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WRC - Argentina: Possible problems for Hyundai, with reports from SS5 that Neuville is running slowly.
IndyCar - Indianapolis: Hunter-Reay is the first to be caught out by the conditions. The Andretti driver wobbles onto the grass, but gathers it up again and presses on.
IndyCar - Indianapolis: The real impact of the changes of conditions is evident on the stopwatch - the cars are lapping 15s slower than they were when qualifying began.
WRC - Argentina: Neuville appears to have let Evans past on the stage as he struggles with a technical problem.
IndyCar - Indianapolis: A manic session ends with Hawksworth, Power, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Saavedra and Pagenaud progressing to the Fast Six.
Bourdais, Montoya, Kanaan, Castroneves, Hinchcliffe and Rahal are all finished for the day.
Bourdais, Montoya, Kanaan, Castroneves, Hinchcliffe and Rahal are all finished for the day.
IndyCar - Indianapolis: It's absolutely pouring as the green flag waves for the Fast Six.
Red flag
IndyCar - Indianapolis: Red flag for track conditions - there are a few patches of standing water. The rain appears to have already slowed down, so hopefully the delay will be a short one.
WRC - Argentina: Neuville has now had to park his Hyundai on the stage and is out of day one. He had been running fourth.
WRC - Argentina: That's the second problem for a Hyundai today, with Sordo having already lost 12 minutes on the opening loop.
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan told us what happened with the Spaniard's car: "The problem was the connection between the turbo and the intercooler pipe. We have changed all of the parts for this afternoon. This is not a problem we have ever had before, but this is why we are here – to find and fix problems like this."
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan told us what happened with the Spaniard's car: "The problem was the connection between the turbo and the intercooler pipe. We have changed all of the parts for this afternoon. This is not a problem we have ever had before, but this is why we are here – to find and fix problems like this."
WRC - Argentina: And now Sordo has stopped as well, with engine problems bringing his day to an end.
After that turbo connection issue earlier, he'd showed decent pace on the last stage.
After that turbo connection issue earlier, he'd showed decent pace on the last stage.
WRC - Argentina: And more drama on Ascochinga, with Mikkelsen stopped on the tracking system. That VW one-two-three looks to be in jeopardy.
With problems for Mikkelsen and Neuville, Meeke will potentially move into a podium spot.
With problems for Mikkelsen and Neuville, Meeke will potentially move into a podium spot.
WRC - Argentina: Ogier finishes the stage, but immediately hops out to check for damage. Turns out it's just that road conditions are poor, and he expects Latvala to move back ahead.
"My rear tyre was moving a lot, but it was just that the grip was terrible for me. I expect to lose a lot of time here."
There's a national rally after the WRC field and that will have disturbed the lines on the stage again since this morning.
"My rear tyre was moving a lot, but it was just that the grip was terrible for me. I expect to lose a lot of time here."
There's a national rally after the WRC field and that will have disturbed the lines on the stage again since this morning.
Stopwatch
WRC - Argentina: Sure enough Latvala is 18s faster than Ogier! That puts the Finn into the overnight lead by 17.5s.
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WRC - Argentina: Latvala is absolutely bursting with excitement after that stage - and he puts it all down to co-driver Miikka Antilla and ex-boss Malcolm Wilson.
"I had a really good feeling with Miikka on this stage, he did an absolutely perfect job. I really enjoyed the driving and that's when these things happen.
"Malcolm Wilson used to say to me 'Jari-Matti, you have to enjoy driving' and he was right."
"I had a really good feeling with Miikka on this stage, he did an absolutely perfect job. I really enjoyed the driving and that's when these things happen.
"Malcolm Wilson used to say to me 'Jari-Matti, you have to enjoy driving' and he was right."
IndyCar - Indianapolis: The rain has stopped, and the cars tiptoe out onto what is still a very wet track.
WRC - Argentina: Bit of a gap now as we've lost so many cars already. Technical problems for both Mikkelsen, Neuville and Sordo on this stage add to the shunts for Hirvonen and Ostberg earlier.
WRC - Argentina: Evans is through safely, and he's now going to be in a battle for fourth with Kubica and Prokop.
"It's a tough rally and we have to keep that in mind," says M-Sport's sensible rookie.
"It's a tough rally and we have to keep that in mind," says M-Sport's sensible rookie.
IndyCar - Indianapolis: Three minutes to run, and positions are changing constantly. Currently on provisional pole: Sebastian Saavedra(!).
WRC - Argentina: VW hasn't revealed Mikkelsen's problem, but says he'll be able to rejoin tomorrow.
Now with only a five-minute penalty and such high attrition, that means the Norwegian still has a good chance of big points.
Now with only a five-minute penalty and such high attrition, that means the Norwegian still has a good chance of big points.
Crash
IndyCar - Indianapolis: Big hit for Ryan Hunter-Reay, who loses the rear coming out of the final corner and backs it heavily into the wall.
Red flag
IndyCar - Indianapolis: Hunter-Reay is out of his car and looks fine, and we're under reds while the track workers mop up his car. If this session isn't restarted, Saavedra will start from pole. Wonder what sort of odds you'd have got on that a few days ago?
WRC - Argentina: Meeke comes through just 1.5s slower than Ogier, third-fastest on the stage and now third overall.
Co-driver Paul Nagle says they took it easy once they saw Mikkelsen's VW parked too.
Co-driver Paul Nagle says they took it easy once they saw Mikkelsen's VW parked too.
WRC - Argentina: Kubica completes the day safely and looks like he'll be very close to team-mate Evans for fourth...
Checkered flag
IndyCar - Indianapolis: And there's the chequered flag, which means that your front row tomorrow will be Sebastian Saavedra and Jack Hawksworth. Didn't see that coming.
Hunter-Reay had actually topped the times just before his accident but loses his two fastest laps for causing the red. He'll still start from third, with Pagenaud on the front row alongside him. Power and Dixon will start from row three.
Hunter-Reay had actually topped the times just before his accident but loses his two fastest laps for causing the red. He'll still start from third, with Pagenaud on the front row alongside him. Power and Dixon will start from row three.
WRC - Argentina: Yep, Kubica slots in just 0.2s behind Evans in fifth place overall.
Checkered flag
WRC - Argentina - SS5 results:
Stage:
1 Latvala 37m57.3s
2 Ogier +18.2s
3 Meeke +19.7s
4 Kubica 47.9s
5 Evans +56.1s
6 Prokop +1m04.9s
Overall:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +17.7s
3 Meeke +1m07.4s
4 Evans +3m48.1s
5 Kubica +3m48.3s
6 Prokop +4m12.2s
Rally Argentina Friday afternoon report
Stage:
1 Latvala 37m57.3s
2 Ogier +18.2s
3 Meeke +19.7s
4 Kubica 47.9s
5 Evans +56.1s
6 Prokop +1m04.9s
Overall:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +17.7s
3 Meeke +1m07.4s
4 Evans +3m48.1s
5 Kubica +3m48.3s
6 Prokop +4m12.2s
Rally Argentina Friday afternoon report
That's it for AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live tonight now that IndyCar and the WRC are done for the day.
Check our news section later tonight for reports from the first Indianapolis Indy Lights race and NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying from Kansas.
F1 Live resumes at 9.30am UK time tomorrow ahead of final practice in Spain, while Race Centre Live returns at 12.15pm ready for more from Argentina, plus World Touring Car Championship qualifying in Slovakia, European F3 from Pau, GP2 and GP3 racing on the F1 support bill and IndyCar's first Indianapolis road course race. See you then.
Check our news section later tonight for reports from the first Indianapolis Indy Lights race and NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying from Kansas.
F1 Live resumes at 9.30am UK time tomorrow ahead of final practice in Spain, while Race Centre Live returns at 12.15pm ready for more from Argentina, plus World Touring Car Championship qualifying in Slovakia, European F3 from Pau, GP2 and GP3 racing on the F1 support bill and IndyCar's first Indianapolis road course race. See you then.
WRC - Argentina: Hello and welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live where we begin a busy afternoon of motorsport with another dose of Rally Argentina.

Latvala
WRC - Argentina: Latvala currently leads VW team-mate Ogier after an action-packed first leg.
The lead changed hands three times yesterday before the Finn trounced his rival in the final stage and begins today with a 17.7s advantage.
Meeke’s more cautious approach is currently paying dividends as he currently sits a comfortable third in the overall classification, ahead of Evans on his Argentine debut.
Kubica has been tiptoeing his way through the event and lies in fifth position, with Prokop rounding off the top six in another Fiesta RS.

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WRC - Argentina: Here are the leading positions after the first leg:
1 Latvala 1h57m36.3s
2 Ogier +17.7s
3 Meeke +1m07.4s
4 Evans +3m48.1s
5 Kubica +3m48.3s
6 Prokop +4m12.2s
1 Latvala 1h57m36.3s
2 Ogier +17.7s
3 Meeke +1m07.4s
4 Evans +3m48.1s
5 Kubica +3m48.3s
6 Prokop +4m12.2s
WRC - Argentina: And where is everyone else? Well…
On the opening stage Hirvonen misjudged a pace note and crashed into a wall, while Ostberg hit a rock and damaged his front left wheel so badly he was unable to continue.
A turbo pipe came loose in Sordo’s Hyundai i20 which cost him 12 minutes, before he suffered engine problems on the final stage and was forced to retire.
Team-mate Neuville experienced a similar issue and was asked to pull over, rather than risk any further damage.
Mikkelsen had a suspected alternator problem before the day ended and parked up.
On the opening stage Hirvonen misjudged a pace note and crashed into a wall, while Ostberg hit a rock and damaged his front left wheel so badly he was unable to continue.
A turbo pipe came loose in Sordo’s Hyundai i20 which cost him 12 minutes, before he suffered engine problems on the final stage and was forced to retire.
Team-mate Neuville experienced a similar issue and was asked to pull over, rather than risk any further damage.
Mikkelsen had a suspected alternator problem before the day ended and parked up.
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WRC - Argentina: Robert Kubica says his change of driving style is working as the Polish star starts day two of Rally Argentina in fourth place.
Kubica has dramatically slowed his pace in an effort to stop crashing and find some confidence in his maiden World Rally Championship season at the highest level.
The RK M-Sport driver was encouraged to have made it though day one without any problems given the twisty nature of the stages.
Kubica told AUTOSPORT: “I am happy with the changes I did with the pace notes in the low-speed parts of the stage. I have been trying to cheat my brain and force myself to drive differently in the narrow sections and slower corners.
"Maybe I lose some time in the wide parts of the stage where it’s faster, but at least I’m in less difficulty in the narrow places.
"The priority is the finish for us.”
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WRC - Argentina: Volkswagen team principal Jost Capito has reiterated to AUTOSPORT this morning that there will be no team orders for Rally Argentina leader Jari-Matti Latvala and team-mate Sebastien Ogier – even though their nearest rival Kris Meeke is more than a minute off the lead.
Capito said: "There are no team orders whatsoever. I just told the boys to go for it.
"They are professionals. If Jari-Matti goes off, he knows the points gap to Seb will be more than 50 points and his championship is most likely gone.
"He knows he has to stay on the road. If Seb goes off and Jari-Matti gets 28 points then they are equal, so he can't afford to go off either.
"For both of them it's better to stay on the road and take second – it's not all or nothing for these guys. We're in for a great fight today – it's going to be very interesting!”
WRC - Argentina: Today is the longest day of the event with 164km of action packed into just four stages south of Villa Carlos Paz, which is in the countryside around the village of Santa Rosa de Calamuchita.
No reports of fog or mist, yet...
No reports of fog or mist, yet...

WRC - Argentina: Villa Carlos Paz's dog population was up early this morning - this fella was keeping an eye on Mads Ostberg's return to action at first service.
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WRC - Argentina: Sebastien Ogier has warned his Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala he’s not scared of the Finn’s 17-second Rally Argentina lead and he’ll be hunting him down.
The Polo pair traded places throughout yesterday, but it was Latvala who came out on top with a 17.7s advantage after Ogier struggled for grip in the final Friday test.
"I wasn’t surprised to see the time in that last stage yesterday," Ogier told AUTOSPORT, "I couldn’t find any grip with the rear.
"When you have the national rallies passing after us then you have guys on completely the wrong line and this puts a lot of loose gravel on the line.
"It’s almost always like this on the second pass of stages – the second car [Latvala] gets an immediate advantage.
"Today, I don’t open the road and the lead is nothing impossible. I’m really not afraid of this 17 seconds and, for sure, I’m going to push for this.”
The Polo pair traded places throughout yesterday, but it was Latvala who came out on top with a 17.7s advantage after Ogier struggled for grip in the final Friday test.
"I wasn’t surprised to see the time in that last stage yesterday," Ogier told AUTOSPORT, "I couldn’t find any grip with the rear.
"When you have the national rallies passing after us then you have guys on completely the wrong line and this puts a lot of loose gravel on the line.
"It’s almost always like this on the second pass of stages – the second car [Latvala] gets an immediate advantage.
"Today, I don’t open the road and the lead is nothing impossible. I’m really not afraid of this 17 seconds and, for sure, I’m going to push for this.”

WRC - Argentina: The pre-dawn drizzle has departed, but there are still plenty of clouds above the service park as the cars ready themselves for the first stage.
SS6 goes goes live in just a couple of minutes.
Green flag
WRC - Argentina: SS6 is underway. It's a 39.99-kilometre test with two fast zones at the beginning ahead of a new section which has plenty of high speed corners.
WRC - Argentina: Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan starts the second day of Rally Argentina on just two hours sleep after Thierry Neuville’s i20 WRC was delayed coming back from the final stage last night.
The high numbers of spectators in the second running of Ascochinga meant the Belgian’s broken Hyundai didn’t arrive back in Villa Carlos Paz until almost midnight.
The high numbers of spectators in the second running of Ascochinga meant the Belgian’s broken Hyundai didn’t arrive back in Villa Carlos Paz until almost midnight.
WRC - Argentina: And just as we say that, Neuville appears to have an issue already this morning and is coming to a halt...
...and so is Sordo, too!
...and so is Sordo, too!
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Dan Cross, Marcus Simmons, Peter Mills, Scott Mitchell
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