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SS11 RESULTS
Stage times:
1 Meeke 20m01.6s
2 Neuville +0.6s
3 Tanak +1.5s
4 Paddon +4.5s
5 Ogier +5.7s
6 Evans +6.2s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Evans
2 Neuville +55.9s
3 Ostberg +1m05.9s
4 Tanak +1m09.3s
5 Ogier +1m12.0s
6 Latvala +1m36.6s
Stage times:
1 Meeke 20m01.6s
2 Neuville +0.6s
3 Tanak +1.5s
4 Paddon +4.5s
5 Ogier +5.7s
6 Evans +6.2s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Evans
2 Neuville +55.9s
3 Ostberg +1m05.9s
4 Tanak +1m09.3s
5 Ogier +1m12.0s
6 Latvala +1m36.6s
Stopwatch
We have a last-gasp change of stage winner - Rally2 runner Meeke comes in fastest by six tenths over Neuville.
He's about half an hour away from getting into the points but that's all academic really. After yesterday's massive shunt, at least he's able to show some pace.
He's about half an hour away from getting into the points but that's all academic really. After yesterday's massive shunt, at least he's able to show some pace.
Here's Evans - fifth fastest, 5.6s off Neuville. That'll do nicely. His lead comes down but it's still a very healthy 55.9s overall.
OK that's not a terrible time at all from Ostberg, he's only sixth quickest but it's a close stage - incredibly so given the length of it - and he's just 7.2s off Neuville's pace.
So he's now 10s behind Neuville's second place overall, and just 3.4s ahead of the looming Tanak.
So he's now 10s behind Neuville's second place overall, and just 3.4s ahead of the looming Tanak.
Stopwatch
Neuville now takes over as the stage pacesetter - he's nine tenths quicker than Tanak.
So that puts him 13.4s clear of Tanak overall. Ostberg is either going to be ahead of both, between them, or behind both depending on the health of his Fiesta. If you weren't with us earlier, a hydraulic problem was hampering his gearshifts and left him without a handbrake.
So that puts him 13.4s clear of Tanak overall. Ostberg is either going to be ahead of both, between them, or behind both depending on the health of his Fiesta. If you weren't with us earlier, a hydraulic problem was hampering his gearshifts and left him without a handbrake.
Ogier is slower! He comes in 4.2s down on Tanak and that costs him fourth place to his team-mate.
Both could yet gain at Ostberg's expense if that hydraulics problem is still holding the Ford privateer back.
Both could yet gain at Ostberg's expense if that hydraulics problem is still holding the Ford privateer back.
Stopwatch
Tanak comes in fastest so far, 3s up on Paddon. That pulls him further away from Latvala (that gap now 27.3s) but it's how he compares to Ogier that we need to know.
Quote
Latvala wasn't massively impressed with his own driving on that one. His loss of power and puncture yesterday dropped him back from second to sixth and at the moment he's not showing much sign of regaining that lost ground.
"The beginning of the stage was quite good. At the end I wasn't doing very well. Last year I crashed and didn't do the end of the stage."
"The beginning of the stage was quite good. At the end I wasn't doing very well. Last year I crashed and didn't do the end of the stage."
All the leaders are now on the stage, next through will be battling M-Sport team-mates Tanak and Ogier - who started it just 1.5s apart in fourth and fifth.
And Paddon has trimmed 2.9s out of that vast gap to Latvala, who now comes in second fastest.
Quote
"I'm just trying to enjoy myself," says Paddon. "This afternoon I want to see if I can win another stage or two."
Stopwatch
Paddon is through and goes fastest so far, a hefty 21.8s up on Sordo.
He's pushing on even though there's a 3m50.1s gap to Latvala ahead of him in sixth.
He's pushing on even though there's a 3m50.1s gap to Latvala ahead of him in sixth.
If Bertelli hangs onto eighth for the rest of the rally, and on pure pace there won't be any threats to that now both Paddon and Hanninen have got ahead of him, that will still equal his best WRC result so far (from Mexico last year).
...and he does, Bertelli is 11s down on Hanninen on the stage so is now 4.4s behind the Toyota overall.
Hanninen is through too, a disappointing 31.4s down on Sordo's pace even though the Hyundai is having to do the road-sweeping.
Hanninen should take eighth from Bertelli on this stage...
Hanninen should take eighth from Bertelli on this stage...
Well, we have some data: Sordo completed the stage safely in 20m27.9s. No splits and no communication with the stage end at the moment on this remote stage, but cars are running.
That time will probably take Sordo up to 11th overall.
That time will probably take Sordo up to 11th overall.
Not a huge amount of split-time information coming back today, the best we can tell you at the moment is that Sordo, Hanninen, Bertelli, Paddon and Latvala are all on the stage and no has had any drama yet.
If it's like yesterday, the timing computer will emulate the old unfunny bus stereotype and give us all the split times at once after a long time without any.
If it's like yesterday, the timing computer will emulate the old unfunny bus stereotype and give us all the split times at once after a long time without any.
Big questions for this stage - will Ostberg's hydraulic problem get bigger? He's already lost second to Neuville and the M-Sport Fords of Ogier and Tanak aren't far behind.
And will Ogier's rally get going? Little errors, first-on-the-road angst and now a stray dog and a dodgy watersplash have all added up to leave him back in fourth halfway through the event, with Tanak putting him under pressure.
And will Ogier's rally get going? Little errors, first-on-the-road angst and now a stray dog and a dodgy watersplash have all added up to leave him back in fourth halfway through the event, with Tanak putting him under pressure.
Green flag
Right, now we're away. Sordo onto the stage.
David Evans
Elfyn Evans's co-driver Dan Barritt was a man on the edge in first service this morning. This was, however, nothing to do with the rally. His beloved Burnley visit Crystal Palace today in a vital bottom-of-the-table clash Premier League clash.
"We should be fine with a draw," he said, "a draw would keep us up."
Being reminded that Palace beat Liverpool a week or so ago didn't go down well with the DMACK man.
"We should be fine with a draw," he said, "a draw would keep us up."
Being reminded that Palace beat Liverpool a week or so ago didn't go down well with the DMACK man.
Minor delay to the start of Los Gigantes - it'll get going at 9.30am local time not 9.22, so just two minutes away now.
Stuck back in service when it should be out on the stages - Breen's Citroen
Green flag
First onto the stage is Dani Sordo, who's now back up to 12th past Juan Carlos Alonso's R5 Skoda and will breeze past Pedro Heller's R5 Fiesta - 9.1s ahead in 11th - very swiftly.
But then there's a four and a half minute gap to Tidemand ahead in 10th. That shouldn't be a problem in a 2017 Hyundai World Rally Car versus a WRC2 Skoda but it'll take a while.
But then there's a four and a half minute gap to Tidemand ahead in 10th. That shouldn't be a problem in a 2017 Hyundai World Rally Car versus a WRC2 Skoda but it'll take a while.
Information
SS11 Los Gigantes – Cantera El Condor (24.03 miles)
The longest stage of the event and the one Kris Meeke reckons sports by far the most spectacular views. That's some claim on this rally…
This stretch of road isn't just a World Rally Championship speciality either, it's featured on the Dakar route as well. Running, like all of today's stages north-west of Villa Carlos Paz, this test runs through some really remote and barren countryside.
The first half climbs to just short of 2000 metres via sandy and bumpy roads that will inevitably dig out for the second pass. Once over the top, the road gets quicker and more flowing.
One of the problems with the faster second half is the lack of reference points. During the recce they will have passed numerous cows and horses, but they don't make for great reference points – they might have moved since Tuesday…
The longest stage of the event and the one Kris Meeke reckons sports by far the most spectacular views. That's some claim on this rally…
This stretch of road isn't just a World Rally Championship speciality either, it's featured on the Dakar route as well. Running, like all of today's stages north-west of Villa Carlos Paz, this test runs through some really remote and barren countryside.
The first half climbs to just short of 2000 metres via sandy and bumpy roads that will inevitably dig out for the second pass. Once over the top, the road gets quicker and more flowing.
One of the problems with the faster second half is the lack of reference points. During the recce they will have passed numerous cows and horses, but they don't make for great reference points – they might have moved since Tuesday…
Back to 2017, where DMACK leads by a minute and we're about to start the event's longest stage.
Autosport
Here's a more in-depth look at DMACK's previous best-ever WRC performance last summer: 
Autosport
And if you don't remember the heartbreak of Poland last year, here's a recap: 
"While Elfyn Evans dominates in Carlos Paz, DMACK Tyres managing director Dick Cormack is a million miles away, in Carlisle," reports our BRC correspondent JACK BENYON.
"That’s an exaggeration of distance, but not in comparing the two places…
"So, why is he on DMACK’s home turf in the UK rather than in Argentina? The British Rally Championship is under way this weekend, and Cormack has his eyes on another Welshman on his tyres.
"Tom Cave, 2016 BRC runner-up, is giving the Hyundai i20 R5 a championship debut on this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally. Action kicks off before lunch with Cave hopeful of a strong result. Championship leader Fredrik Ahlin and a host of other frontrunners are also on Cormack's rubber.
"Autosport asked Cormack on his thoughts on Evans’s lead and if he could hold on to win, but he politely asked to wait to talk about the subject until after the event. After all, we all remember what happened to Ott Tanak in Poland last year. Fingers crossed such misfortune doesn’t befall Evans."
"That’s an exaggeration of distance, but not in comparing the two places…
"So, why is he on DMACK’s home turf in the UK rather than in Argentina? The British Rally Championship is under way this weekend, and Cormack has his eyes on another Welshman on his tyres.
"Tom Cave, 2016 BRC runner-up, is giving the Hyundai i20 R5 a championship debut on this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally. Action kicks off before lunch with Cave hopeful of a strong result. Championship leader Fredrik Ahlin and a host of other frontrunners are also on Cormack's rubber.
"Autosport asked Cormack on his thoughts on Evans’s lead and if he could hold on to win, but he politely asked to wait to talk about the subject until after the event. After all, we all remember what happened to Ott Tanak in Poland last year. Fingers crossed such misfortune doesn’t befall Evans."
David Evans
Craig Breen didn't restart leg two after an oil leak was discovered on the engine of his C3 WRC.
The team can't confirm whether the leak is related to the impact on the underside of the car that broke the gearbox yesterday. The transmission was changed last night and Breen drove the car into service today, fully expecting to tackle the stages north-west of Villa Carlos Paz, but when the oil was discovered on the sumpguard mid-way through this morning's service the team took the decision not to send the Irishman and co-driver Scott Martin out.
"Obviously it's really disappointing," said Breen.
"I've not really had this before that I retire in service in the morning, we've got a bit of the way up the road and retired before, but not like this.
"We'll spend the day working on the onboards and getting ready for tomorrow, but it's not going to be easy to jump back in the car and be on the pace after those boys have been at it for two days."
The sister car of Kris Meeke, which suffered the same impact in the same corner of SS4, returned to the stages on time and as planned.
The team can't confirm whether the leak is related to the impact on the underside of the car that broke the gearbox yesterday. The transmission was changed last night and Breen drove the car into service today, fully expecting to tackle the stages north-west of Villa Carlos Paz, but when the oil was discovered on the sumpguard mid-way through this morning's service the team took the decision not to send the Irishman and co-driver Scott Martin out.
"Obviously it's really disappointing," said Breen.
"I've not really had this before that I retire in service in the morning, we've got a bit of the way up the road and retired before, but not like this.
"We'll spend the day working on the onboards and getting ready for tomorrow, but it's not going to be easy to jump back in the car and be on the pace after those boys have been at it for two days."
The sister car of Kris Meeke, which suffered the same impact in the same corner of SS4, returned to the stages on time and as planned.
We mentioned a little earlier that Breen hasn't made it back out for today after yesterday's transmission woes. Here's why:
Twitter
David Evans
But this picture from earlier this morning shows that Evans is finding dominating a WRC rally pretty relaxing
This isn't the first time Evans has led in the WRC - last year's British Rally champion was in front for a long spell in Corsica in 2015 but ended up losing out to Latvala's Volkswagen on that occasion.
To be dominating like this is totally new territory for the Welshman, and for the DMACK team.
To be dominating like this is totally new territory for the Welshman, and for the DMACK team.
Meeke is back in business after an amazing effort from Citroen to repair that huge damage. He's a little over 40 minutes away from the front now but is third quickest on this stage.
Information
SS10 summary:
* Evans extends his lead to over a minute with yet another stage win
* Ostberg runs into hydraulic problems and falls behind Neuville to third
* A deep watersplash causes minor damage to several cars
* Neuville is second quickest despite picking up a puncture
* Ogier has to dodge a dog then half spins in the watersplash and is caught by Tanak
* Hanninen on cusp of taking eighth from Bertelli
* Evans extends his lead to over a minute with yet another stage win
* Ostberg runs into hydraulic problems and falls behind Neuville to third
* A deep watersplash causes minor damage to several cars
* Neuville is second quickest despite picking up a puncture
* Ogier has to dodge a dog then half spins in the watersplash and is caught by Tanak
* Hanninen on cusp of taking eighth from Bertelli
Information
SS10 RESULTS
Stage times:
1 Evans 11m00.2s
2 Neuville +0.8s
3 Tanak +2.7s
4 Latvala +5.5s
5 Ogier +5.8s
6 Paddon +8.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Evans
2 Neuville +1m01.5s
3 Ostberg +1m04.3s
4 Ogier +1m12.5s
5 Tanak +1m14.0s
6 Latvala +1m35.4s
Stage times:
1 Evans 11m00.2s
2 Neuville +0.8s
3 Tanak +2.7s
4 Latvala +5.5s
5 Ogier +5.8s
6 Paddon +8.3s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Evans
2 Neuville +1m01.5s
3 Ostberg +1m04.3s
4 Ogier +1m12.5s
5 Tanak +1m14.0s
6 Latvala +1m35.4s
Evans is also carrying a bit of damage, TV crews saying a wheel arch was damaged in the watersplash.
Despite that, he's fastest by 0.8s over Neuville and now leads the Belgian by 1m01.5s overall.
Despite that, he's fastest by 0.8s over Neuville and now leads the Belgian by 1m01.5s overall.
Crash
Multiple problems for Ostberg - he says he has a hydraulic problem that's affecting his gearshift and means he has no handbrake, and a load of water came into the car during a watersplash. He's also lost a large amount of aero in that watersplash it turns out.
If that hydraulic problem escalates, this is going to be a very tough morning for Ostberg.
If that hydraulic problem escalates, this is going to be a very tough morning for Ostberg.
Despite all that, Neuville has moved up to second! Ostberg is only sixth fastest on the stage, 7.8s slower than the Hyundai, and that drops him to third overall.
Crash
Neuville says he damaged that tyre when he carried too much speed into a corner while blinded by low sun. It didn't cost him much time on the stage but the bigger worry is that he now has to use the sole spare he's carrying and there's the rest of the loop to go.
By: Matt Beer
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