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WRC - France: And the overall standings after that stage as Latvala further consolidates his advantage:
1) Latvala 1hr41m41.0s
2) Mikkelsen +20.2s
3) Meeke +50.7s
4) Sordo +1m27.5s
5) Kubica +1m33.8s
6) Ostberg +1m38.4s
7) Hirvonen +1m41.1s
8) Evans +2m00.4s
1) Latvala 1hr41m41.0s
2) Mikkelsen +20.2s
3) Meeke +50.7s
4) Sordo +1m27.5s
5) Kubica +1m33.8s
6) Ostberg +1m38.4s
7) Hirvonen +1m41.1s
8) Evans +2m00.4s
WRC - France: Here are the leading times for SS11:
1) Latvala 9m06.9s
2) Ogier +1.9s
3) Meeke +4.2s
4) Mikkelsen +5.4s
5) Hirvonen +6.9s
6) Kubica +9.1s
7) Neuville +9.6s
8) Sordo +10.1s
1) Latvala 9m06.9s
2) Ogier +1.9s
3) Meeke +4.2s
4) Mikkelsen +5.4s
5) Hirvonen +6.9s
6) Kubica +9.1s
7) Neuville +9.6s
8) Sordo +10.1s
WRC - France: Here's Latvala, who sets a blistering time of 9m06.9s to take another stage win and stretch his legs up front even further.
WRC - France: Mikkelsen drops 1.2s to Meeke as he slots into third, 3.5s away from Ogier's pace.
WRC - France: Now on the stage are Mikkelsen and Latvala, who is 1.8s up on Ogier at the halfway split.
WRC - France: Meeke is driving with Citroen's place in the consructors' championship firmly in mind - and is being fed the splits of nearest pursuer Sordo during the stages.
The Ulsterman is easily second quickest so far, 2.3s behind Ogier and 5.9s up on Sordo.
The Ulsterman is easily second quickest so far, 2.3s behind Ogier and 5.9s up on Sordo.
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WRC - France: Ostberg has lost precious ground as he takes the finish, giving away 1.7s to Kubica and 3.9s to Hirvonen.
Sordo, meanwhile, loses another second to Kubica in the battle for fourth place.
"It's close behind, so I'm pushing really hard," says the Hyundai man. "We are on the limit of the tyres."
Sordo, meanwhile, loses another second to Kubica in the battle for fourth place.
"It's close behind, so I'm pushing really hard," says the Hyundai man. "We are on the limit of the tyres."
WRC - France: Laying down the gauntlet to Kubica and Ostberg, Hirvonen doesn't quite knock Ogier from his perch - but he does take a comfortable second, only five seconds away from the VW driver.
Ostberg is up next, followed by Sordo, Meeke, Mikkelsen and Latvala.
Ostberg is up next, followed by Sordo, Meeke, Mikkelsen and Latvala.
WRC - France: Hirvonen is a tenth up on Ogier at the halfway split as fellow M-Sport man Kubica reaches the end of the stage.
The Pole goes second quickest, half a second up on Neuville but 7.2s slower than Ogier.
The Pole goes second quickest, half a second up on Neuville but 7.2s slower than Ogier.
WRC - France: Despite Evans' spin, he's still done enough to move ahead of Bouffier, with whom he was level coming into this stage.
The Hyundai driver was only fifth quickest, 9.3s slower than Evans and a touch off the pace of compatriot Maurin.
Next up will be Kubica, who will be looking to get closer to Sordo in the battle for fourth.
The Hyundai driver was only fifth quickest, 9.3s slower than Evans and a touch off the pace of compatriot Maurin.
Next up will be Kubica, who will be looking to get closer to Sordo in the battle for fourth.
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WRC - France: That split was clearly costly for Evans, who was only 2.4s down on Ogier at the halfway split but ended up losing 10.4s to the reigning champion.
"We had an OK run until that point," explains Evans. "We just put on wheel off the tarmac which spun us round."
"We had an OK run until that point," explains Evans. "We just put on wheel off the tarmac which spun us round."
WRC - France: Evans loses time as he suffers a half-spin as he makes his way through the stage.
Meanwhile Neuville has made the finish second quickest so far, 7.7s down on Ogier but well clear of third-place man Maurin.
Meanwhile Neuville has made the finish second quickest so far, 7.7s down on Ogier but well clear of third-place man Maurin.
Beckham M-sport food
WRC - France: As the crews headed out for the first loop of stages this morning, the teams prepared the convoy for the remote service in Colmar.
That meant tyres and trolley jacks in the back of vans and, more importantly, M-Sport superstar Mick the chef filling his boot with lovely lunchtime tucker, as DAVID EVANS spotted.
WRC - France: Ogier sets a benchmark of 9m08.8s, around five seconds quicker than Latvala's best effort this morning.
Protasov, Maurin and Kuipers will be next to finish, before the next of our manufacturer runners, Thierry Neuville, takes the flying finish.
Protasov, Maurin and Kuipers will be next to finish, before the next of our manufacturer runners, Thierry Neuville, takes the flying finish.
WRC - France: Following this stage will be second runs through Soultzeren - Le Grand Hohnack (19.93km) and Pays Welche - Riquewihr (21.49km), before the Mulhouse superspecial at 5pm UK time.
Welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live's coverage of the Rally of France.
SS11, a second run through the 18.9km Vallee de Munster test, is already under way, with Ogier first to take to the stage.
SS11, a second run through the 18.9km Vallee de Munster test, is already under way, with Ogier first to take to the stage.
Breaking news
Our Rally of France coverage will pick up again just before SS11 kicks off at 11.35am UK time. In the meantime, here's a review of the morning's action:
Latvala increases Rally of France lead
Latvala increases Rally of France lead
WRC-2 - France: It's time to take a glance at the lower classes after that morning loop.
In WRC-2, our overnight leader Quentin Gilbert has seen his 9.1s lead over Bernardo Sousa overturned, the Portuguese driver holding an advantage of one second as things stand.
A further 90 seconds back in third place sits Sebastien Chardonnet, who was ruled out of contention for class honours by a puncture yesterday.
Meanwhile, erstwhile WRC-3 leader Frederic Hauswald retired from the rally after suffering an electrical problem during last night's Strasbourg superspecial.
That handed the class lead to Britain's Alistair Fisher, who continues to lead by 15.7s over Eric Camilli, with Martin Koci a further 2.0s back.
In WRC-2, our overnight leader Quentin Gilbert has seen his 9.1s lead over Bernardo Sousa overturned, the Portuguese driver holding an advantage of one second as things stand.
A further 90 seconds back in third place sits Sebastien Chardonnet, who was ruled out of contention for class honours by a puncture yesterday.
Meanwhile, erstwhile WRC-3 leader Frederic Hauswald retired from the rally after suffering an electrical problem during last night's Strasbourg superspecial.
That handed the class lead to Britain's Alistair Fisher, who continues to lead by 15.7s over Eric Camilli, with Martin Koci a further 2.0s back.
WRC - France: And so, here are the overall times as the drivers ready themselves for the afternoon loop:
1) Latvala 1hr32m34.1s
2) Mikkelsen +14.8s
3) Meeke +46.5s
4) Sordo +1m17.4s
5) Kubica +1m24.7s
6) Ostberg +1m27.6s
7) Hirvonen +1m34.2s
8) Bouffier/Evans +2m48.1s
1) Latvala 1hr32m34.1s
2) Mikkelsen +14.8s
3) Meeke +46.5s
4) Sordo +1m17.4s
5) Kubica +1m24.7s
6) Ostberg +1m27.6s
7) Hirvonen +1m34.2s
8) Bouffier/Evans +2m48.1s
WRC - France: Here are the leading times for SS10, as VW takes another one-two-three:
1) Latvala 12m04.7s
2) Mikkelsen +0.7s
3) Ogier +2.7s
4) Kubica +4.8s
5) Ostberg +7.8s
6) Evans +8.2s
7) Sordo +8.5s
8) Neuville +10.8s
1) Latvala 12m04.7s
2) Mikkelsen +0.7s
3) Ogier +2.7s
4) Kubica +4.8s
5) Ostberg +7.8s
6) Evans +8.2s
7) Sordo +8.5s
8) Neuville +10.8s
WRC - France: Sure enough, Latvala pulls out another 0.7s on Mikkelsen, eking out his advantage at the head of the field to 14.8s at the conclusion of the morning loop.
WRC - France: Meeke comes home 8.5s down on Ogier, but Mikkelsen lops two seconds off his fellow VW driver's benchmark.
Just Latvala left to come, who is looking good for a third straight stage win according to the splits.
Just Latvala left to come, who is looking good for a third straight stage win according to the splits.
WRC - France: Also losing ground to Kubica on that stage are Ostberg, who drops 2.5s in the battle for fifth, and Sordo, who sees his buffer over Kubica trimmed by 3.7s.
WRC - France: Hirvonen loses 6.7s to Kubica on that stage, and is in danger of losing touch with the former grand prix winner in the overall standings.
WRC - France: Kubica goes second quickest as he looks to eat into Sordo's advantage in the battle for fourth.
Like team-mate Evans, he lost time in the final split, crossing the flying finish with a time 2.1s away from Ogier.
Like team-mate Evans, he lost time in the final split, crossing the flying finish with a time 2.1s away from Ogier.
WRC - France: Bouffier is through, but with a time 9.9s slower than Evans, he will now be joint eighth with his rival in the overall classification.
WRC - France: Evans found some pace in the middle of that stage, but lost it all towards the end.
The M-Sport Ford man completes the stage 5.5s down on Ogier, but 2.6s clear of Neuville, who says he's struggling with his set-up.
The M-Sport Ford man completes the stage 5.5s down on Ogier, but 2.6s clear of Neuville, who says he's struggling with his set-up.
WRC - France: Nobody's looking likely to topple Ogier's time of the other manufacturer runners on the stage so far.
Neuville is 2.9s down at the second split, while Evans is 4.9s down at the first.
Neuville is 2.9s down at the second split, while Evans is 4.9s down at the first.
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WRC - France: Ogier is now through the 21.49 Pays Welche - Riquewihr stage, the longest of the day, with a time of 12m07.4s.
"There are no chance of points except for the powerstage," confirms Ogier, who was 6m43s away from 10th place after SS9.
"There are no chance of points except for the powerstage," confirms Ogier, who was 6m43s away from 10th place after SS9.
Beckham Block tee
WRC - France: The whole foie gras loveliness (lovely that is unless you’re the Toulouse geese used in the process) was spoiled a little bit by the stall next door selling what looked to be slightly moody team t-shirts.
That said, this Monster Ken Block tee did serve as a reminder that the Hoonigan Racing hero will be back in the WRC next time out in Salou.
Beckham foie gras
WRC - France: You’re left in little doubt which of the world’s service parks you could be in when you’re confronted by a stall selling foie gras, observes DAVID EVANS.
Actually, that’s not right, it could be one of two: Strasbourg or Gap. France: the only country graced by two rounds of the world championship.
Fortunately, Rally GB grand fromage Ben Taylor is present in Alsace, hopefully he’s taken note and such culinary delights will be made available in Deeside.
WRC - France: So, Latvala has extended his lead to 14.1s after SS9:
1) Latvala 1hr20m29.4s
2) Mikkelsen +14.1s
3) Meeke +35.3s
4) Sordo +1m08.9s
5) Kubica +1m19.9s
6) Ostberg +1m20.3s
7) Hirvonen +1m22.7s
8) Bouffier +2m30.0s
1) Latvala 1hr20m29.4s
2) Mikkelsen +14.1s
3) Meeke +35.3s
4) Sordo +1m08.9s
5) Kubica +1m19.9s
6) Ostberg +1m20.3s
7) Hirvonen +1m22.7s
8) Bouffier +2m30.0s
WRC - France: With that, we can now bring you the leading times for that stage:
1) Latvala 9m33.4s
2) Ogier +0.2s
3) Mikkelsen +3.2s
4) Evans +4.2s
5) Meeke +4.7s
6) Sordo +7.0s
7) Kubica +7.8s
8) Ostberg +8.8s
1) Latvala 9m33.4s
2) Ogier +0.2s
3) Mikkelsen +3.2s
4) Evans +4.2s
5) Meeke +4.7s
6) Sordo +7.0s
7) Kubica +7.8s
8) Ostberg +8.8s
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WRC - France: And, with a 9m33.4s, Latvala takes yet another stage win by just two tenths to further extend his lead.
Asked how he got so rapid on asphalt, Latvala says: "M-Sport wanted me to improve my pace, so they sent me to Nurburgring to practice.
"I've been practicing for many years, and I have just got quicker and quicker!"
Asked how he got so rapid on asphalt, Latvala says: "M-Sport wanted me to improve my pace, so they sent me to Nurburgring to practice.
"I've been practicing for many years, and I have just got quicker and quicker!"
WRC - France: Mikkelsen had been 3.4s up on Ogier at the halfway point, but he ends up three seconds down at the end of the stage.
WRC - France: Sordo is through with a time 6.8s shy of Ogier to go third, before being shunted down a place by Meeke, who goes 2.3s faster and further consolidates his grip on third place.
Just Mikkelsen and Latvala to come now, while Ogier is already poised to tackle SS10.
Just Mikkelsen and Latvala to come now, while Ogier is already poised to tackle SS10.
WRC - France: Ostberg drops a second to Kubica through that stage, enough to drop him behind the Pole and down into sixth place overall.
WRC - France: Bouffier drops 12.5s to Evans, putting the M-Sport driver less than 10 second adrift after this one.
Kubica meanwhile goes third quickest, 1.8s quicker than team-mate Hirvonen, the man he passed on the previous stage.
Kubica meanwhile goes third quickest, 1.8s quicker than team-mate Hirvonen, the man he passed on the previous stage.
WRC - France: A rather downbeat Neuville crosses the flying finish 8.2s down on Ogier.
Evans, meanwhile, slots nicely between the pair, four seconds slower than Ogier and second quickest so far.
We'll soon find out how much time he's taken out of Bouffier in the battle for eighth.
Evans, meanwhile, slots nicely between the pair, four seconds slower than Ogier and second quickest so far.
We'll soon find out how much time he's taken out of Bouffier in the battle for eighth.
Loeb wine
WRC - France: Local hero Sebastien Loeb’s driving a Citroen race car this weekend, but it’s one seat short and on the wrong continent for the folk around his home region of Alsace.
Fortunately for them, there’s still the chance to dive into a glass or two of Loeb’s own wine. It’s bubbly, of course; you don’t really do any other sort when you’ve sprayed it on 116 rounds of the WRC – 78 of those from the top step of the podium. The WTCC-racing Frenchman’s missed here.
That said, Loeb’s absence does mean there’s a bargain to be found in his merchandise tent, as DAVID EVANS discovered...
By: Jamie Klein, David Evans
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