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WRC Rally of Portugal

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Gus Greensmith is losing more time in WRC2 - his earlier delay was a puncture and in the process it put another tyre off the rim, meaning he now has to drive on it carefully. He's now 1m38.3s off the WRC2 lead, held by Stephane Lefebvre.
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A sum-up of the latest picture after SS11 - wherein Evans reduced Neuville's lead from 18.6s to 12.7s. Neuville said he was looking after his tyres.

SS11 leading times
1 Evans 13m35.0s
2 Sordo +2.8s
3 Latvala +4.5s
4 Neuville +5.9s
5 Ogier +6.6s
6 Suninen +8.0s

Overall classification
1 Neuville 2h02m06.2s
2 Evans +12.7s
3 Sordo +24.3s
4 Suninen +41.4s
5 Lappi +50.7s
6 Ostberg +1m01.9s
7 Meeke +1m34.8s
8 Breen +3m04.2s
There's a bit of a break until the third stage of the morning, due to start at five past the hour. Here's our guide to the next stage to chew on in the meantime:

SS12 Amarante (23.33 miles)

This is an absolute classic and one of the drivers’ favourites on the route. It’s totally different to the first two stages, generally wider and even faster. The surface is generally harder packed, more abrasive and offering more grip than the others. That was last year… this time around the organisers have loaded sand into this stage in an effort to repair the ruts from last year and to contain the effects of a harsh winter.

If you thought the drivers talked about the beach a lot yesterday, just wait until they go through this one.
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"It's good," says Latvala, "I had to be a little bit more careful, there is a little bit more loose stones, I thought I had a puncture but it was OK."
Latvala sets a 13m39.5s - third quickest, 4.5s off Evans.
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"There is no objective, just finish the day!" says Ogier. Can he use the day as a test? "Not really because we don't have anything possible to test."
Latvala doesn't look like he'll be topping this stage - he's 3.7s off Evans after four splits.
Ogier is home, 6.6s off Evans' time.
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"We're driving and it's very important that we finish," says Mikkelsen, "but it's hard to do as our engine is really down on power."
Mikkelsen is in - a modest 13m52.4s, only faster than Breen.
Neuville's lead over Evans is therefore down to 12.7s.
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"Everything is OK," insists Neuville, "I was a bit too careful on the tyres, it was quite abrasive, we need them for the next stage."
Neuville is in - a 13m40.9s, good enough for third, 5.9s of his lead to Evans is gone.
Neuville is 4.7s off Evans in the final split.
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"It was a good run," says Evans, "enjoyed driving, the car was good, all good." So what was the difference to yesterday? "Just a smooth road to be honest!"
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Evans tops the stage times - 2.8s quicker than Sordo.
Evans is 2.5s quicker than Sordo in the final split - Neuville behind isn't matching his times either.
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"We were trying to set up the suspension last night," says Sordo, "it felt really soft but I've done some clicks and found a good car."
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Sordo indeed goes top - 13m37.8s, 5.2s under Suninen's time.
Sordo is 4.6s up on Suninen in the final split, and Evans further back is quicker than Sordo.
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"Two seconds [out of Lappi] but I'd like a bit more," says Suninen.
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Sure enough - Suninen goes fastest, 2.6s under Lappi's mark.
Suninen may be about to take the place from Lappi - he's 3.1s up in the last split.
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"For sure it will be tight," says Lappi, "but I have a good rhythm, good feeling, no risk, everything is good now."
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Now Lappi goes top - 13m45.6s, 2.9s quicker than Ostberg.
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"It's feeling quite constant, we're just trying to enjoy it," says Ostberg, "learn the car, trying to increase the speed step by step, that's the target of the day. Let's see how it goes."
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Ostberg now goes quickest - 1.2s quicker than Meeke.
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"First three or four cars, seems impossible to do anything," notes Meeke. "I have a nice feeling today, that's important."
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Meeke beats Breen by just under 10s - a 13m49.7s
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"Monte all over again - the worst conditions," says first man on the road Breen. "It's really tricky but I really enjoyed it. It's a shame we're opening the road but that's what it is."
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Breen is first in and sets a 13m59.4s
There's been an overall lead change in WRC2 - Gus Greensmith had a 'brief stop' in the last stage, and Stephane Lefebvre leapt from third overall to first.
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The next stage already is underway - here's the Autosport guide to it:

SS11 Cabeceiras de Basto (13.85 miles)

This stage was new last year and is very similar in nature to the first one. If anything, this one is slightly more narrow in places, but it still offers some lovely undulating roads – not dissimilar in places to the original climb up Pikes Peak when it was still gravel.

It is, however, soft. And it will dig out into deep ruts, especially on the second run.
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A little update of where we are after the first stage of the day, wherein Rally 2 runner Latvala topped the times and Neuville stretched his overall lead a little further

SS10 leading times
1 Latvala 10m52.2s
2 Neuville +2.4s
3 Lappi +2.6s
4 Evans +3.3s
5 Ogier +4.7s
6 Sordo +5.5s

Overall classification
1 Neuville 1h48m25.3s
2 Evans +18.6s
3 Sordo +27.4s
4 Suninen +39.3s
5 Lappi +46.0s
6 Ostberg +54.3s
7 Meeke +1m26.0s
8 Breen +2m45.7s
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"Very pleased," says Latvala of his pace. "Yesterday also the feeling was coming, the second stage was already telling me the car was very good."
Stopwatch
Latvala goes quickest in the stage -- a 10m52.2s, 2.4s quicker than Neuville.
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"There is no target unfortunately," says Ogier, "it is the kind of day that it is difficult to find motivation."
Ogier sets a 10m56.9 which gets him fourth on the stage, 2.3s off Neuville

By: Matt Beer

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