WRC Poland, Assen MotoGP, Norisring DTM and more
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WRC - Poland: An extremely chilled run through the superspecial for Ogier, who's only 12th quickest.
He explains that he's saving tyres for the Powerstage. Because 25 points isn't enough, he wants the full 28 - which would be even worse news for Latvala.
He explains that he's saving tyres for the Powerstage. Because 25 points isn't enough, he wants the full 28 - which would be even worse news for Latvala.
Red flag
European F3 - Norisring: Now the race has been red flagged. Not sure why.
AutoGP - Imola: Race two at Imola is just twenty minutes away. Giuseppe Cipriani (Ibiza Lola) starts from pole after the reversed grids from yesterday’s race one result is implemented. Christof von Grunigen (Zele Lola) lines up alongside Cipriani on the front row.
Kimiya Sato who won yesterday starts eighth. Race one polesitter Markus Pommer starts 13th and last after his lap one retirement. Confirmation from Zytek that a sensor problem triggered the loss of power for the Super Nova driver yesterday and forced his retirement.
Kimiya Sato who won yesterday starts eighth. Race one polesitter Markus Pommer starts 13th and last after his lap one retirement. Confirmation from Zytek that a sensor problem triggered the loss of power for the Super Nova driver yesterday and forced his retirement.
WRC - Poland: Now out on the stage are Robert Kubica and Thierry Neuville.
Kubica should've been earlier in the start order as he's running under Rally2 after his mistake yesterday, but an alternator change means he was late out of service this morning.
That had the happy coincidence for the local fans of putting Kubica up against the man in third overall - and the home hero was quicker than Neuville, which prompted a big cheer from the crowd.
"Not so bad, a good lap," says Kubica, who obviously found the superspecial short enough to mistake it for a racetrack.
Kubica should've been earlier in the start order as he's running under Rally2 after his mistake yesterday, but an alternator change means he was late out of service this morning.
That had the happy coincidence for the local fans of putting Kubica up against the man in third overall - and the home hero was quicker than Neuville, which prompted a big cheer from the crowd.
"Not so bad, a good lap," says Kubica, who obviously found the superspecial short enough to mistake it for a racetrack.
Yellow flag
European F3 – Norisring: There it is! Safety car #2. Looks as if Roy Nissany has given his team-mate Tatiana Calderon a mighty hit right in the gearbox, sending her skidding up the escape road.
WRC - Poland: Latvala has gained half a second on Mikko Hirvonen on the superspecial, which means there's an 8.0s gap going onto the decisive Powerstage.
That's going to be tough to close over 14.9km but not impossible in the mood Latvala's in.
Hirvonen was head to head with Juho Hanninen on that stage, and the Hyundai was a tenth quicker.
That's going to be tough to close over 14.9km but not impossible in the mood Latvala's in.
Hirvonen was head to head with Juho Hanninen on that stage, and the Hyundai was a tenth quicker.
European F3 - Norisring: We're over a quarter of the way through the race here and have had no further safety car periods – although Sean Gelael and Felix Serralles did their best to spark one by bashing wheels at high-speed. It sent Serralles into a big spin, but he managed to get going again.
At the front, Verstappen leads Blomqvist and Ocon, whole Rosenqvist just had a decent moment at Turn 1 while trying to pass Jordan King for fourth.
At the front, Verstappen leads Blomqvist and Ocon, whole Rosenqvist just had a decent moment at Turn 1 while trying to pass Jordan King for fourth.
Stopwatch
WRC - Poland: The penultimate stage of the rally is a return to the superspecial, and Jari-Matti Latvala is fastest through so far.
There's not a lot to gain on this short run, but as Latvala says "every second counts now."
There's not a lot to gain on this short run, but as Latvala says "every second counts now."
Green flag
European F3 - Norisring: It's a good job there aren't standing restarts for F3 – the tarmac would get worn away from the start/finish straight.
Anyway, that's the first safety car period over. How long until the next one? And how many will there be? We had four yesterday, so that's the benchmark. Verstappen leads.
Anyway, that's the first safety car period over. How long until the next one? And how many will there be? We had four yesterday, so that's the benchmark. Verstappen leads.
Lights out
European F3 - Norisring: The lights are out and we are racing! Verstappen has made a great start and leads from Blomqvist.
And surprise surprise, there is carnage at Turn 1 – and the safety car is already out. Too many cars involved to list, but it seemed to have started when Spike Goddard got turned around on the exit by Jules Szymkowiak – who was then hit by Felipe Guimaraes. Guimaraes' car is currently nosed into the wall.
And surprise surprise, there is carnage at Turn 1 – and the safety car is already out. Too many cars involved to list, but it seemed to have started when Spike Goddard got turned around on the exit by Jules Szymkowiak – who was then hit by Felipe Guimaraes. Guimaraes' car is currently nosed into the wall.
European F3 - Norisring: It's a grey, damp morning here in Nuremberg. But it does seem that the racing line has dried enough for slicks – at least by the look of the cars sitting on the grid right now.
Race two of the weekend is about to get underway. Max Verstappen will start from pole as he looks to take his second win of the weekend, and fifth in a row.
Race two of the weekend is about to get underway. Max Verstappen will start from pole as he looks to take his second win of the weekend, and fifth in a row.
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WRC - Poland: DAVID EVANS spoke to all four protagonists in the podium fight at service this morning.
Every one of them is confident, he reported. Hirvonen worked until 0130 on his pacenotes this morning.
"Every place I thought I remembered where we could be flat, we made one step higher in the notes," said Hirvonen.
"Jarmo said: 'We have never done this before and it might be that we never do it again!'
"If things going wrong, things go wrong - it might be that we don't bring the car home..."
M-Sport's Rich Millener was equally bullish, saying: "We've got a trailer and we're not afraid to use it!"
VW chief Jost Capito responded by telling AUTOSPORT: "Jari-Matti was feeling very confident this morning, he has third in his sights. I told him: 'Don't care about the car, just go for it; hammer it and show the guys who the real boss is!'"
Every one of them is confident, he reported. Hirvonen worked until 0130 on his pacenotes this morning.
"Every place I thought I remembered where we could be flat, we made one step higher in the notes," said Hirvonen.
"Jarmo said: 'We have never done this before and it might be that we never do it again!'
"If things going wrong, things go wrong - it might be that we don't bring the car home..."
M-Sport's Rich Millener was equally bullish, saying: "We've got a trailer and we're not afraid to use it!"
VW chief Jost Capito responded by telling AUTOSPORT: "Jari-Matti was feeling very confident this morning, he has third in his sights. I told him: 'Don't care about the car, just go for it; hammer it and show the guys who the real boss is!'"
WRC - Poland: The first two stages of the final leg of Rally Poland happened early this morning, and with Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen cruising to first and second in their Volkswagens, all eyes are on the battle for third place.
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest on both SS21 and SS22, moving him ahead of Juho Hanninen into fifth, and bringing him within 8s of fourth-placed Mikko Hirvonen - but Thierry Neuville has maintained his grip on the final podium spot for Hyundai so far.
Further back, Kris Meeke grabbed eighth from Henning Solberg, and is right on Hayden Paddon's tail (just a tenth behind) for seventh.
Here's how they stand with two stages left:
1 Ogier
2 Mikkelsen +1m08.0s
3 Neuville +2m12.4s
4 Hirvonen +2m25.6s
5 Latvala +2m34.1s
6 Hanninen +2m44.5s
7 Paddon +4m24.9s
8 Meeke +4m25.0s
9 Solberg +4m44.2s
10 Prokop +5m55.6s
Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest on both SS21 and SS22, moving him ahead of Juho Hanninen into fifth, and bringing him within 8s of fourth-placed Mikko Hirvonen - but Thierry Neuville has maintained his grip on the final podium spot for Hyundai so far.
Further back, Kris Meeke grabbed eighth from Henning Solberg, and is right on Hayden Paddon's tail (just a tenth behind) for seventh.
Here's how they stand with two stages left:
1 Ogier
2 Mikkelsen +1m08.0s
3 Neuville +2m12.4s
4 Hirvonen +2m25.6s
5 Latvala +2m34.1s
6 Hanninen +2m44.5s
7 Paddon +4m24.9s
8 Meeke +4m25.0s
9 Solberg +4m44.2s
10 Prokop +5m55.6s
Petter Solberg
World RX - Kouvola: Sunday morning warm-up is over for World Rallycross at Kouvola,
Petter Solberg was fastest, less than a tenth faster than Timur Timerzyanov.
Local hero Toomas Heikkinen set third fastest time with Pontus Tidemand, Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud rounding out the top six.
Welcome back to AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live, on the morning after Carlos Huertas became an IndyCar winner.
Coming up in the next few hours, we've got the final two stages of Rally Poland, more European F3 and DTM from the Norisring, and the second Moscow Formula Renault 3.5 race.
Coming up in the next few hours, we've got the final two stages of Rally Poland, more European F3 and DTM from the Norisring, and the second Moscow Formula Renault 3.5 race.
That was...odd. What an unexpected end to this utterly packed Saturday of AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live.
We're closing up for the night with our live coverage now, but watch the news pages for the full story of and results from Watkins Glen Six Hours qualifying and that remarkable Houston IndyCar race in the coming minutes.
There will also be a full report from the Kentucky NASCAR Sprint Cup night race when that takes place later on.
Tomorrow you can listen to the start of the final leg of Rally Poland with WRC Live via AUTOSPORT from 7am UK time, watch the final day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed with our live video stream from 8.30am, and then Race Centre Live resumes from 9.30am to bring you coverage of the WRC finish and Powerstage, DTM and European F3 at the Norisring, Formula Renault 3.5 from Moscow, United Sportscar's Watkins Glen Six Hours, race two of Auto GP at Imola, more World Rallycross from Kouvola, all three British Touring Car Championship races at Croft, and finally leg two of the IndyCar Houston double-header... which can't be any more bizarre than what's just happened.
We're closing up for the night with our live coverage now, but watch the news pages for the full story of and results from Watkins Glen Six Hours qualifying and that remarkable Houston IndyCar race in the coming minutes.
There will also be a full report from the Kentucky NASCAR Sprint Cup night race when that takes place later on.
Tomorrow you can listen to the start of the final leg of Rally Poland with WRC Live via AUTOSPORT from 7am UK time, watch the final day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed with our live video stream from 8.30am, and then Race Centre Live resumes from 9.30am to bring you coverage of the WRC finish and Powerstage, DTM and European F3 at the Norisring, Formula Renault 3.5 from Moscow, United Sportscar's Watkins Glen Six Hours, race two of Auto GP at Imola, more World Rallycross from Kouvola, all three British Touring Car Championship races at Croft, and finally leg two of the IndyCar Houston double-header... which can't be any more bizarre than what's just happened.
Checkered flag
IndyCar - Houston: The race finishes under yellows and Huertas wins! What were the odds on that? Montoya is second ahead of Rahal, although the latter has already been issued a post-race penalty. That will promote Munoz into third for an all-Colombian podium.
Yellow flag
IndyCar - Houston: Restart waved off! Rahal hit Kanaan!
IndyCar - Houston: Restart next time around. It will be one lap of green to the finish. Huertas had five push-to-passes left.
Yellow flag
IndyCar - Houston: Saavedra is tagged by Briscoe. There are four minutes to go and the leader is Huertas(!!!!) ahead of Montoya and Kanaan. Huertas' worry at the moment is fuel - he last stopped 36 laps ago.
IndyCar - Houston: Great move from Rahal, who came from miles back to pass Munoz for fourth. That really was excellent. Remember, Rahal started from last after stalling on the grid. He's now lining Kanaan up for third.
IndyCar - Houston: Six minutes to go, and Huertas leads from Montoya and Kanaan.
IndyCar - Houston: Colombians aside, this is an extraordinary performance by Wilson - he has put 44 laps on those tyres, and just set his fastest lap. He's now 3.5s ahead of Huertas ...
... and he pits for fuel. It was awesome while it lasted.
... and he pits for fuel. It was awesome while it lasted.
IndyCar - Houston: Colombians everywhere: The top six is Wilson, Huertas, Montoya, Kanaan, Munoz and Saavedra. And for those who are interested, their national football team is currently winning its World Cup match against Uruguay. It could be a big 20 minutes ahead for Colombian journalist Diego Mejia, who is seated next to AUTOSPORT in the Houston media centre.
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United Sportscar - Watkins Glen: Alex Brundle's reaction to his first pole position in US sportscars:
"Tremendous; I'm really enjoying the track. I only got five laps in yesterday, so I didn't get too many tours of the place. It's fantastic to have my first pole position in this series. It's come good, we've been working hard for this."
"Tremendous; I'm really enjoying the track. I only got five laps in yesterday, so I didn't get too many tours of the place. It's fantastic to have my first pole position in this series. It's come good, we've been working hard for this."
IndyCar - Houston: And Kanaan loses another place, this time to Saavedra. He's also potentially within the window of being able to go full-distance. There are 16 minutes left.
IndyCar - Houston: Some old-school Montoya there: a ballsy move around Kanaan at the outside of the chicane, and he makes up another spot.
IndyCar - Houston: The current top five: Wilson, Huertas, Kanaan, Montoya, Saavedra. It's 14 laps since Kanaan and Montoya last pitted: what are the chances that they could go all the way to the end on their current fuel?
Green flag
IndyCar - Houston: Restart. There are 20 minutes remaining in the race.
IndyCar - Houston: By 'retain the lead', we're factoring in strategy. Hinchcliffe is actually P10, but everyone ahead of him still has to make a final stop.
IndyCar - Houston: Power is back underway, the pits are open, and the race leader Hinchcliffe takes advantage to make what should be his final stop. Bourdais mirrors him, but the Andretti driver beats him out to retain the lead.
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United Sportscar - Watkins Glen: Andy Priaulx on his GTLM pole, his first in the series, for the Six Hours at the Glen:
"It's amazing. When you drive into this place, you feel the history - like Imola, Monza or Oulton Park. It's a top international circuit with a lot of history and character.
"I was delighted to get to qualify the car, because Bill was quick too, and it was so hooked up. I'm learning every track this year. Pole is nice, it's good for the ego! Fantastic."
"It's amazing. When you drive into this place, you feel the history - like Imola, Monza or Oulton Park. It's a top international circuit with a lot of history and character.
"I was delighted to get to qualify the car, because Bill was quick too, and it was so hooked up. I'm learning every track this year. Pole is nice, it's good for the ego! Fantastic."
Yellow flag
IndyCar - Houston: Power is in the tyres - he just lost the rear on a damp patch, much as Dixon did. The only consolation is that the car appears to be undamaged.
IndyCar - Houston: We haven't mentioned Jack Hawksworth yet, but he has worked his way up to sixth and is stalking Wilson. The rookie has been in this situation before only to be derailed by some sort of mishap, so it would be nice to see him finally turn his pace into a result.
United Sportscar - Watkins Glen: Alex Brundle dominated that session to take pole in his OAK Morgan LMP2. Christian Fittipaldi will start from P2 in his Action Express Corvette DP, ahead of Michael Valiante's Spirit of Daytona Corvette.
Scott Pruett will start fourth in his Ganassi Riley-Ford, ahead of the second LMP2 of Scott Sharp.
Scott Pruett will start fourth in his Ganassi Riley-Ford, ahead of the second LMP2 of Scott Sharp.
Green flag
IndyCar - Houston: Back underway.
IndyCar - Houston: Front wing change for Kimball, and he's back out on the track. Dixon's afternoon is over.
United Sportscar - Watkins Glen: Brundle is into the 1m37s bracket now, six-tenths faster than Christian Fittipaldi. So OAK LMP2 is beating Corvette DP as things stand.
IndyCar - Houston: Sato has been diagnosed with a bruised hand. He will need to be evaluated again before being cleared to drive tomorrow.
Yellow flag
IndyCar - Houston: It's Ganassi's turn for a friendly-fire incident. Dixon went into the wall, rebounded into Pagenaud (who is now in the pits with suspension damage) and then collected team-mate Kimball, who had nowhere to go.
By: Dan Cross, Matt Beer, Marcus Simmons, Glenn Freeman, Andrew van Leeuwen, Sam Smith, Kevin Turner, David Evans, Mark Glendenning, Charles Bradley, AUTOSPORT staff
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