News Bites DAY 1

1900 – Tweed 3 Super Special Stage 15 final standings (unofficial)
LATVALA 53:21.4
OGIER 53:23.6, +2.2
LOEB 53:44.1, +22.7
SORDO 53:44.2, +22.8
HIRVONEN 53:45.0, +23.6
SOLBERG 54:12.7, +51.3

1856 – Ogier has just won the Super Special again, and by 0.6secs, again! Third, fourth and fifth are now separated by less than one second in the final standings…

1850 – Tweed 4 Super Special Stage 15
Loeb leads Hirvonen by 3.7secs… Sordo has beaten Hirvonen. Latvala has beaten Sordo.

1844 – Tweed 3 Super Special Stage 14
LATVALA 51:32.3
OGIER 51:36.8, +4.5
HIRVONEN 51:53.9, +21.6
SORDO 51:55.0, +22.7
LOEB 51:56.7, +24.4
SOLBERG 52:23.7, +51.4

1840 – The Super Special is underway! Loeb has been pipped at the post by Ogier, by 0.6sec. Then it’s Solberg, Latvala, Sordo and Hirvonen…

1645 – SS13 KIDNEY HEALTH 1
LATVALA 49:41.3
OGIER 49:48.7, +7.4
HIRVONEN 50:01.2, +19.9
SORDO 50:04.0, +22.7
LOEB 50:08.0, +26.7
SOLBERG, 50:33.7, 52.4

1630 – After SS10 CASTROL EDGE EAST 2
Car 3. HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN
“I am keeping my eye on Loeb, it’s interesting to see what the boys are doing…I am trying really hard and pushing as hard as I can.”

Car 1. LOEB/ELENA
“The time was okay, there is not much grip – I made a few mistakes, too much sliding sometimes – I would like to be just behind, I don’t want to be 15secs behind, I must do better.”

Car 4. LATVALA/ANTTILA
“Just driving clean as I did in the morning, there is no point in playing tactics as the stage is too short, the time you win with tactics you lose on the stage because it is so short.”

Car 39. ARAUJO/MIGUEL
“I am not happy by being let out into the dust!”

Car 59. CROCKER/ATKINSON
“We are hungry for victory, the car is improved over what it was this morning and we are running well.”

Car 60. BATES/TAYLOR
“I struggled on the tight course, we haven’t really done well with the tight corners, we have got to start getting them right.”

1620 -SS12 MOOBALL 2
LATVALA 45:15.3
OGIER 45:21.1
SORDO 45:31.3
HIRVONEN 45:34.0
LOEB 45:37.9

1530hrs – SS10 CASTROL EDGE EAST 2
LATVALA 40:38.6
OGIER 40:42.4, +3.8
SORDO 40:53.1, +14.5
HIRVONEN 40:57.0, +18.4
LOEB 40:58.7, +20.1
SOLBERG 41:21.7, +43.1

1400hrs after SS9

Car 3. HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN

“There is so much loose gravel, it just keeps getting easier as the roads clean up.”

Car 1. LOEB/ELENA

“I am very close, it is tight between corners.”

Car 4. LATVALA/ANTTILA

“I am very happy, I am going to push hard through to the end, I had a scary moment in Stage 4, but I am going to try and keep going, the competition looks tough coming up.”

Car 12. OGIER/INGRASSIA

“Ooh la la!!!.” After seeing his fast time.

1300hrs AFTER SS9 CASTROL EDGE 1

LATVALA 36:09.3

OGIER 36:10.4, +1.1

SORDO 36:21.7, +12.4

LOEB 36:23.7, +14.4

HIRVONEN 36:25.9, +16.6

SOLBERG 36:47.3, +38.0

1300hrs – Ogier has won SS9, and is just 1.1sec away from the lead

1242hrs – SS9 CASTROL EDGE 1 has begun.

1240hrs AFTER SS8 KIDNEY HEALTH 1

LATVALA 31:28.5

OGIER 31:31.5m, +3.0

LOEB 31:39.1, +10.6

SORDO 31:39.4, +10.9

HIRVONEN 31:40.9, +12.4

SOLBERG 32:04.6, +36.1

1238hrs – Brynildsen stopped near start of the stage crew OK

1238hrs – Arai arrived at finish SS7 with severe tyre damage to the right-hand front, co-driver says entering a right corner there was a bang, and has pulled the tyre off the rim

1230hrs AFTER SS7 MOOBALL 1

LATVALA 26:59.1

OGIER 27:00.4, +1.3

LOEB 27:04.8, +5.7

HIRVONEN 27:06.6, +7.5

SORDO 27:06.7, +7.6

SOLBERG 27:29.5, +30.4

1223hrs – SS7 Driver Al Qassimi is reported to have hit a rock and broken the steering, he is stopped on the roadside on stage.

1203hrs – SS7 MOOBALL 1 has begun.

AFTER SS5 KYOGLE 2

LATVALA – 22:17.4

OGIER +1.2

LOEB +4.2

HIRVONEN +4.8

SORDO +5.0

1058hrs SS6 – first three cars through but unable to proceed at end of stage, stage is stopped, reports of people in middle of stage waving yellow flags, drivers slowing down as they are unsure if the flagwavers are officials or protesters.

1048hrs SS6 currently stopped, protesters throwing rocks onto stage, 0 Car stopped stage… more to come.

1034hrs Mark Tapper and Jeff Judd (car 43, Evo IX) have rolled heavily in SS5 Kyogle 2. Car is stopped at end of stage.

Car 3. HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN

“The stage was really slippery, even in a straight line, but I am happy with my time.”

Car 1. LOEB/ELENA

“The set up on the car is not right, but even so it is not a bad time for this stage.”

Car 2. SORDO/MARTI

“I didn’t even know we had damaged the car, I think I may have tagged a fence post, but it is okay.”

Car 4. LATVALA/ANTTILA

“We hit something at the start of the stage and damaged the steering, the car was just a bit off from there.”

SS5 KYOGLE II 948hrs:

LATVALA 22:17.4

OGIER +1.2

LOEB +4.2

HIRVONEN +4.8

SORDO +5.0

SOLBERG +25.3

Mark Tapper and Jeff Judd (car 43, Evo IX) have rolled heavily in SS5 Kyogle 2. Car is stopped at end of stage.

SS6 CTEK EAST 1 has just started…

Car 1. LOEB/ELENA

“The set up on the car is not right, but even so it is not a bad time for this stage.”

Car 2. SORDO/MARTI

“I didn’t even know we had damaged the car, I think I may have tagged a fence post, but it is okay.”

Car 3. HIRVONEN/LEHTINEN

“The stage was really slippery, even in a straight line, but I am happy with my time.”
Car 4. LATVALA/ANTTILA

“We hit something at the start of the stage and damaged the steering, the car was just a bit off from there.”

Day One of rally proper, and the weather threatens to shake up the order yet again, by the second stage of the day…

On SS3 Kyogle1, Both Ford factory drivers Hirvonen and Latvala gained position, robbing JWRC driver Ogier of his overall rally lead: LATVALA 18:17.3, OGIER +1.7, HIRVONEN +1.9, LOEB +3.6, SORDO +6.0