WRC Spain, Sepang MotoGP
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Ogier
That's about all from us here at AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live - we'll leave you with our comprehensive report of what has been an eventful weekend in Salou:
Ogier clinches WRC title with victory
We'll be back next weekend with live updates from the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, with FP1 kicking off at 3pm UK time.
We hope you'll join us again then.
WRC-2 - Spain: Before we wrap up our coverage, let's take a quick glance at the final results in the support classes.
Al-Attiyah held on in the final stage to take WRC-2 honours by 35 seconds from Maurin, with Barrable cementing third ahead of Guerra and Fuchs.
Meanwhile, Solans was victrious in the DDFT battle, finishing just over two minutes clear of long-time leader Cave.
Al-Attiyah held on in the final stage to take WRC-2 honours by 35 seconds from Maurin, with Barrable cementing third ahead of Guerra and Fuchs.
Meanwhile, Solans was victrious in the DDFT battle, finishing just over two minutes clear of long-time leader Cave.
Checkered flag
WRC - Spain - Points standings after 12 of 13 rounds:
Drivers standings
1) Ogier 242pts - Champion
2) Latvala 211pts
3) Mikkelsen 150pts
4) Hirvonen 108pts
5) Ostberg 92pts
6) Neuville 91pts
7) Meeke 84pts
8) Evans 71pts
Manufacturers standings
1) Volkswagen 416pts - Champions
2) Citroen 187pts
3) M-Sport Ford 179pts
4) Hyundai 175pts
Drivers standings
1) Ogier 242pts - Champion
2) Latvala 211pts
3) Mikkelsen 150pts
4) Hirvonen 108pts
5) Ostberg 92pts
6) Neuville 91pts
7) Meeke 84pts
8) Evans 71pts
Manufacturers standings
1) Volkswagen 416pts - Champions
2) Citroen 187pts
3) M-Sport Ford 179pts
4) Hyundai 175pts
Checkered flag
WRC - Spain - SS17 results:
Stage results
1) Latvala 10m00.1s - 3pts
2) Meeke +1.7s - 2pts
3) Mikkelsen +1.9s - 1pt
4) Ogier +2.6s
5) Hirvonen +7.0s
6) Sordo +7.3s
7) Evans +7.6s
8) Prokop +7.8s
Final standings
1) Ogier 3hr46m44.6s
2) Latvala +11.3s
3) Hirvonen +1m42.2s
4) Ostberg +2m13.3s
5) Sordo +2m22.2s
6) Neuville +4m01.0s
7) Mikkelsen +4m02.9s
8) Prokop +8m06.8s
Stage results
1) Latvala 10m00.1s - 3pts
2) Meeke +1.7s - 2pts
3) Mikkelsen +1.9s - 1pt
4) Ogier +2.6s
5) Hirvonen +7.0s
6) Sordo +7.3s
7) Evans +7.6s
8) Prokop +7.8s
Final standings
1) Ogier 3hr46m44.6s
2) Latvala +11.3s
3) Hirvonen +1m42.2s
4) Ostberg +2m13.3s
5) Sordo +2m22.2s
6) Neuville +4m01.0s
7) Mikkelsen +4m02.9s
8) Prokop +8m06.8s
WRC - Spain: To confirm, the three fastest times on the stage went to Latvala, Meeke and Mikkelsen - Ogier was fourth fastest.
Quote
WRC - Spain: "I'm so happy - it's been a fantastic, emotional weekend," says an elated Ogier.
"I was pushing so hard on day one and it was a long two days watching Jari-Matti flying - I was constantly watching his times.
"It was my target at the start of the year to prove my title last year wasn't a one-off, and I've done it. I'm so happy!"
"I was pushing so hard on day one and it was a long two days watching Jari-Matti flying - I was constantly watching his times.
"It was my target at the start of the year to prove my title last year wasn't a one-off, and I've done it. I'm so happy!"
WRC - Spain: Ogier deservedly joins the ranks of the sport's other two-time champions, including Marcus Gronholm, Carlos Sainz, Miki Biasion and Walter Rohrl.
Only Tommi Makinen, Juha Kankkunen and Sebastien Loeb have more.
Only Tommi Makinen, Juha Kankkunen and Sebastien Loeb have more.
Trophy
WRC - Spain: Predictably, it's not enough - Ogier crosses the line to become World Rally champion for the second year in succession!
Stopwatch
WRC - Spain: Latvala has done everything he can, beating Meeke's benchmark by 1.7s.
Now he can only wait for Ogier to cross the line and see whether it's enough.
Now he can only wait for Ogier to cross the line and see whether it's enough.
WRC - Spain: Hirvonen goes third quickest, 5.2s down on Meeke, to secure a well-earned podium finish, as Latvala goes 2.1s up on the Citroen man at the second split.
WRC - Spain: Ostberg loses only a second to Sordo, so it's a job well done for the Citroen man as he bags a solid fourth place finish.
WRC - Spain: Ogier is now in the stage, as Latvala falls 0.8s short of Meeke's benchmark at the opening split.
WRC - Spain: Sordo completes his home event with the third best time, 5.6s slower than Meeke, and that's unlikely to be enough to clinch any bonus points with an on-fire Latvala still to come.
Ostberg will be next to finish, and he can afford to lose up to 9.9s to keep hold of fourth place.
Ostberg will be next to finish, and he can afford to lose up to 9.9s to keep hold of fourth place.
WRC - Spain: Confirmation that Mikkelsen has been handed a 10 second penalty for starting the stage a minute late - Neuville takes back sixth as he takes the flying finish 6.5s slower than Meeke.
WRC - Spain: Neuville is 4.9s down on Mikkelsen at the second split, but we're hearing the Norwegian may have started the power stage late - scuppering any chance he may have had of hanging on to sixth.
WRC - Spain: Prokop goes third fastest, 6.1s off the pace, the Czech cementing his eighth place with that effort.
Next up will be Mikkelsen and Neuville, who are split by just 1.7s in the battle for sixth place.
Next up will be Mikkelsen and Neuville, who are split by just 1.7s in the battle for sixth place.
WRC - Spain: Disaster for Block - a front-left puncture has cost him 1m24s relative to Meeke, which is likely to cost the Californian the one point he had been on course to take.
"Kind of a bummer," is how Block describes that late twist.
Paddon meanwhile reaches the end of the stage, securing ninth overall with a time 11.8s slower than Meeke.
"Kind of a bummer," is how Block describes that late twist.
Paddon meanwhile reaches the end of the stage, securing ninth overall with a time 11.8s slower than Meeke.
WRC - Spain: Evans completes what has been a tough weekend for the Welshman, 5.9s down on Meeke.
WRC - Spain: Meeke reaches the end of the rally and lays down his benchmark, a 10m01.6s. That's 3.4s quicker than his morning effort.
WRC - Spain: Block doesn't seem to be too bothered about hanging on to tenth place, performing multiple donuts around a roundabout part way through the stage!
That showboating cost the American 8.4s relative to Meeke at the first split - shades of Gilles Panizzi on this event back in 2002.
That showboating cost the American 8.4s relative to Meeke at the first split - shades of Gilles Panizzi on this event back in 2002.
WRC - Spain: Evans is away too, 2.3s seconds down on Meeke at the first split.
WRC - Spain: Meeke is in the power stage - can the Ulsterman maintain his impressive pace and pick up a bonus point or two?
WRC - Spain: We're hearing that SS16 has been abandoned due to former works Citroen pilot Xavi Pons blocking the road in his R5 Fiesta.
That shouldn't, however, affect the WRC or WRC-2 drivers, although it means that Sander Parn is crowned the DDFT champion with Cave now unable to catch the Estonian.
That shouldn't, however, affect the WRC or WRC-2 drivers, although it means that Sander Parn is crowned the DDFT champion with Cave now unable to catch the Estonian.
WRC - Spain: It will be our Rally 2 trio of Meeke, Kubica and Evans who will set the power stage ball rolling in around 10 minutes' time.
Of the three, Evans is the highest in the overall standings in 14th. He's in with a very good chance of overhauling WRC-2 runner Maurin for 13th on this stage, but Protasov, who is a further 30 seconds up the road, will be out of reach.
Kubica is sandwiched between WRC-2 duo Barrable and Guerra, over four minutes away from catching the former for 16th overall, while Meeke is three minutes behind Guerra in 19th.
Of the three, Evans is the highest in the overall standings in 14th. He's in with a very good chance of overhauling WRC-2 runner Maurin for 13th on this stage, but Protasov, who is a further 30 seconds up the road, will be out of reach.
Kubica is sandwiched between WRC-2 duo Barrable and Guerra, over four minutes away from catching the former for 16th overall, while Meeke is three minutes behind Guerra in 19th.
DDFT - Spain: In the Drive D-Mack Fiesta Trophy, there was trouble for long-time leader Tom Cave this morning, as the Brit slid off the road and got beached on some rocks.
That means the Brit now trails local driver Nil Solans by just over two minutes as of the previous stage.
That means the Brit now trails local driver Nil Solans by just over two minutes as of the previous stage.
WRC-2 - Spain: Time for a quick update on the state of affairs in the intermediate class heading into the finale, and it seems Nasser Al-Attiyah is taking the Ogier approach.
Julien Maurin took a further 6.9s out of Al-Attiyah's lead on SS16, but barring disaster for the Qatari, there's no way can be caught on the final stage with an advantage of 41.2s.
Robert Barrable is another four minutes back in third, with Benito Guerra and Nicholas Fuchs rounding out an exceptionally spread out top five.
Julien Maurin took a further 6.9s out of Al-Attiyah's lead on SS16, but barring disaster for the Qatari, there's no way can be caught on the final stage with an advantage of 41.2s.
Robert Barrable is another four minutes back in third, with Benito Guerra and Nicholas Fuchs rounding out an exceptionally spread out top five.
WRC - Spain: Ogier may have won by far the most of this year's power stages (six), but it's Latvala who has the best record of getting inside the top three.
The only time this year Latvala has gone away with no bonus points this year was in Rally Germany, where the Finn joined Ogier in crashing out of the lead.
Ogier has the next best record, scoring bonus points on nine of a possible 11 occasions, ahead of Hirvonen on four and Meeke on three. Mikkelsen, Ostberg and Evans have all scored twice on power stages.
The only time this year Latvala has gone away with no bonus points this year was in Rally Germany, where the Finn joined Ogier in crashing out of the lead.
Ogier has the next best record, scoring bonus points on nine of a possible 11 occasions, ahead of Hirvonen on four and Meeke on three. Mikkelsen, Ostberg and Evans have all scored twice on power stages.
WRC - Spain: We've got around half an hour to pass until the power stage gets underway, and with pace like that, Latvala has to be a shoe-in for the three point bonus.
Not that that would delay Ogier's coronation, unless the Finn can pull off a miracle and overturn the 13.9s deficit in the process.
Under the proposals recently rejected by the FIA, Latvala would head into this one only 1.4s behind - say what you will about artificiality, but you can't deny it would make this particular encounter a lot more interesting.
Not that that would delay Ogier's coronation, unless the Finn can pull off a miracle and overturn the 13.9s deficit in the process.
Under the proposals recently rejected by the FIA, Latvala would head into this one only 1.4s behind - say what you will about artificiality, but you can't deny it would make this particular encounter a lot more interesting.
WTCC - Suzuka: Campos WTCC boss Joan Orus expressed his team's view of the Valente/Muller collision in race two.
"I can't understand why Yvan Muller did not get a drive-through penalty," said Orus. "You can say that Hugo took his normal wide line but that was probably because Yvan was so far back. Also, at the hairpin it's almosty impossible to pass. Yvan was driving like a really young guy, going for the championship."
"I can't understand why Yvan Muller did not get a drive-through penalty," said Orus. "You can say that Hugo took his normal wide line but that was probably because Yvan was so far back. Also, at the hairpin it's almosty impossible to pass. Yvan was driving like a really young guy, going for the championship."
Checkered flag
WRC - Spain - SS16 results:
Stage results
1) Latvala 11m05.6s
2) Meeke +2.6s
3) Mikkelsen +5.1s
4) Sordo +7.4s
5) Ogier +8.0s
6) Ostberg +9.9s
7) Evans +10.5s
8) Neuville +11.2s
Overall standings
1) Ogier 3hr36m41.9s
2) Latvala +13.9s
3) Hirvonen +1m37.8s
4) Ostberg +2m07.6s
5) Sordo +2m17.5s
6) Mikkelsen +3m53.6s
7) Neuville +3m55.3s
8) Prokop +8m01.6s
Not only is Mikkelsen up to sixth at Neuville's expense, the timing screens are now showing Block in tenth place, 43 seconds ahead of Protasov - more on that when we discover why.
Stage results
1) Latvala 11m05.6s
2) Meeke +2.6s
3) Mikkelsen +5.1s
4) Sordo +7.4s
5) Ogier +8.0s
6) Ostberg +9.9s
7) Evans +10.5s
8) Neuville +11.2s
Overall standings
1) Ogier 3hr36m41.9s
2) Latvala +13.9s
3) Hirvonen +1m37.8s
4) Ostberg +2m07.6s
5) Sordo +2m17.5s
6) Mikkelsen +3m53.6s
7) Neuville +3m55.3s
8) Prokop +8m01.6s
Not only is Mikkelsen up to sixth at Neuville's expense, the timing screens are now showing Block in tenth place, 43 seconds ahead of Protasov - more on that when we discover why.
WTCC - Suzuka: Proteam boss Valmiro Presenzini explained that a broken support to a shaft on Mehdi Bennani's car was the reason the Shanghai winner failed to make the race two grid.
"He felt a vibration towards the end of race one but managed to finish," said Presenzini. "But to fix it is a two hour job and there wasn't enough time between the races."
"He felt a vibration towards the end of race one but managed to finish," said Presenzini. "But to fix it is a two hour job and there wasn't enough time between the races."
WRC - Spain: Ogier loses eight seconds on that stage, fifth quickest, meaning he'll take a lead of 13.9s into the last stage.
Despite Latvala's heroics, it's still going to be awfully difficult to close that margin down with only the power stage to go.
Despite Latvala's heroics, it's still going to be awfully difficult to close that margin down with only the power stage to go.
Quote
WRC - Spain: Latvala arrives a the finish, taking 2.6s out of Meeke's best time as he tries to make Ogier feel the heat:
"I'm really trying hard. It was a good stage, though I was overheating the tyres towards the end because I was so aggressive!"
"I never give up - if Seb wants to win this championship, he needs to fight for it!"
"I'm really trying hard. It was a good stage, though I was overheating the tyres towards the end because I was so aggressive!"
"I never give up - if Seb wants to win this championship, he needs to fight for it!"
WRC - Spain: Not under any pressure for third, Hirvonen takes it steady with a time almost 10 seconds slower than Meeke, but fellow Finn Latvala is giving it everything - and is seven seconds up on Ogier midway through the stage.
Quote
WRC - Spain: Sordo goes third fastest, 4.8s slower than Meeke, taking 2.5s out of rival Ostberg. That reduces the gap between the pair to just a shade under 10 seconds going into the finale.
"I pushed for most of the stage, but I took it easy towards the end as I didn't want to pick up a puncture," explains the Citroen driver, who lost a few seconds relative to Sordo in the final split section.
"I pushed for most of the stage, but I took it easy towards the end as I didn't want to pick up a puncture," explains the Citroen driver, who lost a few seconds relative to Sordo in the final split section.
WRC - Spain: Mikkelsen completes the stage, falling 2.5s short of Meeke's best time, but he goes 1.7s ahead of Neuville into sixth overall as the Belgian goes only fourth quickest on the stage.
WRC - Spain: It looks like we could have a position change after this stage, with Mikkelsen 4.2s ahead of Neuville at the final split.
Paddon meanwhile goes fourth fastest, 12.1s behind Meeke.
Paddon meanwhile goes fourth fastest, 12.1s behind Meeke.
WTCC - Suzuka: Yvan Muller received a formal reprimand for his collision with Hugo Valente in race two at Suzuka, but the outgoing World Touring Car champion has kept his fifth place result.
WRC - Spain: Fan favourite Ken Block just took 1.6s seconds out of Protasov in the battle to clinch a point in his sole WRC outing of the year, but the gap still stands at 16.4s with a stage to run.
WRC - Spain: Meeke becomes the first man to complete SS16, setting a benchmark of 11m08.2s - knocking four seconds of his effort this morning.
Evans goes second fastest, 7.9s adrift, with Kubica a further second back.
Evans goes second fastest, 7.9s adrift, with Kubica a further second back.
By: Matt Beer, Jamie Klein, Peter Mills, David Evans
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