WRC Rally Italy
Live Text
Sort by
Information
Reports from the stage, Kris Meeke has gone off. There's spectators there trying to get the car back on the road.
He's moving again! But he's lost a few minutes there. And his dust is likely to cause issues for the cars behind.
He's moving again! But he's lost a few minutes there. And his dust is likely to cause issues for the cars behind.
Crash
Meeke's first split is 0.8s up on Tanak.
BUT DRAMA.
RALLY LEADER MEEKE HAS STOPPED.
BUT DRAMA.
RALLY LEADER MEEKE HAS STOPPED.
Sounds like Sordo has blown the turbo. If so, he has a minute chance of getting back to service and getting that fixed. He's moving on the tracking system.
Information
Sordo, or Mr Consistent, has finished ever rally in the 2017 season in the top eight.
In fact, he's finished in the top eight on every WRC rally he's done since Rally Germany last August. On the previous event to that, the 2016 Rally Poland, his engine had gone.
In fact, he's finished in the top eight on every WRC rally he's done since Rally Germany last August. On the previous event to that, the 2016 Rally Poland, his engine had gone.
Quote
There's oil smoke from the exhaust of the Hyundai.
"It's the engine, we have a problem with the engine from the middle of the stage, incredible," says Sordo. "That's life. I'm not a mechanic, I've had no power from the middle of the stage."
Looks like Sordo will have to retire, we'll confirm that as soon as we can.
"It's the engine, we have a problem with the engine from the middle of the stage, incredible," says Sordo. "That's life. I'm not a mechanic, I've had no power from the middle of the stage."
Looks like Sordo will have to retire, we'll confirm that as soon as we can.
Crash
Sordo loses over a minute on the stage. No doubt he has an issue. He's definitely lost fifth to Tanak.
To put Sordo's loss into perspective, he started the stage in fifth, four seconds ahead of Tanak. So if that Sordo deficit remains, Tanak will take the place.
Stopwatch
Further back, Sordo is 1.9s slower than Tanak at split one, and 8.1s slower than him at split two.
Stopwatch
We've got strong splits in now. At the last one, Tanak has 3.8s in hand over Neuville.
He completes quickest, one second quicker than Neuville and fastest overall.
He completes quickest, one second quicker than Neuville and fastest overall.
Quote
Latvala completes and he's 0.5s slower than Neuville, that's a good time after he struggled on the last test.
"We had a good run," says Latvala. "I was too cautious in the first three kilometres so we lost a bit of time."
"We had a good run," says Latvala. "I was too cautious in the first three kilometres so we lost a bit of time."
Quote
That's a quick time given he's only one car behind Ogier on the road.
"On the last two stages I pushed like hell," he says. "I pushed to get a gap to him [Ogier] and to hopefully have a good position on the road tomorrow."
"On the last two stages I pushed like hell," he says. "I pushed to get a gap to him [Ogier] and to hopefully have a good position on the road tomorrow."
Stopwatch
Tanak is the next to go quicker at split one, meaning Neuville's slower-than-Ogier time is likely an anomaly or he's made a small error.
Neuville completes and he's a massive 8.6s quicker than Ogier.
Neuville completes and he's a massive 8.6s quicker than Ogier.
Quote
Ogier completes as Neuville goes 2.5s quicker than him through the second split.
Latvala is quickest through slit one so far, 1.6s up on Ogier who was the quickest through that split.
"That was a difficult loop, I was hoping not to lose that much," says Ogier. There's a very real possibility he could end Friday's first loop over half a minute down on the leader!
Latvala is quickest through slit one so far, 1.6s up on Ogier who was the quickest through that split.
"That was a difficult loop, I was hoping not to lose that much," says Ogier. There's a very real possibility he could end Friday's first loop over half a minute down on the leader!
David Evans
Once again, straw bales have been employed to protect the end of ARMCO and bridge parapets – something the FIA has been looking at for years now. While these bales do alter the aspect of some corners, they’re universally welcomed among the drivers.
Stopwatch
First split in for Neuville, he's a second slower than Neuville.
Is this the predicted benefit for Ogier on those softer tyres, being in better condition because he's wearing them less in his position as first car on the road? We need more times to properly confirm that.
Is this the predicted benefit for Ogier on those softer tyres, being in better condition because he's wearing them less in his position as first car on the road? We need more times to properly confirm that.
Information
While we wait for relevant splits, we'll give you a quick WRC2 update.
Despite a brief spell in the lead for Jan Kopecky in his works Skoda Fabia R5, Eric Camilli has now established a lead in the works-M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 to the tune of 6.7s.
The Fiesta had an upgrade ready for Portugal, labelled Evo2, and it looks like it has really refreshed the Fiesta.
Sardinia is not a mandatory round of WRC2, hence why the entry isn't quite as strong here.
Despite a brief spell in the lead for Jan Kopecky in his works Skoda Fabia R5, Eric Camilli has now established a lead in the works-M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 to the tune of 6.7s.
The Fiesta had an upgrade ready for Portugal, labelled Evo2, and it looks like it has really refreshed the Fiesta.
Sardinia is not a mandatory round of WRC2, hence why the entry isn't quite as strong here.
Green flag
Sebastien Ogier is into the stage in his JCB Fiesta WRC. Sorry, we meant Ford. He's cleaning the road this morning, just in case you weren't aware.
Information
Jeepers, only a couple of minutes before the next stage. Time flies on Autosport Live.
Next up is SS5 Tergu-Osilo, and Jari-Matti Latvala is our stage guide for this one.
SS5/9 Tergu-Osilo (9.26 miles)
"This is the best stage in the loop for the rhythm. The road in this stage is a bit wider and it’s easy to follow the line of the road.
"But, at the same time this one is a bit of a tyre killer. This road is the most abrasive of the loop and coming as the last one before we go back to service, it will be very hard to come through here if the tyres are already finished."
David Evans adds:
"Jari-Matti’s absolutely right about this stage flowing more than the others in the loop, but I had to jump in here to add a bit of context. Don’t go thinking this is a proper wide road, it’s nothing like the quick flowing stuff we get in places like Finland.
This is a bit of a stage of two halves – the section before crossing the main the road is definitely more flowing, but after a 50-metre dash along the asphalt road (double-width, like an A-road at home) it gets a bit twistier.
Another feature in here is the number of corners where braking is done off camber and on the loose, where science and technology will have to fight to stop gravity chucking the cars off the road.
Like the other stages in Sardinia, this one has lots of straw bales being used to protect bridge parapets and ARMCO ends – this has tightened up a lot of the corners and narrowed down some bridge entries."
Next up is SS5 Tergu-Osilo, and Jari-Matti Latvala is our stage guide for this one.
SS5/9 Tergu-Osilo (9.26 miles)
"This is the best stage in the loop for the rhythm. The road in this stage is a bit wider and it’s easy to follow the line of the road.
"But, at the same time this one is a bit of a tyre killer. This road is the most abrasive of the loop and coming as the last one before we go back to service, it will be very hard to come through here if the tyres are already finished."
David Evans adds:
"Jari-Matti’s absolutely right about this stage flowing more than the others in the loop, but I had to jump in here to add a bit of context. Don’t go thinking this is a proper wide road, it’s nothing like the quick flowing stuff we get in places like Finland.
This is a bit of a stage of two halves – the section before crossing the main the road is definitely more flowing, but after a 50-metre dash along the asphalt road (double-width, like an A-road at home) it gets a bit twistier.
Another feature in here is the number of corners where braking is done off camber and on the loose, where science and technology will have to fight to stop gravity chucking the cars off the road.
Like the other stages in Sardinia, this one has lots of straw bales being used to protect bridge parapets and ARMCO ends – this has tightened up a lot of the corners and narrowed down some bridge entries."
Information
Here's a brief summary of that wild and intriguing Tula stage:
- After the top six in the order, all the drivers behind were slower on the leaderboard
- The rally lead yo-yos again as Citroen's Kris Meeke and Hyundai's Hayden Paddon overtake Juho Hanninen. That's the top three in that order.
- Elfyn Evans and Martin Prokop both go off on the stage, while Craig Breen didn't even make the stage with a gearbox housing problem
- Sebastien Ogier, first on the road, moves up from 11th to ninth, while Thierry Neuville goes from 10th to eighth. Both moving up thanks to Breen and Evans' issues.
- After the top six in the order, all the drivers behind were slower on the leaderboard
- The rally lead yo-yos again as Citroen's Kris Meeke and Hyundai's Hayden Paddon overtake Juho Hanninen. That's the top three in that order.
- Elfyn Evans and Martin Prokop both go off on the stage, while Craig Breen didn't even make the stage with a gearbox housing problem
- Sebastien Ogier, first on the road, moves up from 11th to ninth, while Thierry Neuville goes from 10th to eighth. Both moving up thanks to Breen and Evans' issues.
Information
SS4:
1 Sordo 11m51.2s
2 Neuville +2s
3 Tanak +3.3s
4 Paddon +4.2s
5 Ogier +6.7s
6 Meeke +7.6s
Overall after SS4
1 Meeke 37m44.9s
2 Paddon +0.8s
3 Hanninen +4.1s
4 Ostberg +5.6s
5 Sordo +10.8s
6 Tanak +14.8s
7 Neuville +18.7s
8 Latvala +20.4s
9 Ogier +28.2s
10 Mikkelsen +47.4s
1 Sordo 11m51.2s
2 Neuville +2s
3 Tanak +3.3s
4 Paddon +4.2s
5 Ogier +6.7s
6 Meeke +7.6s
Overall after SS4
1 Meeke 37m44.9s
2 Paddon +0.8s
3 Hanninen +4.1s
4 Ostberg +5.6s
5 Sordo +10.8s
6 Tanak +14.8s
7 Neuville +18.7s
8 Latvala +20.4s
9 Ogier +28.2s
10 Mikkelsen +47.4s
Crash
Ahh, Prokop. Ostberg's team-mate is actually the last 2017 car on the road. He's not likely to challenge for top times though, he's stopped on the stage.
Stopwatch
"It's the same, we are missing second gear," says a gutted Esapekka Lappi. "I think this is the worse rally for it. We just need to stay on the road."
Stopwatch
Lappi loses over a minute on the stage, and he's got another stage to go before service which is ruining his rally.
There could be a gap here. Our last 2017 WRC car driver, Esapekka Lappi, has no second gear.
That should delay him a fair bit.
That should delay him a fair bit.
Stopwatch
Ostberg completes, only Lappi of our WRC runners left now.
Ostberg is seventh quickest, 8.3s down on Sordo. That still puts him fourth overall, though. And he's only 1.5s down on Hanninen for the last podium spot.
Ostberg is seventh quickest, 8.3s down on Sordo. That still puts him fourth overall, though. And he's only 1.5s down on Hanninen for the last podium spot.
Quote
Mikkelsen completes and the Citroen new boy has struggled this morning, taking his time to bed-in inside the new 2017 car.
"I'm trying to build step by step," says the Norwegian. "It takes a different style to drive than the Polo. It's getting there."
Despite being a WRC event winner, he's spent the start of the year in WRC2, so to expect him to jump into the fastest WRC cars ever and be on the pace would be a stretch. He deserves some adaption time.
"I'm trying to build step by step," says the Norwegian. "It takes a different style to drive than the Polo. It's getting there."
Despite being a WRC event winner, he's spent the start of the year in WRC2, so to expect him to jump into the fastest WRC cars ever and be on the pace would be a stretch. He deserves some adaption time.
With the times so close together, we'll rundown the full order at the end of the test. But in summary, Meeke and Paddon pass Hanninen in the overall order here.
Neuville moves up in the top 10, and Ogier makes it into the top 10 but still sits just uner 30s off the leader.
Neuville moves up in the top 10, and Ogier makes it into the top 10 but still sits just uner 30s off the leader.
Quote
Hanninen is in and drops from first to third overall.
He's slowest on this stage so far. He now sits 3.3s behind Paddon and 4.1s slower than Meeke in the overall order now.
Third is still an impressive position for Hanninen to be in.
"The last part was really slippy and loose, that was a challenging part," says Hanninen. "I lost some time."
He's slowest on this stage so far. He now sits 3.3s behind Paddon and 4.1s slower than Meeke in the overall order now.
Third is still an impressive position for Hanninen to be in.
"The last part was really slippy and loose, that was a challenging part," says Hanninen. "I lost some time."
Quote
Meeke completes and he's 7.6s down on Sordo, but it still should be enough to take the lead.
"I'm happy with my rhythm," says Meeke who lost time even to Ogier, who is first on the road.
Have we told you that Ogier is first on the road and suffering from sweeping the road. If we haven't emphasised that enough, apologies.
"I'm happy with my rhythm," says Meeke who lost time even to Ogier, who is first on the road.
Have we told you that Ogier is first on the road and suffering from sweeping the road. If we haven't emphasised that enough, apologies.
Stopwatch
This really is an intriguing stage. Everyone behind Paddon at this point is red on the splits, meaning they are slower.
Leader Hanninen is 7.8s slower than Sordo at this point, and it looks like Kris Meeke will take the overall rally lead with Paddon likely to take second.
Leader Hanninen is 7.8s slower than Sordo at this point, and it looks like Kris Meeke will take the overall rally lead with Paddon likely to take second.
Quote
Paddon is in and fourth quickest, just ahead of road cleaner Ogier.
"Just trying to drive it nice and clean," says Paddon. Something is burning in the back of the car and it's created a hole, it feels like the boot is open."
The hole has been caused by the exhaust, the hole is surrounding the tailpipe. Gaffa tape is the suggested solution. In fact, that fixes pretty much anything in rallying. That and cable ties.
"Just trying to drive it nice and clean," says Paddon. Something is burning in the back of the car and it's created a hole, it feels like the boot is open."
The hole has been caused by the exhaust, the hole is surrounding the tailpipe. Gaffa tape is the suggested solution. In fact, that fixes pretty much anything in rallying. That and cable ties.
Crash
It looks like Evans has took the front right wheel off his Fiesta. That'll be difficult to get going again.
This gap has been extended because we were already due to have a gap at this point. Craig Breen retired before the stage and Evans has gone off in the stage, creating a super lull. Paddon up next and 1s down on Sordo at the final split.
Twitter
Stopwatch
After a short lull on our now Evans-less stage, we have a split time for Paddon.
He's one second down on Sordo, our pacesetter on this stage so far.
He's one second down on Sordo, our pacesetter on this stage so far.
Twitter
Stopwatch
We'll have a short gap now as Evans was the next car due to stage end. Instead it will be Paddon, who's going strong and started the stage third overall and 4.4s off leader, Hanninen.
No offence to Juho, but yeah, Hanninen is leading the event.
No offence to Juho, but yeah, Hanninen is leading the event.
Crash
More reports from Evans, he's reportedly gone off the stage, but the duo are both ok.
Sordo admits that someone behind is likely to go quicker, which is pessimistic if not realistic from the Spaniard.
Crash
Reports from the stage, Elfyn Evans has stopped.
By: Matt Beer
Published:
Lap:
