WRC France, Houston IndyCar
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WRC - France - SS11:
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Loeb +2.9s; 3 Sordo +4.0s; 4 Latvala +8.0s; 5 Novikov +17.1s; 6 Hirvonen +17.2s.
Overall: 1 Sordo; 2 Latvala +2.9s; 3 Loeb +4.5s; 4 Ogier +5.2s; 5 Neuville +1m07.8s.
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Loeb +2.9s; 3 Sordo +4.0s; 4 Latvala +8.0s; 5 Novikov +17.1s; 6 Hirvonen +17.2s.
Overall: 1 Sordo; 2 Latvala +2.9s; 3 Loeb +4.5s; 4 Ogier +5.2s; 5 Neuville +1m07.8s.
WRC - France: Well that was hectic. Neuville's mid-stage incident drops him down to fifth overall with over a minute to (somehow) make up.
Sordo's been in sparkling form this weekend and now leads, ahead of Latvala and the two Sebs - Loeb and Ogier respectively - and just 5.2s covers the top four!
Sordo's been in sparkling form this weekend and now leads, ahead of Latvala and the two Sebs - Loeb and Ogier respectively - and just 5.2s covers the top four!
WRC - France: Hirvonen sets a time of 14m58.7s, which is 17.2s slower than team-mate Sordo. The Finn is very much under the weather this weekend and sounds full of cold.
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WRC - France: Mikkelsen is next to roll across the finish line with a time of 15m07.6s.
"It's a bit better out there this afternoon," he says."Still very slippery with a lot of gravel on the road.
"The road is dry in some places, but very wet in the forest section - very tricky!"
"It's a bit better out there this afternoon," he says."Still very slippery with a lot of gravel on the road.
"The road is dry in some places, but very wet in the forest section - very tricky!"
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Auto GP - Brno: Championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli has identified his start technique as a key area he will be reappraising ahead of tomorrow's season finale.
“We need to look at our starts again for tomorrow,” said Ghirelli, who from pole dropped three places away from the lights in this afternoon's opening race at Brno.
“I was down in fourth position exiting the first corner. I just had too much wheelspin.”
“We need to look at our starts again for tomorrow,” said Ghirelli, who from pole dropped three places away from the lights in this afternoon's opening race at Brno.
“I was down in fourth position exiting the first corner. I just had too much wheelspin.”
Stopwatch
WRC - France: Ogier's a different man today after his lacklustre performance yesterday. The newly-crowned World Champion has pipped his compatriot by 2.9s!
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Auto GP - Brno: "That didn’t contribute to my moment on the grass, which happened when I looked down in the cockpit to find the brake bias," continued Karthikeyan.
"I am used to the F1-style adjuster, you know! But I am happy I am still alive as far as the championship is concerned.”
"I am used to the F1-style adjuster, you know! But I am happy I am still alive as far as the championship is concerned.”
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Auto GP - Brno: Narain Karthikeyan gives his reaction to a superb victory at Brno this afternoon, and explains his late race trip across the grass exiting the final corner.
“We were slightly too ambitious by taking off a bit too much rear-wing before the start,” said Karthikeyan. “I had a mega start and the car was really fast in the early laps, but I knew as my rears went off the car was going to get increasingly nervous.
“We were slightly too ambitious by taking off a bit too much rear-wing before the start,” said Karthikeyan. “I had a mega start and the car was really fast in the early laps, but I knew as my rears went off the car was going to get increasingly nervous.
Stopwatch
WRC - France: Loeb goes quickest with a time of 14m44.4s.
"It was quite a good stage," he says with a large dollop of understatement.
"It was quite a good stage," he says with a large dollop of understatement.
WRC - France: Latvala is next home and finishes 4s slower than Sordo. The pair have been engaged in a fierce battle all day, even more so now that Neuville has dropped down the order.
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WRC - France: Neuville drops 1m22 to Sordo. Left-rear tyre completely gone.
The former leader said: "I hit a stone or something, knocked the tyre off the rim and that was it."
The former leader said: "I hit a stone or something, knocked the tyre off the rim and that was it."
WRC - France: Left-rear puncture for Neuville. Maybe damage from the first moment in the stage. He will lose the lead, 14s down on Sordo at split 3.
WRC-France Spin for Neuville! Too quick in a long right-hander - 360 and carried on. Another moment in a left-hander. The rally leader is right on the ragged edge!
WRC - France: Massive moment for leader Neuville through very wet medium-speed right-hander. He looks to have got away without any damage on the car and continues at full speed in the stage. Pressure?
WRC - France: Long interview with French rally legend Guy Frequelin during the break between stages. Fascinating insight into his time with Sebastien Loeb at Citroen - read all about it in next week's AUTOSPORT.
WRC - France: Not long until the second loop of stages gets underway here in France. Neuville continues to lead the way with a 13.1s advantage over Jari-Matti Latvala who has Dani Sordo hot on his tail.
The Hohlandsbourg - Firstplan test should begin in about five minutes, which is just enough time for you to catch-up on what happened this morning.
Thierry Neuville extends Rally France lead
The Hohlandsbourg - Firstplan test should begin in about five minutes, which is just enough time for you to catch-up on what happened this morning.
Thierry Neuville extends Rally France lead
Auto GP - Brno: Meindert van Buuuren also had pit dramas. The Dutchman was a candidate for a top-six result before encountering a lengthy delay caused by a problematic right-rear wheel during his tyre change.
Auto GP - Brno: Auto GP debutant Josef Kral's race was compromised when his Zele Racing machine's engine cut out during his mandatory pitstop. The former GP2 race winner finished a distant last.
IndyCar - Houston: Just Wilson led the opening day of practice at Houston. The Brit pipped Will Power by 0.3s towards the end of the session while Ed Carpenter had the ignominy of causing two red flag periods.
Justin Wilson fastest in stop-start second IndyCar Houston practice
Justin Wilson fastest in stop-start second IndyCar Houston practice
NASCAR - Kansas: Over in NASCAR, Kevin Harvick managed to break his pole drought at Kansas. It's his first in seven years!
Kevin Harvick claims pole for Childress
Kevin Harvick claims pole for Childress
ALMS - Virgina: 
You may have missed this last night while you where in the pub or alseep or whatever, but Pickett's streak of ALMS poles came to end yesterday.
Dyson Racing's Guy Smith was the one to break their stranglehold and will start the penultimate ALMS race from the front of the field.
Sportscar ace Maxime Martin claimed his second series pole in the GT category whose session was truncated after several competitors spun on oil that had been deposited on the track.
Dyson's Guy Smith ends Pickett's pole streak
You may have missed this last night while you where in the pub or alseep or whatever, but Pickett's streak of ALMS poles came to end yesterday.
Dyson Racing's Guy Smith was the one to break their stranglehold and will start the penultimate ALMS race from the front of the field.
Sportscar ace Maxime Martin claimed his second series pole in the GT category whose session was truncated after several competitors spun on oil that had been deposited on the track.
Dyson's Guy Smith ends Pickett's pole streak
Auto GP - Brno: Karthikeyan's win vaults the Indian from fourth to second in the drivers' standings.
Provisional points: 1 Ghirelli, 210; 2 Karthikeyan, 195; 3 Sato, 192; 4 Campana, 182.
Early season championship leader Sergio Campana's hopes of lifting the title appear over, as a maximum score of 21 points is available in tomorrow's final race of the season.
Provisional points: 1 Ghirelli, 210; 2 Karthikeyan, 195; 3 Sato, 192; 4 Campana, 182.
Early season championship leader Sergio Campana's hopes of lifting the title appear over, as a maximum score of 21 points is available in tomorrow's final race of the season.
Checkered flag
Auto GP - Brno: 1 Narain Karthikeyan; 2 Vittorio Ghirelli; 3 Robert Visoiu; 4 Kimiya Sato; 5 Tamas Pal Kiss; 6 Sergio Campana.
WRC - France: 
We've just been looking through the record books following Loeb's 900th stage victory earlier today.
The French rally ace tops the all-time rankings, ahead of Markku Alen on 801 and Carlos Sainz on 756, which seems like a good enough reason to post a picture of Alen getting his Lancia Delta rather dirty.
Markku Alen
We've just been looking through the record books following Loeb's 900th stage victory earlier today.
The French rally ace tops the all-time rankings, ahead of Markku Alen on 801 and Carlos Sainz on 756, which seems like a good enough reason to post a picture of Alen getting his Lancia Delta rather dirty.
Auto GP - Brno: The leaders have now made their mandatory stops. Ghirelli has passed Robert Visoiu for, effectively, second. A Super Nova one-two appears likely, as there's just two laps remaining.
Auto GP - Brno: A mistake from Karthiekyan who puts two wheels on the grass exiting the last corner. The Indian's lead is 2.2s.
Ghirelli has pitted from third and rejoined in fourth, ahead of early-stopper Sato.
Ghirelli has pitted from third and rejoined in fourth, ahead of early-stopper Sato.
Auto GP - Brno: Sato, the leading driver to have pitted, is lapping 0.2s off Karthikeyan's pace in ninth.
Auto GP - Brno: Sergio Campana pits from sixth at the conclusion of lap seven.
Up front, second-placed Robert Visoiu has pegged the deficit to leader Karthikeyan at 2.4s.
Up front, second-placed Robert Visoiu has pegged the deficit to leader Karthikeyan at 2.4s.
Auto GP - Brno: Tamas Pal Kiss has got passed the relatively tardy Meindert van Buuren to move into fourth. The Zele Racing driver is 10s adrift of leader Karthikeyan.
Auto GP - Brno: After a strong start, title hopeful Kimiya Sato dropped behind Tamas Pal Kiss to sixth on lap three. The Japanese has pitted at the end of lap four to change his medium compound rears.
Auto GP - Brno: Title outsider Karthikeyan has already extented a lead in excess of 2s over Robert Visoiu.
The Romanian's team-mate Giovesi is a first lap retirement with what appears to be a technical failure.
Visoiu is pinning back third-placed championship leader Ghirelli.
The Romanian's team-mate Giovesi is a first lap retirement with what appears to be a technical failure.
Visoiu is pinning back third-placed championship leader Ghirelli.
Auto GP - Brno: Giovesi has hit trouble on the opening lap and is running very slowly.
Green flag
Auto GP - Brno: We're green for 16 laps of action, in this penultimate race of the season.
Third-starter Karthikeyan makes a flier to lead into Turn 1 from Kevin Giovesi. Pole man Ghirelli is fourth.
Third-starter Karthikeyan makes a flier to lead into Turn 1 from Kevin Giovesi. Pole man Ghirelli is fourth.
WRC - France: Anyone wondering where WRC 3 contender Stephan Consani is this weekend?
He's been thrown out of the championship after confessing to recceing one of Rally France's stages last month.
Story goes that Consani realised he was being followed by representatives of the rally organisers, panicked and then tried to make a getaway, but was then involved in an accident and the game was up.
Consani was seventh in the championship standings, but has now had his points deleted and he's suspended from the last two rounds of the season.
Naughty boy.
He's been thrown out of the championship after confessing to recceing one of Rally France's stages last month.
Story goes that Consani realised he was being followed by representatives of the rally organisers, panicked and then tried to make a getaway, but was then involved in an accident and the game was up.
Consani was seventh in the championship standings, but has now had his points deleted and he's suspended from the last two rounds of the season.
Naughty boy.
Auto GP - Brno: The field has lined up on the dummy grid, all are present and correct. Kimiya Sato is the only one of the four title contenders to opt for a mix of medium and soft compound Kumhos.
Romain Dumas
WRC - France: A quick round-up of what's going on outside the top 10 as the cars head for service...
Robert Kubica is holding a 3m17s lead over Elfyn Evans in WRC 2.
Quentin Gilbert has stabilised a half-minute cushion over Sebastien Chardonnet in WRC 3, with Keith Cronin still third.
Yeray Lemes has pulled a minute clear in Junior WRC, but second place is still good for points leader Pontus Tidemand.
Le Mans 24 Hours winner Romain Dumas (pictured) is running 13th in a Ford Fiesta WRC co-driven by Denis Giraudet.
Auto GP - Brno: The grid for this afternoon's potentially title-deciding Auto GP race has been released. There are no changes from Friday's qualifying result.
Checkered flag
WRC - France - SS10 results:
Stage: 1 Loeb 9m47.2s; 2 Latvala +2.9s; 3 Ogier +3.7s; 4 Sordo +3.9s; 5 Neuville +6.4s; 6 Novikov +16.5s.
Overall: 1 Neuville; 2 Latvala +13.1s; 3 Sordo +14.2s; 4 Loeb +19.8s; 5 Ogier +23.4s; 6 Novikov +1m52.0s.
Stage: 1 Loeb 9m47.2s; 2 Latvala +2.9s; 3 Ogier +3.7s; 4 Sordo +3.9s; 5 Neuville +6.4s; 6 Novikov +16.5s.
Overall: 1 Neuville; 2 Latvala +13.1s; 3 Sordo +14.2s; 4 Loeb +19.8s; 5 Ogier +23.4s; 6 Novikov +1m52.0s.
WRC - France: Both Mikkelsen and Ostberg were unhappy with their set-ups on that stage. But Ostberg's descriptions had more entertaining whimsy to them and he was also the faster of the pair.
Breaking news
Auto GP - Brno: Indications from the Brno paddock suggest that next year's Auto GP calendar will again be European-based.
Earlier this year, organisers had revealed they were investigating staging long-haul events in China and Japan for 2014. More details are expected to emerge over the weekend.
Earlier this year, organisers had revealed they were investigating staging long-haul events in China and Japan for 2014. More details are expected to emerge over the weekend.
By: Scott Mitchell, Sam Tremayne, David Evans, Matt Beer, Peter Mills, Jamie O'Leary, Mark Glendenning, Dan Cross, Pablo Elizalde
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