Rally Mexico, WTCC opener
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WRC - Mexico: Ostberg's in now, eight seconds slower than Ogier but crucially nine faster than Mikkelsen. That boosts his advantage in the fight for the final podium place quite handily, although a lot of work is still to be done.
WRC - Mexico: And Latvala completes his run, ending up 0.2s slower than Ogier. Thats the gap from first to second up to 13.7s then.
WTCC - Argentina: It's lunchtime at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo (on the menu: beef, of course) but Citroen's rivals have something else to digest. Reigning champ Jose Maria Lopez has been in sparkling form throughout today's opening practice sessions.
Meanwhile, Campos Racing faces a busy afternoon and evening assessing the damage to Hugo Valente's Chevrolet Cruze. Valente suffered brake failure at the end of the main straight during second practice.
"When I put my foot on the brake pedal it went straight to the end," he said. "I had to change down the gears, so the engine was screaming. Then I tried to turn the car because I had a head-on crash at Paul Ricard last week and I did not want another one.
"My neck hurts a bit and there are some cuts on my back but otherwise I am OK."
Upon impact with the tyre wall, the Cruze caught fire almost immediately. Prompt and liberal application of extinguisher foam by the marshals prevented the fire from spreading back from the engine bay to the main body of the car.
The team is presently assessing whether the damage is repairable, but Valente admitted that he is "pessimistic" about his chances of racing tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Campos Racing faces a busy afternoon and evening assessing the damage to Hugo Valente's Chevrolet Cruze. Valente suffered brake failure at the end of the main straight during second practice.
"When I put my foot on the brake pedal it went straight to the end," he said. "I had to change down the gears, so the engine was screaming. Then I tried to turn the car because I had a head-on crash at Paul Ricard last week and I did not want another one.
"My neck hurts a bit and there are some cuts on my back but otherwise I am OK."
Upon impact with the tyre wall, the Cruze caught fire almost immediately. Prompt and liberal application of extinguisher foam by the marshals prevented the fire from spreading back from the engine bay to the main body of the car.
The team is presently assessing whether the damage is repairable, but Valente admitted that he is "pessimistic" about his chances of racing tomorrow.
WRC - Mexico: Ostberg's extending his advantage over Mikkelsen in the fight for third as it stands, 4.5s quicker than the VW at the third split.
WRC - Mexico: And Latvala's decline as this stage goes on has continued, he's now 0.3s slower than Ogier at the penultimate split.
Mikkelsen completes the stage 17s behind Ogier. Good enough for P2 as it stands.
Mikkelsen completes the stage 17s behind Ogier. Good enough for P2 as it stands.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Latvala's still quicker than Ogier as he reaches the third split, but only by 0.3s now - so the rally leader's advantage is being trimmed rather than brutally cut as it stands.
Ogier's in with the fastest time so far - 17m41.4s, 26.2s quicker than Neuville!
Ogier's in with the fastest time so far - 17m41.4s, 26.2s quicker than Neuville!
Breaking news
WRC - Mexico: Right, Tanak news. He's out for today.
The car's gone over the time limit so can't start the stage and it seems M-Sport has decided to change the wiring loom, which is a chunky job.
That'll take some time, and Tanak will pick up a seven-minute penalty for each stage missed today - but he WILL be allowed to start again tomorrow morning.
Thanks DAVID EVANS for that wonderful insight.
The car's gone over the time limit so can't start the stage and it seems M-Sport has decided to change the wiring loom, which is a chunky job.
That'll take some time, and Tanak will pick up a seven-minute penalty for each stage missed today - but he WILL be allowed to start again tomorrow morning.
Thanks DAVID EVANS for that wonderful insight.
WRC - Mexico: We've also got Elfyn Evans, Dani Sordo and Mads Ostberg into the stage.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Right, a new fastest time has come in while AUTOSPORT Live spoke to DAVID EVANS on a delayed blower from Mexico!
Neuville's edged Meeke for the fastest time, by just 0.7s!
Behind, Latvala's quicker than Ogier - 1.7s at the second split.
Neuville's edged Meeke for the fastest time, by just 0.7s!
Behind, Latvala's quicker than Ogier - 1.7s at the second split.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Meeke finishes his stage with the quickest time so far, 18m08.3s.
Ogier's 10s quicker than the Citroen man at the second split, though.
Mikkelsen's a second shy of Ogier at the first.
Ogier's 10s quicker than the Citroen man at the second split, though.
Mikkelsen's a second shy of Ogier at the first.
Quote
WRC - Mexico: "It's so slippery, we've really got to be patient this morning," admits Paddon after being first on the road.
"The car's really easy to drive. We've got to get the miles and got to keep learning."
"The car's really easy to drive. We've got to get the miles and got to keep learning."
Stopwatch
Ogier's much quicker than anyone so far at the first split. Further back on the stage, team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen starts his run.
Kubica's come through 6.2s quicker than Paddon, in 18m14.5s.
Kubica's come through 6.2s quicker than Paddon, in 18m14.5s.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Paddon's in, his time is 18m20.7s.
Ogier's started the stage. Neuville is quicker than Meeke at the first split.
Ogier's started the stage. Neuville is quicker than Meeke at the first split.
WRC - Mexico: Benito Guerra starts SS11, and rally leader Sebastien Ogier is not far from doing the same.
Paddon's very close to the end of the stage now. Meeke's poised to be quickest though, he's 4.9s faster than the Hyundai at the third split of five.
Paddon's very close to the end of the stage now. Meeke's poised to be quickest though, he's 4.9s faster than the Hyundai at the third split of five.
WRC - Mexico: Thierry Neuville makes it two Hyundais on the stage.
Kubica's 2.4s quicker than the first i20 WRC in Paddon's hands at the second split.
Tanak remains at the refuel area...not on the stage yet.
Kubica's 2.4s quicker than the first i20 WRC in Paddon's hands at the second split.
Tanak remains at the refuel area...not on the stage yet.
WRC - Mexico: Four cars on SS11 now as Lorenzo Bertelli gets involved.
Splits! Paddon's more than a third of the way into the stage now. Meeke is quickest of the three through the first split so far, 0.9s faster than Kubica and 1.1s up on the Hyundai.
Splits! Paddon's more than a third of the way into the stage now. Meeke is quickest of the three through the first split so far, 0.9s faster than Kubica and 1.1s up on the Hyundai.
WRC - Mexico: Paddon's already reached the first split in 3m02.4s, while Kris Meeke has started the stage.
WRC - Mexico: SS11 has started, we have two drivers on the stage, with Paddon starting things off.
Tanak was due to join him but hasn't started. Kubica has.
Tanak was due to join him but hasn't started. Kubica has.
Twitter
WRC - Mexico: Want to know what the weather's like in Mexico? Thank Citroen!
@CitroenRacing: #WRC The weather is clear today with blue sky. It's a fresh 11°C in service but it should hit 27°C this afternoon
@CitroenRacing: #WRC The weather is clear today with blue sky. It's a fresh 11°C in service but it should hit 27°C this afternoon
WRC - Mexico: Naturally, Tanak will probably appear a little bit later after his dramas thus far.
WRC - Mexico: As we mentioned, plenty of Rally 2 returnees today.
So here's the running order (note Ogier's vastly improved position having opened the stages until now): Paddon; Tanak; Kubica; Meeke; Bertelli; Neuville; Ogier; Mikkelsen; Latvala; Ostberg; Evans; Sordo; Prokop.
Paddon's about to get us under way.
So here's the running order (note Ogier's vastly improved position having opened the stages until now): Paddon; Tanak; Kubica; Meeke; Bertelli; Neuville; Ogier; Mikkelsen; Latvala; Ostberg; Evans; Sordo; Prokop.
Paddon's about to get us under way.
Quote
WRC - Mexico: We've got eight stages to bring you today, split into two even chunks of four.
We start with the 18.8-mile Ibarrilla stage, before heading straight into the even longer 26.7-mile run across Otates. The live television stage of El Brinco and the street stage will end the first leg today.
Elfyn Evans' co-driver Dan Barritt has been kind enough to guide us through the morning stages.
On Ibarrilla: "It is a bit wider than the stages we had yesterday and a bit smoother with a good coating of fine gravel on the surface.
"There's a common section used on a stage tomorrow for about 12 kilometres [7.5 miles]. It's generally quite a flowing stage, but there's a tricky section three-quarters of the way through.
"It gets a bit tighter there and a few people have been off, Ken Block and Dani Sordo."
We start with the 18.8-mile Ibarrilla stage, before heading straight into the even longer 26.7-mile run across Otates. The live television stage of El Brinco and the street stage will end the first leg today.
Elfyn Evans' co-driver Dan Barritt has been kind enough to guide us through the morning stages.
On Ibarrilla: "It is a bit wider than the stages we had yesterday and a bit smoother with a good coating of fine gravel on the surface.
"There's a common section used on a stage tomorrow for about 12 kilometres [7.5 miles]. It's generally quite a flowing stage, but there's a tricky section three-quarters of the way through.
"It gets a bit tighter there and a few people have been off, Ken Block and Dani Sordo."
WRC - Mexico: Sounds like Tanak has got moving again...
WRC - Mexico: Here's a cracking shot of the effort M-Sport went through to get Tanak back out - even if it's for nothing today.
M-Sport repairs Ott Tanak's Ford, WRC Mexico 2015
Quote
Our man DAVID EVANS is on the scene. His report is bad reading for M-Sport and Tanak fans.
"The crew are working on it, but it's not looking good," he says. "The car can restart again tomorrow with the addition of a seven-minute penalty for every one of today's stages not completed."
"The crew are working on it, but it's not looking good," he says. "The car can restart again tomorrow with the addition of a seven-minute penalty for every one of today's stages not completed."
Twitter
We start the day with some doubt over Ott Tanak's participation.
After a quite remarkable shunt yesterday that ended in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC sinking to the bottom of a lake, the Estonian's team performed a quite remarkable overnight job to get the car fixed.
But the quite remarkable situation has taken another twist, with Tanak revealing on Twitter that the car has stopped just outside service.
Still, a quite remarkable - last time, honest - effort to even be anywhere near service. Tanak's M-Sport team-mate Elfyn Evans agrees with us: "The lads did an amazing job with @OttTanak's car last night, whatever happens today they should be very proud! #WRC"
After a quite remarkable shunt yesterday that ended in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC sinking to the bottom of a lake, the Estonian's team performed a quite remarkable overnight job to get the car fixed.
But the quite remarkable situation has taken another twist, with Tanak revealing on Twitter that the car has stopped just outside service.
Still, a quite remarkable - last time, honest - effort to even be anywhere near service. Tanak's M-Sport team-mate Elfyn Evans agrees with us: "The lads did an amazing job with @OttTanak's car last night, whatever happens today they should be very proud! #WRC"
Ott Tanak crashes into lake, WRC Mexico 2015
Good afternoon and welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live’s continued coverage of Rally Mexico.
It’s been a remarkable rally so far, and yet the story at the front is familiar. As his World Rally Championship rivals falter, double champion Sebastien Ogier continues relentlessly.
He leads, despite insisting such a result would be impossible here. And with several drivers set to run ahead of him on the road as they return under Rally 2 rules, Ogier’s in a good position right now.
It’s been a remarkable rally so far, and yet the story at the front is familiar. As his World Rally Championship rivals falter, double champion Sebastien Ogier continues relentlessly.
He leads, despite insisting such a result would be impossible here. And with several drivers set to run ahead of him on the road as they return under Rally 2 rules, Ogier’s in a good position right now.
Mexico atmosphere
WRC - Mexico: We're a bit short of competitive cars for today now, although most of today's retirees will be back under Rally2 tomorrow.
There's just one short superspecial to go and that's an hour away, so this is where we're going to call it a day on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for Saturday.
Keep an eye on our news page in the early hours for the full report from the afternoon, plus news of NASCAR qualifying at Las Vegas.
We're be back in earnest with AUTOSPORT Live from approximately 3.20pm UK time on Saturday.
There's just one short superspecial to go and that's an hour away, so this is where we're going to call it a day on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for Saturday.
Keep an eye on our news page in the early hours for the full report from the afternoon, plus news of NASCAR qualifying at Las Vegas.
We're be back in earnest with AUTOSPORT Live from approximately 3.20pm UK time on Saturday.
SS9 results:
Stage times:
1 Ostberg 10m58.7s
2 Latvala +3.4s
3 Ogier +4.6s
4 Sordo +5.7s
5 Evans +9.7s
6 Mikkelsent +11.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Latvala +10.9s
3 Ostberg +26.8s
4 Mikkelsen +42.7s
5 Evans +59.5s
6 Sordo +1m39.7s
Stage times:
1 Ostberg 10m58.7s
2 Latvala +3.4s
3 Ogier +4.6s
4 Sordo +5.7s
5 Evans +9.7s
6 Mikkelsent +11.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Ogier
2 Latvala +10.9s
3 Ostberg +26.8s
4 Mikkelsen +42.7s
5 Evans +59.5s
6 Sordo +1m39.7s
WRC - Mexico: No drama for Evans as he completes the stage, cementing what's now a pretty solitary fifth place.
WRC - Mexico: The big effect of that run from Ostberg is that he's charged clear of Mikkelsen in their battle for third.
The VW had closed the gap to less than 5s, but now it's shot right back out to 15s.
Ostberg said having not tested, it took him time to acclimatise properly to driving in ruts, but now he's cracked it.
The VW had closed the gap to less than 5s, but now it's shot right back out to 15s.
Ostberg said having not tested, it took him time to acclimatise properly to driving in ruts, but now he's cracked it.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: But fastest of all, and somewhat out of the blue given performance so far this weekend, Ostberg is fastest on the stage, 3.4s better than Latvala.
WRC - Mexico: At the finish line, Latvala has trimmed back 1.2s to Ogier, getting the gap down to 10.9s overall.
WRC - Mexico: Mikkelsen reaches the finish having dropped 6.7s to Ogier.
"It's just a really good day for me, to be honest. I thought I had a puncture halfway through so I took it a bit easier," says the Norwegian.
"It's just a really good day for me, to be honest. I thought I had a puncture halfway through so I took it a bit easier," says the Norwegian.
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Latvala's splits are coming through, and he's chipping away at the gap to Ogier, taking 1.2s off his team-mate at split two.
Twitter
WRC - Mexico: Good news from M-Sport as the crane to retrieve Tanak's soggy Ford heads for the scene:
"The crane is making its way through Los Mexicanos - operation #TiTanak is go!"
"The crane is making its way through Los Mexicanos - operation #TiTanak is go!"
Stopwatch
WRC - Mexico: Ogier completes the stage in 11m03.3s. With Neuville missing, it'll be some time before we know how good that is, but it's 2s better than Mikkelsen at split one.
"I did a really good stage," says Ogier, "I couldn't have done better than this."
Ogier is also quick to ask if Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul are OK after their crash on the previous stage.
"I did a really good stage," says Ogier, "I couldn't have done better than this."
Ogier is also quick to ask if Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul are OK after their crash on the previous stage.
Lights out
WRC - Mexico: We're onto Las Minas, the final full-length stage of the day... Ogier is in, but then there's a vast six-minute gap ahead before Mikkelsen start as we've lost Neuville.
Crash
WRC - Mexico: And still they keep dropping out - after Bertelli stopped near the start of the stage, now Guerra makes it to the finish with major damage at the rear of his Ford and admits his day is done.
Talking to the drivers at the start of the Leon street stage just before lunch not only gave AUTOSPORT more time to get the lowdown on Sebastien Ogier's stunning morning, but it also offered the chance for a cheeky spectate on the way back to the media centre. This is Mads Ostberg's apex-hugging effort through a longish-left.
By: AUTOSPORT staff, David Evans, Stuart Codling, Scott Mitchell
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