WRC Portugal
Live Text
Sort by
Newest first
Kubica's car has finally been moved after a good 10 minutes of pushing and shoving, much to the WRC2 runner's dismay we would guess.
Word has it that Kubica has created a chicane of sorts as he is blocking the road in SS4.
Sordo's time is 19.4s slower than Latvala! He drops to fifth overall as a result.
"Now we need a little bit more power, a bit more traction," said the Spaniard. "I think we're back to normal now."
"Now we need a little bit more power, a bit more traction," said the Spaniard. "I think we're back to normal now."
Top three for now is Latvala, Ogier and Hirvonen. Rally leader Sordo doesn't look to have had the advantage on this stage as he just about reaches the finish...
Crash
Sounds like Kubica has stopped mid-way through this stage as well.
Breaking news
Looks like Hanninen is back up and running. Early reports suggest he suffered a puncture. The Finn has lost the best part of two minutes as a result.
Not to rub salt in Meeke's wound, but his time is 54.6s slower than Latvala's.
Not a great time by Meeke who reaches the finish in 17m26.4s.
"My notes in there... I nearly stopped listening to them at one point as they were putting me off."
"My notes in there... I nearly stopped listening to them at one point as they were putting me off."
Looks like Hanninen has also stopped in the stage. No word on what the cause is yet.
Hirvonen is unable to remove Latvala from the top of the SS4 timesheets. His time is 16.39.3s - 7.5s slower than the VW driver.
No news on Evans yet. His Ford Fiesta is still stopped 17km away from the start.
Slow time for Mikkelsen, who comes home in 17.17.3s. A long way off what the frontrunners will be setting.
Ostberg slots into third place, 9.1s behind Latvala.
"We have a very soft car for the mud," he says. "I chickened out in many, many places."
"We have a very soft car for the mud," he says. "I chickened out in many, many places."
Crash
Looks like Elfyn Evans has stopped within the stage...
Stopwatch
Team-mate Latvala is next through the finish line. A good run by the Finn, who is 7.1s quicker than Ogier!
Ogier completes the fourth stage in 16.39.9s.
"Not too bad, but the guys behind are going much faster," he admits. "We'll have to try and go better this afternoon."
"Not too bad, but the guys behind are going much faster," he admits. "We'll have to try and go better this afternoon."
Lights out
Ostberg
SS4 is already up and running. Ogier, Latvala and Ostberg are currently tackling the 26.48km Almodovar test.
Checkered flag
SS3 results: 1 Sordo 12m20.8s; 2 Tanak +4.0s; 3 Hirvonen +5.0s; 4 Ogier +6.5s; 5 Ostberg +7.9s; 6 Latvala +10.0s.
Overall: 1 Sordo 27m46.0s; 2 Tanak +2.8s; 3 Ogier +3.4s; 4 Hirvonen +5.3s; 5 Ostberg +10.4s; 6 Latvala +10.9s.
Overall: 1 Sordo 27m46.0s; 2 Tanak +2.8s; 3 Ogier +3.4s; 4 Hirvonen +5.3s; 5 Ostberg +10.4s; 6 Latvala +10.9s.
Stopwatch
No problems for Sordo, however, who is 4.0s quicker than Tanak through SS3 and has taken the lead of the rally. He now leads Ogier by 2.8s overall.
Crash
Henning Solberg is competing in his second WRC event this weekend. The popular Norweigan driver finished seventh in a Ford Fiesta RS in Sweden, but that might be difficult to top in Portugal, especially since he suffered a left-rear puncture in SS3.
"I don't know what happened!" he said at the end.
"I don't know what happened!" he said at the end.
Stopwatch
Tanak finishes the stage with the fastest time so far - 12m24.8s. But all eyes are now on Sordo, who is going like the clappers at the moment...
Next up is Nevuille, fresh from a maiden podium finish for Hyundai in Mexico last month. The Belgian's time is 12.32.1s, which is currently the fifth quickest.
Stopwatch
Hirvonen arrives at the finish and slots into first place with a time of 12m25.8s - 1.5s quicker than Ogier.
"It's going well and I have a good feeling with the car," said the Finn. "But you know, there are other cars behind who will be going better."
"It's going well and I have a good feeling with the car," said the Finn. "But you know, there are other cars behind who will be going better."
Mikkelsen is the third and final VW to complete the stage. The Norwegian lost bags of time through the final two splits and finished 22.7s behind Ogier. He currently lies in 13th overall.
Good run by Ostberg through SS3, who completes the stage 1.4s behind Ogier.
"It's not so easy to drive," says Ostberg at the finish. "We are enjoying it and we just need to drive the correct way."
"It's not so easy to drive," says Ostberg at the finish. "We are enjoying it and we just need to drive the correct way."
Next up is Latvala, who is 3.5s slower than his team-mate.
"I don't have the confidence to go in the slippery places and I lack the confidence," says the rather downhearted Finn.
"I don't have the confidence to go in the slippery places and I lack the confidence," says the rather downhearted Finn.
Ogier has just completed the stage in 12m27.3s.
"It was incredibly tough." he admits. "Some places are muddy and some are dry. I'm not so happy with the car."
"It was incredibly tough." he admits. "Some places are muddy and some are dry. I'm not so happy with the car."
Split times are filtering through. Latvala is 3.0s slower than Ogier through the first one, but Ostberg is 0.1s up on the reigning champion.
Speaking of people with the surname Evans... Mitch Evans topped the first GP2 Series practice session of the year in Bahrain this morning.
button
Impressive performance by Elfyn Evans in the previous stage, by the way. The Welshman was 10th quickest, ahead of the likes of Neuville and Meeke. He currently lies in 11th place overall, 12.2s behind current leader Ogier.
Lights out
SS3 is live and VW team-mates Ogier and Latvala are heading towards the first split. Hopefully the live timing facility will play ball this time around...
rain
And what rain. Almost 60mm of the stuff deluged the Algarve region and brought with it the cancellation of the recce of the Ourique and Santana de Serra stages on Tuesday.
Recce cars had to be towed out of flash floods and, as rain continued to fall, organisers cancelled practice in those two tests.
The second stage of the morning gets underway at Ourique in just under 10 minutes. It's been shortened by 4.83km as a result of the rain that hit the area earlier this week.
Breaking news
So, Sordo has given the Hyundai i20 its first ever WRC stage win this morning!
Checkered flag
SS2 results: 1 Sordo 12m25.5s; 2 Tanak +1.3s; 3 Hirvonen +3.0s; 4 Ogier +3.9s; 5 Ostberg +4.7s; 6 Latvala +6.6s.
Overall: 1 Ogier 15m22.1s; 2 Tanak +1.9s; 3 Sordo +3.1s; 4 Hirvonen +3.4s; 5 Latvala +4.0s; 6 Ostberg +5.6s
Overall: 1 Ogier 15m22.1s; 2 Tanak +1.9s; 3 Sordo +3.1s; 4 Hirvonen +3.4s; 5 Latvala +4.0s; 6 Ostberg +5.6s
This week's Algarve-based event is the Pole's first attempt at a rally in which he has competed before. Although, despite having been on the rally last year, half of the route has been altered from 2013.
Robert Kubica is the next driver through the finish line. He's eighth quickest with a time of 12m35.2s.
"It's not easy, but it's a lot drier than I was expecting," said the former Formula 1 driver.
"It's not easy, but it's a lot drier than I was expecting," said the former Formula 1 driver.
Stopwatch
...and he has, 1.9s quicker than Tanak.
One of his rear windows is missing as he reaches the end of the stage, which the Spaniard says he knows nothing about!
One of his rear windows is missing as he reaches the end of the stage, which the Spaniard says he knows nothing about!
Sordo has been flying through the first three split and looks on course to topple Tanak from the top of the timesheet...
Tanak
Tanak is back for the second of three scheduled drives in a Fiesta RS after his R5 outing in Mexico.
button
By: Dan Cross, David Evans, Scott Mitchell, Charles Bradley
Published:
Page:
