WRC Rally Mexico
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Some more WRC2 info for you from David Evans coming up...
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Back on SS4, Armin Kremer is fastest of the WRC2 cars through so far, 2m06.3s slower than Latvala. He's outpaced Teemu Suninen, who is arguably the star name in the field this weekend after Nasser Al-Attiyah pulled out of the event.
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Here's another stage preview from our current leader, Jari-Matti Latvala:
SS5 Las Minas 1 (9.54 miles)
The beginning is quite a slippery surface – there’s a lot of loose here. After the start, you go through a couple of villages, passing some houses, it’s a bit strange feeling when you go through these places at rally speed.
After that, it’s very technical until you come to the mid-point, then it’s wider and fast and flowing. But the risk here is that people will be cutting these corners and pulling the rocks to the centre of the road.
SS5 Las Minas 1 (9.54 miles)
The beginning is quite a slippery surface – there’s a lot of loose here. After the start, you go through a couple of villages, passing some houses, it’s a bit strange feeling when you go through these places at rally speed.
After that, it’s very technical until you come to the mid-point, then it’s wider and fast and flowing. But the risk here is that people will be cutting these corners and pulling the rocks to the centre of the road.
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Ogier is now onto Las Minas - which is relatively short in comparison to El Chocolate at just under 10 miles in length.
SS4 summary:
* Latvala goes fastest by 22.3s to take the rally lead
* Ogier keeps second overall after venturing onto El Chocolate first
* Neuville retires with a broken suspension arm
* Latvala goes fastest by 22.3s to take the rally lead
* Ogier keeps second overall after venturing onto El Chocolate first
* Neuville retires with a broken suspension arm
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...and what that's done to the leaderboard:
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 43m7.9s
2 Ogier +19.0s
3 Sordo +22.9s
4 Mikkelsen +39.6s
5 Paddon +49.7s
6 Ostberg +1m11.5s
7 Tanak +1m39.1s
8 Guerra +1m42.9s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 43m7.9s
2 Ogier +19.0s
3 Sordo +22.9s
4 Mikkelsen +39.6s
5 Paddon +49.7s
6 Ostberg +1m11.5s
7 Tanak +1m39.1s
8 Guerra +1m42.9s
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With the first 11 WRC runners through, here's your leading stage times from El Chocolate:
SS4 stage times:
1 Jari-Matti Latvala 38m48.1s
2 Dani Sordo +22.1s
3 Sebastien Ogier +22.3s
4 Andreas Mikkelsen +39.1s
5 Hayden Paddon +48.4s
6 Mads Ostberg +1m06.7s
SS4 stage times:
1 Jari-Matti Latvala 38m48.1s
2 Dani Sordo +22.1s
3 Sebastien Ogier +22.3s
4 Andreas Mikkelsen +39.1s
5 Hayden Paddon +48.4s
6 Mads Ostberg +1m06.7s
Bertelli is also through now, and completes the stage in a time two minutes slower than Latvala.
Benito Guerra has come through the stage finish and lost 1m40.2s to Latvala, which puts the Mexican eighth on the leaderboard.
Camilli says he was very careful but went ride on rocks.
Prokop has overtaken Camilli on the road (as a result of the Frenchman's off) and is 1m47.4s slower than Latvala.
"I was struggling on the braking points," says Prokop, who nevertheless remains happy on his return to WRC action.
"I was struggling on the braking points," says Prokop, who nevertheless remains happy on his return to WRC action.
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Latvala's time has given him the lead of the rally by 19s from Ogier. Sordo is a further 3.9s back.
Camilli was understood to have stopped, but has now come through the final split - albeit 5m02.3s down on Ogier.
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"It's very hard to say how I'm driving but it's obvious we have an advantage with road position," says Latvala.
On Neuville: "He had gone off the road at the very fast section."
On Neuville: "He had gone off the road at the very fast section."
Latvala is through unscathed, and goes fastest of all by over 22 seconds in a time of 38m48.1s.
El Chocolate is also the stage Neuville rolled on last year.
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As Camilli comes through the first split 9s down, it's worth remembering the M-Sport drivers' choice of five hard tyres.
We'll have a fair wait to see if that decision pays dividends for the Frenchman and team-mate Ostberg.
We'll have a fair wait to see if that decision pays dividends for the Frenchman and team-mate Ostberg.
Ogier is now two-thirds of the way through this one in a time of 29m33.1s.
No challenge at the moment from Ostberg - the first non-Volkswagen on the road - who is 24.6s down through the third split.
No challenge at the moment from Ostberg - the first non-Volkswagen on the road - who is 24.6s down through the third split.
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Latvala is through the first split and he now goes quickest of all, 4.2s up on Ogier's time.
A fair bit of variation there, then.
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For reference to an earlier post about Ogier tyre gamble, here's a run down of what Michelin's leading runners are doing:
Ogier - four soft, one hard
Mikkelsen - five soft
Latvala - three hard, two soft
Sordo - six soft
Neuville - three soft, two hard
Paddon - five hard
Ostberg - five hard
Camilli - five hard
Ogier - four soft, one hard
Mikkelsen - five soft
Latvala - three hard, two soft
Sordo - six soft
Neuville - three soft, two hard
Paddon - five hard
Ostberg - five hard
Camilli - five hard
Stopwatch
Mikkelsen reduces that deficit slightly through the third split to 1s, as Neuville goes quickest of all through the first.
Perhaps not, mind you, as Mikkelsen comes through the second split.
He's now slower than Ogier by 1.4s, who has just come through the third split - which is just past the half way point on the stage.
He's now slower than Ogier by 1.4s, who has just come through the third split - which is just past the half way point on the stage.
Dani Sordo ©McKlein/LAT
With a bit of a lull between splits and start times, there's time for an awesome snap or two from yesterday's shakedown...
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Ogier has now come through the second split in a time of 19m19.3s.
Back at the first split, Sordo is fastest of all so far having gone 0.6s faster than Mikkelsen.
Back at the first split, Sordo is fastest of all so far having gone 0.6s faster than Mikkelsen.
Paddon is also down through the first split, by 5.6s.
Stopwatch
Ostberg is nowhere near the pace of the two Volkswagens so far in his Fiesta. The M-Sport man, who finished on the podium in Sweden three weeks ago, is 10s down on Mikkelsen's time.
Ogier is the three-time defending Rally Mexico winner, and is yet to drop a point this season, but may well find this his toughest rally to win.
Making his 100th WRC start this weekend, the Frenchman is first up on the road and will be doing a heck of a lot of sweeping for his rivals.
The Volkswagen man has pinned his hopes on an off piste tyre strategy:
Making his 100th WRC start this weekend, the Frenchman is first up on the road and will be doing a heck of a lot of sweeping for his rivals.
The Volkswagen man has pinned his hopes on an off piste tyre strategy:
Your eyes did not deceive you, we start the first full day of competition on SS4. That’s because we had three stages yesterday evening – including a first run of the superspecials we’ll see this evening – and, quelle surprise, it’s world champion Ogier who leads the way.
Hyundai’s Neuville topped the opening stage from Lorenzo Bertelli, but Ogier then went quickest on both superspecial runs to carry a 1.7s advantage into Friday.
If you weren’t up early (or late) enough to catch yesterday’s opening stages, here’s our report:
Hyundai’s Neuville topped the opening stage from Lorenzo Bertelli, but Ogier then went quickest on both superspecial runs to carry a 1.7s advantage into Friday.
If you weren’t up early (or late) enough to catch yesterday’s opening stages, here’s our report:
Ogier celebrates his 2015 win with Julien Ingrassia ©MckLein/LAT
Where to begin? There's was Ott Tanak's underwater moment, Jari-Matta Latvala's left-rear wheel disaster and Sebastien Ogier's heroics to clinch a third-straight Rally Mexico win.
The Frenchman was aided by the attrition of rivals Latvala, Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville - but pulled off a remarkable victory in his Volkswagen Polo WRC.
The Frenchman was aided by the attrition of rivals Latvala, Kris Meeke and Thierry Neuville - but pulled off a remarkable victory in his Volkswagen Polo WRC.
If 2016’s Rally Mexico offering is anything like last year’s, then we’re in for a real treat.
We’ve a full seven stages to bring you today from the Leon-based rally, starting in 15 minutes or so with SS4 – the delectably named El Chocolate (don’t be fooled) – and concluding with a pair of superspecials at the Autodromo Leon that start at 1720 local time, which is 1120 GMT (or UTC, if you’re a bit trendy).
Good afternoon, and welcome to Autosport Race Centre Live for coverage of round three of the World Rally Championship season in Mexico.
By: Matt Beer
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