WRC Rally Finland
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SS22 about to get underway. Here's a recap of the running order for today:
MikkelsenNeuvilleBreenEvansOgierSuninenPaddonLatvalaOstbergTanak
Mikkelsen gets the stage going in his Hyundai!
MikkelsenNeuvilleBreenEvansOgierSuninenPaddonLatvalaOstbergTanak
Mikkelsen gets the stage going in his Hyundai!
David Evans
We'll get started with our second pass of Laukaa shortly, but firstly, here is our expert in the service area DAVID EVANS, who spoke to rally leader Tanak about the 7.9-mile stage. "I have done this once before in the opposite direction, but it’s a quite a legendary name this stage. Like most of the stages yesterday, it’s quite a fast road we are using here. It’s wide and the surface is smooth for most of the way, but it’s still technical. "The stage has been used before in this direction, but when was it? Jari-Matti [Latvala] was telling us it was 1992 – he knows all about it. Maybe you need to ask him for more about this one… I wasn’t here then!
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Welcome to our coverage of the final two stages of this year's Rally Finland. Toyota's Ott Tanak holds a commanding lead over the Citroen of Mads Ostberg, but the big news from the morning loop is that Tanak's team-mate Esapekka Lappi crashed out.
The Finn got it all wrong on a fast left hander and headed into the trees. He and co-driver Janne Ferm are both okay however.
The Finn got it all wrong on a fast left hander and headed into the trees. He and co-driver Janne Ferm are both okay however.
Autosport
After a bit of a slow start, today's action picked up in a hurry. Battles emerged left, right and centre with some drama for our juniors too. You can digest it all in one quick gulp with our report here.
We'll be back online at 0630 for the final four stages of Rally Finland tomorrow. See you then!
We'll be back online at 0630 for the final four stages of Rally Finland tomorrow. See you then!
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Here's another snapshot of Rovanpera's Skoda, this one after completing stage 19. That's new WRC2 class leader Eerik Pietarinen parked up behind him.
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So how has Skoda's catastrophic stage 18 shaken up the order in the WRC2 support category? Veiby retired after the last stage, bringing to an end his epic battle with Jari Huttunen for third place. But it's Rovanpera that's the real story, losing a lead through an incomprehensible front left suspension failure.
He's still trying to limp to service but that drama cost Rovanpera around four minutes in all.
Overall WRC2 classification after SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Pietarinen 2h22m12.9s
2. Huttunen +37.1s
3. Greensmith +2m09.6s
4. Rovanpera +2m55.6s
5. Loubet +3m27.4s
He's still trying to limp to service but that drama cost Rovanpera around four minutes in all.
Overall WRC2 classification after SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Pietarinen 2h22m12.9s
2. Huttunen +37.1s
3. Greensmith +2m09.6s
4. Rovanpera +2m55.6s
5. Loubet +3m27.4s
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Back to the big boys in WRC. Two tense battles remain. Second place between Ostberg and Latvala and over fourth place between Lappi and Paddon (and Suninen if you're an optimist).
Here's how we stand heading into Sunday.
Overall classification after SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Tanak 2h13m18.2s
2. Ostberg +39.0s
3. Latvala +44.4s
4. Lappi +1m20.6s
5. Paddon +1m29.6s
6. Suninen +1m45.1s
7. Ogier +2m07.6s
8. Evans +2m17.9s
9. Breen +2m56.4s
10. Neuville +3m34.5s
11. Mikkelsen +8m00.5s
Here's how we stand heading into Sunday.
Overall classification after SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Tanak 2h13m18.2s
2. Ostberg +39.0s
3. Latvala +44.4s
4. Lappi +1m20.6s
5. Paddon +1m29.6s
6. Suninen +1m45.1s
7. Ogier +2m07.6s
8. Evans +2m17.9s
9. Breen +2m56.4s
10. Neuville +3m34.5s
11. Mikkelsen +8m00.5s
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He's here and the car is still moving. That's quite a miracle. Is this an example of the oft-mentioned Finnish sisu?
"I think so," Rovanpera replies.
"I hope that we didn't cause too much troble for Pietarinen behind me. I'm sorry he lost [time] because of us."
"I think so," Rovanpera replies.
"I hope that we didn't cause too much troble for Pietarinen behind me. I'm sorry he lost [time] because of us."
Rovanpera has reached stage end, with his WRC2 rival Eerik Pietarinen crossing the line right behind him.
That steering arm doubling as a suspension arm on Rovanpera's car is starting to work loose. Can he make it not just to stage end, but to service tonight?
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As Rovanpera continues to limp his way through the stage, here's the stage times from our WRC competitors on Rally Finland's final stage of today. Lappi makes it three stage wins in a row as Paddon breaks Toyota's 1-2-3 stronghold on stage times this afternoon.
SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Lappi 6m50.4s
2. Tanak +0.8s
3. Paddon +1.7s
4. Latvala +2.5s
5. Ogier +3.2s
6. Neuville +4.5s
7. Ostberg +5.4s
8. Suninen +5.7s
9. Breen +7.3s
10. Evans +8.5s
SS19 Pihlajakoski
1. Lappi 6m50.4s
2. Tanak +0.8s
3. Paddon +1.7s
4. Latvala +2.5s
5. Ogier +3.2s
6. Neuville +4.5s
7. Ostberg +5.4s
8. Suninen +5.7s
9. Breen +7.3s
10. Evans +8.5s
Stopwatch
"I have no idea," he says with a typical shurg when asked about the dent in the lower front bumper.
And yet he's second quickest with a 6m51.2s. He's got a 39.0s lead heading into the final day of Rally Finland and there's nothing obviously wrong with the car aside from cosmetic damage. As you were!
And yet he's second quickest with a 6m51.2s. He's got a 39.0s lead heading into the final day of Rally Finland and there's nothing obviously wrong with the car aside from cosmetic damage. As you were!
Crash
There's a massive dent in the front of Tanak's Toyota at stage end!
Only 5.4 seconds separate Ostberg in second and Latvala in third heading into Sunday's final leg.
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Ostberg was relieved to hear Latvala felt he was at his absolute limit.
"I'm glad he said that because I was driving so slow I was scared of myself. I was surprised with our tyre wear for this weekend and I have absolutely nothing left. I was on the steel when I started the final stage."
"I'm glad he said that because I was driving so slow I was scared of myself. I was surprised with our tyre wear for this weekend and I have absolutely nothing left. I was on the steel when I started the final stage."
Crash
Rovanpera's bonnet has just flipped up but he's still driving. What's next?!
Stopwatch
Ostberg lost a fair bit of time in that last split. He finishes with a 6m55.8s, conceding 2.9s.
He's going slowly through the stage, staying clear of the ruts which have develped over today's two passes of the stage. It was used for that Vetomies regional rally we mentioned earlier too which will have made those ruts deeper, too.
And look who's at the start line! It's WRC2 leader Kalle Rovanpera. With front left "suspension" made out of a steering arm fastened in place with a ratchet strap. My word.
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Latvala is firing on all cylinders. He wants that second place.
"It was a wild ride, I can tell you. I was scared at the end. It was so bad in places, I dind't know if I could keep in on the road.
"I gave everything."
"It was a wild ride, I can tell you. I was scared at the end. It was so bad in places, I dind't know if I could keep in on the road.
"I gave everything."
And Latvala's tyres are as bald as Lappi's too.
Stopwatch
Ostberg is 0.9s slower at the penultimate split. It's something but it's not quite what Latvala was probably looking for.
Stopwatch
Latvala is second quickest here with a 6m52.9s. Now attention turns to Ostberg. Has Latvala closed that gap to second even further?
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Paddon has little choice but to doff his cap to the man that caught and passed him this afternoon.
"He's been going very fast. We had a problem with the tyre on the last stage but full credit to him, he's a man on a mission," he says of Lappi.
"He's been going very fast. We had a problem with the tyre on the last stage but full credit to him, he's a man on a mission," he says of Lappi.
Paddon finishes with a 6m56.1s stage time, 5.7s behind Lappi.
That doesn't look likely though. Paddon's there or thereabouts, 0.8s slower than Lappi at the third split (after being ahead in the first two) and 1.5s ahead of Suninen at the same point.
Suninen slots in between his M-Sport team-mates on the time sheet for this stage with a 6m56.1s. That's another 5.7s lost to Lappi. Unless disaster strikes for Paddon in this last stage, he might need to settle for sixth place now.
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Ogier sums up his struggles so far this weekend at stage end.
"We struggled a bit all weekend. It's more of a big test than a race, we've changed a lot of things [on the car]."
But are these changes actually going in the right direction?
"At the moment not really, if you watch the times," he responds.
"We struggled a bit all weekend. It's more of a big test than a race, we've changed a lot of things [on the car]."
But are these changes actually going in the right direction?
"At the moment not really, if you watch the times," he responds.
Ogier finishes up his Saturday with a 6m53.6s through here.
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Evans' Fiesta WRC took a fairly hefty whack in that stage against a hole in the road. It doesn't seem to have affected him too much here.
"It didn't feel compeltely right but I think that was just down to low tread on the tyre. It's OK, we're here."
Evans might want to look at Lappi's tyres before saying he has low tread. Mamma mia!
"It didn't feel compeltely right but I think that was just down to low tread on the tyre. It's OK, we're here."
Evans might want to look at Lappi's tyres before saying he has low tread. Mamma mia!
Evans' tyres look brand new compared to Lappi's, which looked incredibly thin.
Evans sets a 6m58.9s to wrap up his day. That's 8.5s behind Lappi for reference.
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Lappi doesn't expect to be faster than Paddon, his main rival for fourth position, but hopes he's done enough across the afternoon loop.
"It was a quite risky game. I finished the tyres and then this one was very slippy and Hayden has tyres left. I bet we will lose some time here, but I hope we gained more time in the last one than we lose in this one."
I came to the end safely here, my rear tyres are completely finito," he says, throwing in some Italian for fun.
"It was a quite risky game. I finished the tyres and then this one was very slippy and Hayden has tyres left. I bet we will lose some time here, but I hope we gained more time in the last one than we lose in this one."
I came to the end safely here, my rear tyres are completely finito," he says, throwing in some Italian for fun.
Stopwatch
He's making those Michelins work hard. He clocks in at the finish line with a 6m50.4s, 4.5s up on Neuville.
Lappi is very sideways again.
Breen says he's fed up of running so close to first on the road so often this year. So many day one problems have knocked him back for the rest of the weekend - this time it was a puncture on Friday.
Breen finishes his day with a 6m57.7s.
Stopwatch
This might be hard to believe but for a brief moment, Neuville was faster than Lappi. For all of two splits. He had been 1.1s faster at the first, but come split three he's 2.2s down on Lappi. Oh well.
By: Matt Beer
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