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Now we can bring you the leading positions from that stage, as Latvala begins a fightback against team-mate Ogier:
1) Latvala 11m03.1s
2) Ogier +1.6s
3) Mikkelsen +4.6s
4) Ostberg +7.0s
5) Neuville +12.1s
6) Tanak +17.1s
7) Kubica +17.4s
8) Evans +19.3s
And overall with one stage remaining of the morning loop:
1) Ogier 31m13.9s
2) Latvala +6.2s
3) Mikkelsen +13.4s
4) Ostberg +17.1s
5) Neuville +27.6s
6) Meeke +42.2s
7) Evans +49.6s
8) Tanak +51.6s
The only mover in the leading positions there is Neuville, who slots ahead of Meeke after that spin on SS4.
1) Latvala 11m03.1s
2) Ogier +1.6s
3) Mikkelsen +4.6s
4) Ostberg +7.0s
5) Neuville +12.1s
6) Tanak +17.1s
7) Kubica +17.4s
8) Evans +19.3s
And overall with one stage remaining of the morning loop:
1) Ogier 31m13.9s
2) Latvala +6.2s
3) Mikkelsen +13.4s
4) Ostberg +17.1s
5) Neuville +27.6s
6) Meeke +42.2s
7) Evans +49.6s
8) Tanak +51.6s
The only mover in the leading positions there is Neuville, who slots ahead of Meeke after that spin on SS4.
Finishing off the factory contingent for this stage, Paddon comes home ninth fastest, 24.5s slower than Latvala, while Abbring is 26.8s off the pace.
Bertelli suffered a spin right at the end of that stage, the Italian dropping another three minutes in his stricken Ford, causing him to baulk Kubica right at the end of the stage.
The Pole comes in seventh quickest, 17.4s off the pace.
The Pole comes in seventh quickest, 17.4s off the pace.
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Another weather update from DAVID EVANS: "On the upside, precipitation is happening. On the downside, it's not white."
Kubica is 9.5s down on Latvala at the second split - he could be set to lose some time trying to pass Bertelli's two-wheel drive car on the stage.
At the same stage, Paddon is 14.2 off the pace in the second manufacturer points-scoring Hyundai.
At the same stage, Paddon is 14.2 off the pace in the second manufacturer points-scoring Hyundai.
Tanak goes sixth quickest with a time 17 seconds adrift of Latvala's benchmark. The Estonian isn't quite living up to the 'dark horse' status DAVID EVANS alluded to earlier.
Meanwhile, Kubica is 3.6s down on Latvala at the first split.
Meanwhile, Kubica is 3.6s down on Latvala at the first split.
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Meeke completes the stage, but he's lost a chunk of time in the final sector, enough to drop him behind Neuville overall. All told, he's 30.2s slower than Latvala.
"I spun on the stage, which lost me about 20 seconds. It took me a three-point turn to get going," explains the Ulsterman. "It's a learning curve."
"I spun on the stage, which lost me about 20 seconds. It took me a three-point turn to get going," explains the Ulsterman. "It's a learning curve."
At the second split, Meeke is four tenths slower than Citroen team-mate Ostberg, and 5.4s down on Latvala.
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Neuville is through, but he's lost 12.1s to Latvala.
"I hit a snowbank, and I lost a few seconds. Apart from that, a good stage," he says.
Evans meanwhile continues to lose time to the leaders as he feels his way into this one, his time on SS4 19.3s slower than Latvala.
"I hit a snowbank, and I lost a few seconds. Apart from that, a good stage," he says.
Evans meanwhile continues to lose time to the leaders as he feels his way into this one, his time on SS4 19.3s slower than Latvala.
Mikkelsen arrives at the flying finish 4.6s slower than pace-setting team-mate Latvala, but he's 2.4s up on Ostberg, extending his cushion in the battle for third to 3.5s.
Some more splits - Mikkelsen is 2.5s down at the final split, but he's quicker than nearest rival Ostberg, who is 4.0s off Ogier at the second split. Neuville, meanwhile, is 0.6s down at the opening split.
Here's Latvala - and he's 1.6s up, reducing Ogier's advantage at the head of the field to 6.2s. He admits that his earlier time loss was partly confidence-related, but his improved pace suggests he's already making strides in that department.
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Ogier is through in 11m04.7s, and the snow in his Polo R WRC's grill shows how the conditions have worsened for the rally leader.
"First on the road, you have to push a bit of snow out of the way to make the line," he says.
"First on the road, you have to push a bit of snow out of the way to make the line," he says.
Latvala remains a second up on Ogier at the second split, while Mikkelsen drops 0.4s to the reigning champion through the first.
It's a good start for Latvala - the Finn goes 1.6s up on Ogier through the first split - perhaps, as the rally delves further into Norway, that conditions are becoming snowier.
Ogier has just set off at the start of SS4, the 20.8km Finnskogen test.
Latvala will be hoping that conditions are somewhat closer to the norm for this one, the longest of the day.
Latvala will be hoping that conditions are somewhat closer to the norm for this one, the longest of the day.
Breaking news
If you're just joining us, here are the main talking points of the morning so far:
* Ogier wins both stages so far to build a lead of 7.8s over Latvala
* Mikkelsen moves up to third with second best time on SS3
* Citroen drivers Ostberg and Meeke complete top five
* Ketomaa leads WRC-2 from SS1 overall winner Tidemand
* Conditions remain warm and dry, favouring early runners
* Ogier wins both stages so far to build a lead of 7.8s over Latvala
* Mikkelsen moves up to third with second best time on SS3
* Citroen drivers Ostberg and Meeke complete top five
* Ketomaa leads WRC-2 from SS1 overall winner Tidemand
* Conditions remain warm and dry, favouring early runners
While we wait for the start of SS4, which is about 10 minutes away, here's more from DAVID EVANS on the unusual weather situation in Sweden:
For the first time (although possibly not the first time in living memory) the Hagfors airport runway – on which the service area is located – is completely bone dry and free from ice.
Chairman of the stewards Robert Reid is confident he has the answer to the question of where winter’s gone from the WRC’s winter rally…
“It’s actually a hair-care issue,” reckoned Reid. “The drivers these days are clearly using so many hair-care products that they’re impacting on the weather and creating a micro-climate. It was freezing in Karlstad just before they all arrived for the recce…”
Once again, though, it's Ketomaa setting the pace - he's five seconds quicker than Tidemand, extending his class lead to 11.7s.
Grondal meanwhile has made it to the end of the stage, but he's lost over five minutes to Ketomaa after his costly off.
Grondal meanwhile has made it to the end of the stage, but he's lost over five minutes to Ketomaa after his costly off.
Incidentally, Tidemand is the quickest WRC-2 runner through the stage so far, followed by Brynildsen, who lost 5.1s to the Swede missing a junction - not the first to have made that mistake today.
Crash
Some WRC-2 news for you - Grondal, third in class prior to the stage, has ground to a halt.
Erstwhile overall leader Tidemand, the next car through, says he saw the Norwegian was off the road, with spectators helping him get back on track.
Erstwhile overall leader Tidemand, the next car through, says he saw the Norwegian was off the road, with spectators helping him get back on track.
And with that, here are the leading times from SS3:
1) Ogier 9m59.4s
2) Mikkelsen +2.2s
3) Ostberg +4.5s
4) Meeke +5.1s
5) Latvala +5.8s
6) Neuville +8.2s
7) Evans +13.3s
8) Tanak +18.1s
And the overall standings:
1) Ogier 20m09.2s
2) Latvala +7.8s
3) Mikkelsen +10.4s
4) Ostberg +11.7s
5) Meeke +13.6s
6) Neuville +17.1s
7) Evans +31.9s
8) Tanak +36.1s
The main changes there are Mikkelsen moving into third, making it an all-VW podium, and Kubica dropping from seventh to ninth.
1) Ogier 9m59.4s
2) Mikkelsen +2.2s
3) Ostberg +4.5s
4) Meeke +5.1s
5) Latvala +5.8s
6) Neuville +8.2s
7) Evans +13.3s
8) Tanak +18.1s
And the overall standings:
1) Ogier 20m09.2s
2) Latvala +7.8s
3) Mikkelsen +10.4s
4) Ostberg +11.7s
5) Meeke +13.6s
6) Neuville +17.1s
7) Evans +31.9s
8) Tanak +36.1s
The main changes there are Mikkelsen moving into third, making it an all-VW podium, and Kubica dropping from seventh to ninth.
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Abbring is the last of the factory men in, understandably taking things relatively steady in his first outing in the Hyundai i20 WRC. He drops 22.7s to Ogier.
Here's what the Dutchman told DAVID EVANS after testing last weekend:
“I did 150 kilometres of testing, but all of that knowledge seems to have gone straight out of my head as the start gets closer!
"It is amazing to be here, fantastic to be here and I’m very grateful to Hyundai for having the confidence in me to give me this chance.”
Here's what the Dutchman told DAVID EVANS after testing last weekend:
“I did 150 kilometres of testing, but all of that knowledge seems to have gone straight out of my head as the start gets closer!
"It is amazing to be here, fantastic to be here and I’m very grateful to Hyundai for having the confidence in me to give me this chance.”
The drivers further down the running order are really suffering this morning. Kubica loses 27.9s, having to stop and restart the engine during the stage, while Paddon overshoots a junction, dropping 31.2s to the leaders.
On the subject of privateers, Lorenzo Bertelli appears to be in trouble - he explains his four-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta RS WRC was running through that stage in front-drive only, costing the Italian nearly two minutes.
A quick privateer round-up before the next factory driver, Tanak, reaches the end of the stage:
Henning Solberg's the quickest privateer so far, 21.9s off the pace and unhappy with his driving. Prokop was 2.5s slower, with Protasov losing 36.7s to the leaders on that test.
Tanak's now in, but he's 18.1s off the pace, so that's both M-Sport drivers struggling for pace this morning. The Estonian didn't report any specific problems that might account for that time loss.
Henning Solberg's the quickest privateer so far, 21.9s off the pace and unhappy with his driving. Prokop was 2.5s slower, with Protasov losing 36.7s to the leaders on that test.
Tanak's now in, but he's 18.1s off the pace, so that's both M-Sport drivers struggling for pace this morning. The Estonian didn't report any specific problems that might account for that time loss.
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The Ulsterman stays fifth overall with the fourth best stage time so far, six tenths slower than Ostberg but 3.1s up on Neuville.
"I had a good rhythm, but the snow banks were very high - it was like a wall. I really enjoyed it," says Meeke.
"I had a good rhythm, but the snow banks were very high - it was like a wall. I really enjoyed it," says Meeke.
Meeke is 2.5s down on Ogier and 1.6s away from Ostberg at the opening split, meaning he's got work to do if he's to take his team-mate's position away.
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Evans drops a further 13.3s to rally leader Ogier, the M-Sport Ford driver confessing to taking a belt-and-braces approach to the rally so far.
"We could have carried much more speed through some parts of the stage, but we're still learning," he says.
"We could have carried much more speed through some parts of the stage, but we're still learning," he says.
Neuville comes in slowest so far, 8.2s off the pace, meaning Ostberg's fourth place is safe for now - although fellow works Citroen driver Meeke only has 1.3s to make up to take the place.
In comes Ostberg, who is 4.5s down on Ogier and 2.3s down on fellow Norwegian Mikkelsen - that will costs him at least a place in the overall standings, possibly more depending on how Meeke and Neuville fare.
Mikkelsen slots into second, 2.2s slower than Ogier but 3.6s up on Latvala. Like Ogier, he's pretty content with the conditions as they are currently.
Next up is Ostberg, then it will be Neuville and Evans, both of whom are on the stage.
Next up is Ostberg, then it will be Neuville and Evans, both of whom are on the stage.
A big blow for Latvala, as he drops 5.8s in the stage - the Finn seems to be at a loss as to how he's losing so much ground to his team-mate, saying that he was happy with the car.
The snow hasn't stopped Latvala from dropping a further half-second to Ogier at the second split.
The Frenchman is through, clocking in at 9m59.4s, and he's happy with the conditions.
The Frenchman is through, clocking in at 9m59.4s, and he's happy with the conditions.
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Some potential good news for Latvala, though, as DAVID EVANS tweets: "White stuff is definitely falling from the sky mid-way through SS3."
At the first split, Latvala loses 1.5s to Ogier - not a good omen for the Finn on an event that, by his own admission, he really needs to win.
Ogier is now on the stage, holding a two second advantage over Latvala for now.
Being first on the road was clearly beneficial on the previous stage, but will that be the case as the cars encounter snowier conditions across the Norwegian border? The Frenchman's rivals will be hoping not.
Being first on the road was clearly beneficial on the previous stage, but will that be the case as the cars encounter snowier conditions across the Norwegian border? The Frenchman's rivals will be hoping not.
Breakfast
We're not far away from the start of SS3, the 18.7km Rojden test, but before that goes live, here's AUTOSPORT's breakfast report, courtesy of DAVID EVANS.
"Breakfast this morning included two of these three elements. We went for the bacon: lovely, crispy; scrambled eggs were great. But broccoli, cauliflower and carrots? Really? I’m all for breaking with convention, but vegetables first thing in the morning is just going a bit too far."
The secondary class boasts a strong line-up of Scandinavians this weekend, including Eyvind Brynildsen and Jari Ketomaa, who are both up next.
Brynildsen beats compatriot Grondal by 1.7s, but his tenure as fastest WRC-2 man is short-lived, as Ketomaa completes the stage 2.2s quicker.
Brynildsen beats compatriot Grondal by 1.7s, but his tenure as fastest WRC-2 man is short-lived, as Ketomaa completes the stage 2.2s quicker.
Now we have the WRC-2 cars coming through the stage, and the quickest among them so far is Norway's Anders Grondal.
Tidemand meanwhile predictably loses the lead of the rally after his Thursday night heroics - he's 5.4s slower than Grondal, and 35.6s down on new rally leader Ogier.
Tidemand meanwhile predictably loses the lead of the rally after his Thursday night heroics - he's 5.4s slower than Grondal, and 35.6s down on new rally leader Ogier.
By: Jamie Klein, AUTOSPORT staff
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