WRC Spain, Sepang MotoGP
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WRC - Spain: We're hearing Mikkelsen is now stopped too, and that Ostberg has passed him on the stage.
That will be music to the ears of Hirvonen, who could now have an unchallenged run to third place.
That will be music to the ears of Hirvonen, who could now have an unchallenged run to third place.
WRC - Spain: More woe for Kubica - the M-Sport Ford is stationary towards the end of the stage.
Meanwhile, Sordo sets the second best time for the stage, six second away from Meeke's time.
Meanwhile, Sordo sets the second best time for the stage, six second away from Meeke's time.
WRC - Spain: Neuville reaches the end of the stage, going second quickest, 9.5s shy of Meeke's benchmark.
Ogier meanwhile has found pace, and is up by 2.8s at the third split on Latvala, while Hirvonen has put himself on course to pip Mikkelsen by a couple of tenths now.
Ogier meanwhile has found pace, and is up by 2.8s at the third split on Latvala, while Hirvonen has put himself on course to pip Mikkelsen by a couple of tenths now.
Sainz Panda
WRC - Spain: While we wait for some of the privateer runners to filter through, DAVID EVANS has spotted another gem in the Salou service park - the most sought after 1981 Seat Panda 45 in all of Spain.
What makes this one special? King Carlos spent two seasons in it.
A 19-year-old Sainz used this car in his second year in rallying. Nine years on, he was world champion. It all started here.
That’s not Carlos driving it, by the way. And neither is it Juanjo Lacalle co-driving.
WRC - Spain: Paddon is a full 24.6s down on Meeke's time, struggling with overheating tyres.
All of the WRC runners are now in the stage, and Ogier is three tenths up on Latvala at the first split. At the second, Mikkelsen is a four tenths up on Hirvonen, with Ostberg on course to fade further from the fight for third.
All of the WRC runners are now in the stage, and Ogier is three tenths up on Latvala at the first split. At the second, Mikkelsen is a four tenths up on Hirvonen, with Ostberg on course to fade further from the fight for third.
WRC - Spain: Evans goes 11.4s slower than Meeke, though his split times suggest he should be quicker than Paddon.
WRC - Spain: The Citroen driver completes the stage in 29m33.9s - much faster than his first attempt at this stage, when he sustained a puncture.
WRC - Spain: Meeke's not too far from the end of the stage, and he's been rapid so far, easily beating Evans and Paddon through the first few splits.
Hyundai Spain
WRC - Spain: In case you missed us this morning, here's a round-up of the main events of the day so far:
- Latvala cuts Ogier's lead from 36 to 28 seconds
- Hirvonen jumps to third ahead of Mikkelsen and Ostberg
- Kubica drops down order with rear differential failure
Standings after SS10:
1) Ogier 2hr16m33.9s
2) Latvala +28.3s
3) Hirvonen +51.9s
4) Mikkelsen +57.4s
5) Ostberg +1m08.9s
6) Sordo +1m40.2s
ERC - Valais: Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the ERC contingent has reached its midday service break in Martigny, with four stages left to run of the rally,
Esapekka Lappi extended his lead yet further in SS15, which was won by a charging Kevin Abbring, with Kajetan Kajetanowicz now just two seconds clear of Craig Breen:
1) Lappi 2hr02m28.1s
2) Kajetanowicz +51.6s
3) Breen +53.8s
4) Wiegand +2m14.2s
5) Consani +2m42.3s
Esapekka Lappi extended his lead yet further in SS15, which was won by a charging Kevin Abbring, with Kajetan Kajetanowicz now just two seconds clear of Craig Breen:
1) Lappi 2hr02m28.1s
2) Kajetanowicz +51.6s
3) Breen +53.8s
4) Wiegand +2m14.2s
5) Consani +2m42.3s
WRC - Spain: This afternoon will see the drivers tackle two of the three stages that featured in this morning's loop, kicking off with the monster 31 mile Escaladei test.
First up will be Rally 2 runners Kris Meeke and Elfyn Evans, with Haydon Paddon the first of the points contenders to take to the stage.
First up will be Rally 2 runners Kris Meeke and Elfyn Evans, with Haydon Paddon the first of the points contenders to take to the stage.
Welcome back to Race Centre Live, where we'll be bringing you updates as action resumes in the Rally of Spain and ERC's Valais round this afternoon.
Breaking news
Time for the WRC boys to take their lunchtime service break in Spain - we'll leave you with a full recap of the morning's action for the time being:
Latvala trims Ogier's lead in Spain
The action resumes at about 1.15pm UK time, so make sure you report back to Race Centre Live then to find out whether Latvala can make any further inroads into Ogier's lead.
Latvala trims Ogier's lead in Spain
The action resumes at about 1.15pm UK time, so make sure you report back to Race Centre Live then to find out whether Latvala can make any further inroads into Ogier's lead.
Lappi Skoda ERC
ERC - Valais: And, the latest from Switzerland is that it's another stage win for Abbring on SS14.
Lappi (pictured) meanwhile stretched his legs at the head of the field over Kajetanowicz, who is drifting into the clutches of third-place man Breen:
1) Lappi 1hr41m10.0s
2) Kajetanowicz +39.0s
3) Breen +52.5s
4) Wiegand +1m31.5s
5) Consani +2m10.2s
WRC-2 - Spain: Al-Attiyah had his class lead eroded further during that final stage, Maurin reducing the gap to 1m17s.
Barrable meanwhile remains a distant third, ahead of Guerra and Sebastien Chardonnet, who is back in action under Rally 2 rules.
Barrable meanwhile remains a distant third, ahead of Guerra and Sebastien Chardonnet, who is back in action under Rally 2 rules.
Checkered flag
WRC - Spain - SS10 results:
Stage results:
1) Latvala 15m41.6s
2) Ogier +5.3s
3) Mikkelsen +7.3s
4) Meeke +7.5s
5) Sordo +9.5s
6) Ostberg +9.9s
7) Hirvonen +10.2s
8) Neuville +12.8s
Overall standings:
1) Ogier 2hr16m33.9s
2) Latvala +28.3s
3) Hirvonen +51.9s
4) Mikkelsen +57.4s
5) Ostberg +1m08.9s
6) Sordo +1m40.2s
7) Neuville +3m02.5s
8) Prokop +3m16.1s
No position changes in the top eight, but Paddon has clawed his way back into the top 10 at Block's expense.
Stage results:
1) Latvala 15m41.6s
2) Ogier +5.3s
3) Mikkelsen +7.3s
4) Meeke +7.5s
5) Sordo +9.5s
6) Ostberg +9.9s
7) Hirvonen +10.2s
8) Neuville +12.8s
Overall standings:
1) Ogier 2hr16m33.9s
2) Latvala +28.3s
3) Hirvonen +51.9s
4) Mikkelsen +57.4s
5) Ostberg +1m08.9s
6) Sordo +1m40.2s
7) Neuville +3m02.5s
8) Prokop +3m16.1s
No position changes in the top eight, but Paddon has clawed his way back into the top 10 at Block's expense.
WRC - Spain: And there we have it - Ogier is 5.3s slower through the stage, meaning his lead is shrunk to 28.3s after the morning stages.
Could there be one final twist in the title battle after all?
Could there be one final twist in the title battle after all?
Quote
WRC - Spain: Latvala is really gunning for it this morning - he takes a full seven seconds out of Mikkelsen's time in his bid to make Ogier feel the heat.
"The only thing I can do is try to pressurise him. That's the only chance I have for the championship."
"The only thing I can do is try to pressurise him. That's the only chance I have for the championship."
Stopwatch
WRC - Spain: Mikkelsen knocks Meeke from his perch as he reaches the end of the stage, trimming the gap to Hirvonen to 5.5s.
Just the two remaining VWs of Latvala and Ogier to come, and the former is four seconds up mid-way through the stage.
Just the two remaining VWs of Latvala and Ogier to come, and the former is four seconds up mid-way through the stage.
WRC - Spain: Glancing at some of the other splits, Mikkelsen has found some pace to become the first driver to better Meeke through the second split.
He's set to make up some ground on Hirvonen, but not enough to wrest back the final podium spot on this stage.
He's set to make up some ground on Hirvonen, but not enough to wrest back the final podium spot on this stage.
WRC - Spain: Sordo now slots into second for the stage ahead of Hyundai team-mate Neuville, two seconds slower than Meeke - whose split times are yet to be bettered by anybody else currently on the stage.
WRC - Spain: Neuville has made it through second fastest, 5.3s shy of Meeke.
Kubica meanwhile is dropping chunks of time as he was in the last stage, losing 30 seconds in the first two splits alone.
Kubica meanwhile is dropping chunks of time as he was in the last stage, losing 30 seconds in the first two splits alone.
WTCC - Suzuka: Over in Japan, points leader Jose Maria Lopez took another step towards this year's WTCC title this morning by taking pole in Suzuka. Here's PETER MILLS' full report:
Lopez closes on WTCC title with pole
Lopez closes on WTCC title with pole
WRC - Spain: Paddon, the first Kiwi to win a WRC stage yesterday since the late Possum Bourne back in 1999, is 14.3s slower than Meeke, having a far tougher time on the tarmac than the gravel of the opening day.
WRC - Spain: Back in warmer climes, Meeke is the first man to reach the end of SS10, setting the bar at 15m49.1s.
Evans is next through, going 7.6s slower than the Citroen man.
Evans is next through, going 7.6s slower than the Citroen man.
ERC - Valais: It's another stage win for Breen in Switzerland on SS13, as Kajetanowicz shaves Lappi's lead by 3.2s.
Here are the overall standings in Valais with six stages left:
1) Lappi 1hr30m21.8s
2) Kajetanowicz +26.1s
3) Breen +55.5s
4) Wiegand +1m22.9s
5) Consani +1m53.0s
Here are the overall standings in Valais with six stages left:
1) Lappi 1hr30m21.8s
2) Kajetanowicz +26.1s
3) Breen +55.5s
4) Wiegand +1m22.9s
5) Consani +1m53.0s
WRC - Spain: The final stage of the morning loop, the 16.5 mile Colldejou test, is now live, with Meeke, Evans and Paddon already on their way.
VW toilets
WRC - Spain: On the subject of Volkswagen, I keep saying that I don’t make a habit of taking photographs in the gents’ toilets, but here’s another one…
These are the new facilities in VW’s corner of the service park. Forget the best mobile toilets on earth, these would rival the finest fixed dunnies anywhere.
I mean, where else can one go about one’s business while watching an interview with Andreas Mikkelsen?
WRC - Spain: While we wait for SS10 to get under way, here are some of DAVID EVANS' thoughts on the two title contenders after the opening day of the rally:
Jari-Matti Latvala admitted this morning that he can’t do anything about Sebastien Ogier’s 36-second lead on driving alone.
“All I can do is keep the pressure on him. It’s a little bit frustrating that we have these long stages and we need to take the hard tyre, there’s no kind of gamble we can take to try to find time that way. It’s just a case of managing the tyre in there.”
Sebastien Ogier was back to his best last night. He drove a brilliant day at the front of the field, sweeping some pretty deep gravel and coming out with a 36-second lead.
The Frenchman looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he set about his supper on the deck in Volkswagen’s service park last night. He looked like a double world champion in waiting…
Jari-Matti Latvala admitted this morning that he can’t do anything about Sebastien Ogier’s 36-second lead on driving alone.
“All I can do is keep the pressure on him. It’s a little bit frustrating that we have these long stages and we need to take the hard tyre, there’s no kind of gamble we can take to try to find time that way. It’s just a case of managing the tyre in there.”
Sebastien Ogier was back to his best last night. He drove a brilliant day at the front of the field, sweeping some pretty deep gravel and coming out with a 36-second lead.
The Frenchman looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he set about his supper on the deck in Volkswagen’s service park last night. He looked like a double world champion in waiting…
WRC-2 Spain: Despite dropping time to Maurin in that stage, Al-Attiyah continues to hold a handy lead of around 1m40s in the battle for class honours.
Robert Barrable remains third, 2m39s back on Maurin, with Benito Guerra a couple of minutes further back in fourth.
Robert Barrable remains third, 2m39s back on Maurin, with Benito Guerra a couple of minutes further back in fourth.
WRC - Spain: Fans of Ken Block will be pleased to hear that the American is back in the overall top ten having bested WRC-2 leader Al-Attiyah in that stage - and with Kubica in trouble, ninth place could also yet be in the offing.
Block gave DAVID EVANS the inside line on a cold he was suffering from last night using some pretty technical medical terms…
“I’m sweating it out,” he said. “That sounds nice, doesn’t it!”
The Block appeal was massive in service last night, but the organisers are preparing for an even bigger crowd tonight with extra barriers being drafted in.
Block gave DAVID EVANS the inside line on a cold he was suffering from last night using some pretty technical medical terms…
“I’m sweating it out,” he said. “That sounds nice, doesn’t it!”
The Block appeal was massive in service last night, but the organisers are preparing for an even bigger crowd tonight with extra barriers being drafted in.
ERC - Valais: Over in Switzerland, the first of the day's eight stages is complete, with Kevin Abbring going quickest - though the Dutchman is out of contention for a strong result owing to clutch trouble yesterday.
Continuing to lead the way is Esapekka Lappi, who stretched his lead over Kajetan Kajetanowicz to 31.4s. Craig Breen is just over a minute adrift of the lead in third.
Continuing to lead the way is Esapekka Lappi, who stretched his lead over Kajetan Kajetanowicz to 31.4s. Craig Breen is just over a minute adrift of the lead in third.
Checkered flag
WRC - Spain - SS9 results:
Stage results:
1) Latvala 29m14.4s
2) Ogier +2.0s
3) Hirvonen +7.0s
4) Sordo +12.2s
5) Evans +15.7s
6) Mikkelsen +19.5s
7) Neuville +24.7s
8) Ostberg +26.7s
Overall leaderboard:
1) Ogier 2hr00m47.0s
2) Latvala +33.6s
3) Hirvonen +47.0s
4) Mikkelsen +55.4s
5) Ostberg +1m04.3s
6) Sordo +1m36.0s
7) Neuville +2m55.0s
8) Prokop +2m56.2s
So, Hirvonen is up to third after that stage, and Kubica has dropped to ninth after his issues.
Stage results:
1) Latvala 29m14.4s
2) Ogier +2.0s
3) Hirvonen +7.0s
4) Sordo +12.2s
5) Evans +15.7s
6) Mikkelsen +19.5s
7) Neuville +24.7s
8) Ostberg +26.7s
Overall leaderboard:
1) Ogier 2hr00m47.0s
2) Latvala +33.6s
3) Hirvonen +47.0s
4) Mikkelsen +55.4s
5) Ostberg +1m04.3s
6) Sordo +1m36.0s
7) Neuville +2m55.0s
8) Prokop +2m56.2s
So, Hirvonen is up to third after that stage, and Kubica has dropped to ninth after his issues.
WRC - Spain: Ogier drops some time in the final split of the stage and is two seconds slower than Latvala. His lead is trimmed to 33.6s.
Stopwatch
WRC - Spain: Ostberg also drops behind Hirvonen with a time almost 20 seconds slower, while Latvala bests his compatriot's time by seven seconds to go fastest.
WRC - Spain: It's not a great time from Mikkelsen, who loses 12.5s to Hirvonen and third place overall too.
Stopwatch
WRC - Spain: Hirvonen goes quickest with a time 5.2s up on Sordo, despite catching and passing the struggling Kubica during that stage.
The extent of the Pole's time loss will be similar to that of Meeke.
The extent of the Pole's time loss will be similar to that of Meeke.
Stopwatch
WRC - Spain: Neuville goes second quickest for the stage, nine seconds adrift of Evans, but his Hyundai team-mate Sordo goes fastest, five and a half seconds up on the Ford driver.
Further back, Ogier has made some ground up and is only 0.8s behind Latvala at split number four, while Ostberg could be set to drop a position if he doesn't pick up the pace towards the end of the stage.
Further back, Ogier has made some ground up and is only 0.8s behind Latvala at split number four, while Ostberg could be set to drop a position if he doesn't pick up the pace towards the end of the stage.
WRC - Spain: Latvala has found some pace, going 1.3s quicker than Ogier through the second split.
Hirvonen meanwhile is looking good to make up some serious ground on his immediate rivals, going a full seven seconds faster than Mikkelsen through the third split.
Block meanwhile reaches the end of the stage, but he's over a minute off the pace - he sounded upbeat, though, with no obvious problems to report.
Hirvonen meanwhile is looking good to make up some serious ground on his immediate rivals, going a full seven seconds faster than Mikkelsen through the third split.
Block meanwhile reaches the end of the stage, but he's over a minute off the pace - he sounded upbeat, though, with no obvious problems to report.
WRC - Spain: Paddon is through, 11.7s slower than Evans.
All of the WRC runners are now in the stage, and Ogier is a second up on Latvala through the opening split.
Hirvonen meanwhile is quickest of all through the opening split, but his M-Sport Ford team-mate Kubica is cruising through this one in 'road mode'. He's around a minute slower than the Finn so far.
All of the WRC runners are now in the stage, and Ogier is a second up on Latvala through the opening split.
Hirvonen meanwhile is quickest of all through the opening split, but his M-Sport Ford team-mate Kubica is cruising through this one in 'road mode'. He's around a minute slower than the Finn so far.
By: Matt Beer, Jamie Klein, Peter Mills, David Evans
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