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WRC Rally Sweden 2019
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Anyway, hitting pause on that WRC2 Pro drama for a moment, the overall WRC standings after SS3;
Overall classification after SS3 Svullrya
1. Tanak 24m34.0s
2. Suninen +3.5s
3. Neuville +4.2s
4. Latvala +5.4s
5. Ogier +9.4s
6. Lappi +12.5s
7. Mikkelsen +14.6s
8. Meeke +21.6s
9. Loeb +35.1s
10. Evans +44.0s
Overall classification after SS3 Svullrya
1. Tanak 24m34.0s
2. Suninen +3.5s
3. Neuville +4.2s
4. Latvala +5.4s
5. Ogier +9.4s
6. Lappi +12.5s
7. Mikkelsen +14.6s
8. Meeke +21.6s
9. Loeb +35.1s
10. Evans +44.0s
Mads Ostberg is safely through, saying he lost some time slowing down to pass Rovanpera's stranded Skoda. He'll inherit the led as Pietarinen's splits are lacking in this stage.
Rovanpera was ever so slightly too fast on the approach to a right kink leading into a medium left, which put him wide into the snowbank on the inside and spun him around. That's time loss in the minutes rather than seconds for Rovanpera.
A small group of fans has eventually been able to shimmy him out of the snowbank and back on the road. But that took a while. That'll be his WRC2 Pro lead gone.
Crash
Drama in WRC2 Pro! Kalle Rovanpera is way off the road and into a snowbank. He is stuck fast and the fans are struggling to get him out.
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Bertelli's in and Tuohino is unlikely to threaten the top drivers given he's been away from WRC cars on Sweden even longer than Gronholm has, so here's the times for this stage.
SS3 Svullrya results
1. Suninen 12m47.0s
2. Tanak +1.1s
3. Neuville +1.5s
4. Latvala +2.4s
5. Lappi +4.6s
6. Mikkelsen +7.3s
7. Ogier +7.5s
8. Meeke +12.0s
9. Loeb +14.1s
10. Evans +16.3s
SS3 Svullrya results
1. Suninen 12m47.0s
2. Tanak +1.1s
3. Neuville +1.5s
4. Latvala +2.4s
5. Lappi +4.6s
6. Mikkelsen +7.3s
7. Ogier +7.5s
8. Meeke +12.0s
9. Loeb +14.1s
10. Evans +16.3s
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"Not a clean stage up until now. It's always something. Oi oi oi!" Gronholm exclaims at the finish.
So, you're having fun, right Marcus?
"Yeah yeah yeah," he says dismissively. Oh Marcus. Never change.
So, you're having fun, right Marcus?
"Yeah yeah yeah," he says dismissively. Oh Marcus. Never change.
That was at the penultimate corner of the entire stage too! He just clipped the snowbank again which sucked him around.
Engine fired up but now stuck in a snowbank, he gets some assistance from the fans.
Crash
And that's a spin for Gronholm at a square right junction. He's stalled.
Meanwhile Marcus Gronholm has a trip through a snowbank. Literally through, in one end and out the other, while taking a very tight inside line.
After his off into a snowbank on the previous test, Evans isn't having much fun. He's only 10th fastest here, 16.3s off team-mate Suninen's fastest time.
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Despite nicking sixth off Mikkelsen, Lappi sounds a bit disappointed here.
"A bit better than the previous one. But with this push it should be much, much better."
"A bit better than the previous one. But with this push it should be much, much better."
Mikkelsen feels the grip is getting a bit worse and opted to take his own lines, rather than get stuck in the tramlines created by other cars. It doesn't seem to have worked out particularly well. Because Lappi is 2.7s faster here and takes sixth place away from him.
Mikkelsen rocks up fifth fastest so far, 7.3s off Suninen's benchmark. He was sixth before this stage and is still sixth now, though it depends what Lappi behind him does.
Crash
The engine is revving at stage end, and Tidemand doesn't talk to stage end reporters, shutting the door and driving off without a word. Something's definitely up with that car.
Tidemand has dropped 23.9s in this stage compared to Suninen, with both driving the same M-Sport Fiesta. Not the start he'd have hoped for.
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"I can be happy for this running. The lines are quite wide, with banks everywhere, so I'm not sure if we have any bumper left on the rear!" says Suninen.
You're not pushing if there's not bits of aero hanging off, Teemu. Pat on the back for that one, even if your Fiesta is looking a tad second hand.
You're not pushing if there's not bits of aero hanging off, Teemu. Pat on the back for that one, even if your Fiesta is looking a tad second hand.
Stopwatch
But Teemu Suninen arrives and sets the fastest time! He's 1.1s up on Tanak here. He leapfrogs Neuville, Latvala and Ogier to take second! A great start for M-Sport's young talent this morning.
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"Yeah, definitely better on this one. A couple of places still too aggressive so I can still improve, but generally good," Latvala reports.
Latvala is in, third fastest so far and 1.3s off Tanak's time here.
Stopwatch
Suninen is going quickest through the stage at the moment! He's up on Tanak's penultimate split by 1.7s.
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He's still a little off team-mate Neuville's pace but Loeb feels he's improving.
"[I] had a better rhythm in here. Still not enough but I drive a bit better, the confidence came back."
"[I] had a better rhythm in here. Still not enough but I drive a bit better, the confidence came back."
Stopwatch
We have stage times at last! Here's how they've fared so far;
1. Tanak 12m48.1s
2. Neuville +0.4s
3. Ogier +6.4s
4. Meeke +10.9s
5. Loeb +13.0s
As you''ll notice, Loeb has just crossed the finish line.
1. Tanak 12m48.1s
2. Neuville +0.4s
3. Ogier +6.4s
4. Meeke +10.9s
5. Loeb +13.0s
As you''ll notice, Loeb has just crossed the finish line.
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"My rhythm's just not good enough this morning. Car feels good and clean, I just wasn't adventurous enough with the grip," says Meeke at stage end.
It seems all that talk of poor stage conditions yesterday has played on the minds of some drivers.
It seems all that talk of poor stage conditions yesterday has played on the minds of some drivers.
Make that 0.2s and 6.9s up on Neuville and Ogier respective for Tanak by the fourth split. By comparison, Meeke is 8.8s down on his Toyota team-mate at the same point.
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"Good stage. Beginning maybe just a bit more loose than the previous one. But the rest of the stage was nice," says Tanak.
Tanak is in. Our last time for him is still that fourth split, where he was 0.1s up on Neuville and 3.8s up on Ogier.
Still no stage time for Neuville I'm afraid as the timing system is playing up somewhat. But meanwhile, Tanak is 0.2s up on Neuville and 4.9s up on Ogier at the fourth split.
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"I push a little bit more but I think the conditions are getting faster, so there was some flat snow on the road, so we are making some lines," says Neuville at stage end.
Ogier has arrived. No time to give you at the moment, unfortunately - the timing system is down! But the splits suggest he'll lose a few seconds to Neuville and Tanak here.
Tanak is, unsurprisingly, fastest so far. But he's only 0.1s up on Neuville at the third split, so he's being pegged back for now.
Neuville's 3.7s up at the the third split compared to Ogier. He wasn't kidding when he said he could push a bit more after the last one, it seems!
Our first split is in. Neuville is 0.3s up on Ogier after 3.67 miles of SS3. But Tanak is now underway...
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Ogier gets us underway on stage three. Based on the last run, Ogier's got a challenge on his hands to keep a certain Estonian Toyota driver in check and stop him from running away.
It's always been an event that's favoured the Scandinavian drivers. And some like to describe Estonia as Scandinavians, even if that's not exactly true. But why are the Finns, Swedes, Norwegians and, apparently, Estonians, so good here? Jari-Matti Latvala told us some of his secrets.
Car set-up
"The set-up for the car is important on every rally, but on the snow and ice this week you really need to find the balance between the stiffness of the car and the traction. On gravel, for somewhere like Neste Rally [Finland] you know the stiff car will be the fast car. But here, you need the grip, so you need to make the car softer – but when you do that it can be tough when you are turning into the really high-speed corners and you have some roll from the car. We worked a lot with the roll bars and the suspension to find this right place.
"That set-up is also depending a lot on the conditions in the road. When you have the really good ice, you can have unbelievable grip from the studded tyres. When the seven-mil stud bites to the thick ice, then you can lean so much on the car. But when you have some snow falling, or some snow sitting in one corner, then the stud doesn’t go through the snow to the ice, it’s sits in the snow and then you are relying only on the open tread and soft compound to give you the grip. It can change a lot."
It's always been an event that's favoured the Scandinavian drivers. And some like to describe Estonia as Scandinavians, even if that's not exactly true. But why are the Finns, Swedes, Norwegians and, apparently, Estonians, so good here? Jari-Matti Latvala told us some of his secrets.
Car set-up
"The set-up for the car is important on every rally, but on the snow and ice this week you really need to find the balance between the stiffness of the car and the traction. On gravel, for somewhere like Neste Rally [Finland] you know the stiff car will be the fast car. But here, you need the grip, so you need to make the car softer – but when you do that it can be tough when you are turning into the really high-speed corners and you have some roll from the car. We worked a lot with the roll bars and the suspension to find this right place.
"That set-up is also depending a lot on the conditions in the road. When you have the really good ice, you can have unbelievable grip from the studded tyres. When the seven-mil stud bites to the thick ice, then you can lean so much on the car. But when you have some snow falling, or some snow sitting in one corner, then the stud doesn’t go through the snow to the ice, it’s sits in the snow and then you are relying only on the open tread and soft compound to give you the grip. It can change a lot."
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Ogier is getting ready to start the next stage, Svullrya. 2003 world champion Petter Solberg explains what to expect here.
SS3 Svullrya 15.46 miles
The longest stage of the rally is quite technical at the start, but it does open out onto a wider road – but it’s still not super, super wide. I’d say this one flows and has a bit more of a consistent feel to it than the first one. Everybody talks a lot about Colin’s Crest jump in Vargasen tomorrow – and that’s a great jump – but there’s also a really big one in here as well; about halfway through the road opens out and the take-off speed at this one is probably even higher than in Vargasen. There are a few chicanes at the end of the stage which bring us into the finish.
SS3 Svullrya 15.46 miles
The longest stage of the rally is quite technical at the start, but it does open out onto a wider road – but it’s still not super, super wide. I’d say this one flows and has a bit more of a consistent feel to it than the first one. Everybody talks a lot about Colin’s Crest jump in Vargasen tomorrow – and that’s a great jump – but there’s also a really big one in here as well; about halfway through the road opens out and the take-off speed at this one is probably even higher than in Vargasen. There are a few chicanes at the end of the stage which bring us into the finish.
David Evans
One driver who is firmly at home for the next three days is Pontus Tidemand. Starting his home event for the eighth time, Tidemand is in no doubt of the importance of this week.
“This is the highlight of the year for me,” he said. “And I am really up for the challenge this time. In Monte I discovered the car a little bit more and now I know what a fantastic car the Ford Fiesta WRC is – it’s amazing and I can’t wait to start driving it at home.
“Monte helped me feel really quite comfortable in the car and that was what that rally was about. This week is the big one. I have my family, my friends, everybody out there cheering for me and this gives me a really big boost.
“I always said Sweden was the one where I want to deliver and that’s how I feel. I’m ready. I know it will be tough and I know we will have to take the game even higher, but if I can find the feeling and get into a good rhythm, then let’s see. Keeping that speed for the whole weekend will be tough though. ”
“This is the highlight of the year for me,” he said. “And I am really up for the challenge this time. In Monte I discovered the car a little bit more and now I know what a fantastic car the Ford Fiesta WRC is – it’s amazing and I can’t wait to start driving it at home.
“Monte helped me feel really quite comfortable in the car and that was what that rally was about. This week is the big one. I have my family, my friends, everybody out there cheering for me and this gives me a really big boost.
“I always said Sweden was the one where I want to deliver and that’s how I feel. I’m ready. I know it will be tough and I know we will have to take the game even higher, but if I can find the feeling and get into a good rhythm, then let’s see. Keeping that speed for the whole weekend will be tough though. ”
Tidemand was disappointed after the last stage, where a windscreen wiper failure cost him time to the leaders. He'll be hoping for more in the next one, as DAVID EVANS explains.
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That's WRC2 Pro and WRC2 crews through the stage now, so a quick glance at the standings after SS2 before we gear up for the WRC crews heading for stage three:
WRC2 Pro classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Rovanpera 12m20.9s
2. Ostberg +4.7s
3. Pietarinen +5.2s
4. Greensmith +20.4s
We've lost our fifth and final competitor from WRC2 already. Lukasz Pieniazek had a high-speed spin in that stage and damaged his Ford Fiesta, which M-Sport has just confirmed will force his retirement.
WRC2 classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Kristoffersson 12m21.0s
2. Veiby +5.4s
3. Huttunen +7.0s
4. Brynildsen +13.6s
5. Lindholm +14.3s
WRC2 Pro classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Rovanpera 12m20.9s
2. Ostberg +4.7s
3. Pietarinen +5.2s
4. Greensmith +20.4s
We've lost our fifth and final competitor from WRC2 already. Lukasz Pieniazek had a high-speed spin in that stage and damaged his Ford Fiesta, which M-Sport has just confirmed will force his retirement.
WRC2 classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Kristoffersson 12m21.0s
2. Veiby +5.4s
3. Huttunen +7.0s
4. Brynildsen +13.6s
5. Lindholm +14.3s
David Evans
Historically, Rally Sweden has always been one of Pirelli’s strongest rounds of the WRC. Remember Takamoto Katsuta’s stunning maiden WRC 2 win last year – when he edged local hero Pontus Tidemand by 4.5s? The Japanese’s Ford Fiesta R5 was fitted with Pirelli’s Sottozero Ice.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola explained what makes the Milanese boots so good on the season’s only winter round.
“We patented this process 15 or 20 years ago,” Isola told Autosport. “Instead of putting the stud into the tyre after curing process, we make it part of that process. The stud is not inserted, it’s part of the tyre. The cars are putting huge energy through the studs, so OK we will lose some, but the ability of the rubber to keep the stud in the tyre is a lot higher.”
And it clearly works. Were Autosport in a position to be chasing a set of Sottozero Ices to speed the hire car’s progress from hotel to service park and stages, we’d be out of luck.
“We have sold everything,” said Isola. “If you come to me now and tell me you need some tyres, I have to say: “I am sorry, we have nothing left. We sold everything and I cannot supply you.”
The 7mm stud’s illegal on the road – unless fitted to a competition car – so we wouldn’t have been able to use them anyway.
Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola explained what makes the Milanese boots so good on the season’s only winter round.
“We patented this process 15 or 20 years ago,” Isola told Autosport. “Instead of putting the stud into the tyre after curing process, we make it part of that process. The stud is not inserted, it’s part of the tyre. The cars are putting huge energy through the studs, so OK we will lose some, but the ability of the rubber to keep the stud in the tyre is a lot higher.”
And it clearly works. Were Autosport in a position to be chasing a set of Sottozero Ices to speed the hire car’s progress from hotel to service park and stages, we’d be out of luck.
“We have sold everything,” said Isola. “If you come to me now and tell me you need some tyres, I have to say: “I am sorry, we have nothing left. We sold everything and I cannot supply you.”
The 7mm stud’s illegal on the road – unless fitted to a competition car – so we wouldn’t have been able to use them anyway.
By: Matt Beer
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