Rally Sweden
Live Text
Sort by
We're going to leave things there, but we'll bring you any potential updates on Paddon's attempts to make it back to the service park as and when they come in on Autosport.com.
Autosport Race Centre Live will be back next weekend with coverage of the Daytona 500, which kicks off the NASCAR season.
Until then, thanks for joining us and see you next week.
Autosport Race Centre Live will be back next weekend with coverage of the Daytona 500, which kicks off the NASCAR season.
Until then, thanks for joining us and see you next week.
That's it, then. Despite all those fears at the start of the week about the suitability of the road surface and the truncating of the itinerary, we reckon that was a fairly successful Rally Sweden.
It's again Ogier who's come out the victor, but encouraging performances from Meeke and in particular Paddon show that they can go toe-to-toe with the champion.
A bit of last stage drama always helps, too - thanks for that Hayden.
It's again Ogier who's come out the victor, but encouraging performances from Meeke and in particular Paddon show that they can go toe-to-toe with the champion.
A bit of last stage drama always helps, too - thanks for that Hayden.
Here's our final report of the weekend as Sebastien Ogier clinched a third Rally Sweden victory, with Hayden Paddon provisionally second after his final stage issues: 
The rest of the WRC2 frontrunners are in, and it's a two-three for Skoda as Pontus Tidemand seals second and Esapekka Lappi overcomes Anders Grondal on the final stage.
Information
Powerstage summary:
* Ogier blows everyone away and rattles off a maximum 28-point score again
* Paddon clips a wooden post and damages his Hyundai's radiator but he's confident he's fixed the car to reach the finish
* Ostberg seals third
* Solberg holds off Breen for seventh
* Ogier blows everyone away and rattles off a maximum 28-point score again
* Paddon clips a wooden post and damages his Hyundai's radiator but he's confident he's fixed the car to reach the finish
* Ostberg seals third
* Solberg holds off Breen for seventh
Quote
"There was some serious, serious competition when we came here. It was tough," says Evans. "I'm really, really happy with this result."
Checkered flag
Meanwhile, Elfyn Evans has finished the rally and secured a second straight WRC2 win. He's as dominant as Ogier...
WRC2 and British Rally Championship titles in the same year? Has to be the aim... Would be quite a way to respond to being dropped from M-Sport's top line-up.
WRC2 and British Rally Championship titles in the same year? Has to be the aim... Would be quite a way to respond to being dropped from M-Sport's top line-up.
Paddon's co-driver John Kennard confidently predicts they'll keep their podium. He confirms the car's radiator is damaged but is certain they have enough kit to fix it and make it back to the finish.
But they've got to pause for a second now because they're being called away for the made-for-TV podium.
But they've got to pause for a second now because they're being called away for the made-for-TV podium.
Checkered flag
Final WRC finishing positions:
1 Ogier
2 Paddon +29.8s
3 Ostberg +55.6s
4 Mikkelsen +1m10.8s
5 Tanak +1m50.7s
6 Sordo +2m24.0s
7 Solberg +2m40.0s
8 Breen +2m44.6s
1 Ogier
2 Paddon +29.8s
3 Ostberg +55.6s
4 Mikkelsen +1m10.8s
5 Tanak +1m50.7s
6 Sordo +2m24.0s
7 Solberg +2m40.0s
8 Breen +2m44.6s
Stopwatch
Leading powerstage results:
1 Ogier 7m42.7s
2 Mikkelsen +3.4s
3 Meeke +9.0s
4 Neuville +9.0s
5 Latvala +12.1s
6 Paddon +12.7s
1 Ogier 7m42.7s
2 Mikkelsen +3.4s
3 Meeke +9.0s
4 Neuville +9.0s
5 Latvala +12.1s
6 Paddon +12.7s
Quote
"It's been an amazing weekend," says Ogier. "There was so much grip on this stage. To come out of here with another victory... I love this rally in Sweden. We had terrible conditions at the beginning of the week and the organisers did an amazing job.
"Two victories after two rallies. It cannot be better."
"Two victories after two rallies. It cannot be better."
That's a third Rally Sweden victory for Ogier in four years.
Checkered flag
Ogier is through - fastest on the powerstage by 4s and rally winner by nearly half a minute in the end. Another superb performance by a man who already looks like a four-time champion.
Although he's completed the final stage, if Paddon can't get back along the road section to the official finish, he won't be classified and will be out of the rally, second place lost.
Crash
"We touched a couple of wooden posts coming down the hill," Paddon reports. Has he damaged the car at the last gasp?
Potential problem for Paddon... Steam from the front of the car and a lot of warning lights on the dashboard.
Here's Paddon - fifth fastest on the powerstage and an excellent second overall (or the winner if Ogier has a bonkers last-stage shunt again, but realistically we think he's got that out of his system for life now having done it once).
Quote
"I think we can continue to push and I'm very pleased with the way we've increased the speed," says Ostberg. "We'll definitely try to continue like that."
Ostberg is in, nothing outstanding on the powerstage but third place sealed.
He'd been massively out of sorts on Friday morning on what is usually one of his best events (it's the first place he was a proper WRC victory contender) as he settled back into the M-Sport Ford on this unpredictable not-snowy-enough surface. But having found his feet with some driving style adjustments on Friday afternoon, he's been great.
He'd been massively out of sorts on Friday morning on what is usually one of his best events (it's the first place he was a proper WRC victory contender) as he settled back into the M-Sport Ford on this unpredictable not-snowy-enough surface. But having found his feet with some driving style adjustments on Friday afternoon, he's been great.
Stopwatch
Looking good for Ogier, a second quicker than Mikkelsen at the split.
Ogier has begun the powerstage. Can he start 2016 with an opposition-depressing maximum 56 point score from Monte and Sweden?
Paddon is fourth fastest at the split behind Mikkelsen, Meeke and Neuville. He doesn't have to do anything dramatic on this one - Ogier is too far ahead to catch on pure pace, he has a cushion behind and a career-best-equalling result is in his sights.
This man is going to win a rally this year. So's Neuville.
(Early season optimistic excitement from Autosport Live, there)
This man is going to win a rally this year. So's Neuville.
(Early season optimistic excitement from Autosport Live, there)
Quote
"It was a clean run. I was careful in places as I didn't want a mistake in there, so I lost a lot of speed onto the long straight. Better than last year!" says Mikkelsen, who shunted away a potential first win at this point 12 months ago.
He doesn't think that time is going to be a powerstage winner.
He doesn't think that time is going to be a powerstage winner.
Stopwatch
Boom - Mikkelsen comes through 5.6s faster than Meeke and Neuville. A little powerstage score for some consolation seems likely, but it won't make up for missing the podium (and possible win) here.
Third-place man Ostberg is 5s slower than Mikkelsen at the split, but he's got a 25s cushion in their podium contest so third is plenty safe enough.
Quote
Tanak comes in and seals fifth overall.
"It was completely full gravel," he says of the stage conditions.
And of his ace overall result:
"It's a very good position, I must say I'm quite surprised with the performance of the DMACKs because we were nearly challenging for the podium. We have a big job to do but we are keen to do it."
"It was completely full gravel," he says of the stage conditions.
And of his ace overall result:
"It's a very good position, I must say I'm quite surprised with the performance of the DMACKs because we were nearly challenging for the podium. We have a big job to do but we are keen to do it."
Stopwatch
The times have been pretty quiet for a while, but here's some pace from Mikkelsen - he's 3.3s up on Meeke's benchmark at the split.
A conservative time from Sordo, who's happy just to get to the finish after a troubled Saturday. Sixth is more solid points for this rather promising Hyundai.
Mikkelsen has set off too. He looked a likely winner on Friday but his weekend got messier as it went on and fourth is going to be his limit.
Quote
Solberg reveals, with typical flamboyance, that he thought his rally might be over after a brush with a stone there.
"I was nervous!" he said. "I was flat, flat, flat."
"I was nervous!" he said. "I was flat, flat, flat."
Stopwatch
Solberg is only a second faster than Breen on the stage in the end, so the Citroen man closed up late on, but it's enough to secure seventh overall.
Next onto the stage are Sordo and Tanak, who are heading for decent sixth and fifth places (very decent for Tanak and DMACK actually - he was the top Ford for much of Friday). Sordo could be at a bit of risk of losing out to Solberg and Breen if he gets anything wrong, but he doesn't have to risk anything here.
Quote
It's a steady one for Breen, 15s off Meeke and Neuville. He's plenty happy enough with that and his weekend.
"I'm happy enough learning with every stage, and I really wanted to get to the finish here," says Breen. "I'm not worried if we finish ahead or behind. I'm really, really happy. I'm not where I thought I would be in three or four months' time."
"I'm happy enough learning with every stage, and I really wanted to get to the finish here," says Breen. "I'm not worried if we finish ahead or behind. I'm really, really happy. I'm not where I thought I would be in three or four months' time."
Stopwatch
Solberg is 2s faster than Breen at the split. Looks like seventh for Solberg and eighth for Breen will be the final result. Solid points, some blistering stage times and no significant mistakes - not at all bad for Breen's debut with a top WRC team.
Quote
A smidge of damage on the left-front bodywork of Neuville's Hyundai but nothing significant.
"I went wide on a junction and lost a second or two there, but otherwise it was a great stage," he reports.
"I went wide on a junction and lost a second or two there, but otherwise it was a great stage," he reports.
Stopwatch
Neuville completes the stage and he's matched Meeke to the tenth. They share the powerstage lead.
Stopwatch
Breen is 6.6s off team-mate Meeke's benchmark on the split, but it's his time relative to the following Solberg that matters.
Twitter
Breen begins the stage. He has had a brilliant start to his big chance with the PH Sport Citroen team and has had a long fight with veteran Henning Solberg for seventh place. The Norwegian WRC returnee has a cushion of just 2.6s going onto this stage.
We're yet to get into the drivers fighting for outright positions here, these are the early-weekend casualties running under Rally2 and trying to snaffle some consolation points on the powerstage.
By: Matt Beer
Published:
Lap:
