WRC Germany, GP2 Spa, IndyCar Pocono
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WRC - Germany: It remains very close in the group stretching from fifth to 10th. We need Sordo to come in to put it all into context, but it looks like Neuville might've regained a bit of ground on his team-mate here.
WRC - Germany: Tanak's progress continues, he's got ahead of Ostberg for what will become ninth after this stage and is back within 6s of M-Sport team-mate Evans.
WRC - Germany: The second Citroen of Ostberg came through with a slower time, the Norwegian complaining that an alarm went off that he hadn't encountered before and it cost him focus.
WRC - Germany: Meeke comes in 1.9s slower than Mikkelsen, so the third-placed VW is now 7s clear of the fourth-placed Citroen.
"I'm enjoying it, I had a good rhythm," says Meeke. "I could've found a second, but OK."
"I'm enjoying it, I had a good rhythm," says Meeke. "I could've found a second, but OK."
WRC - Germany: Good stuff from Mikkelsen so far on this stage. After trailing this morning, he's very close to Latvala's pace on this one and looks like he might escape from Meeke a touch.
Mikkelsen finishes the stage just 0.4s slower than Latvala's pace.
Mikkelsen finishes the stage just 0.4s slower than Latvala's pace.
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WRC - Germany: Latvala's verdict:
"I think I'm losing in the cutting places. I think that's where Sebastien is doing a better job. I think that's where the difference is coming."
Ogier felt he was too cautious in places because the road was cleaner that the information from his gravel crew had suggested.
"I think I'm losing in the cutting places. I think that's where Sebastien is doing a better job. I think that's where the difference is coming."
Ogier felt he was too cautious in places because the road was cleaner that the information from his gravel crew had suggested.
WRC - Germany: Through to the finish and Latvala is 2.5s down on Ogier, so he loses the rally lead to his team-mate and is 2.4s behind.
Stopwatch
WRC - Germany: By split two, Ogier's advantage is 1.7s.
This was the one stage where he was clearly on top this morning, before Latvala started getting up to speed.
This was the one stage where he was clearly on top this morning, before Latvala started getting up to speed.
Stopwatch
WRC - Germany: A provisional change of lead after split one - Ogier is 0.4s faster than Latvala and that puts him ahead by 0.3s provisionally.
But there's a long way to go.
But there's a long way to go.
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WRC - Germany: Volkswagen men Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala both admitted to AUTOSPORT their poor Rally Germany performances in the last couple of years had been at the forefront of their mind on the opening morning of the Trier-based event.
Ogier said: "I'm just trying to focus on what I'm doing. OK, it's looking like a bit of a fight between Jari-Matti and me already, but I'm not thinking about him – just about the job I have to do on this rally. I don't want to make a mistake."
Latvala added: "When it's comfortable then I am pushing a little bit, but when we spoke with Jost [Capito] he reminded Seb and I what we said in the debrief from this event last year – when we told him we would do better this time.
"That's what we want to do. It's about keeping the control right now."
Ogier has crashed three times in two years here, which is probably (we're yet to do the maths) over half his total crashes from his VW seasons. Latvala was set to pick up the win last year only to have a costly shunt of his own.
Ogier said: "I'm just trying to focus on what I'm doing. OK, it's looking like a bit of a fight between Jari-Matti and me already, but I'm not thinking about him – just about the job I have to do on this rally. I don't want to make a mistake."
Latvala added: "When it's comfortable then I am pushing a little bit, but when we spoke with Jost [Capito] he reminded Seb and I what we said in the debrief from this event last year – when we told him we would do better this time.
"That's what we want to do. It's about keeping the control right now."
Ogier has crashed three times in two years here, which is probably (we're yet to do the maths) over half his total crashes from his VW seasons. Latvala was set to pick up the win last year only to have a costly shunt of his own.
Lights out
WRC - Germany: Now we're up and running, Ogier is onto the stage.
Breaking news
WRC - Germany: We have a very slight delay to the stage start as everyone is shuffled a little to allow the field to get back together after this morning's horse delay.
Three horses found their way onto a stage after Kubica, forcing Abbring Lefebvre, Melicharek and the WRC2 field to wait for 16 minutes.
With no possibility to make up that delay during the quick-fire SS1-4, that meant a big gap between cars for the morning, but they're now all running in a group again.
Three horses found their way onto a stage after Kubica, forcing Abbring Lefebvre, Melicharek and the WRC2 field to wait for 16 minutes.
With no possibility to make up that delay during the quick-fire SS1-4, that meant a big gap between cars for the morning, but they're now all running in a group again.
WRC - Germany: The afternoon is a repeat of the morning, so we start with Sauertal. Here's a stage description from Meeke's co-driver Nagle:
SS1 Sauertal (9.22 miles)
Around 80 per cent of this stage is run in the opposite direction to last year, so we’ve made new notes here.
This is a typical countryside stage, out in the middle of nowhere. The roads are not completely dissimilar to those found at home in Ireland, but they've nothing like the number of bumps in them – they're much smoother roads.
This first stage is the closest one to the service park in Trier – half an hour after leaving the team, it's helmet on and head down.
SS1 Sauertal (9.22 miles)
Around 80 per cent of this stage is run in the opposite direction to last year, so we’ve made new notes here.
This is a typical countryside stage, out in the middle of nowhere. The roads are not completely dissimilar to those found at home in Ireland, but they've nothing like the number of bumps in them – they're much smoother roads.
This first stage is the closest one to the service park in Trier – half an hour after leaving the team, it's helmet on and head down.
We'll have updates from Spa through the afternoon too as GP2 and GP3 return to the track.
Welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live, where on Rally Germany there is just 0.1s between Latvala and Ogier in first and second.
Behind them, Meeke is hounding Mikkelsen for third, and pretty much everyone else (except a penalised Kubica) has a shot at fifth.
Behind them, Meeke is hounding Mikkelsen for third, and pretty much everyone else (except a penalised Kubica) has a shot at fifth.
Breaking news
WRC - Germany - SS4 summary:
* Ogier fastest but not by enough to retake lead from Latvala, who stays just 0.1s ahead
* Meeke's damage is limited to a wheel and he matches Mikkelsen's pace to stay on the VW's tail for third
* Sordo takes fifth from slow Neuville
* Recovering Tanak arrives on Ostberg's tail for ninth
* Rookie star Lefebvre falls back to 12th
We're taking a break on AUTOSPORT Live now while the cars are in service. We'll resume ahead of SS5 at 1.40pm UK time.
* Ogier fastest but not by enough to retake lead from Latvala, who stays just 0.1s ahead
* Meeke's damage is limited to a wheel and he matches Mikkelsen's pace to stay on the VW's tail for third
* Sordo takes fifth from slow Neuville
* Recovering Tanak arrives on Ostberg's tail for ninth
* Rookie star Lefebvre falls back to 12th
We're taking a break on AUTOSPORT Live now while the cars are in service. We'll resume ahead of SS5 at 1.40pm UK time.
Checkered flag
WRC - Germany - SS4 results:
Stage times:
1 Ogier 8m06.9s
2 Latvala +0.4s
3 Mikkelsen +4.1s
= Meeke +4.1s
5 Sordo +6.1s
6 Paddon +7.6s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +0.1s
3 Mikkelsen +15.9s
4 Meeke +21.4s
5 Sordo +33.9s
6 Neuville +36.8s
7 Evans +41.6s
8 Paddon +44.0s
9 Ostberg +50.8s
10 Tanak +51.8s
Stage times:
1 Ogier 8m06.9s
2 Latvala +0.4s
3 Mikkelsen +4.1s
= Meeke +4.1s
5 Sordo +6.1s
6 Paddon +7.6s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala
2 Ogier +0.1s
3 Mikkelsen +15.9s
4 Meeke +21.4s
5 Sordo +33.9s
6 Neuville +36.8s
7 Evans +41.6s
8 Paddon +44.0s
9 Ostberg +50.8s
10 Tanak +51.8s
WRC - Germany: Plain sailing in WRC2 for leader Kopecky, his works Skoda now holds a 21.2s lead over BRR man Kremer's example, with Breen's Peugeot 40s off in third for now.
Crash
WRC - Germany: We've been talking about the damage Tanak sustained when he ran off the road on today's opener. M-Sport has just tweeted this picture of his temporary fix for it:
Ott Tanak, M-Sport Ford, danger, WRC Germany 2015
Breaking news
WRC - Germany: If you want a full recap of what's happened so far in Germany today, here's our morning report:
Latvala leads Ogier by just 0.1s
Latvala leads Ogier by just 0.1s
Checkered flag
GP2 - Spa: And with that late drama the session has come to an end, here are the results:
1 Vandoorne 1m57.486s
2 Evans +0.154s
3 Rossi +0.245s
4 Lynn +0.347s
5 Rowland +0.355s
6 Gasly +0.385s
1 Vandoorne 1m57.486s
2 Evans +0.154s
3 Rossi +0.245s
4 Lynn +0.347s
5 Rowland +0.355s
6 Gasly +0.385s
WRC - Germany: We're keeping an eye on the R-GT class this weekend because it's Francois Delecour versus Romain Dumas in a pair of Porsche 911s (and that's ace).
It's all going Dumas' way for now, Delecour's lost a minute on this stage and is ruing choosing excessively soft tyres. They wore so much on that stage it seemed he had a puncture, but it was just an extreme lack of rubber.
Dumas had the soft tyres too but seemed to handle it better as his rubber is still in one piece. With Delecour having had some oft-course adventures on SS2 and SS3 too, Dumas is two minutes ahead.
So let's have a picture of his Porsche this time.
It's all going Dumas' way for now, Delecour's lost a minute on this stage and is ruing choosing excessively soft tyres. They wore so much on that stage it seemed he had a puncture, but it was just an extreme lack of rubber.
Dumas had the soft tyres too but seemed to handle it better as his rubber is still in one piece. With Delecour having had some oft-course adventures on SS2 and SS3 too, Dumas is two minutes ahead.
So let's have a picture of his Porsche this time.
Romain Dumas, Tuthill Porsche, WRC Germany 2015
GP2 - Spa: Arthur Pic has found the barrier on the run down to Pouhon, not sure how at the moment.
Rowland in the meantime has stopped on the entry to the Bus Stop.
Rowland in the meantime has stopped on the entry to the Bus Stop.
WRC - Germany: No big drama for Lefebvre, just his inexperience telling with pace notes not being quite right for the vineyard stages.
That has meant he's dropped back from eighth after SS2 to 12th behind Prokop now, though.
That has meant he's dropped back from eighth after SS2 to 12th behind Prokop now, though.
WRC - Germany: Hyundai's extra man Abbring is likely to stay 13th at the end of this stage but thinks he has a differential problem, and admits that's not good for his confidence in a car and event he's still learning.
Lefebvre also seems to have had a troubled stage.
Lefebvre also seems to have had a troubled stage.
GP2 - Spa: Matsushita is having a tough session so far. The Hungary sprint race winner is currently down in 21st.
GP2 - Spa: No real change to the top of the order. It's still currently Vandoorne who leads Evans by 0.154s.
GP2 - Spa: And just like that the sun has gone bye bye over the paddock. Hello there Mr cloud, was wondering when you would join us here.
GP2 - Spa: Malja, by the way, is replacing Rene Binder for the weekend while he recovers from a bacterial infection.
WRC - Germany: Meanwhile Tanak's recovery is continuing. He lost 16s when he slid through a field and clouted a barrier on today's opener but he's been clawing his way back towards the scorers and is now within a second of Ostberg, who is probably going to be ninth depending on what Lefebvre does.
GP2 - Spa: Swedish driver Gustav Malja brings out the yellow flags after losing the back end of his Trident car and beaching it at the Bus Stop chicane.
WRC - Germany: When Neuville came through a little while ago, he really wasn't happy with his time and performance on that stage. He might not even make the top 10 in stage times, but in the overall standings he's only lost one position so far - fifth to Hyundai team-mate Sordo. But Evans and Paddon have closed in too.
GP2 - Spa: The seemingly luckless Mitch Evans is currently second ahead of Rossi, Lynn and Rowland.
Stopwatch
GP2 - Spa: Who else but Vandoorne. The Belgian goes fastest with a 1m57.499s.
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WRC - Germany: Meeke equals Mikkelsen's pace at the stage finish, keeping him just 5.5s behind the VW in fourth overall, and based on the Hyundais' pace, that's going to pull him a long way clear of everyone from fifth back.
There was no suspension damage it turns out, he just needed to change the wheel.
"We just touched the rim but it wasn't a big drama. Here, it was a good run. My target is just to keep in front of everyone else. Mikkelsen, we can race with. With the other VWs, it's impossible."
There was no suspension damage it turns out, he just needed to change the wheel.
"We just touched the rim but it wasn't a big drama. Here, it was a good run. My target is just to keep in front of everyone else. Mikkelsen, we can race with. With the other VWs, it's impossible."
GP2 - Spa: Sergey Sirotkin is the first man to set a competitive time but Alexander Rossi goes top with a 1m58.091s
WRC - Germany: Despite that wheel-mangling brush with a solid object on the last stage, Meeke's Citroen is in good health and onto SS4, and flying - he's only half a second off Mikkelsen on the splits.
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WRC - Germany: Third-placed Mikkelsen comes in 4s off the pace, so his deficit to VW team-mates Latvala and Ogier builds to 15s.
"I want to be up there fighting with Jari and Seb, but I need a little bit more time to get the rhythm in the car," he admits. "I braked way too early in so many places."
"I want to be up there fighting with Jari and Seb, but I need a little bit more time to get the rhythm in the car," he admits. "I braked way too early in so many places."
Formula E: Meanwhile, the now DS-partnered Virgin team has just unveiled its new Formula E livery for the 2015/16 season. Here's what it looks like:
Virgin Formula E livery
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WRC - Germany: Latvala, our rally leader over Ogier by just 0.1s after four stages, is cautiously contented:
"It's getting better. It's all about getting the braking right, that's so important in this rally. It was more difficult this morning than I thought."
"It's getting better. It's all about getting the braking right, that's so important in this rally. It was more difficult this morning than I thought."
By: AUTOSPORT staff, Jack Benyon, Scott Mitchell, Mark Glendenning
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Lap:
