Sardinia WRC, Iowa IndyCar

WRC - Italy: Puncture for Latvala after 8km.

WRC - Italy: It's a brutal start to the rally with only a remote service between the first two loops of three stages each - 120 kilometres in total for SS1-SS6.

Then there's a full service before the two evening runs through Gallura, the second of which will take place in darkness at 9.30pm local time.

WRC - Italy: Trouble already for qualifying pacesetter and Acropolis winner Jari-Matti Latvala, who loses nearly two minutes with a puncture.

His VW team-mate Sebastien Ogier is fastest.

WRC - Italy: The service park is now emptying itself of mechanics and technicians as they head for the remote service in Sassari, 65 miles west of Olbia.

WRC - Italy: Temperature hits 30 degrees for the first time this morning. That's according to VW's usually wholly accurate clock thermometer.

WRC - Italy: A bad start to PG Andersson's WRC return with the AT Rallye Sport Ford. He picks up a puncture, and his dust is a hassle for the following Martin Prokop too.

Elfyn Evans

WRC - Italy: WRC Academy champion Elfyn Evans completes his first competitive stage in a World Rally car, 10s down on current pacesetter Michal Kosciuszko.

It's been an amazing week for Evans. When M-Sport Ford driver Nasser Al-Attiyah had to withdraw due to illness, Evans was entered to replace him - but using his regular RRC Ford not Al-Attiyah's WRC machine.

But when the FIA pointed out that the rules only allow one element of the entry to be changed at this late stage, Evans found himself in the top-class car instead. He also has to work with Al-Attiyah's co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini.

"It's not feeling great at the moment," Evans admits at the stage end, "but I've got to be patient."

WRC - Italy: Al-Qassimi completes in a time of 21m21.2s. With plenty of dust to sweep away and struggling with brake issues, the Citroen driver's time is likely to be among the slowest.

WRC - Italy: It's been over two months since dominant championship leader Sebastien Ogier won a rally.

He was defeated by the visiting Sebastien Loeb in Argentina, then had technical problems right at the start in Greece, where his Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala took a breakthrough first win for his new employers.

That brought Latvala up to second in the standings behind his team-mate.

Championship standings after six of 13 rounds:

1 Sebastien Ogier 126
2 Jari-Matti Latvala 74
3 Sebastien Loeb 68
4 Mikko Hirvonen 63
5 Thierry Neuville 50
6 Dani Sordo 47

25 points for a win

We'll also be keeping abreast of the major Formula 1 news, with a verdict due in the FIA International Tribunal's examination of the Mercedes/Pirelli tyre test affair, and will have the latest from the Le Mans 24 Hours paddock on the event's rest day before qualifying and the start.

As well as all the action as it happens from Sardinia, we'll also bring you news from the paddocks as Formula Renault 3.5's Russian weekend gets underway with practice at Moscow Raceway, and NASCAR's weekend of turning left and right commences with practice at Sonoma.

The focus for Friday is on rallying. This year the World Rally Championship's Italian round is a two-day event, which means a packed Friday of eight stages, starting just before 8am local time and running into darkness.

Good morning and welcome to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live for the Rally Italy, Iowa IndyCar, Sonoma NASCAR, Moscow FR3.5 and Croft BTCC weekend.