WRC Rally Mexico
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A quick reminder of how thing stand overall before we start this one off:
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 2h39m22.1s
2 Ogier +1m16.3s
3 Sordo +2m9s
4 Mikkelsen +2m23.9s
5 Ostberg +3m49.8s
6 Paddon +5m2.7s
7 Tanak +6m0.6s
8 Prokop +7m21.7s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 2h39m22.1s
2 Ogier +1m16.3s
3 Sordo +2m9s
4 Mikkelsen +2m23.9s
5 Ostberg +3m49.8s
6 Paddon +5m2.7s
7 Tanak +6m0.6s
8 Prokop +7m21.7s
The finish on Agua Zarca
With the stage start five minutes away, here's a stage preview from our man DAVID EVANS - with thanks also to WRC.com's Mark Wilford.
SS14 Agua Zarca (10.23 miles)
The first half of the Ibarrilla stage. Very important, it includes the quick bit from this morning and the jump and gives the crews a chance to recce what will be the powerstage for tomorrow.
SS14 Agua Zarca (10.23 miles)
The first half of the Ibarrilla stage. Very important, it includes the quick bit from this morning and the jump and gives the crews a chance to recce what will be the powerstage for tomorrow.
Well hello again.
Refreshed after a short break, we're ready for Saturday evening's Rally Mexico stages - starting with Agua Zarca.
Refreshed after a short break, we're ready for Saturday evening's Rally Mexico stages - starting with Agua Zarca.
There's a brief interlude now before the resumption of Saturday's stages, which are scheduled to start at 1408 local time.
Join RCL again in an hour and a half for three more stages of Rally Mexico - which will likely determine whether or not Ogier can challenge Latvala for the win come tomorrow evening.
See you soon.
Join RCL again in an hour and a half for three more stages of Rally Mexico - which will likely determine whether or not Ogier can challenge Latvala for the win come tomorrow evening.
See you soon.
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"It's good to get to service now and relax a bit," says Latvala. "We have a little bit of work to do on the rear brakes.
"I did not expect to have so good a morning."
"I did not expect to have so good a morning."
Stopwatch
Latvala is now in, and goes fastest of all so far by 2.7s.
With Tanak through 7.4s down on Mikkelsen's time, we now await Latvala to see how far he ends the loop ahead of Ogier.
Sordo is also quick, and drops just 0.6s to Mikkelsen through SS13.
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"It's not a 100 per cent straight," says Paddon, who made a quick fix to his toe arm. "A minute is not impossible to get to Mads."
Paddon has fared very well there, and goes second fastest on the stage so far.
Ostberg is in, 3.7s slower than Mikkelsen. Paddon is next up and on the stage - let's see how much time he loses here.
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Mikkelsen is 2.3s faster than his team-mate there.
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"I did everything I could this morning," says Ogier.
"Nothing, what can I do?" he says of his deficit to Latvala. "It's going to be two minutes tonight, I have to focus on Andreas behind."
"Nothing, what can I do?" he says of his deficit to Latvala. "It's going to be two minutes tonight, I have to focus on Andreas behind."
Stopwatch
Ogier is through SS13 in a time of 4m3.2s.
Back on SS12, WRC2 leader Suninen has completed the stage.
Information
To confirm, Paddon has dropped back behind Ostberg on the overall leaderboard. The Kiwi shouldn't lose quite as much here, though, with a relatively short stage to negotiate before service.
Green flag
Ogier is on his way.
David Evans
Here's another preview of what to expect from our man on the ground:
SS13 El Brinco 1 (4.44 miles)
It’s straight out of Otates and straight into El Brinco, with just over a mile of road section between them. El Brinco’s more of the same, with some really quick stretches littered with fairly harsh compressions. The finish has moved further back and into the stage by half a mile, ending close to the now very famous El Brinco jump. It’s a monster!
SS13 El Brinco 1 (4.44 miles)
It’s straight out of Otates and straight into El Brinco, with just over a mile of road section between them. El Brinco’s more of the same, with some really quick stretches littered with fairly harsh compressions. The finish has moved further back and into the stage by half a mile, ending close to the now very famous El Brinco jump. It’s a monster!
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Crash
That said, reports now in that Neuville has stopped within a couple of miles of the stage finish.
The SS12 result is likely to change of course when Neuville comes in, but with five minutes to go before the start of El Brinco we're going to turn our attentions to that...
Leading times:
SS12 results:
1 Latvala 29m39.8s
2 Mikkelsen +18.2s
3 Ogier +21.7s
4 Sordo +29.3s
5 Ostberg +36.8s
6 Tanak +1m16.6s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 2h35m21.6s
2 Ogier +1m13.6s
3 Sordo +2m8s
4 Mikkelsen +2m23.5s
5 Ostberg +3m45.7s
6 Paddon +5m0.6s
7 Tanak +5m52.8s
8 Prokop +7m9.6s
SS12 results:
1 Latvala 29m39.8s
2 Mikkelsen +18.2s
3 Ogier +21.7s
4 Sordo +29.3s
5 Ostberg +36.8s
6 Tanak +1m16.6s
Overall leaderboard:
1 Latvala 2h35m21.6s
2 Ogier +1m13.6s
3 Sordo +2m8s
4 Mikkelsen +2m23.5s
5 Ostberg +3m45.7s
6 Paddon +5m0.6s
7 Tanak +5m52.8s
8 Prokop +7m9.6s
Information
After the earlier delay, Ogier is set to start SS13 in 10 minutes or so.
Prokop, Bertelli and Guerra will be next through.
Behind them, Neuville continues to go quickly and is 11s up on Ogier's time through the fourth split.
Behind them, Neuville continues to go quickly and is 11s up on Ogier's time through the fourth split.
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"It's a good stage for us," says Latvala. "It was hard, the brakes are on the limit and you have to start and at some points I had to come off.
"I don't understand because the temperatures are not very high but we're getting air on rear brakes. Other than that everything is fine."
"I don't understand because the temperatures are not very high but we're getting air on rear brakes. Other than that everything is fine."
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That increases his lead to 1m13.6s over Ogier.
Stopwatch
And Latvala is through, 18.2s quicker than Mikkelsen.
Tanak completes the stage 58.4s slower than Mikkelsen.
Latvala looks as though he'll post a mega time. He's just come through the final split, and is 22s up on Ogier's time.
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Did Sordo catch Paddon at the end?
"No I just made a spin," says Sordo, who was up on split times for most of the stage but ends up dropping 11.1s to Mikkelsen. "I lost the braking. We had a lot of problems on power becaue the car is overheating."
"No I just made a spin," says Sordo, who was up on split times for most of the stage but ends up dropping 11.1s to Mikkelsen. "I lost the braking. We had a lot of problems on power becaue the car is overheating."
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"We just touched something at the stage," says Paddon. "Unfortunately it's broken the rear toe arm."
Stopwatch
2m7.5s is what Paddon forfeits to our current pacesetter Mikkelsen.
Stopwatch
Neuville is also up on Ogier back at the second split.
Paddon has dropped more time at the final split, which will probably end up costing him two minutes to Mikkelsen.
Ostberg comes through 18.6s slower than Mikkelsen - who rushes off at the stage end because he needs to relieve himself.
Stopwatch
Wow! Latvala is a full 17s quicker than Ogier at the third split. If he keeps that up, that would extend his advantage to over a minute on the leaderboard.
By: Matt Beer
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