WRC Rally Finland
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Teemu Suninen started this stage 9.2s behind Lappi. That gap is set to get larger - he's already 10.0s slower with one split still to cover.
Ogier finishes precisely 10.0s slower than Lappi. That's an 11m41.1s.
Stopwatch
Paddon vs Lappi update - Paddon is 6.3s slower than Lappi at third split. Their gap is 9.3s. Perhaps Lappi was underselling himself earlier.
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It's a decent time for Evans, considering it sounds like he had a bit of a worrying moment in there
"We hit a really bad hoel in a very fast place which shoved us a bit wide. It was a very big impact. We had an imbalance later in the stage," he explains.
"I don't think it's a major problem but we'll have to check."
"We hit a really bad hoel in a very fast place which shoved us a bit wide. It was a very big impact. We had an imbalance later in the stage," he explains.
"I don't think it's a major problem but we'll have to check."
Ogier's a little slower than his M-Sport team-mate, 1.2s behind Evans at the fifth split.
Evans is second quickest, an 11m40.4s putting him 9.3s off Lappi's lightning pace.
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Lappi is throwing the kitchen sink at catching Paddon for fourth place but it's having a side effect.
"The tyres are quite finished. I pushed pretty hard, few mistakes obviously. Lets see how we survive the last one, we don't have much tyres left to be honest," he says.
Has he done enough to overtake Paddon in this stage?
"No, no no no," he responds.
"The tyres are quite finished. I pushed pretty hard, few mistakes obviously. Lets see how we survive the last one, we don't have much tyres left to be honest," he says.
Has he done enough to overtake Paddon in this stage?
"No, no no no," he responds.
Big slide to finish that stage, too. After a quiet Friday, Lappi's got his mojo back.
Stopwatch
Lappi finishes with an 11m31.1s. 14.2s faster than Neuville. 24.5s up on Mikkelsen. Crikey.
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Did that extra spare tyre Breen is carrying have an effect on his time here?
"Perhaps," he responds. "We made a little change before the stage thinking it would help me in there, but it didn't."
"Perhaps," he responds. "We made a little change before the stage thinking it would help me in there, but it didn't."
Breen arrives 2.7s off Neuville's time with an 11m48.0s.
Lappi is 11.0s up on Neuville at the fifth split. So, fastest. Again.
Neuville reports a small brake issue and also some rather worn rear rubber. There's not much he can do about the latter - he's already running the harder Michelin compound available and it's not as if he's pushing like a madman and eating his tyres up. It's not been a great day for him.
It's an 11m45.3s for Neuville. That's 10.3s up on Mikkelsen
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Mikkelsen took absolutely no notice of that mistake we mentioned earlier.
"No, I don't think so," when asked if he'd made a mistake. "Right hander over a crest a little bit, you're right," he admitted after being probed.
"No, I don't think so," when asked if he'd made a mistake. "Right hander over a crest a little bit, you're right," he admitted after being probed.
We have our first car at stage end, Mikkelsen clocking an 11m55.6s.
Paijala is going to be at a slower pace from a spectator standpoint, with cars sent off at three minute intervals rather than two.
Breen's 0.2s slower than Neuville by the third split, while Lappi has started and already put 3.3s over Neuville after a single split.
By split four that 3.9s gain by Neuville over Mikkelsen has crept up to 6.2s.
Neuville's already 3.9s up on Mikkelsen at the second split, while Breen gets going off the startline.
Neuville has set off onto Paijala's roads. He's in no-mans land in ninth place, 43.6s behind Breen but over 3 minutes ahead of WRC2 leader Kalle Rovanpera.
Mikkelsen slides a bit wide on a right hand corner. He's not had an easy day, Andreas.
Green flag
And right on cue, at 38 mintues past, Mikkelsen is on his way.
Information
Our first car departs in a couple of minutes. Just enough time then to get a feel for what this next stage is going to be like, courtesy of Hayden Paddon's co-driver, Seb Marshall.
SS18 Paijala (14.86 miles)
The start of this stage – the first 20 kilometres – are the same as last year. This is a great way to start the day [it was run as the first stage during this morning's loop] with a nice wide road with plenty of yumps and jumps – the sort of road we would consider to be traditionally Finnish. But then we have quite a big rhythm change where the organisers have put a more narrow, twisty section at the finish. So, about five kilometres from the end, we turn off the big road and it’s into the slower section to the finish.
SS18 Paijala (14.86 miles)
The start of this stage – the first 20 kilometres – are the same as last year. This is a great way to start the day [it was run as the first stage during this morning's loop] with a nice wide road with plenty of yumps and jumps – the sort of road we would consider to be traditionally Finnish. But then we have quite a big rhythm change where the organisers have put a more narrow, twisty section at the finish. So, about five kilometres from the end, we turn off the big road and it’s into the slower section to the finish.
David Evans
The general thinking is that the roads shouldn’t clean quite so much today – we’re back onto the bigger, wider and more traditional roads based around Jamsa and Kuhmoinen. Naturally, the cleaning effect is most pronounced under braking and acceleration into and out of slower corners and junctions – there’s not much of either in the first 10 miles of Paijala.
Is Andreas Mikkelsen finally going to get a break in this stage? Leading the road order all day has meant plenty of sweeping, but he might get a brief repreive in this stage, as DAVID EVANS explains.
Not since Timo Makinen drove Ouninpohja looking out of the side window after the bonnet of his car blew open has a Mini attracted as much interest in Finland as this one has. Suffice to say, just the one mannequin was injured in the making of this picture. - DAVID EVANS
We're only a few minutes away from our longest stage today kicking off, Paijala's 14.86 mile test.
Elsewhere, with erstwhile WRC Trophy competitor Valeriy Gorban no longer bringing his trademark lime green Mini Cooper to Rally Finland anymore, an entirely different Mini has been grabbing all the fans' attention this weekend, as DAVID EVANS discovered.
Elsewhere, with erstwhile WRC Trophy competitor Valeriy Gorban no longer bringing his trademark lime green Mini Cooper to Rally Finland anymore, an entirely different Mini has been grabbing all the fans' attention this weekend, as DAVID EVANS discovered.
As our WRC crews make their way across to Paijala there's a brief wait, so check back in with us just before 15:30 BST for coverage of the next stage.
Speaking of WRC2, that support category podium battle between Ole Christian Veiby and Jari Huttunen is still extremely close. Veiby takes another 0.7s out of Hyundai junior Huttunen on Kakaristo, edging his advantage out to 1.3s.
If there are any Andreas Mikkelsen fans out there, they might find a crumb of comfort from him moving up to 12th place in that stage, easily passing Pietarinen thanks to their equipment disparity; Mikkelsen in a WRC car, Pietarinen in a WRC2 car.
Rovanpera is next on his to-do list, 45.6s up the road.
Rovanpera is next on his to-do list, 45.6s up the road.
Information
No position changes this time around but momentum is shifting. Ostberg's second place suddenly looks incredibly shaky while Paddon has the third Yaris tracking him closely.
Today's longest stage is next up - might we see a decisive push from those pair of chasers?
Overall classification after SS17 Kakaristo
1. Tanak 1h54m48.7s
2. Ostberg +32.4s
3. Latvala +44.2s
4. Paddon +1m19.3s
5. Lappi +1m28.6s
6. Suninen +1m37.8s
7. Ogier +2m02.4s
8. Evans +2m08.1s
9. Breen +2m40.2s
10. Neuville +3m23.8s
Today's longest stage is next up - might we see a decisive push from those pair of chasers?
Overall classification after SS17 Kakaristo
1. Tanak 1h54m48.7s
2. Ostberg +32.4s
3. Latvala +44.2s
4. Paddon +1m19.3s
5. Lappi +1m28.6s
6. Suninen +1m37.8s
7. Ogier +2m02.4s
8. Evans +2m08.1s
9. Breen +2m40.2s
10. Neuville +3m23.8s
Kalle Rovanpera has finished the stage as we were recapping stage times there. He explains he's playing it safe, taking six medium tyres as he protects a comfortable lead. Sound familiar? Sounds a lot like a certain Toyota driver.
Information
It only took six stages but we've finally got someone other than Ott Tanak topping the stage times today. It's another Toyota, but beggars can't be choosers.
SS17 Kakaristo
1. Lappi 11m26.3s
2. Latvala +2.0s
3. Tanak +2.4s
4. Suninen +3.2s
5. Paddon +3.3s
6. Ostberg +7.8s
7. Ogier +8.6s
8. Evans +11.8s
9. Neuville +12.0s
10. Breen +13.0s
SS17 Kakaristo
1. Lappi 11m26.3s
2. Latvala +2.0s
3. Tanak +2.4s
4. Suninen +3.2s
5. Paddon +3.3s
6. Ostberg +7.8s
7. Ogier +8.6s
8. Evans +11.8s
9. Neuville +12.0s
10. Breen +13.0s
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"It was a tough stage, really rough. Some issue with the power steering but it's OK, it's driveable. We have to take care," says Tanak.
Power steering trouble? He didn't seem the slightest bit flustered. Either it's really not an issue at all or he's clocked up hundreds of hours playing poker and learned how to bluff like a pro.
He's one of those three drivers carrying an extra spare wheel too.
Power steering trouble? He didn't seem the slightest bit flustered. Either it's really not an issue at all or he's clocked up hundreds of hours playing poker and learned how to bluff like a pro.
He's one of those three drivers carrying an extra spare wheel too.
Checkered flag
Tanak crosses the finish line of Kakaristo to set an 11m28.7s. Which means Esapekka Lappi breaks his team-mate's stronghold on stage wins today! That's a 2.4s gap too. Not bad Esapekka.
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It looks like safety first is costing Ostberg. He was one of only three drivers to take two spare wheels, and that extra weight is costing him badly. Does he regret his decision?
"A lot," he answers.
"It makes the car quite difficult to drive. I'm fighting for the stages now instead of just driving. I don't know what to do exactly."
"A lot," he answers.
"It makes the car quite difficult to drive. I'm fighting for the stages now instead of just driving. I don't know what to do exactly."
Ostberg has finished up on Kakaristo and it's not a fantastic time, an 11m34.1s. That's 5.8s dropped to Latvala, which reduced his advantage in second place to only 11.8s.
Those hoping to board the Tanak express might find themselves disappointed here - he's 0.7s slower than Lappi at the fifth split.
Ostberg had been faster than Latvala in the early splits but that trend has now reversed. He's 2.7s down on Latvala, who is one place behind him overall, with two splits remaining.
By: Matt Beer
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