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WRC Rally Sweden 2019
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Last year's shock WRC2 winner Takamoto Katsuta, who defeated home favourite Pontus Tidemand in a straight fight last year, is only eighth quickest on SS2 and seventh overall. It looks like the Pirelli tyres were a big help last year, as DAVID EVANS explains...
But there's a change of lead in WRC2; Veiby's team-mate, World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson, punches in the fastest time on stage two, establishing a 5.4s lead in WRC2.
Though they're not scored against one another officially, Kristoffersson is only 0.1s behind WRC2 Pro leader Rovanpera in the overall standings now. Impressive!
Though they're not scored against one another officially, Kristoffersson is only 0.1s behind WRC2 Pro leader Rovanpera in the overall standings now. Impressive!
Amongst the WRC2 Pro runners, of which there are five in all, Kalle Rovanpera is quickest here and takes the lead from Skoda team-mate Eerik Pietarinen. He has 4.7s in hand over Ostberg overall after that, with Pietarinen a further 0.5s behind.
WRC2 runner and former Skoda junior driver Ole Christian Veiby is the fastest R5 car through so far with a 10m39.6s, which is also enough to give him the WRC2 lead for now.
Now, pivoting to WRC2 and WRC2 Pro, the support classes with R5-specification cars.
The depth of talent in the field this weekend is impressive, with Citroen WRC factory driver from last year Mads Ostberg competing in a works-entered Citroen C3 R5 in WRC2 Pro. Plus there's Kalle Rovanpera back again with Skoda, Gus Greensmith returning after his win on the Monte Carlo Rally with M-Sport and a host of talented Scandinavians.
The depth of talent in the field this weekend is impressive, with Citroen WRC factory driver from last year Mads Ostberg competing in a works-entered Citroen C3 R5 in WRC2 Pro. Plus there's Kalle Rovanpera back again with Skoda, Gus Greensmith returning after his win on the Monte Carlo Rally with M-Sport and a host of talented Scandinavians.
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And now for the overall. Tanak sails into the lead and Neuville drops two places. But it's still very early doors yet.
Classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Tanak 11m45.9s
2. Ogier +3.0s
3. Neuville +3.8s
4. Latvala +4.1s
5. Suninen +4.6s
6. Mikkelsen +8.4s
7. Lappi +9.0s
8. Meeke +10.7s
9. Loeb +22.1s
10. Tidemand +25.8s
11. Evans +28.8s
Classification after SS2 Hof-Finnskog
1. Tanak 11m45.9s
2. Ogier +3.0s
3. Neuville +3.8s
4. Latvala +4.1s
5. Suninen +4.6s
6. Mikkelsen +8.4s
7. Lappi +9.0s
8. Meeke +10.7s
9. Loeb +22.1s
10. Tidemand +25.8s
11. Evans +28.8s
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Right, a quick recap of the WRC stage times before we get into our WRC2 runners.
1. Tanak 10m09.1s
2. Suninen +3.8s
3. Latvala +4.0s
4. Ogier +4.1s
5. Neuville +5.7s
6. Lappi + 7.9s
7. Meeke +8.2s
8. Mikkelsen +9.2s
9. Loeb +18.0s
10. Tidemand +22.9s
1. Tanak 10m09.1s
2. Suninen +3.8s
3. Latvala +4.0s
4. Ogier +4.1s
5. Neuville +5.7s
6. Lappi + 7.9s
7. Meeke +8.2s
8. Mikkelsen +9.2s
9. Loeb +18.0s
10. Tidemand +22.9s
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"We did 2006 last time, so long time. We did one spin and stopped the engine," says Tuohino. Experience isn't paying for drivers out of practice, it seems!
That spin was late in the stage and drops Tuohino behind both Gronholm and Bertelli in terms of stage times.
Janne Tuohino was an occasional works Ford entrant back in the early 2000s and has plenty of experience here. But, like Gronholm, he's had a spin into a snowbank.
There's still two more privateer WRC drivers to go; Ford pilots Lorenzo Bertelli and Janne Tuohino. Bertelli is in, 5.2s down on Gronholm's time.
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Gronholm is typically animated at stage end after his high-speed spin.
"Oi oi oi! That was not nice! We have to reverse and go back," he says.
But is there any damage to the cooling after going nose-first into a snowbank?
"It's not OK, I have to go now."
"Oi oi oi! That was not nice! We have to reverse and go back," he says.
But is there any damage to the cooling after going nose-first into a snowbank?
"It's not OK, I have to go now."
If Loeb was struggling to acclimatise to Sweden again it's even harder for Gronholm, despite being the equal most successful driver in Rally Sweden history. He's 54.3s slower than Tanak. To be expected, given it's his first WRC start in nine years!
Like Evans, he's back on his way without much trouble, just a little bit of time lost.
Crash
Speaking of snowbanks and spins, Marcus Gronholm has had a pirouette of his own.
Evans got the back out in a long right hander and dipped it into a snowbank, which turned him around and sucked it in. Nothing more than a spin in the end but it's still given him the slowest time so far.
Evans has clearly made a mistake late in the stage; he was less than five seconds off Tanak's pace but at the penultimate split drops to over 20s in arrears. Not long until he crosses the finish line and we find out what happened there.
Esapekka Lappi rocks up at stage end with a 10m17.0s. That's good enough for sixth here.
David Evans
Given that this is Rally Sweden and he lives in Monaco, it’s easy to forget that today represents Andreas Mikkelsen’s sole day of ‘home’ driving in the World Rally Championship. Predictably, for a fella who, as a 15-year-old, hurried home from school to drive a Ford Focus RS WRC on a frozen lake, Mikkelsen’s got a good record on the WRC’s winter round. He’s finished second twice and was third last season. Another podium – and preferably the top step – would be very welcome for the Hyundai driver. He crashed while fighting for the win last time out in Monte Carlo and is keen to find that same rhythm this week.
“It’s a really good feeling when you cross the border into Norway,” he said. “It is like coming home. The road signs change colour, everything is that bit more familiar. And the roads are amazing. When you have the full ice and you can really use the studded tyres, it feels like the car’s floating, but you have so much grip.”
“It’s a really good feeling when you cross the border into Norway,” he said. “It is like coming home. The road signs change colour, everything is that bit more familiar. And the roads are amazing. When you have the full ice and you can really use the studded tyres, it feels like the car’s floating, but you have so much grip.”
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"I was a bit slow in reactions. On this type of road I realised we would struggle a bit. It was fast and flowing, which we struggle with," says Mikkelsen.
It's perhaps not the start we would have expected either, as DAVID EVANS explains.
It's perhaps not the start we would have expected either, as DAVID EVANS explains.
Andreas Mikkelsen is seventh fastest, 9.2s off the pace.
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Ah, it looks like there was some outside interference that slowed Tidemand down through there. His windscreen wipers are stuck in the vertical position.
"It was quite distracting with snow on the screen. It's not working," he explains at stage end.
"It was quite distracting with snow on the screen. It's not working," he explains at stage end.
Tidemand comes in slowest, 22.9s down on Tanak. He spent the Monte Carlo Rally preparing almost exclusively for this event; it hasn't paid off thus far, by the look of it.
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"Grip level is amazing. I couldn't use the car as I thought but at least the grip was good," says Suninen. He suggests there's more pace to find. Could he be a podium contender here?
Teemu Suninen, though, gives M-Sport reason to cheer. He's second fastest, 3.8s off Tanak. That's just what he needed after a difficult Monte.
No-one can get near Tanak's time. Looks like he may end this stage as our new rally leader...
Jari-Matti Latvala was pretty handy through there. He's second fastest, 4.0s off Tanak and 0.1s up on Ogier.
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"I'm not driving free. It's not easy to get the rhythm on such fast stages," says Loeb.
Sebastien Loeb has completed the day's first stage. The time isn't great. He's 18s down on Tanak. Though it's been six years since he competed here, which can't help.
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"It felt clean but I obviously wasn't taking full advantage of the grip that was there," says Meeke at stage end. He mentions having a 'sensible' start; perhaps a decent strategy given his Monte Carlo Rally efforts were knocked back with issues.
Meeke can't keep pace with his Toyota team-mate, clocking in 8.2s down on Tanak.
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"It's quite good grip roads, just some slushy places which are not so enjoyable. But overall conditions are quite fair," says Tanak.
Looks like despite the warm ambient temperatures, the roads are holding up well so far.
Looks like despite the warm ambient temperatures, the roads are holding up well so far.
Tanak sets a 10m09.1s. That's 4.1s up on Ogier and, more importantly, the rally lead!
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"It was OK," says Neuville. "I could push a little bit more but it's always tricky to start at that speed in the beginning and try to push hard. We can do more."
Stopwatch
Neuville arrives 1.6s down on Ogier. That hands the reigning world champion the lead - for now, at least.
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Those roads looked a tad brown, so how is it affecting the drivers?
"It's incredibly warm, 7-8 degrees in the stage," says Ogier at stage end. "It's very slushy. The grip is OK but very inconsistent sometimes."
"It's incredibly warm, 7-8 degrees in the stage," says Ogier at stage end. "It's very slushy. The grip is OK but very inconsistent sometimes."
Ogier is in, setting a 10m13.2s. He's faster than Neuville at the splits still, but Tanak behind looks feisty...
1.2 seconds split Tanak and Ogier after the second split. Kris Meeke has set his first benchmark on the splits too; slower than Tanak and Ogier but ahead of Neuville.
Stopwatch
It's now 2s between Ogier and Neuville at the second split, in the Frenchman's favour. Ott Tanak, though, is making moves; he's faster than both of them at the first split!
As Tanak heads off into stage two, Neuville posts a first split 1.2s slower than Ogier's. That's an early lead change if it stays like that to the end.
By: Matt Beer
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