WRC Portugal
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Lights out
Evans is onto SS11 and we're up and running again Portugal.
Breaking news
JML
Our rally newshound DAVID EVANS has unveiled an unpleasant situation that is currently escalating between the teams and the WRC promoter.
Drivers have been requested not to talk to television crews during this weekend's event. Why? You'll have to click the following link and find out...
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We have 73km of action ahead of us this afternoon, with the second pass through Santa Clara kicking things off again at 15:00.
Ogier
Here's our midday report for those looking for a recap as to what has happened on the Rally of Portugal this morning:
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We have received confirmation that those who were stuck behind Tanak's stricken Ford Fiesta R5 on the previous stage have received notional times. Hirvonen was given the same time as Ogier and the gap between the two remains at 2.4s.
While we wait for news on the Hirvonen situation, RCL will take a short break. We will be back in full service in about two hours, though our man-on-the-ground DAVID EVANS will filter in the best bits from the service park.
WRC - Portugal: We'd bring you results for that stage, but that seems a little pointless given Tanak's off and us not knowing how Hirvonen will receive due recompense for the delay.
WRC - Portugal: "A good morning for us," says Ogier as he brings his VW through in 14m00.0s - so Latvala's quickest!
Ostberg and the two Hyundais, by the way, also fell short of Latvala's early benchmark.
Ostberg and the two Hyundais, by the way, also fell short of Latvala's early benchmark.
WRC - Portugal: Hirvonen and the WRC 2 runners have made their way past Tanak's stricken car now - though Ketomaa has somehow got ahead of Mikko.
You'd imagine they'll be awarded some standard times though, so no sense getting caught up with another.
You'd imagine they'll be awarded some standard times though, so no sense getting caught up with another.
Breaking news
WRC - Portugal: Tanak is blocking the road - so Hirvonen is stuck.
WRC - Portugal: Hirvonen rallies (pun-tastic) and pulls the deficit to Ogier on this stage to just 0.4s at the second split.
Crash
WRC - Portugal: Reports that Tanak has stopped on stage...
WRC - Portugal: Hirvonen's dropped a second to Ogier at the first split. Is the rally moving away from the Finn?
WRC - Portugal: Of the drivers to have completed the stage, Mikkelsen came closest to removing his team-mate from top spot but fell slightly short.
Hanninen, Solberg, Prokop and Al Qassimi are also on the leaderboard.
Hanninen, Solberg, Prokop and Al Qassimi are also on the leaderboard.
WRC - Portugal: While we wait for some serious times, let's have a look at the splits - and Ogier is looking good. He's faster than Tanak. No time for Hirvonen there yet.
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Stoffel Vandoorne on his GP2 victory: "Thanks to the safety car we could run longer on the soft tyres, but I still pitted early. I just managed the gap after that. It was a race of tyre management."
WRC - Portugal: Half a dozen cars or so on the stage. Mikkelsen is quicker than Latvala through the first split. Neither of those two have troubled the sharp end of the times this morning.
GP2 - Bahrain: Well, well. Vandoorne makes GP2 look easy, winning on his debut. Not many people can ever say they've done that. Superb execution, right from the start and a perfect race strategy from ART Grand Prix.
Stopwatch
WRC - Portugal: Latvala then comes through 10.8s quicker from Evans.
WRC - Portugal: Meanwhile, we have a time from Evans. It's 14m08.9s.
Breaking news
WRC - Portugal: Confirmation that Kubica has retired. After finally getting his car out of the ditch he slid into, the recovery effort broke the clutch. Disaster.
GP2 - Bahrain: Nasr finishes eighth and will start Sunday's sprint race from pole position. Binder and Quaife-Hobbs rounded out the top 10, as the likes of Evans and Haryanto suffered dreadful second stints.
Checkered flag
GP2 - Bahrain: Vandoorne wins the opening race of the year at Bahrain, 1.5s ahead of Leal. The battle for third goes to Palmer despite a late-race attack from Coletti.
Pic is fifth on his series debut, from Izawa and the charging Trummer - why didn't he pit a few laps earlier? He could have been on the podium for sure. But, still, not a bad job from starting in the pitlane!
Pic is fifth on his series debut, from Izawa and the charging Trummer - why didn't he pit a few laps earlier? He could have been on the podium for sure. But, still, not a bad job from starting in the pitlane!
GP2 - Bahrain: Trummer rejoins in ninth, and is closing in on eighth-placed Quaife-Hobbs, who is all over Nasr.
GP2 - Bahrain: Trummer finally stops from the lead. Now he only has two laps of soft-tyre maximum attack to play with.
GP2 - Bahrain: Leal is attacking Palmer hard for what will become second place. He passes him at Turn 1 with a great outbraking move. He's almost 3s down on Vandoorne.
WRC - Portugal: No data to bring you from the stage yet (thanks, WRC live timing) but we're hearing that Evan's is about three-quarters of the way into the stage.
GP2 - Bahrain: Trummer still stays out, unfathomably, and will stop on the last lap of the race, with Vandoorne poised to inherit victory.
GP2 - Bahrain: The drivers who started on hard tyres are now having a huge impact, outpacing those who started on the soft. Quaife-Hobbs is up to eighth and Izawa is flying too.
Why is Rapax leaving Trummer out? He could be doing this too!
Why is Rapax leaving Trummer out? He could be doing this too!
WRC - Portugal: Malhao has begun - Evans a couple of minutes into the stage.
GP2 - Bahrain: Palmer has closed the gap to Vandoorne to 1.4s. But Trummer has just driven a terrible lap - he really should pit for the softs NOW.
Pic passes Haryanto at Turn 11, the same move he pulled on Evans. This is hugely impressive!
Pic passes Haryanto at Turn 11, the same move he pulled on Evans. This is hugely impressive!
GP2 - Bahrain: After his disasters, Berthon is now the fastest man on track. This bodes well for Trummer, if he can do likewise there are points in this for him.
Pic is now attacking Evans, and he's passed him at Turn 11. Superb stuff.
Pic is now attacking Evans, and he's passed him at Turn 11. Superb stuff.
Breaking news
WRC - Portugal: Before SS10 gets underway, here's a recap of this morning's running:
* Ogier went quickest on the morning-opening SS8 run before leapfrogging Tanak and Hirvonen in one go on SS9
* Hirvonen limits the damage on the latter stage but drops to 2.7s behind the world champion
* Kubica stops on the stage after rolling out yesterday
* Ogier went quickest on the morning-opening SS8 run before leapfrogging Tanak and Hirvonen in one go on SS9
* Hirvonen limits the damage on the latter stage but drops to 2.7s behind the world champion
* Kubica stops on the stage after rolling out yesterday
GP2 - Bahrain: Lovely move from Pic on Richelmi there for ninth. Great return for Campos Racing.
GP2 - Bahrain: Only Trummer remains out front as a hard-tyre starter, with true leader Vandoorne up to second, ahead of Palmer, Leal, Coletti, Haryanto and Evans.
Fair play to Trummer, he's lapping very competitively.
Fair play to Trummer, he's lapping very competitively.
GP2 - Bahrain: Markelov has delayed Leal quite substantially there, allowing Palmer to get clear. Remember, this is a battle for position but Markelov, pacewise, is a backmarker.
GP2 - Bahrain: Berthon's race has gone from bad to worse, a dreadful pitstop and now he's got a loose wheel.
Vandoorne is now passing the hard-compound starters, easing past Markelov. He is 2s clear of Palmer, who still has Leal for a shadow.
Vandoorne is now passing the hard-compound starters, easing past Markelov. He is 2s clear of Palmer, who still has Leal for a shadow.
GP2 - Bahrain: Cecotto, the enfant terrible of GP2 despite being its most experience driver, has been given a drivethrough penalty for an earlier incident with Pic in which he exceeded track limits and passed the Frenchman.
GP2 - Bahrain: Berthon pits from the lead, almost crashing into Trummer who was trying to pass him!
WRC - Portugal: Game on. That is all. And we're almost ready to go straight onto Malhao, which is a slightly shorter 22.15km stage.
By: Dan Cross, David Evans, Scott Mitchell, Charles Bradley
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