WRC Argentina
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WRC - Argentina: Ogier is over 30 minutes down on the lead battle and well out of contention, mainly down to an engine problem on Friday's first stage.
Stopwatch
WRC - Argentina: Perhaps to be expected, but Sebastien Ogier is 11.8s up on Bertelli's first split. 5m53.5s is his time.
Stopwatch
WRC - Argentina: Bertelli sets a 6m05.3s through the first stint. No time for Ogier as of yet.
WRC - Argentina: Although El Condor is only a short test, it's a long wait for split times as there is only one split, at the halfway point around five miles in.
Crash
WRC - Argentina: Our friends over at WRC.com report that it's a problem with fuel supply to a cylinder for Latvala.
He has made it to the stage although he was stopped on the road section earlier.
He has made it to the stage although he was stopped on the road section earlier.
Lights out
WRC - Argentina: Lorenzo Bertelli gets us underway.
WRC - Argentina: Reports suggest Latvala could have an issue on his way to El Condor. More on that when we get it.
WRC - Argentina: Late news coming in about another driver with a problem yesterday - Dani Sordo.
DAVID EVANS reports that it was a fuel pressure sensor that ruled the Spaniard out of fourth place.
DAVID EVANS reports that it was a fuel pressure sensor that ruled the Spaniard out of fourth place.
Sordo/Rally Argentina
WRC - Argentina: Before the stage starts in 3 or so minutes, we have time to recap the overall rally leaderboard:
1 Meeke
2 Ostberg +38.6s
3 Latvala +1m03.7s
4 Evans +2m24.6s
5 Neuville +4m51.0s
6 Prokop +5m39.0s
On the road, they will run in the following order:
Bertelli
Ogier
Paddon
Tanak
Mikkelsen
Sordo
Al Qassimi
Prokop
Neuville
Evans
Latvala
Ostberg
Meeke
1 Meeke
2 Ostberg +38.6s
3 Latvala +1m03.7s
4 Evans +2m24.6s
5 Neuville +4m51.0s
6 Prokop +5m39.0s
On the road, they will run in the following order:
Bertelli
Ogier
Paddon
Tanak
Mikkelsen
Sordo
Al Qassimi
Prokop
Neuville
Evans
Latvala
Ostberg
Meeke
WRC - Argentina: Today’s stage (it’s run twice) is one the drivers and locals have been looking forward to the most.
El Condor is a punishing 10 mile test, lined by rocks and mountains.
To give you a better idea, here is a stage guide from rally leader Kris Meeke.
"It’s famous, nice name and nice landscape and all of that, but the road is completely hellish. It’s a car’s width in places and it’s lined by the mountain and by rocks, narrow bridges; it’s twisty and even when it’s 30 degrees and bright sunshine down here in service it can be complete fog up there.
"When we did it in the recce it was raining and, obviously, last year it was terrible in the fog and mist. The second pass through this one will be horrible, the ruts will be deep and it’ll be a case of getting through and surviving. But, I’m pretty sure this rally will be decided by the time we get to Sunday…"
Doesn’t sound like the easiest test to get through en route to your first WRC win does it?
The stage is of course named after the bird. DAVID EVANS poses an interesting question:
"What’s the collective noun for a bunch of Condors? Is it a flock? How about an amazement of Condors. Whatever, they made for an impressive sight in the hills north of Cordoba."
El Condor is a punishing 10 mile test, lined by rocks and mountains.
To give you a better idea, here is a stage guide from rally leader Kris Meeke.
"It’s famous, nice name and nice landscape and all of that, but the road is completely hellish. It’s a car’s width in places and it’s lined by the mountain and by rocks, narrow bridges; it’s twisty and even when it’s 30 degrees and bright sunshine down here in service it can be complete fog up there.
"When we did it in the recce it was raining and, obviously, last year it was terrible in the fog and mist. The second pass through this one will be horrible, the ruts will be deep and it’ll be a case of getting through and surviving. But, I’m pretty sure this rally will be decided by the time we get to Sunday…"
Doesn’t sound like the easiest test to get through en route to your first WRC win does it?
The stage is of course named after the bird. DAVID EVANS poses an interesting question:
"What’s the collective noun for a bunch of Condors? Is it a flock? How about an amazement of Condors. Whatever, they made for an impressive sight in the hills north of Cordoba."
condor/rally argentina
Breaking news
One man who has struggled on this rally Is Jari-Matti Latvala, who was second at one point before a broken front diff and a moment on the Capilla del Monte test – SS8 – ruined his challenge.
The Finn could have done with a decent result, as team-mate and championship leader Sebastien Ogier retired on day one after engine trouble. Latvala trailed Ogier by 62 points before this event.
Latvala’s mood doesn’t seem to have taken too much of a hit though, as DAVID EVANS explains.
"In an effort to avoid the crowds, the Finn took one of VW’s mountain bikes to the end of day press conference and, on returning to the German team’s service area, he spent a while working on his bunny-hops. He’s actually pretty good."
There is reason for hope for Latavala. Ostberg is only 25.1s up the road in second, and while that is a big ask on two stages, the Finn certainly knows how to push a WRC car.
The Finn could have done with a decent result, as team-mate and championship leader Sebastien Ogier retired on day one after engine trouble. Latvala trailed Ogier by 62 points before this event.
Latvala’s mood doesn’t seem to have taken too much of a hit though, as DAVID EVANS explains.
"In an effort to avoid the crowds, the Finn took one of VW’s mountain bikes to the end of day press conference and, on returning to the German team’s service area, he spent a while working on his bunny-hops. He’s actually pretty good."
There is reason for hope for Latavala. Ostberg is only 25.1s up the road in second, and while that is a big ask on two stages, the Finn certainly knows how to push a WRC car.
Latvala/Volkswagen/Rally Argentina
Breaking news
WRC - Argentina: EVANS also spoke to Mads Ostberg and Citroen team principal Yves Matton:
Meeke’s closest rival for the victory, Mads Ostberg, admitted his chance of winning Rally Argentina has gone. The Norwegian told AUTOSPORT: "It might have been possible, but when the decision was taken to cancel SS9, I knew then that the game was over and we couldn’t drive for this win." On the flip side, the cancellation did give the ill Ostberg more sleeping time.
"I have been doing a lot of sleeping on this rally," he said. "Jonas has been driving a lot of the road sections while I sleep. I love sleeping in the car. I tighten the belts and love the movement in the car – it’s like being a baby in the pram!”
Yves Matton’s advice to his Citroen drivers has been revealed as Meeke and Ostberg go into the final day’s two stages. Ostberg said: "Yves said that we could do what we wanted, but the cars had to come home first and second… Actually, he didn’t say in what order!"
Citroen are chasing their first 1-2 finish since Rally Spain in 2012, courtesy of Sebastian Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen.
Meeke’s closest rival for the victory, Mads Ostberg, admitted his chance of winning Rally Argentina has gone. The Norwegian told AUTOSPORT: "It might have been possible, but when the decision was taken to cancel SS9, I knew then that the game was over and we couldn’t drive for this win." On the flip side, the cancellation did give the ill Ostberg more sleeping time.
"I have been doing a lot of sleeping on this rally," he said. "Jonas has been driving a lot of the road sections while I sleep. I love sleeping in the car. I tighten the belts and love the movement in the car – it’s like being a baby in the pram!”
Yves Matton’s advice to his Citroen drivers has been revealed as Meeke and Ostberg go into the final day’s two stages. Ostberg said: "Yves said that we could do what we wanted, but the cars had to come home first and second… Actually, he didn’t say in what order!"
Citroen are chasing their first 1-2 finish since Rally Spain in 2012, courtesy of Sebastian Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen.
Breaking news
WRC - Argentina: Our man in the service area DAVID EVANS has been on his usual task of scurrying around searching out all the most important news from the main protagonists of the event.
EVANS had a good chat with everyone at Citroen, starting with rally leader Kris Meeke:
"Meeke’s hopes of victory on Rally Argentina have been boosted by the news that friends and family of co-driver Paul Nagle attended mass in Killarney this morning, where a prayer was offered up for a Dungannon victory in Villa Carlos Paz this afternoon," said Evans.
The Citroen driver is looking to end a 13 year winless streak for Brits in the WRC. It’s slightly Ironic that that triumph – Colin McRae in 2002 – came on the safari rally.
The service area has been ripe with quotes linking this very tough Argentinian rally to the safari this weekend…
EVANS had a good chat with everyone at Citroen, starting with rally leader Kris Meeke:
"Meeke’s hopes of victory on Rally Argentina have been boosted by the news that friends and family of co-driver Paul Nagle attended mass in Killarney this morning, where a prayer was offered up for a Dungannon victory in Villa Carlos Paz this afternoon," said Evans.
The Citroen driver is looking to end a 13 year winless streak for Brits in the WRC. It’s slightly Ironic that that triumph – Colin McRae in 2002 – came on the safari rally.
The service area has been ripe with quotes linking this very tough Argentinian rally to the safari this weekend…
Meeke/Citroen/Rally Argentina in car
WRC - Argentina: Saturday was another thrilling day, here's a quick recap of some of the main incidents.
* Meeke rebuilds his lead despite having to restart car after alarm warning
* Ostberg holds Latvala at a comfortable distance in second place battle
* Sordo retires from fourth with mechanical problem
* Neuville gets ahead of Prokop and gains another spot from Sordo's retirement so appears in fifth
You can read the evening report HERE.
* Meeke rebuilds his lead despite having to restart car after alarm warning
* Ostberg holds Latvala at a comfortable distance in second place battle
* Sordo retires from fourth with mechanical problem
* Neuville gets ahead of Prokop and gains another spot from Sordo's retirement so appears in fifth
You can read the evening report HERE.
WRC - Argentina: First, a development on yesterday’s incident in which spectators were hurt as Hardon Paddon had an accident in his Hyundai.
One man remains in intensive care after the incident, and AUTOSPORT Live’s thoughts are with those involved.
One man remains in intensive care after the incident, and AUTOSPORT Live’s thoughts are with those involved.
WRC - Argentina: Good Morning (or afternoon GMT) and welcome to the final day of Rally Argentina, which has turned out to be a modern classic for sure.
Kris Meeke leads by 38.6s going into today’s two runs through El Condor.
More about the stages shortly.
Kris Meeke leads by 38.6s going into today’s two runs through El Condor.
More about the stages shortly.
Breaking news
WRC - Argentina - SS10 summary:
* Meeke rebuilds his lead despite having to restart car after alarm warning
* Ostberg holds Latvala at a comfortable distance in second place battle
* Sordo retires from fourth with mechanical problem
* Neuville gets ahead of Prokop and gains another spot from Sordo's retirement so appears in fifth
And here's the full report from this afternoon:
Rally Argentina Saturday afternoon report
That's it for today on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live.
Keep an eye on our news pages for events from Indy Lights and IndyCar at Barber, plus the latest on whether the weather delays the Richmond NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
We'll be back from 1.45pm UK time tomorrow to take you to the Rally Argentina finish and maybe, maybe, maybe mark a first British winner in the WRC in 13 years. See you then.
* Meeke rebuilds his lead despite having to restart car after alarm warning
* Ostberg holds Latvala at a comfortable distance in second place battle
* Sordo retires from fourth with mechanical problem
* Neuville gets ahead of Prokop and gains another spot from Sordo's retirement so appears in fifth
And here's the full report from this afternoon:
Rally Argentina Saturday afternoon report
That's it for today on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live.
Keep an eye on our news pages for events from Indy Lights and IndyCar at Barber, plus the latest on whether the weather delays the Richmond NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
We'll be back from 1.45pm UK time tomorrow to take you to the Rally Argentina finish and maybe, maybe, maybe mark a first British winner in the WRC in 13 years. See you then.
Kris Meeke, Citroen, WRC Argentina 2015
Checkered flag
WRC - Argentina - SS10 results:
Stage times:
1 Mikkelsen 27m00.3s
2 Latvala +2.9s
3 Meeke +6.9s
4 Neuville +10.2s
5 Ostberg +12.9s
6 Evans +34.0s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke
2 Ostberg +38.6s
3 Latvala +1m03.7s
4 Evans +2m24.6s
5 Neuville +4m51.0s
6 Prokop +5m39.0s
Stage times:
1 Mikkelsen 27m00.3s
2 Latvala +2.9s
3 Meeke +6.9s
4 Neuville +10.2s
5 Ostberg +12.9s
6 Evans +34.0s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke
2 Ostberg +38.6s
3 Latvala +1m03.7s
4 Evans +2m24.6s
5 Neuville +4m51.0s
6 Prokop +5m39.0s
WRC - Argentina: Sordo has started moving again on the tracking system, but it's likely he'll be finding a way off the stage as Hyundai has retired the car.
WRC - Argentina: All that stands between Meeke and a first WRC win is the 10 miles of El Condor, run twice tomorrow. It's a notoriously rough stage.
"It's going to be a Sunday drive for me," he promises.
"It's going to be a Sunday drive for me," he promises.
Quote
WRC - Argentina: Meeke explains that he basically had to switch his Citroen on and off again like a stubborn computer:
"I got an alarm from a sensor, I panicked and I didn't know what to do. I had to switch it off, switch it back on and go again."
"I got an alarm from a sensor, I panicked and I didn't know what to do. I had to switch it off, switch it back on and go again."
WRC - Argentina: That performance extends Meeke's overall lead to 38.6s with just two stages to go on Sunday.
WRC - Argentina: Meeke is at the finish, he did lose a bit of time near the end but he's still 6s quicker than Ostberg.
Breaking news
WRC - Argentina: Hyundai says it's a mechanical problem that's stopped Sordo rather than a crash.
WRC - Argentina: Reports from on the stage that Meeke stalled his Citroen in the watersplash near the end, although he's still moving OK on the tracking system.
This is not a relaxing weekend for Meeke fans.
This is not a relaxing weekend for Meeke fans.
WRC - Argentina: Prokop finishes the stage, a minute slower than Neuville.
That drops him behind the Hyundai, but with Sordo stopping he actually stays sixth overall.
That drops him behind the Hyundai, but with Sordo stopping he actually stays sixth overall.
WRC - Argentina: Meeke reaches the final split, 10s faster than Ostberg now.
Stopwatch
WRC - Argentina: Meanwhile Meeke's still 3s quicker than Latvala and 9s up on Ostberg at the splits.
Quote
WRC - Argentina: Latvala says he's going to have a crack at catching Ostberg:
"It's quite a lot, but let's see. If he does a mistake or something, you never know. You've got to keep the pressure on."
He admits his driving this weekend hasn't been great, but says he's now feeling confident in the car's handling at last.
"It's quite a lot, but let's see. If he does a mistake or something, you never know. You've got to keep the pressure on."
He admits his driving this weekend hasn't been great, but says he's now feeling confident in the car's handling at last.
WRC - Argentina: Latvala takes precisely 10s out of Ostberg on that stage, meaning a gap of 25s between them in second and third heading into tomorrow's two-stage decider.
WRC - Argentina: Not a lot in it between Mikkelsen and Meeke for the stage win at the moment. The Citroen is just 0.8s slower than the VW at the middle split.
WRC - Argentina: Latvala is now 7.1s faster than Ostberg on this stage as he tries to chase the Citroen down for second.
WRC - Argentina: Evans finishes the stage fourth fastest. He's going to move up to the same position overall with Sordo out.
WRC - Argentina: Meeke remains slightly faster than both Latvala and Ostberg as he passes split three. His lead could be back towards 40s.
WRC - Argentina: Ostberg comes in third fastest so far behind Mikkelsen and Neuville.
He says he started off pushing hard then decided to back off due to the roughness of the stage.
"It's a very important second place," says Ostberg - underlining that he won't be trying to hunt down Meeke.
Right now he's also doing a good job of staying clear of Latvala too.
He says he started off pushing hard then decided to back off due to the roughness of the stage.
"It's a very important second place," says Ostberg - underlining that he won't be trying to hunt down Meeke.
Right now he's also doing a good job of staying clear of Latvala too.
WRC - Argentina: Ostberg and Latvala continue to set a pretty equal pace in the middle section of the stage.
The VW gained 6s on the Citroen early on, but since then those gains have halted.
The VW gained 6s on the Citroen early on, but since then those gains have halted.
WRC - Argentina: Neuville is in and second fastest so far. Prokop's car has been pretty shy about registering splits today, so we won't know for a while if Neuville will be taking the Czech independent's place, but we suspect he will be.
WRC - Argentina: Past split two, and Meeke is 2s faster than Latvala and 9s faster than Ostberg. That's just what he needed after this morning's wobbles.
Stopwatch
WRC - Argentina: Meanwhile Meeke is comfortably faster than Ostberg at split one. Looking good for rebuilding his lead - in fact Meeke is fastest of all.
WRC - Argentina: Latvala's gains over Ostberg are steadying as the stage goes on. He's still about 6s quicker than the Citroen, but with a 35s gap between them and three stages left, that's not going to make much difference.
At least Latvala will have less pressure from behind with Sordo gone.
At least Latvala will have less pressure from behind with Sordo gone.
By: David Evans, Jack Benyon, Matt Beer, Peter Mills, Mitchell Adam
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