Rally Sweden
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Latvala's limping, two-wheel-drive VW has already lost 36s to the leaders at split one.
Ostberg is slowest so far, 16s off the pace. His rivals for sixth place are Tanak (who's doing a similar pace on the splits) and Paddon (yet to begin).
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"I'm not happy with that," is Neuville's unhappy summary.
Neuville completes the stage 13s behind Ogier, but the people to compare him to are Sordo and Meeke in the fight for third. Sordo is a tenth quicker than Neuville at split one, Meeke's yet to begin the stage.
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"It was alright, not perfect but I'm happy enough with it," says Mikkelsen.
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By the end of the stage, Mikkelsen is 6.6s slower than his happy rally-leading team-mate. That means Ogier's lead is up to 6.9s after two stages.
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"Good," is Ogier's summary. "Really perfect conditions. It's really enjoyable to drive this stage. It's snowing a little bit so there is a little bit of fresh snow on the road."
Stopwatch
Ogier sets a benchmark of 9m32.3s.
Neuville has lost another 4.7s to Ogier at split one, Ostberg 5s. They're both in different battles now, though. This is looking like an Ogier vs Mikkelsen victory fight for the time being.
Mikkelsen has a point to prove on this rally. Last year he came agonisingly close to winning in the closest contest of the year: 
Mikkelsen only loses a further tenth to Ogier on the next section, so he's 2.7s down at split two. That means Ogier's overall lead is up to 3s at present.
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Ogier is making a break early on this one, at the first split he's already 2.6s quicker than Mikkelsen.
Green flag
Ogier and Mikkelsen are both onto the stage.
Time for SS3 to begin
David Evans
Autosport’s delighted to see Eyvind Brynildsen back in WRC2. The Norwegian has to be one of the nicest, not to mention quickest, blokes in a rally car. Running as Elfyn Evans’ team-mate this time around, Brynildsen’s certainly good for a quote this week.
“I’m not here to come second,” he said. “This is as close to my home rally as it comes and you don’t go home to be second…”
His team-mate, not to mention a few Skoda drivers might have something to say about that.
“I’m not here to come second,” he said. “This is as close to my home rally as it comes and you don’t go home to be second…”
His team-mate, not to mention a few Skoda drivers might have something to say about that.
Things to watch: Ogier versus Mikkelsen in this very close lead battle, Meeke vs Sordo vs Neuville in the VWs' wake, Paddon vs Tanak vs Ostberg in the next gaggle, how Breen fares just behind them, how much time Latvala loses with two-wheel drive, and whether Evans can fend off the mega locals in WRC2.
Ogier is due to begin this one in three minutes. We're expecting this to be more like a traditional snow/ice stage.
David Evans
SS3: Rojden 11.47 miles
A very well known stage locally, this one hops to and fro over the Norwegian border, but actually starts and finishes in Sweden. The biggest thing the drivers remember about this stage is the very tricky jump in the middle of the stage.
A very well known stage locally, this one hops to and fro over the Norwegian border, but actually starts and finishes in Sweden. The biggest thing the drivers remember about this stage is the very tricky jump in the middle of the stage.
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If you're just joining us, we've got one stage done, it's reasonably icy, and Ogier has a 0.3s lead over Mikkelsen, with Meeke, Neuville and Sordo giving choice. Latvala has a broken driveshaft and is out of the lead fight already.
DAVID EVANS wrote a very good feature about that, in the context of Tommi Makinen's pursuit of Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg for his 2017 Toyota WRC team, but don't read (or re-read) that just now, it's nearly time for the next live stage in Sweden.
Traditionally we've only paid passing attention to WRC2 and the other support classes on Autosport (our rallying specialist sister publication Motorsport News is our reading recommendation for those interested in rallying's feeder and national series), but with the WRC2 fight so close and containing some very proper drivers, plus factory M-Sport and Skoda entries, we'll be keeping you up to date a little more this year. Hyundai and Toyota plan to join the fray in the coming years too. With WRC2 and the BRC on the up, might rallying's young talent problems be resolved?
Stopwatch
WRC2 order so far:
1 Evans 9m23.4s
2 Tidemand +0.2s
3 Ahlin +5.7s
4 Grondal +6.9s
5 Lappi +9.3s
6 Brynildsen +9.4s
1 Evans 9m23.4s
2 Tidemand +0.2s
3 Ahlin +5.7s
4 Grondal +6.9s
5 Lappi +9.3s
6 Brynildsen +9.4s
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Our British Rally Championship correspondent JACK BENYON of Motorsport News has been raving about Fredrik Ahlin a lot in the office of late. And to prove Benyon's wisdom, Ahlin is third in the WRC2 order so far.
VW adds that Latvala will "continue with two-wheel drive". It says the driveshaft that's gone is at the front, so presumably the Polo is now rear-wheel drive. Slidey. And not as quick. The early blows to Latvala's championship bid keep coming.
That's official VW team confirmation of what Latvala suspected at the end of the first stage of the day. He wasn't sure if he has a spare with him, but limping through two more stages to service will hurt.
Thierry's talking Swedish o'clock there, so we'll actually be onto the next stage in just over 10 minutes.
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Here's Brynildsen, he's massively happy with the organisers' efforts to make the stages useable and delighted those who called for cancellation were wrong.
But just as anyone from Rally HQ listening in was patting themselves on the back, he politely puts the boot in for the decision to let Foulon run in the middle of a bunch of very competitive WRC2s.
But just as anyone from Rally HQ listening in was patting themselves on the back, he politely puts the boot in for the decision to let Foulon run in the middle of a bunch of very competitive WRC2s.
This a bit of a weird starting order. The two works Skodas go onto the stage behind Alain Foulon's Mitsubishi.
"Everything is new for me, I'll drive in the middle of the road," says Foulon.
Hmmm. That's useful if you're in a factory WRC2 Skoda starting two minutes behind him.
"Everything is new for me, I'll drive in the middle of the road," says Foulon.
Hmmm. That's useful if you're in a factory WRC2 Skoda starting two minutes behind him.
Stopwatch
Evans is holding the WRC2 lead, by just 0.2s over Tidemand. Lappi had to dodge a slowing Mitsubishi and is 9s back in third.
Karlstad harbour
David Evans
The weather has pretty much dominated discussions since the WRC landed in Sweden earlier this week. There’s no doubt winter has passed through these parts – the service park is harbourside in Karlstad for the first time ever this year and the harbour remains steadfastly frozen.
Naturally Autosport was keen to do its own scientific research into the temperatures and engaged in the Alfie’s glasses test. The whole WRC descends on one restaurant – Alfie’s – on Wednesday evening and this week was no exception.
Usually, spectacles can always be relied upon to steam up on entry – a reflection on the weather outside rather than the delights on the inside. How long the glasses take to clear demonstrates how cold it was outside.
This time? Not even a hint is misting.
Scientific conclusion: it wasn’t cold on Wednesday. It is, however, a bit more cold this morning.
Naturally Autosport was keen to do its own scientific research into the temperatures and engaged in the Alfie’s glasses test. The whole WRC descends on one restaurant – Alfie’s – on Wednesday evening and this week was no exception.
Usually, spectacles can always be relied upon to steam up on entry – a reflection on the weather outside rather than the delights on the inside. How long the glasses take to clear demonstrates how cold it was outside.
This time? Not even a hint is misting.
Scientific conclusion: it wasn’t cold on Wednesday. It is, however, a bit more cold this morning.
Let's switch to one of our man's more palatable weather updates in the brief gap before our next stage starts.
Thanks for that.
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SS2 summary:
* Ogier takes narrow early lead of 0.3s over Mikkelsen
* Latvala breaks a driveshaft and struggles
* Breen starts his big Citroen chance in ninth
* Meeke slots into third ahed of equal Neuville and Sordo
* Drivers content with ice level on stage, particularly in early miles
* Ogier takes narrow early lead of 0.3s over Mikkelsen
* Latvala breaks a driveshaft and struggles
* Breen starts his big Citroen chance in ninth
* Meeke slots into third ahed of equal Neuville and Sordo
* Drivers content with ice level on stage, particularly in early miles
That's a mega start for Evans in WRC2 to be ahead of a bunch of World Rally Cars - including the one he used to drive before being demoted in favour of Camilli. He sounds unsurprisingly perky too.
The Welshman has a lot of northern European opposition in WRC2 this weekend, Skoda duo Esapekka Lappi and Pontus Tidemand, plus his new M-Sport team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen headline his rivals.
"I can fight [for the win], but it's going to be tough," says Evans. On this pace so far, he's the one who'll be tough to beat.
The Welshman has a lot of northern European opposition in WRC2 this weekend, Skoda duo Esapekka Lappi and Pontus Tidemand, plus his new M-Sport team-mate Eyvind Brynildsen headline his rivals.
"I can fight [for the win], but it's going to be tough," says Evans. On this pace so far, he's the one who'll be tough to beat.
By: Matt Beer
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