WRC Finland, Moscow DTM, Argentina WTCC
Live Text
Sort by
WRC - Finland: Another four seconds or so added to Ketomaa's WRC2 lead. The R5 going from strength-to-strength here. Paddon claws 3.2s on Kubica, 5.4s between those two now.
WRC - Finland: While we're in Makinen-appreciation mode...Did you know that the 123 points he accrued in the '96 season, the year in which he won his first world title, was outscored only once (Loeb, 2005) until 2010 - when the Frenchman rattled off three utterly dominant campaigns?
Quote
AUTOSPORT had the pleasure of speaking to Tommi after he was reunited with his '96 Mitsubishi yesterday avening.
"It was nice to be back in the car again. The memory was good and the car felt very good – especially as it has been in the museum for so long!
"We had a problem with the clutch not releasing, which was a shame, but we will be back and driving again today."
Here's a reminder of what's coming up this afternoon, as well as the rest of the weekend. All times BST (GMT-1)
Friday, August 2:
IndyCar Mid-Ohio practice: 4:00pm
WTCC Termas testing: 4:30pm
WRC SS14, SS15: 4:32pm-7:15pm
IndyCar Mid-Ohio practice: 8:30pm
NASCAR Pocono qualifying: 8.10pm
Saturday, August 3:
The culmination of the WRC action from Finland, as well as Moscow DTM qualifying; Snetterton BTCC practice and qualifying; then WTCC practice and qualifying; IndyCar third practice and qualifying and Indy Lights qualifying, too.
Sunday, August 4:
Sunday sees a tin-top feast, with races from the DTM, BTCC and WTCC. There's also X-Games updates from Los Angeles, and races from Mid-Ohio for Indy Lights and IndyCar.
Friday, August 2:
IndyCar Mid-Ohio practice: 4:00pm
WTCC Termas testing: 4:30pm
WRC SS14, SS15: 4:32pm-7:15pm
IndyCar Mid-Ohio practice: 8:30pm
NASCAR Pocono qualifying: 8.10pm
Saturday, August 3:
The culmination of the WRC action from Finland, as well as Moscow DTM qualifying; Snetterton BTCC practice and qualifying; then WTCC practice and qualifying; IndyCar third practice and qualifying and Indy Lights qualifying, too.
Sunday, August 4:
Sunday sees a tin-top feast, with races from the DTM, BTCC and WTCC. There's also X-Games updates from Los Angeles, and races from Mid-Ohio for Indy Lights and IndyCar.
WRC - Finland: Latvala is getting stuck into Palsankyla, by the way. He started SS12 about five minutes ago. No Martin Prokop - his engine problems preventing him from starting the stage.
WRC - Finland: "It's not very comfortable to drive in the rough," says JML, after completing the stage in 7m08.3s.
Twitter
WTCC - Termas: It being the first time the series has visited Argentina, there's understandably a buzz of excitement around Termas.
Everyone was eager for this weekend to arrive - and none more so than Bamboo Chevrolet man James Nash, who had a bit of a mammoth trek to the circuit...
@JamesNashRacing: "Final part of the trip. Bus to the hotel. 32 hours so far!"
WRC - Finland: A few more times on the board for SS12. Mikkelsen is second, 2.1s behind his team-mate, ahead of Nikara and Sordo. PG Andersson is at the foot of the times.
WRC - Finland: Let off for Hirvonen! His tyre is off the rim. Not good news for the Citroen man at all. So what happened? "I was off in a fifth-gear corner, hit the bank and started to roll. But somehow I just carried. We have two punctures, lost a lot of time - but really it's a miracle we are still here!"
WRC - Finland: Kris Meeke has slotted in behind Latvala, while Novikov came in 8.6s down. Hirvonen, despite that massive moment, somehow only loses 18.7s. That's the slowest of the runners - but he's clearly very relieved just to get through the stage after that.
WRC - Finland: Sebastien Ogier, though, has no such dramas. He flies through the stage, completing it 4.9s quicker than his team-mate.
WRC - Finland: Ostberg loses a further 6.1s to Ogier on that run...the next few stages could be crucial to his hopes of winning this rally, as he's now 9.9s behind the championship leader.
Checkered flag
WRC - Finland: "I couldn't have gone any faster," says Neuville, who flies to second in the stage and claims third overall from Hirvonen.
SS12 results: 1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +1.7s; 3 Latvala +4.9s; 4 Ostberg +6.1s; 5 Meeke +6.2s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Ostberg +9.9s; 3 Neuville +17.4s; 4Hirvonen +35.6s; 5 Meeke +1m18.3s.
SS12 results: 1 Ogier; 2 Neuville +1.7s; 3 Latvala +4.9s; 4 Ostberg +6.1s; 5 Meeke +6.2s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Ostberg +9.9s; 3 Neuville +17.4s; 4Hirvonen +35.6s; 5 Meeke +1m18.3s.
WRC - Finland: A puncture for WRC2 leader Jari Ketomaa on the road section means he starts behind Robert Kubica. But guess what? He extends his lead by 0.4s. Still firmly in control.
WTCC - Termas: In just over an hour's time, WTCC history will be made as the drivers take to the Termas track for the first time - in preparation for the championship's first race in Argentina.
We've already seen, though, than James Nash is less-than-thrilled by the long haul to South America. He's not the only driver who's been Twitter, either...
We've already seen, though, than James Nash is less-than-thrilled by the long haul to South America. He's not the only driver who's been Twitter, either...
Twitter
WTCC - Termas: Here's Honda's hashtag-happy Tiago Monteiro @TiagosWorld18): "We made it ! 1700km. #myjourney to @CircuitoTRH was great! Thank you #honda & #HondaArgentina"
@DarrylOYoung seemed less thrilled by his trip: "6hr flight HK to NY, 6 hour layover in NY,10hr flight NY to Buenos Aires, 2hr flight BA to Rio De termos hondo,1hr taxi ride to circuit!!"
@TomCoronel, though, seemed rather satisfied in general: "Arrived @CircuitoTRH here #Argentina ready for @FIA_WTCC race here. Nice circuit cool combination of corners".
@DarrylOYoung seemed less thrilled by his trip: "6hr flight HK to NY, 6 hour layover in NY,10hr flight NY to Buenos Aires, 2hr flight BA to Rio De termos hondo,1hr taxi ride to circuit!!"
@TomCoronel, though, seemed rather satisfied in general: "Arrived @CircuitoTRH here #Argentina ready for @FIA_WTCC race here. Nice circuit cool combination of corners".
Breaking news
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: The cars haven't been onto the track at Mid-Ohio yet, and we've already had the least-newsy bit of news of the year, with BHA finally confirming that Luca Filippi will make his IndyCar debut this weekend.
Not unexpected, considering that a) he tested with them on Wednesday, and b) we spotted him hanging around the team garage this morning.
Not unexpected, considering that a) he tested with them on Wednesday, and b) we spotted him hanging around the team garage this morning.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: So that means we have two first-time drivers in the field this weekend, with James Davison preparing to have his first outing with Dale Coyne Racing (see 11:58). Remember that in case there's a 'what do Luca Filippi and James Davison have in common' question in the 2017 AUTOSPORT Christmas Quiz.
WRC - Finland: Ready and waiting for the start of SS13; so in this brief moment before the peace is shattered, we'd just like to take a moment to appreciate the aesthetic appeal of Rally Finland.
WRC - Finland: The Mokkipera stage is underway, the shortest of the day at 8.5 miles (13.74km). We're rattling through the stages at the moment.
WRC - Finland: And Latvala makes short work of the shortest stage. 6m51.4s for the Polo driver.
WRC - Finland: Andersson is the second car through, 11.8s down. We think he'll just be mightily relieved to have a fully-functioning car again.
WRC - Finland: Somebody appears to have told Dani Sordo he's competing in a rally. He absolutely blitzes Mokkipera to go quicker than Latvala by 0.3s.
Flying run from the Spaniard - exactly what the under-pressure Citroen driver needed. Now to crack on with the rest of the rally.
Flying run from the Spaniard - exactly what the under-pressure Citroen driver needed. Now to crack on with the rest of the rally.
WRC - Finland: Sordo's quicker than two VWs, as Mikkelsen finishes the stage 0.7s slower than the Spaniard. Novikov is next in, a disappointing 6m59s.
Meeke is just about to finish - and he's quickest so far through the first couple of splits.
Meeke is just about to finish - and he's quickest so far through the first couple of splits.
WRC - Finland: Meeke to Sordo: "Anything you can do, I can do better." Or stage times to that effect. He flies through SS13 in 6m50.0s to go quickest for now.
WRC - Finland: Hirvonen reaches the finish, five seconds slower than Meeke and in fifth. Any damage from that SS12 near-miss?
Ogier deposes Meeke from top spot. 6m47.7s for the lead VW. He's absolutely flying. Ostberg, though, has matched him in the early part of the stage...
Ogier deposes Meeke from top spot. 6m47.7s for the lead VW. He's absolutely flying. Ostberg, though, has matched him in the early part of the stage...
WRC - Finland: Meeke and Novikov incident has now gone to the event stewards and is officially under investigation.
WRC - Finland: Ostberg loses time in the final part of the run, dropping a further 2.5s to the rally leader. The Norwegian is actually slower than Meeke - but only by 0.2s.
His M-Sport team-mate Neuville, though, has an even worse time at the close of the stage. He's got a front-left puncture, and completes the stage in 7m02.5s.
His M-Sport team-mate Neuville, though, has an even worse time at the close of the stage. He's got a front-left puncture, and completes the stage in 7m02.5s.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Home-state hero Graham Rahal leads the field out of pitlane to get the first session of the weekend started.
Checkered flag
WRC - Finland: "It was at the beginning, after a big jump. What can you do?" The Belgian is rather philosophical. He's still 10.7s ahead of Hirvonen overall, though, so holds the final podium positon - but he did lead this rally at one stage, remember.
SS13 results: 1 Ogier; 2 Meeke +2.3s; 3 Ostberg +2.5s; 4 Sordo +3.4s; 5 Latvala +3.7s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Ostberg +12.4s; 3 Neuville +32.2s; 4 Hirvonen +42.9s; 5 Meeke +1m20.6s.
SS13 results: 1 Ogier; 2 Meeke +2.3s; 3 Ostberg +2.5s; 4 Sordo +3.4s; 5 Latvala +3.7s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Ostberg +12.4s; 3 Neuville +32.2s; 4 Hirvonen +42.9s; 5 Meeke +1m20.6s.
WRC - Finland: Novikov has moved back into the top 10, at the expense of Kubica. The Pole (pictured), claimed a stage win in class yesterday but today has lost a lot of time.
He lost another 1.7s to WRC2 leader Ketomaa on that stage, but extended his own advantage over third-placed Paddon to more than 20s.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Two early livery observations. 1) The lemon-lime popsicle Angie's List livery looks as bad on Tristan Vautier's car as it did on Katherine Legge's at Indy. 2) Panther has changed its National Guard camo paint job to pink for this weekend to honour female soldiers.
Military strategy fact: Pink is rarely an effective camouflage colour.
Military strategy fact: Pink is rarely an effective camouflage colour.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: If we're going to take the time to poke fun at Vautier's livery, it's only fair to also point out that right now he owns the fastest lap of the morning. Debutant James Davison has just moved up to P2. The session is 12 minutes old, and at the moment seven cars have set times.
Breaking news
WRC - Finland: We may have neglected to mention earlier that the incident between Meeke and Novikov is to be investigated by the stewards.
If he is judged to have been seriously impeded, the 30s he dropped on the stage could be credited back to him - putting him on the fringes of the podium fight between Neuville and Hirvonen.
If he is judged to have been seriously impeded, the 30s he dropped on the stage could be credited back to him - putting him on the fringes of the podium fight between Neuville and Hirvonen.
WTCC - Termas: 10 Race Centre Live points to anyone who has the least-confusing explanation of this picture. You know where to find us: @autosportnews.
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: There's just under 15 minutes left in this first session, and other than cars going around in circles, not a lot has happened. Ganassi is leading the way, with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti at the top of the timing screens, and Justin Wilson is just behind them for a provisional Honda 1-2-3.
Quickest of the Chevys is James Hinchcliffe. Of the rookies, James Davison is currently 19th, while Luca Filippi has completed just four laps and is 23rd.
Quickest of the Chevys is James Hinchcliffe. Of the rookies, James Davison is currently 19th, while Luca Filippi has completed just four laps and is 23rd.
WRC - Finland: Used the gap between stages to talk to Pirelli's Paul Hembery about the firm's return to the World Rally Championship next season. All very exciting and great to see the Italians coming back to a series in which they enjoy such a rich heritage.
Hembers now off on holiday. Enjoy...
Hembers now off on holiday. Enjoy...
WRC - Finland: Prokop won't be back tomorrow after his team discovered damage to the engine in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. He had run in the top 10 earlier today.
WRC - Finland: Latvala through SS14. "We had a clear day and I really enjoyed Lankamaa second time through, the ruts weren't as bad as the stages before.
"It's nice to go to Killeri now with no rain. It's 20 degrees, sunshine, the rally is on - what more could you want?"
Latvala's countryman Jarkko Nikara was quicker than him through some of the early splits, but the Mini driver has dropped back later in the stage.
"It's nice to go to Killeri now with no rain. It's 20 degrees, sunshine, the rally is on - what more could you want?"
Latvala's countryman Jarkko Nikara was quicker than him through some of the early splits, but the Mini driver has dropped back later in the stage.
Checkered flag
IndyCar - Mid-Ohio: Scott Dixon remains on top with a 1m05.7096s; 0.02s quicker than team-mate Dario Franchitti. Ryan Hunter-Reay completed the top three. There's another practice session to come this afternoon.
By: Scott Mitchell, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Sam Tremayne, Matt Beer, Jamie O'Leary, Kevin Turner
Published:
Page:
