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BTCC - Snetterton: With the track now dry for FP2, we're seeing some proper times.
Jason Plato has already gone quicker than MG team-mate Sam Tordoff's pole from last year, with a 1m56.197s effort.
The former double champion has already said he needs big points this season to keep his title hopes alive.
Jason Plato has already gone quicker than MG team-mate Sam Tordoff's pole from last year, with a 1m56.197s effort.
The former double champion has already said he needs big points this season to keep his title hopes alive.
Orange
WRC - Finland: You might remember we brought you exclusive coverage of an orange walking around the service park yesterday.
Well he/she went a bit further last night when he/she joined the Neste Oil mascot (and a well-oiled local) in dancing to the tune of a couple of buskers.
BTCC - Snetterton: It's been a dramatic morning in Norfolk so far, with reigning champion Andrew Jordan requiring precautionary hospital checks after a crash in first practice.
He's missing the second session and we await further news about his participation in qualifying.
Alain Menu was fastest in the wet first session, leading team-mate Jack Goff in a BMR VW one-two.
He's missing the second session and we await further news about his participation in qualifying.
Alain Menu was fastest in the wet first session, leading team-mate Jack Goff in a BMR VW one-two.
NASCAR - Pocono: Rookie Kyle Larson claimed his first (proper) NASCAR Sprint Cup pole at Pocono yesterday.
His track-record lap of 49.063s (183.438mph) in the third and final round of Friday's knockout qualifying session edged Joey Logano.
Here's our qualifying report which includes the starting order for Sunday's race, which we will be covering here on Race Centre Live:
Ganassi's rookie Kyle Larson claims pole
His track-record lap of 49.063s (183.438mph) in the third and final round of Friday's knockout qualifying session edged Joey Logano.
Here's our qualifying report which includes the starting order for Sunday's race, which we will be covering here on Race Centre Live:
Ganassi's rookie Kyle Larson claims pole
Robert Kubica and Sebastien Ogier
WRC - Finland: In the meantime, a highly-recommended feature...
Sebastien Ogier and Robert Kubica recently sat down with a select group of journalists for a joint interview, with AUTOSPORT's DAVID EVANS among those invited.
The subsequent conversation included Ogier's frank views about Kubica's rallying progresson (and how it compares to Kimi Raikkonen's effort) and about Pastor Maldonado, among many other topics.
You might have seen an abridged version in our sister publication Motorsport News recently, but as a treat for AUTOSPORT Plus subscribers, here's the full uncut interview:
Kubica and Ogier quiz each other
WRC - Finland: The WRC field are heading for the service park now, with stages resuming in a little under two hours, when we'll repeat this morning's quintet of high-speed, high-flying challenges.
In the meantime we'll be bringing you all the news from the service park, plus updates from the practice sessions for this weekend's WTCC, BTCC and DTM events, and probably also WTCC correspondent PETER MILLS's efforts to reach Termas de Rio Hondo from a fog-stricken Buenos Aires airport.
In the meantime we'll be bringing you all the news from the service park, plus updates from the practice sessions for this weekend's WTCC, BTCC and DTM events, and probably also WTCC correspondent PETER MILLS's efforts to reach Termas de Rio Hondo from a fog-stricken Buenos Aires airport.
Breaking news
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: That was a wild start to the F3 weekend with Ocon and Verstappen colliding at the first corner and Blomqvist having to fend off Carlin team-mate Giovinazzi for the win.
Here's the full story of what happened courtesy of MARCUS SIMMONS, plus complete results:
Red Bull Ring European F3 race one report
Here's the full story of what happened courtesy of MARCUS SIMMONS, plus complete results:
Red Bull Ring European F3 race one report
Checkered flag
WRC - Finland - SS18 results:
Stage times:
1 Latvala 5m15.9s
2 Ogier +1.7s
= Mikkelsen +1.7s
4 Ostberg +2.6s
5 Meeke +6.0s
6 Hirvonen +6.5s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +29.9s
3 Meeke +43.4s
4 Mikkelsen +1m19.9s
5 Ostberg +1m28.3s
6 Hirvonen +1m43.5s
Stage times:
1 Latvala 5m15.9s
2 Ogier +1.7s
= Mikkelsen +1.7s
4 Ostberg +2.6s
5 Meeke +6.0s
6 Hirvonen +6.5s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +29.9s
3 Meeke +43.4s
4 Mikkelsen +1m19.9s
5 Ostberg +1m28.3s
6 Hirvonen +1m43.5s
Stopwatch
WRC - Finland: Another stage win for Latvala. He's 1.7s faster than Mikkelsen and Ogier and his lead grows to 29.9s.
WRC - Finland: Meeke is losing touch with Ogier for second now, though, dropping another 4s to the VW on this one. A podium would still be superb for Meeke here.
Stopwatch
WRC - Finland: Ogier and Mikkelsen set equal times and are joint-fastest so far.
Our champion makes a rare admission that he's not quite on top of things this morning:
"I struggle to brake in the right place. I don't know why. Too early, too late... It's not a drama."
And is Ogier going to settle for second?
"30 seconds to Jari in Finland is quite a lot. I don't have to be crazy. I'll try to keep a good rhythm but it would be stupid to push like mad to try to catch him."
That's not quite admitting defeat is it?
Our champion makes a rare admission that he's not quite on top of things this morning:
"I struggle to brake in the right place. I don't know why. Too early, too late... It's not a drama."
And is Ogier going to settle for second?
"30 seconds to Jari in Finland is quite a lot. I don't have to be crazy. I'll try to keep a good rhythm but it would be stupid to push like mad to try to catch him."
That's not quite admitting defeat is it?
WRC - Finland: Ostberg adds another 4s to his lead over Hirvonen in fifth, but he had a big scare on that stage, hitting some large rocks and initially believing he'd picked up a puncture.
DTM - Red Bull Ring: Just to recap the first practice session, Moscow winner Maxime Martin was quickest for BMW, ahead of Miguel Molina (Audi) and Robert Wickens). Second practice starts in about half an hour.
Quote
WRC - Finland: Hirvonen is keeping his chin up and plans a thoughtful lunchtime figuring out how to come back at Ostberg.
"We've lost time but we can still try to fight back. We'll go to service now and see what we can do.
"But it's more me than the car..."
"We've lost time but we can still try to fight back. We'll go to service now and see what we can do.
"But it's more me than the car..."
WRC - Finland: Hirvonen comes in fastest so far, but he's a few tenths down on next-man-in Ostberg on the splits again.
WRC - Finland: Evans is 2.6s slower than Hanninen so he drops to ninth overall, and the Finn sets off to close the half-minute gap to team-mate Paddon.
Evans is doing exactly what you want from an inexperienced rookie tackling Finland in a World Rally Car for the first time, though. No mistakes, plenty of mileage and plenty of learning.
Evans is doing exactly what you want from an inexperienced rookie tackling Finland in a World Rally Car for the first time, though. No mistakes, plenty of mileage and plenty of learning.
WRC - Finland: Usual pattern from the early cars on Leustu so far: Kubica a bit quicker than Solberg and Breen, now Hanninen becomes the pacesetter. Let's see if this is the stage where he takes eighth from Evans.
Breaking news
WRC - Finland - SS17 summary:
* Ogier is fastest but only trims 0.8s from Latvala's lead
* Meeke makes a mistake and drops 9.2s behind Ogier
* Hanninen closes to within a second of Evans
And the next stage, Leustu, is already beginning, with Kubica on his way through.
* Ogier is fastest but only trims 0.8s from Latvala's lead
* Meeke makes a mistake and drops 9.2s behind Ogier
* Hanninen closes to within a second of Evans
And the next stage, Leustu, is already beginning, with Kubica on his way through.
Checkered flag
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: Victory for Tom Blomqvist! The young Brit does it easy in the end, leading home team-mate Giovinazzi by more than four seconds.
Max Verstappen is third, although his clash with Esteban Ocon at the start is still under investigation. Jake Dennis and Felix Rosenqvist round out the top five, while Ocon missed out on points, finishing just 13th.
Max Verstappen is third, although his clash with Esteban Ocon at the start is still under investigation. Jake Dennis and Felix Rosenqvist round out the top five, while Ocon missed out on points, finishing just 13th.
Checkered flag
WRC - Finland - SS17 results:
Stage times:
1 Ogier 2m37.6s
2 Latvala +0.8s
3 Mikkelsen +1.5s
4 Ostberg +2.3s
5 Meeke +4.7s
6 Hirvonen +4.7s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +28.2s
3 Meeke +37.4s
4 Mikkelsen +1m18.2s
5 Ostberg +1m25.7s
6 Hirvonen +1m37.0s
Stage times:
1 Ogier 2m37.6s
2 Latvala +0.8s
3 Mikkelsen +1.5s
4 Ostberg +2.3s
5 Meeke +4.7s
6 Hirvonen +4.7s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +28.2s
3 Meeke +37.4s
4 Mikkelsen +1m18.2s
5 Ostberg +1m25.7s
6 Hirvonen +1m37.0s
WRC - Finland: Latvala is second fastest, eight tenths slower than Ogier.
"I'm satisfied with that. I can improve for the second run," reckons the leader, who is still 28.2s clear.
"I'm satisfied with that. I can improve for the second run," reckons the leader, who is still 28.2s clear.
WRC - Finland: A costly mistake from Meeke there - he loses 5s to Ogier as he has a moment on a downhill braking section. The gap to second place is up to 9.2s but Meeke will be relieved to continue.
Quote
WRC - Finland: Meeke made an early start this morning. Getting into service for 7am wasn't early enough for him, so he went for a run and a swim beforehand.
Meeke's boss Marek Nawarecki told AUTOSPORT he wanted more of the same from the Northern Irishman. We think he was talking more about Meeke's performance on the stages yesterday than about his swimming and running this morning.
"He did a fantastic job yesterday," said Nawarecki, "and we want Kris to keep up the pressure on the Volkswagen drivers today."
Meeke admitted he thought the Polo boys might find another gear today, with the stages being more familiar to them.
Meeke's boss Marek Nawarecki told AUTOSPORT he wanted more of the same from the Northern Irishman. We think he was talking more about Meeke's performance on the stages yesterday than about his swimming and running this morning.
"He did a fantastic job yesterday," said Nawarecki, "and we want Kris to keep up the pressure on the Volkswagen drivers today."
Meeke admitted he thought the Polo boys might find another gear today, with the stages being more familiar to them.
Quote
WRC - Finland: Ogier thinks he let some time slip there.
"I did a really good start but unfortunately I did two small mistakes at the end, which is why I'm complaining at myself a bit, like 'argh, I could've done a bit better!'"
"I did a really good start but unfortunately I did two small mistakes at the end, which is why I'm complaining at myself a bit, like 'argh, I could've done a bit better!'"
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: Some good racing between Brit Jake Dennis and Felix Rosenqvist, with Dennis outbraking Rosenqvist to move into fourth spot. We're on lap 18 of 24.
WRC - Finland: Ogier is a second and a half quicker than Mikkelsen. How's that going to compare to Latvala and Meeke?
Stopwatch
WRC - Finland: Ostberg is nearly 2.4s faster than Hirvonen, which extends their gap to 11s in the fight for fifth overall.
"In Finland you have to be perfect to be right on with the speed," summarises Ostberg.
This battle behind the podium fight has been changing all rally. On Thursday and Friday morning it was Hirvonen whose confidence was growing and it looked like he'd be hunting down Meeke.
Yesterday's spin changed that, and after their muted/frustrating starts respectively Mikkelsen and Ostberg are now surging away.
Mikkelsen comes through 0.8s faster than Ostberg this time and is our current pacesetter.
"In Finland you have to be perfect to be right on with the speed," summarises Ostberg.
This battle behind the podium fight has been changing all rally. On Thursday and Friday morning it was Hirvonen whose confidence was growing and it looked like he'd be hunting down Meeke.
Yesterday's spin changed that, and after their muted/frustrating starts respectively Mikkelsen and Ostberg are now surging away.
Mikkelsen comes through 0.8s faster than Ostberg this time and is our current pacesetter.
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: Half-race distance, and Max Verstappen has just passed both Jake Dennis and Felix Rosenqvist in one go to grab third place.
At the front, Blomqvist is still in P1, and has stretched his lead over Giovinazzi to a second after the pair spent a few laps running nose-to-tail.
At the front, Blomqvist is still in P1, and has stretched his lead over Giovinazzi to a second after the pair spent a few laps running nose-to-tail.
WRC - Finland: Paddon comes through fourth quickest as he maintains seventh in what is still the lead Hyundai.
We lost Thierry Neuville - who finished a brilliant second here for M-Sport in only his second shot at Rally Finland last year - yesterday when what seemed a fairly harmless mistake caused rollcage damage to his i20.
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan gave AUTOSPORT more detail: "We could have worked on the rollcage, but for me this was a safety issue and when we would have had to repair the sill, then this is not a job to do here. It's a shame, but it's the sensible thing to do.
We lost Thierry Neuville - who finished a brilliant second here for M-Sport in only his second shot at Rally Finland last year - yesterday when what seemed a fairly harmless mistake caused rollcage damage to his i20.
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan gave AUTOSPORT more detail: "We could have worked on the rollcage, but for me this was a safety issue and when we would have had to repair the sill, then this is not a job to do here. It's a shame, but it's the sensible thing to do.
WRC - Finland: Hanninen only manages to take six tenths out of Evans in his chase of the Welshman's eighth place on this one. That leaves them 1.7s apart.
"I need to be more patient," reckons Hanninen, after a stage of slides. He's currently the fastest man through.
"I need to be more patient," reckons Hanninen, after a stage of slides. He's currently the fastest man through.
Henning Solberg
WRC - Finland: Solberg and Breen are through slightly slower than Kubica again.
Solberg suffered an early morning scare leaving service. Driving down to the out control, the Norwegian felt his Fiesta had a gearshift problem. He reversed the car back to its M-Sport bay, the boys plugged in the laptop and cured the fault in an instant - all in front of AUTOSPORT's camera.
Solberg is the closest threat to Breen's 10th place, but is over a minute behind after his various punctures, so the Irishman's point looks safe for now.
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: Five laps done here in hilly Spielberg, and Blomqvist continues to lead from team-mate Giovinazzi. Felix Rosenqvist, who started down in ninth, is third, while Verstappen is fifth, and Ocon is back up to 17th.
WRC - Finland: Kubica has safely completed SS17. He's not looking at the overall standings of course, but AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live quite likes obscure things so we are, and he's recently moved ahead of Wolfram Dobberer's Opel Corsa. He might soon be back in the top 50.
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: Verstappen now running sixth and is the fastest man on track. Ocon is also still running, but right at the back.
Looking at replays of the crash, it's a tough one to call. Verstappen hits Ocon's right-rear, which is never good. Could be that the Dutchman cops some heat for that one.
Looking at replays of the crash, it's a tough one to call. Verstappen hits Ocon's right-rear, which is never good. Could be that the Dutchman cops some heat for that one.
Lights out
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: The race is go – and Ocon and Verstappen have clashed at the first corner! Both drivers made good starts, and both went for the same bit of road. Ocon spun, but Verstappen managed to keep going. Tom Blomqvist now leads from Antonio Giovinazzi.
European F3 - Red Bull Ring: It's almost go time here for the first F3 race of the weekend. Esteban Ocon will start from pole alongside Max Verstappen.
WRC - Finland: Two more stages coming up this morning, back-to-back and quick-fire.
Himos, which is 2.765 miles, is next up in just over five minutes, and then the drivers immediately head to the 6.220-mile Leustu before midday service.
Here's what to watch out for on that little blast:
* Will Latvala continue to pull away?
* Can Meeke come back at Ogier for second?
* Can Ostberg and Hirvonen stop Mikkelsen escaping with fourth?
* Will Hanninen take eighth from Evans?
* Will a man (or woman) dressed as an orange appear in a top-secret Toyota Celica?
Himos, which is 2.765 miles, is next up in just over five minutes, and then the drivers immediately head to the 6.220-mile Leustu before midday service.
Here's what to watch out for on that little blast:
* Will Latvala continue to pull away?
* Can Meeke come back at Ogier for second?
* Can Ostberg and Hirvonen stop Mikkelsen escaping with fourth?
* Will Hanninen take eighth from Evans?
* Will a man (or woman) dressed as an orange appear in a top-secret Toyota Celica?
WRC - Finland: DAVID EVANS has been tracking down some of the Brits starring in the lower classes in Finland.
"Good chat with Tom Cave and Alastair Fisher this morning. Cave's setting the Drive DMACK Fiesta pace but Fisher has already suffered two punctures and a broken gearbox. When he gets a clean run on the stages, he fastest of the Junior WRC runners."
Slovakia's Martin Koci currently leads the Juniors by a commanding margin.
"Good chat with Tom Cave and Alastair Fisher this morning. Cave's setting the Drive DMACK Fiesta pace but Fisher has already suffered two punctures and a broken gearbox. When he gets a clean run on the stages, he fastest of the Junior WRC runners."
Slovakia's Martin Koci currently leads the Juniors by a commanding margin.
V8 Supercars - Queensland: Whincup's race two win was assisted by Scott McLaughlin's Volvo and Michael Caruso's Nissan colliding as they battled for the lead with 10 laps left.
The pair are good friends and that probably helped McLaughlin's extremely chilled reaction to basically being punted out of first place. He ended up 19th, with Caruso 24th after a penalty.
Judge the tangle for yourself in the series' official highlights video:
The pair are good friends and that probably helped McLaughlin's extremely chilled reaction to basically being punted out of first place. He ended up 19th, with Caruso 24th after a penalty.
Judge the tangle for yourself in the series' official highlights video:
Breaking news
DTM - Red Bull Ring: News from the DTM paddock in Austria this morning, the DTM drivers have formed a drivers' association. The DTM Driver Association will be fronted by former driver Manuel Reuter, and, according to the release, will 'improve cooperation between drivers, the organiser of the series, the ITR, and the German Motor Sport Association (DMSB).'
Any DTM drivers are welcome to join the association, with each manufacturer set to have a spokesperson. For Audi, it will be Timo Scheider, for BMW it will be Timo Glock, and for Mercedes it will be Gary Paffett.
Any DTM drivers are welcome to join the association, with each manufacturer set to have a spokesperson. For Audi, it will be Timo Scheider, for BMW it will be Timo Glock, and for Mercedes it will be Gary Paffett.
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Marcus Simmons, Mark Glendenning, Dan Cross, Andrew van Leeuwen, Kevin Turner, Peter Mills
Published:
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