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Ironically Latvala made that same mistake last year when he was fighting Tanak for the rally win.
It's a 4m58.5s for Latvala, which is fourth quickest so far behind Tanak, Mikkelsen and Evans. He ran too deep into a hairpin and that's where he lost his time.
The Finn has lost time! He is now 3.1s behind team-mate Tanak with just one split to go.
Jari-Matti Latvala is flying through the stage, matching Mikkelsen and Tanak's pace in the opening splits.
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"It's been a frustrating weekend, but that's how life is," reflects Tanak. "I have a good faith in our team and they are working so hard, with a bit more pushing we will be on the top for sure. We need to put this small bad run behind us."
It's a strong end to the rally for Tanak, but this time last year he was on his way to his maiden WRC victory. He is not out of this year's title battle, but Neuville and Ogier look set to out-score him barring any issues.
Stopwatch
And he's found even more time! Tanak beats Mikkelsen by 0.9s to demote Mikkelsen from the top of the stage leaderboard.
Just as we say that, Tanak has found time and is dead level with Mikkelsen through the final split.
Ott Tanak is charging through the stage but can't quite match Mikkelsen either. Maybe Andreas' time wasn't as bad as he thought?
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"I have been struggling in the slow sections here, but the next one is Finland where I hope to be fighting at the front. I want to be achieving better results," says a philosophical Suninen.
Suninen sets a time of 4m59.8s, 4.4s down on Mikkelsen's time. That's unlikely to earn Suninen any bonus points.
Mikkelsen's benchmark is still holding strong. Teemu Suninen is slower than both Mikkelsen and Evans in the early splits.
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"It's been a pretty tough weekend to be honest. That mistake on Friday really set up a difficult weekend for us, so I'm looking forward to Finland now," says Evans.
Evans completes a nightmare weekend with a 4m57.2s, 1.8s slower than Mikkelsen. The most bonus points he can hope for are four.
Evans is 1.9s shy of Mikkelsen through the final split. We await his final stage time.
Elfyn Evans is struggling to match him however. The Welshman is 1s down through the second split.
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"The driving was not so bad but the lines were terrible, I had to make my own lines that other guys can follow and take advantage over," said Mikkelsen.
That time was the fastest time when this stage was run earlier.
Stopwatch
Mikkelsen posts a benchmark time of 4m55.4s. He will be hoping that won't be beaten so he can take five points from a disappointing weekend.
Mikkelsen is the first WRC car in the stage and is in full attack mode.
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The spectators applaud and cheer for Kopecky, who looks to have secured a top 10 position overall too.
"The feeling is very nice as the Czech fans are everywhere, so thanks for the support but also thanks for the team," says Kopecky. "It's not been the easiest of weekends but we made no mistakes."
"The feeling is very nice as the Czech fans are everywhere, so thanks for the support but also thanks for the team," says Kopecky. "It's not been the easiest of weekends but we made no mistakes."
Stopwatch
Kopecky sets a time of 5m22.1s to win his third WRC event from as many starts this year.
Kopecky hasn't had it all his own way this weekend in WRC2, but as others hit trouble he has risen to the top to a hold a commanding lead. A win is crucial for his championship with the performances of his Skoda team-mate Pontus Tidemand.
Green flag
The power stage is now underway. Jan Kopecky is into this short, picturesque stage.
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Sebastien Ogier has spoken to MN columnist Colin Clark at the regroup.
"There was no panic, we just needed time to work on the car. Mainly set-up." When Clark brought up the time card Ogier quipped: "I haven't heard anything."
"There was no panic, we just needed time to work on the car. Mainly set-up." When Clark brought up the time card Ogier quipped: "I haven't heard anything."
Information
The power stage features a different running order to the rest of the day. Evans has been relieved of opening the road, with WRC2 leader Jan Kopecky heading into the test first.
SS20 starting order:
1. Kopecky
2. Mikkelsen
3. Evans
4. Suninen
5. Tanak
6. Latvala
7. Breen
8. Ostberg
9. Paddon
10. Lappi
11. Neuville
12. Ogier
SS20 starting order:
1. Kopecky
2. Mikkelsen
3. Evans
4. Suninen
5. Tanak
6. Latvala
7. Breen
8. Ostberg
9. Paddon
10. Lappi
11. Neuville
12. Ogier
As we all try and calm down after that particular drama, let's look ahead at the power stage thanks to Hyundai's Seb Marshall.
SS20 Sassari-Argentiera (4.32 miles)
"This one’s generally known as the stage of the beach because it finishes literally on the beach. The first half is much more representative of the rest of the route for this rally, but when you come down that hill and into the sand dunes it is a bit different. In previous years the road has cut up quickly and quite badly, but the organisers have worked hard to regrade the road and I think it’s a more solid base now. That’s good. The cars won’t be scrabbling around for grip in quite the same way, but the balance to that is there probably won’t be those incredible pictures of the cars coming down the hill will great trails of dust behind."
SS20 Sassari-Argentiera (4.32 miles)
"This one’s generally known as the stage of the beach because it finishes literally on the beach. The first half is much more representative of the rest of the route for this rally, but when you come down that hill and into the sand dunes it is a bit different. In previous years the road has cut up quickly and quite badly, but the organisers have worked hard to regrade the road and I think it’s a more solid base now. That’s good. The cars won’t be scrabbling around for grip in quite the same way, but the balance to that is there probably won’t be those incredible pictures of the cars coming down the hill will great trails of dust behind."
You can guarantee Julien Ingrassia may owe Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja a beverage or two after this rally..
A great moment of sportsmanship from Ott Tanak. He has reportedly brought former M-Sport team-mate Sebastien Ogier his time card from the end of the penultimate stage. Great to see.
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Panic over! Ogier has checked into the final control, meaning we still have a fight to the finish. His rally lead is just 0.8s over Neuville heading into the power stage which starts shortly.
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Update on Ogier. The WRC's GPS system shows the rally leader parked up at the regroup, but we are still unsure whether he is with or without his time card. The power stage doesn't start for another 20 minutes so there should be enough time to rescue the situation.
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Ott Tanak's blistering stage time has paid off. He is now 8.8s up on WRC2 leader Jan Kopecky in the overall standings, taking eighth overall from the works Skoda driver.
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Ott Tanak meanwhile set a very impressive stage time through here, just 3s shy of the flying Neuville.
Early splits suggest that Andreas Mikkelsen is adopting a different approach, hemorrhaging time to his rivals. You would suspect that he is saving his tyres for the power stage.
Early splits suggest that Andreas Mikkelsen is adopting a different approach, hemorrhaging time to his rivals. You would suspect that he is saving his tyres for the power stage.
Crash
Is Ogier rattled? Incredibly, the world champion has left the stop line without his time card. Without that, he can't check-in to the final stage and therefore can't finish the rally.
He should have time to go back and get it, but what drama!
He should have time to go back and get it, but what drama!
So a reminder of how it stands heading into the power stage, the final stage of Rally Italy.
Overall Classification after SS19
1. Ogier 3h24m25s
2. Neuville +0.8s
3. Lappi +1m52.1s
4. Paddon +2m45.6s
5. Ostberg +3mm0.9s
Overall Classification after SS19
1. Ogier 3h24m25s
2. Neuville +0.8s
3. Lappi +1m52.1s
4. Paddon +2m45.6s
5. Ostberg +3mm0.9s
Ogier doesn't stop for a word with the end of stage reporters however. Is there a problem? Or is he just in the zone and unwilling to talk?
Ogier leads Neuville by 0.8s, but hasn't beaten Neuville all day.
Stopwatch
It's an 8m29.4s! Ogier drops 0.5s in this stage, meaning that overall gap is now down to just 0.8s overall. Place your bets everyone...
By: Matt Beer
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