Rally Sweden 2014
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Stopwatch
Meeke is fastest man through now, 4s quicker than temporary benchmark Solberg.
Quote
No dramas for Kubica that time, but he does have time to talk about his SS12 shunt properly now:
"On the last stage, we went over a crest and a snow bank dragged me in. Fortunately there were spectators, who I have to thank. They did a really good job."
"On the last stage, we went over a crest and a snow bank dragged me in. Fortunately there were spectators, who I have to thank. They did a really good job."
Rain
Not just no snowman, but no snow, says Breen:
"It's absolutely full gravel now."
"It's absolutely full gravel now."
Stopwatch
Breen comes in fastest of this first group, 6s up on Prokop.
Neither Al-Qassimi nor Solowow saw the snowman. Or if they did, they didn't think it was worth mentioning.
Prokop is first car safely through SS13, but says he had to dodge a snowman created by spectators in the road since the first pass.
He's amused, but also notes hitting it wouldn't have done his radiator any good.
He's amused, but also notes hitting it wouldn't have done his radiator any good.
With all the times from SS12 in, Kubica has ended up in 24th place.
He's 13 minutes from the lead and just over nine and a half minutes from getting back into the points.
So this weekend is even more about just learning now.
He's 13 minutes from the lead and just over nine and a half minutes from getting back into the points.
So this weekend is even more about just learning now.
Lights out
We're onto SS13, the second run of Fredriksberg.
Crash
Hyundai says Hanninen managed to take the right front wheel off his i20, so he's out for the day.
Both cars crashing on the same stage a few hours apart, that's a bit painful for the returnee squad...
At least the i20 is looking reliable and fairly quick, though.
Both cars crashing on the same stage a few hours apart, that's a bit painful for the returnee squad...
At least the i20 is looking reliable and fairly quick, though.
Yazeed Al-Rahji
In WRC2, Al-Rahji's lead came under threat this morning when he had a spin, allowing Ketomaa to get the gap down to 13s.
But Al-Rahji was unruffled and has rebuilt the cushion to 25s.
Breaking news
SS12 summary:
* Latvala builds his lead to 6.6s over Mikkelsen
* Kubica and Hanninen both go off. Hanninen has to retire with damage, but Kubica gets going after a 10-minute delay - though Hirvonen and Ostberg say he slows them down
* Tanak capitalises and takes fourth back from Hirvonen
* Tidemand gets a puncture so Meeke is up to sixth
* Breen moves into the top 10...
* ...but has Ogier closing on him very, very fast
* Latvala builds his lead to 6.6s over Mikkelsen
* Kubica and Hanninen both go off. Hanninen has to retire with damage, but Kubica gets going after a 10-minute delay - though Hirvonen and Ostberg say he slows them down
* Tanak capitalises and takes fourth back from Hirvonen
* Tidemand gets a puncture so Meeke is up to sixth
* Breen moves into the top 10...
* ...but has Ogier closing on him very, very fast
Ogier is now up to 11th, 23.8s behind Breen, and Kubica is 10m43s off the lead. We won't know where that places him overall for a while, but suffice to say it's midfield...
Checkered flag
Leaderboard after SS12:
1 Latvala (VW)
2 Mikkelsen (VW) +6.6s
3 Ostberg (Citroen) +42.8s
4 Tanak (M-Sport Ford) +53.2s
5 Hirvonen (M-Sport Ford) + 56.1s
6 Meeke (Citroen) +2m12.8s
7 Tidemand (M-Sport Ford) +2m20.3s
8 Solberg (M-Sport Ford) +2m28.0s
9 Evans (M-Sport Ford) +3m03.9s
10 Breen (Kel-Tech Ford) +3m41.2s
1 Latvala (VW)
2 Mikkelsen (VW) +6.6s
3 Ostberg (Citroen) +42.8s
4 Tanak (M-Sport Ford) +53.2s
5 Hirvonen (M-Sport Ford) + 56.1s
6 Meeke (Citroen) +2m12.8s
7 Tidemand (M-Sport Ford) +2m20.3s
8 Solberg (M-Sport Ford) +2m28.0s
9 Evans (M-Sport Ford) +3m03.9s
10 Breen (Kel-Tech Ford) +3m41.2s
Checkered flag
SS12 times:
1 Ogier (VW)
2 Latvala (VW) +2.3s
3 Mikkelsen (VW) +7.3s
4 Tanak (M-Sport Ford) +12.6s
5 Solberg (M-Sport Ford) +15.4s
6 Ostberg (Citroen) +18.5s
1 Ogier (VW)
2 Latvala (VW) +2.3s
3 Mikkelsen (VW) +7.3s
4 Tanak (M-Sport Ford) +12.6s
5 Solberg (M-Sport Ford) +15.4s
6 Ostberg (Citroen) +18.5s
Kubica's time loss in there was just under 11 minutes, so his chances of points are now slender after that excursion.
Stopwatch
Ogier steals the stage win from Latvala, coming in 2.2s faster.
Mikkelsen is 5s slower than Latvala, so the latter's lead is up to 6s.
A lot of snow on the front of Mikkelsen's VW and he says he has to hurry away with rising water temperatures - which suggests his car has ingested a bit of snow amid a moment.
A lot of snow on the front of Mikkelsen's VW and he says he has to hurry away with rising water temperatures - which suggests his car has ingested a bit of snow amid a moment.
Crash
Hanninen is stopped with a damaged wheel. Still no sign of the Hyundai getting going again. It was on this stage earlier than his team-mate Neuville retired.
On the last split, Mikkelsen is 1.6s down on Latvala.
Latvala completes the stage. He was neck and neck with Mikkelsen on the splits and is sounding confident.
"Let's see how Andreas responds."
"Let's see how Andreas responds."
Stopwatch
Tanak capitalises and sets the fastest stage time so far, which brings him back past Hirvonen into a provisional fourth overall.
Ostberg is frustrated with Kubica, who he calls "stupid" for coming back onto the road in front of him.
Both Ostberg and Hirvonen are slower than Solberg, putting their time loss down to driving around drivers in trouble like Kubica and Hanninen.
Both Ostberg and Hirvonen are slower than Solberg, putting their time loss down to driving around drivers in trouble like Kubica and Hanninen.
It looks like Kubica spent about 10 minutes off the road there, which is going to drop him back to about 25th place overall.
Crash
Hirvonen reveals that Hanninen is also off the road in a snow bank, and says he had to slow down for Kubica too as his team-mate rejoined in front of him.
Crash
Tidemand picked up a puncture on that stage, which has cost him about 10s and dropped him back behind Meeke in their battle for seventh.
Kubica is back up to speed so seems to have been successfully helped out of his snow bank. No split times yet so can't judge how much time he's lost.
Breaking news
Tracking system now shows Kubica moving, but Hanninen's Hyundai stopped on the stage...
Crash
Meeke does indeed bring news of Kubica, who has gone off the road:
"He's off on a left-hander just after a crest. He's just run an inch or two wide and got stuck in a big snow bank.
"All the spectators are trying to get him back on the road. He should be OK but he's going to lose a few minutes."
"He's off on a left-hander just after a crest. He's just run an inch or two wide and got stuck in a big snow bank.
"All the spectators are trying to get him back on the road. He should be OK but he's going to lose a few minutes."
Kubica should have been through next but is still shown as having stopped 3km onto the stage. Meeke will hopefully have information when he reaches the end shortly.
Crash
Elfyn Evans completes the stage, he's 16s down on Solberg's time having had a quick spin.
No more information about Kubica's problem yet, but he's still static on the tracking.
Breen was relieved to get through as he had an impact with a stone that he thought would do some damage.
Solberg is our pacesetter so far, but said: "you really have to concentrate to avoid going off the road".
Breen was relieved to get through as he had an impact with a stone that he thought would do some damage.
Solberg is our pacesetter so far, but said: "you really have to concentrate to avoid going off the road".
Breaking news
Tracking system is showing Kubica stopping on the stage.
That's not an absolutely up-to-the-minute picture of Prokop, by the way. His car's muddier now.
Rain
Martin Prokop
First man on the road Prokop, who is 19th in the standings after his shunt yesterday, gives us a pretty good analysis of the road conditions now that the field is tackling these stages for a second time:
"It's an absolutely different rally for me now than in the morning, it's mostly gravel.
"If you stay on the line there's good grip, but you literally have to follow the lines.
"If you go off literally just a bit, you have a big problem.
"There are constant conditions now and I don't have to clear the road anymore."
Lights out
Prokop and Al-Qassimi are onto the stage now.
Breaking news
Afternoon talking points...
* Are drivers going to end up in deep tyre trouble? There's going to be a lot of slush and gravel on this loop, and little - if any - snow.
* Just 1.6s between Latvala and Mikkelsen in first and second.
* Can Ostberg cement the third place he's made increasingly safe from Hirvonen and Tanak?
* Will Kubica start creeping further up the top 10?
* How far will Ogier's recovery charge take him? He's up to 13th now, a point is 1m30s away.
* Are drivers going to end up in deep tyre trouble? There's going to be a lot of slush and gravel on this loop, and little - if any - snow.
* Just 1.6s between Latvala and Mikkelsen in first and second.
* Can Ostberg cement the third place he's made increasingly safe from Hirvonen and Tanak?
* Will Kubica start creeping further up the top 10?
* How far will Ogier's recovery charge take him? He's up to 13th now, a point is 1m30s away.
Cars are now poised on the startline of Lesjofors, with battle resuming for the afternoon loop in a couple of minutes.
Mini
Here's a bit more classic fever from the Winter Trail. What a shame the World Rally Car version of this car isn't at the front of the other major motorsport event in Sweden right now.
Breaking news
Coat watch update... people are now venturing outside the remote press office in Hagfors unjacketed.
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Scott Mitchell
Published:
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