WRC Rally Finland
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David Evans
Craig Breen was the self-proclaimed happiest man in Jyvasklya last night. I will have to challenge that. Walking back to the hotel after work last night, I passed a good few locals who definitely reckoned they were happier than Breen. And getting happier and happier by the Karjala… Jyvaskyla was on fine and flowing form.
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Let's turn back to SS15, as we have our first lot of WRC2 runners home and hosed.
Elfyn Evans is fastest of those through so far, and 10.6s slower than Meeke. Though the order is unclear, with the earlier stoppages preventing WRC2 running on SS13, he'll be some way off class leader Esapekka Lappi, but backs up a seventh-fastest SS14 time with ninth on SS15.
"It's about having fun as wel," says Evans at the stage end, "We don't know what we're doing after here, so we have to take every rally as our last."
Elfyn Evans is fastest of those through so far, and 10.6s slower than Meeke. Though the order is unclear, with the earlier stoppages preventing WRC2 running on SS13, he'll be some way off class leader Esapekka Lappi, but backs up a seventh-fastest SS14 time with ninth on SS15.
"It's about having fun as wel," says Evans at the stage end, "We don't know what we're doing after here, so we have to take every rally as our last."
Tanak had suspension damage yesterday afternoon and also went for a spin, and his morning hasn't taken a fantastic turn either.
David Evans
Talking about his efforts last yesterday, Kris Meeke admitted it was Ott Tanak’s challenge he feared. “I think Ott would have been leading last night if it wasn’t for those issues he had. That DMACK tyre would have been about perfect for these roads, it’s between our soft and hard tyre and that’s just about exactly what was needed.”
With WRC2 runners out in the stage at the moment (we'll give you the state of play there, too, don't worry) let's check in with our man on the ground DAVID EVANS for the first time this morning.
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And here's how the leaderboard looks:
Leading SS15 times:
1 Meeke 6m35.6s
2 Ogier +0.5s
3 Latvala +2.4s
4 Breen +3.9s
5 Neuville +5.8s
6 Paddon +6.9s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke 1h45m52.5s
2 Latvala +37.1s
3 Paddon +1m35.9s
4 Neuville +1m36.2s
5 Ostberg +1m44.2s
6 Mikkelsen +1m44.6s
7 Tanak +1m48.3s
8 Breen +3m56.2s*
Leading SS15 times:
1 Meeke 6m35.6s
2 Ogier +0.5s
3 Latvala +2.4s
4 Breen +3.9s
5 Neuville +5.8s
6 Paddon +6.9s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke 1h45m52.5s
2 Latvala +37.1s
3 Paddon +1m35.9s
4 Neuville +1m36.2s
5 Ostberg +1m44.2s
6 Mikkelsen +1m44.6s
7 Tanak +1m48.3s
8 Breen +3m56.2s*
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Let's bring you right up to speed, with a summary of the headlines from SS15:
- Rally leader Meeke extends lead with fastest stage time
- Citroen man now leads by 37.1s from Latvala, who holds comfortable second
- Breen fourth on stage and third of those in contention as he awaits adjusted SS14 time
- Tanak sets fastest first split before picking up left-rear puncture
- Rally leader Meeke extends lead with fastest stage time
- Citroen man now leads by 37.1s from Latvala, who holds comfortable second
- Breen fourth on stage and third of those in contention as he awaits adjusted SS14 time
- Tanak sets fastest first split before picking up left-rear puncture
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Abbring completes the stage and is 25s slower than Meeke. "[The stoppages] make it harder to get in a rhythm," he says, having been stopped by yellow flags on the previous stage and running through SS13 at a slower pace.
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There were no problems, for Meeke, though, who was fastest on SS13 and second-quickest on SS14 behind Tanak and looks pretty imperious so far out in front.
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SS13, our first stage of the day, started in fairly standard fashion, until Lorenzo Bertelli crashed his Ford Fiesta, ending running on the stage beyond the 12 WRC cars that had already come through.
SS14 was also stopped for a short while - this time as Eric Camilli went off - but was restarted. Breen, who was first on the road behind Camilli, was the big loser, dropping more than 2m30s to the leaders, but should be given a nominal time for that run.
SS14 was also stopped for a short while - this time as Eric Camilli went off - but was restarted. Breen, who was first on the road behind Camilli, was the big loser, dropping more than 2m30s to the leaders, but should be given a nominal time for that run.
Neuville comes in fastest, but then Mikkelsen beats that - closing to within 1.1s of the Hyundai in their tight battle for third.
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Lights green
Ogier has got Surkee under way. He's not been particularly chirpy this morning and running first on the road continues to irk him, as it has for approximately three years now to varying degrees, but he's right on team-mate Latvala's tail for second.
And here's THAT Novikov jump...
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Here's what Tanak is going to have to limp through - next stage Surkee as described by Abbring's co-driver Marshall:
SS6 Horkka 9.38 miles
Remember that jump that Evgeny Novikov did a few years ago? Well that was on this stage… but we’re doing it in the opposite direction.
That jump won’t be flat, or at least I don’t think it will be. The up ramp is quite steep and it could well send you into space. And the trees seems to overhang a little bit, which could make it interesting.
Other than that one, there aren’t so many big jumps in there, but there are places where road rolls away and you feel like you’re kind of floating.
SS6 Horkka 9.38 miles
Remember that jump that Evgeny Novikov did a few years ago? Well that was on this stage… but we’re doing it in the opposite direction.
That jump won’t be flat, or at least I don’t think it will be. The up ramp is quite steep and it could well send you into space. And the trees seems to overhang a little bit, which could make it interesting.
Other than that one, there aren’t so many big jumps in there, but there are places where road rolls away and you feel like you’re kind of floating.
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Confirmation of Tanak's drama coming up...
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Last year around this time, DAVID EVANS decided Lappi was so mega, he wrote this: 
Absolutely mega time from WRC2 leader Lappi - he's ninth overall on the stage, just behind Mikkelsen's time in the VW WRC, and that places him ahead of Abbring's Hyundai WRC in 11th overall.
Road position won't be hurting, but a lot of that pace is coming from Lappi being mega here.
Road position won't be hurting, but a lot of that pace is coming from Lappi being mega here.
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SS5 summary:
* Meeke handed 19s lead as Tanak spins and falls to 10th, suspecting a car problem
* Latvala recovers from previous stage tyre damage to move into second
* Flying Breen surges to fourth between Ogier and Mikkelsen
* Meeke handed 19s lead as Tanak spins and falls to 10th, suspecting a car problem
* Latvala recovers from previous stage tyre damage to move into second
* Flying Breen surges to fourth between Ogier and Mikkelsen
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SS5 RESULTS
Leading stage times:
1 Meeke 7m54.8s
2 Latvala +2.3s
3 Breen +4.9s
4 Ogier +6.2s
5 Neuville +6.3s
6 Ostberg +6.8s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke
2 Latvala +19.6s
3 Ogier +22.0s
4 Breen +22.6s
5 Mikkelsen +23.0s
6 Neuville +24.7s
7 Ostberg +30.2s
8 Paddon +30.9s
9 Camilli +32.7s
10 Tanak +33.6s
Leading stage times:
1 Meeke 7m54.8s
2 Latvala +2.3s
3 Breen +4.9s
4 Ogier +6.2s
5 Neuville +6.3s
6 Ostberg +6.8s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Meeke
2 Latvala +19.6s
3 Ogier +22.0s
4 Breen +22.6s
5 Mikkelsen +23.0s
6 Neuville +24.7s
7 Ostberg +30.2s
8 Paddon +30.9s
9 Camilli +32.7s
10 Tanak +33.6s
Best of the non-factory WRC pack at the moment is visiting Argentinian hero Marcos Ligato. Lorenzo Bertelli has been hamstrung by running in two-wheel-drive mode for several stages due to what appears to be a sensor problem, while Al-Qassimi has lost some time when he came across Valeriy Gorban's (wonderful) Mini slowing with an issue.
David Evans
WRC midfielders on the stage now include the third PH Citroen of Khalid Al-Qassimi, whose Abu Dhabi backing is making Meeke and Breen's heroics possible.
This year’s Rally Finland is not short of Sheikhs, with UAE star Al Qassimi’s brother Sheikh Abdulla and his son Sheikh Mohammed also starting the event in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC and Mitsubishi Lancer respectively. They're running 61st and 69th respectively after the last stage.
This year’s Rally Finland is not short of Sheikhs, with UAE star Al Qassimi’s brother Sheikh Abdulla and his son Sheikh Mohammed also starting the event in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC and Mitsubishi Lancer respectively. They're running 61st and 69th respectively after the last stage.
By: Matt Beer
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