysee in the gravel. All the remaining drivers are now baking in their cars on the pitlane while the extraction crew go to work.
WRC - Mexico: Prokop comes through, 4.9s slower than Sordo. Now we await the WRC2 contingent.
Quote
WRC - Mexico: "I lost a little bit at the beginning but after I push very hard," enthuses Sordo. "I'm happy."
He says the car was "fantastic".
He says the car was "fantastic".
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Stunning end to the stage from Sordo!
He goes quickest by 0.6s. Fabulous effort.
He goes quickest by 0.6s. Fabulous effort.
WTCC - Argentina: P1 ends with Rob Huff stealing the top spot with an incredible effort in the new Lada Vesta. Gregoire Demoustier, John Filippi, Dusan Borkovic, Rickard Rydell and Norbert Michelisz are outside the top 12 and are eliminated.
By: AUTOSPORT staff, David Evans, Stuart Codling, Scott Mitchell
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