WRC Rally of Portugal
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Insightful update from Hyundai - but an official update it is nonetheless.
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Carlos Sainz has been working with Red Bull TV on this event and the double world champion’s input and insight into this rally and sport is, as always, second to none. You can read more of Carlos’ views in next week’s Motorsport News, but for now here’s a picture of him with another of this sport’s legend’s Jean-Claude Vaucard – the man who made the car in which Sainz concluded his career: Citroen’s Xsara WRC.
Still waiting for an official stage start here - no movement at the start line.
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Bit of an update to the previous suggestion that SS18 was go; it was due to start at 1020 BST, but Gorban has not yet taken the stage start so we're still waiting currently for that one to go live.
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As quick as that the penultimate stage of the day is underway, so here's another stage guide from Seb Marshall.
SS18 Montim 8.66km (5.31 miles)
Like the previous one, this stage is new for this year. It’s flat-out from the start for the first mile or so. When we were doing this on the recce, I was surprised at how straight and quick this first bit was – I said to Hayden: “I think I’d be able to drive this…” He didn’t look very impressed.
After the quick bit, you slot left and turn almost back on yourself to go onto what appears to be a kind of motocross track. After that the stage is fairly similar to the others with a mix of technical and quicker stuff. These stages are all quite similar in nature and surface because they’re all running – geographically – quite close together.
SS18 Montim 8.66km (5.31 miles)
Like the previous one, this stage is new for this year. It’s flat-out from the start for the first mile or so. When we were doing this on the recce, I was surprised at how straight and quick this first bit was – I said to Hayden: “I think I’d be able to drive this…” He didn’t look very impressed.
After the quick bit, you slot left and turn almost back on yourself to go onto what appears to be a kind of motocross track. After that the stage is fairly similar to the others with a mix of technical and quicker stuff. These stages are all quite similar in nature and surface because they’re all running – geographically – quite close together.
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SS17 times:
Leading stage times:
1 Ogier 8m09.7s
2 Sordo +3.3s
3 Neuville +3.3s
4 Tanak +3.6s
5 Paddon +3.9s
6 Meeke +5.5s
Overall classification:
1 Ogier 3h30m17.5s
2 Neuville +19.3s
3 Sordo +1m00.7s
4 Tanak +1m32.3s
5 Breen +1m53s
6 Evans +3m13.9s
7 Hanninen +3m45.3s
8 Ostberg +5m26.8s
Leading stage times:
1 Ogier 8m09.7s
2 Sordo +3.3s
3 Neuville +3.3s
4 Tanak +3.6s
5 Paddon +3.9s
6 Meeke +5.5s
Overall classification:
1 Ogier 3h30m17.5s
2 Neuville +19.3s
3 Sordo +1m00.7s
4 Tanak +1m32.3s
5 Breen +1m53s
6 Evans +3m13.9s
7 Hanninen +3m45.3s
8 Ostberg +5m26.8s
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SS17 summary:
* Ogier takes a big step towards sealing rally win
* Four-time champion is 3.3s faster than anyone
* Neuville sets joint-second fastest time but is 19.3s behind overall
* Sordo maintains advantage over Tanak in third
* Ogier takes a big step towards sealing rally win
* Four-time champion is 3.3s faster than anyone
* Neuville sets joint-second fastest time but is 19.3s behind overall
* Sordo maintains advantage over Tanak in third
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Paddon now displaces Meeke from fifth on that stage.
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"I spun on a slow corner and stopped the car - I lost maybe five seconds," says Meeke.
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Meeke comes in fifth-fastest, 55s slower than Ogier.
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"You have to cross the finish line, but I'm happy with how things are going for us," says the rally leader. "There were some corners where I was slipping."
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Rally done? Ogier comes through fastest of all by 3.3s - that pushes his advantage back out to 19.3s overall.
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"I tried to be careful on the tyres, very technical stage," says Neuville. "It's very loose out of the line and you have to be so smooth not to lose the rear."
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Neuville matches his team-mate's time through there, while Ogier again looks quick through the first split.
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Yes there is - he's fastest by 0.3s! Good effort.
Sordo is in, but there's no time for the Spaniard yet.
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"That's not so good," is Tanak's surprise response. "I was planning [to save the car for the power stage] so maybe that was a bit too fast."
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That soon becomes seventh, though, as Tanak comes through fastest of all once more by 2.6s.
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Breen is in sixth-fastest.
"There's not really much we can do, just a question of driving through," says Breen. When asked about any issue with balance, he adds: "Yep."
"There's not really much we can do, just a question of driving through," says Breen. When asked about any issue with balance, he adds: "Yep."
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Tanak is fastest again through the first split on this stage, with Neuville and Ogier now on the stage as well.
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"Not a lot of high-speed in there to be honest," says Evans. "The grip was pretty low."
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Evans now is only fifth-fastest on SS17, 3.4s slower than Ostberg.
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"It was really, really slippy - I was a bit surprised," says Hanninen. "It's not so easy now."
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Hanninen is in and 0.2s slower than Ostberg. Evans will be next.
Hanninen, Evans, Breen and Tanak all on stage now.
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Ostberg comes in now with a decent time - he's through in 8m15.9s, which is fastest of all by 2.2s.
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"The feeling is generally good now," says Latvala. "I had a half-spin here so I lost some seconds. It was a tricky corner; downhill and lots of rocks, so difficult to keep a good line."
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And as we didn't report it just now...
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Six cars through the stage so far, and it's Lappi who's fastest of all by 0.8s ahead of Toyota team-mate Latvala.
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SO before we lose track of the runners, here's a second stage guide of the morning - once again from Seb Marshall:
SS17 Luilhas 11.91km (7.40 miles)
A lot of people have tested on this road before, but it’s never been used in competition. The start is medium speed, but it gets quicker over the top by the wind farm. Towards the finish there are about 10 hairpins taking you down the hill – these aren’t stacked hairpins like you’d find in Monte Carlo, they follow the contours. But you still have to be very neat and tidy. It would be easy to launch the car into each one but you need to have it straight for the exit and then 30 or 40-metre straight which follows.
SS17 Luilhas 11.91km (7.40 miles)
A lot of people have tested on this road before, but it’s never been used in competition. The start is medium speed, but it gets quicker over the top by the wind farm. Towards the finish there are about 10 hairpins taking you down the hill – these aren’t stacked hairpins like you’d find in Monte Carlo, they follow the contours. But you still have to be very neat and tidy. It would be easy to launch the car into each one but you need to have it straight for the exit and then 30 or 40-metre straight which follows.
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SS16 results:
Leading stage times:
1 Paddon 6m39.7s
2 Tanak +2.6s
3 Neuville +2.7s
4 Ogier +3.5s
5 Latvala +5.2s
6 Evans +6s
Overall classification:
1 Ogier 3h22m07.8s
2 Neuville +16s
3 Sordo +57.4s
4 Tanak +1m28.7s
5 Breen 1m40.9s
6 Evans +3m04.3s
7 Hanninen +3m38.9s
8 Ostberg +5m20.6s
Leading stage times:
1 Paddon 6m39.7s
2 Tanak +2.6s
3 Neuville +2.7s
4 Ogier +3.5s
5 Latvala +5.2s
6 Evans +6s
Overall classification:
1 Ogier 3h22m07.8s
2 Neuville +16s
3 Sordo +57.4s
4 Tanak +1m28.7s
5 Breen 1m40.9s
6 Evans +3m04.3s
7 Hanninen +3m38.9s
8 Ostberg +5m20.6s
Things are pretty quickfire this morning though so with Ogier through, we're going to switch attention to SS17.
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"I don't know why," says Ogier when asked about losing time.
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Ogier does end up slower than Neuville, but a loss of 0.8s really isn't the end of the world.
By: Matt Beer
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