WRC.com ADAC Rallye Deutschland Livetext 2018

Transcription

1 WRC.com ADAC Rallye Deutschland Livetext 2018 We'll return - Don't despair, we'll be back in just under a month for the return of Rally Turkey (13-16 September) Sun 13:48 So we'll say goodbye - That's where we'll end the Live Text from a thrilling event, but keep your eyes on WRC.com where we'll have reports, news and analysis throughout the week from the ninth round of the season. Sun 13:47 That's it! - ADAC Rallye Deutschland is wrapped up, Ott Tänak is arguably in the championship fight now while Neuville has give himself some breathing space over Sébastien Ogier. Sun 13:47 Manufacturers' standings - 1. Hyundai points 2. Toyota points 3. M-Sport Ford points 4. Citroën points Sun 13:38 Michel Nandan - Michel Nandan is asked to give his verdict on Hyundai's weekend: "I cannot say I'm happy but okay overall I think it is good for the drivers' championship because Thierry also extends his lead and second is a good result. In the manufacturers' championship we lost some points. Let's focus on the next event and then let's see. He's also asked about the next event - Rally Turkey: "The next event Turkey is new for everybody, I think everybody will discover it. We had some videos of Turkey, and we went there to have a look. It looks to be quite rough, but it is the same for everybody. We know our car is alright on this surface so we will see how many points we can take." Sun 13:37 Drivers' standings - Drivers' standings after ADAC Rallye Deutschland: 1. Neuville points 2. Ogier points 3. Tänak points 4. Lappi - 88 points

2 Sun 13:28 WRC 2 standings after SS18-1. Kopecký 3h 16m 49.7sec 2. Rovanperä +3.8sec 3. Andolfi +18.1sec 4. Kreim +50.9sec 5. Kajetanowicz +54.4sec 6. Pieniazek +2m 20.4sec Sun 13:25 Ott Tänak - Ott Tänak reaches the podium in St Wendel, and he gives respect to Sébastien Ogier: "I don't know about championship challenge, but it is nice to win this specific event. Seb was pushing so hard and it was hard to keep up with him. But at the end we won so that is good." Sun 13:21 SS18: Pieniazek - Lukasz Pieniazek has also gained a place on this final test, he's 1.7sec ahead of Nicolas Ciamin to move into sixth. Sun 13:18 SS18: Kreim - Fabian Kreim has gained a position in WRC 2, he finishes 3.5sec ahead of Kajetan Kajetanowicz to finish fourth. Sun 13:18 WRC standings after SS18-1. Tänak 3h 03m 36.9sec 2. Neuville +39.2sec 3. Lappi +1m 00.9sec 4. Ogier +1m 34.5sec 5. Suninen +2m 02.9sec 6. Mikkelsen +2m 13.8sec Sun 13:17 Power Stage bonus points: - 1. Ogier (5 points) 2. Tänak (4 points) 3. Lappi (3 points) 4. Breen (2 points) 5. Neuville (1 point) Sun 13:15

3 SS18: Tänak - Ott is quickest through the second split by 0.4sec, can he net another haul of 30 points like he did at Neste Rally Finland? He doesn't! He's just 0.1sec down so finishes second - with four bonus points. Sun 13:14 SS18: Neuville - The championship leader is safely through to the finish now, he's slower than Ogier as he elects to take it safe through the Power Stage rather than push for maximum bonus points. He's fourth fastest through the stage, 6.7sec behind. The Belgian fans at stop control are happy with Neuville's performance. The man himself says: "I made a mistake in this one, I had to reverse. After that I knew it was lost and had to take it steady. I struggled a bit with the pace and the confidence in the car. We took some more championship points and we have to manage that until the end of the season." Sun 13:10 SS18: Lappi - Esapekka Lappi can't top Ogier's benchmark time, he's 4.0sec down - still the second-best time on the Power Stage though and, of course, he's on the podium. He tells Molly: "It is a good feeling now, just a clean weekend for us - no mistakes and no drama. A lot of action today moved us up to third place. It us our time now." Sun 13:05 SS18: Ogier - Sébastien has put himself onto the top of the timing board as it stands with a time 4.2sec quicker than Breen. However, he just a touch too hot into a junction and he's maybe lost a couple of tenths. He says: "We had a small issue on the diff and the car was a bit unstable. It was not a lucky weekend for us." Sun 13:01 SS18: Suninen - Teemu Suninen completes his rally and on the Live TV Power Stage he's second-fastest as it stands, 4.2sec down on Breen. He adds: "That was more than I expected. Really happy for the time and for the improvement that I did on this rally. On the event I was able to be really close to Seb on some stages." Sun 12:57 SS18: Mikkelsen - Andreas has lost a little bit of speed on this stage, a replay shows he gives a hay bale a bit of a bump early on in this test. He's 8.6sec down on the final split and he finishes 10.5sec down on Breen. What does he tell Molly? "We didn't

4 risk anything, it is important for the manufacturers that we get the points. It's been a tough weekend, we have a lot of homework to do before Spain day two." Sun 12:53 SS18: Breen - We're back to our WRC runners and it's Craig Breen who is the next to cross the flying finish. He's 22.3sec quicker than Evans after a clean run through the stage. He tells Scott he's a little bit too cautious as they drive from the flying finish to stop control. He says to Molly: "Little bit too cautious, I've never been in a place like this in the car before. I didn't want to do what I did yesterday. We had some good speed in places, just a shame about the mistake. I enjoy being back on asphalt, we should have more of these." Sun 12:49 SS18: Kopecký - Jan Kopecký crosses the line now. He's 0.2sec quicker than his team-mate and claims his fourth win of the season, maintaining he 100 per cent winning record this season. He's also moved to the top of the WRC 2 drivers' championship! He's delighted with that performance as he pulls into stop control: "I have to say this was a really big weekend, thanks to the team and the fans and everyone. We didn't give up and finally it has paid off. Thank you." Sun 12:46 SS18: Rovanperä - Kalle Rovanperä is flying through the stage, he finishes 7.4sec quicker than Andolfi - the gap between them 14.3sec. He tells Molly: "I have to say that I am really happy because it was a really difficult race and I knew it was going to be the toughest asphalt race in the world." Sun 12:41 SS18: Andolfi - The Italian is the first WRC 2 entry to reach stop control. He's near-certain to be on the class podium, but he's not too far away from the front-two - how will it all end? He tells Molly: "We are happy, we have done a good job in this race. Today it was difficult because Kopecký and Kalle were very fast. I want to remember the accident in Genoa, this result is for them." A nice touch from Fabio as he reaches the stop control. Sun 12:38 SS18: Griebel - The German is quick through here, he's only 0.8sec down across the flying finish in his older specification DS 3. Cracker of a time and he's eighth

5 overall as well. He says: "It is really a dream result for us, we did no mistakes all weekend. Thanks to all my sponsors who helped me make my dream possible. Thanks to all the supporters on the stages as well, I really enjoyed it." Sun 12:34 SS18: Serderidis - The Greek driver is through to the end of the stage now, just 32.2sec slower than Evans. He's got a smile on his face as he chats to Molly: "It was a dream all weekend, and we had a very good result at the end. I am very happy." Sun 12:31 SS18: Evans - Elfyn Evans reaches the end of the stage, the end of the rally, what are his thoughts? "Just seemed to snap when we touched the grass. I don't think points would have been possible based on the speed of the others." Sun 12:27 SS18: Griebel - Marijan Griebel is next onto Bosenberg, he's still going strong in his previous-generation Citroën DS 3 WRC. Sun 12:25 SS18: Serderidis - Jourdan Serderidis is the second Fiesta onto the stage. He said he was having maximum fun on Friday and it looks he's still got that now! Sun 12:22 SS18: Evans - Evans takes to the stage and he's off! He spins on a righthander. He doesn't damage the car at all and continues on his way. Sun 12:19 Power Stage road order - 1. Evans 2. Serderidis 3. Griebel 4. Andolfi 5. Rovanperä 6. Kopecký 7. Breen 8. Mikkelsen 9. Suninen 10. Ogier 11. Lappi 12. Neuville 13. Tänak

6 Sun 12:17 Tommi Mäkinen - Tommi Mäkinen has been discussing Jari-Matti Latvala's retirement with All Live: "It was a very, very tough morning. For us it was some hydraulic failure, we don't know yet we will investigate when we get back to service." Sun 12:15 Stage info: SS18 - Bosenberg, 14.04km The Power Stage is a shorter version of a country road test last driven three years ago. It contains a bit of everything - narrow lanes, wide flowing roads, gravel on the surface and plenty of opportunities to cut corners. Sun 12:11 10 minute countdown! - There's just 10 minutes until the Live TV Power Stage gets underway! Sun 12:08 Short break - With that settled, we'll take a short break before Bosenberg - the Live TV Power Stage - kicks off local time. See you then! Sun 10:37 WRC 2 standings after SS17-1. Kopecký 3h 09m 04.2sec 2. Rovanperä +3.5sec 3. Andolfi +10.3sec 4. Kajetanowicz +40.6sec 5. Kreim +48.3sec 6. Ciamin +2m 06.8sec Sun 10:36 SS17: Ciamin - Ciamin has moved back up to sixth, he's 1.9sec ahead of Lukasz Pieniazek. Sun 10:34

7 SS17: Kreim - Fabian Kreim is closing in on fourth, he's 9.7sec down on Kopecký but he's now only 7.7sec behind Kajetanowicz in the class standings. Sun 10:32 WRC standings after SS17-1. Tänak 2h 56m 21.8sec 2. Neuville +32.6sec 3. Lappi +57.0sec 4. Ogier +1m 34.6sec 5. Suninen +1m 54.5sec 6. Mikkelsen +1m 59.1sec Sun 10:31 Michel Nandan - WRC All Live is talking to Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan after Dani Sordo's retirement: "Dani stopped the car because the water temperature was a bit higher. He could have done the stage, but it would have made no sense. We preferred to stop the car and now he's coming back to service. There is probably still a leak, so better to stop." Sun 10:30 SS17: Kajetanowicz - As expected, Kajetanowicz has lost some time on this stage after his early overshoot, he's 24.8sec off Kopecký's time. Sun 10:26 SS17: Kopecký - Kopecký breaks the timing beam at the flying finish and he's 6.7sec up on Rovanperä - that's moved him into the lead by 3.5sec! What a remarkable recovery for him! He says: "We were flat out completely! We lost a lot with the issues yesterday, we are not giving up that is for sure!" Sun 10:26 SS17: Andolfi - Andolfi loses 3.7sec to Kopecký, he's second for now but he'll likely slip to third when the Skoda Motorsport driver crosses the line. Sun 10:23

8 SS17: Rovanperä - WRC 2 leader Kalle Rovanperä reaches the end of the stage now, but his team-mate Jan Kopecký is 5.7sec faster at the final split - the Czech driver could go back into the lead! Sun 10:22 SS17: Sordo - Dani is reversing away from the start of the stage now, it looks like he won't be starting the test and he will be retiring. Sun 10:21 SS17: Griebel - Marijan Griebel is also through to the end now, 56.3sec down in his DS 3 WRC. Sun 10:20 SS17: Evans - Elfyn completes the penultimate stage of the rally, 15.8sec down on his team-mate. He's talking to Colin at stage-end: "All fine, just getting through these two runs, nice stage actually. All okay." Sun 10:19 SS17: Tänak - Ott's taking it easy on this test, he's saving his tyres it would seem for the Live TV Power Stage. He's 13.4sec down on Ogier at the end of this test. He says: "Clean rhythm, no worries. We are on asphalt so five points is definitely not possible but we will try our best." Sun 10:17 SS17: Sordo - We're hearing from the start of SS17 that Dani Sordo won't be starting this stage, he should have started at but, as of yet, he's not started. Sun 10:15

9 SS17: Neuville - Neuville is 2.1sec down on Ogier at the end of the stage, but he's still comfortable in second. "I kept a good rhythm in there, but I stalled the car on the first junction. I lost some time but you never know how much so I kept going fast." Sun 10:13 SS17: Kajetanowicz - Kajetanowicz has overshot a junction in this stage. Sun 10:12 SS17: Lappi - Esapekka Lappi has lost a bit of time on the stage, he's the second-slowest through the flying finish - he's 13.8sec down on Ogier. He says: "Very much a deliberate run through there, as we saw on the first pass, Thierry's pace is too fast for me so I'm just keeping it on the road." Sun 10:11 SS17: Mikkelsen - Andreas Mikkelsen completes the penultimate stage of the rally and he's 10.7sec slower than Ogier. He adds: "I'm just trying to keep the pressure on. I'm trying to push hard but if I push in the wrong sections I have a lot of moments. When the feeling is not the car and you start to push that is not nice at all." Sun 10:09 SS17: Sordo - Dani is at stage start, he has been given a 1m 40sec penalty for being 10min late to the start - but importantly, he looks to be starting. Sun 10:08 SS17: Ogier - The second Fiesta through to stop control is that of Sébastien Ogier - with his rather eye-catching rear aero package - and he is 8.1sec up on Breen. He says: "We had a clean stage and we tried to keep a good rhythm." Just the power stage to go for him. Sun 10:06

10 SS17: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is the next driver to power through the flying finish and he's 2.4sec off the pace on this one. What does he say to Colin? "It was okay, I tried to save the tyres and I wasn't too smooth with the handbrake at the hairpins so I stalled twice." Sun 10:05 SS17: Breen - Craig pulls the C3 into the end of the stage, a 16m 23.1sec on the board for him. 1m 16.7sec quicker than Jourdan Serderidis. He says: "Tricky stage, little bit more happy with the driving on that one, so yeah happy." Sun 10:03 SS17: Ogier - The M-Sport Ford driver is putting in a great time here, he's 5.9sec up on Breen 20.14km into this test Sun 10:01 SS17: Ogier - However, Ogier is steamrolling everything in his path! The Frenchman is 2.6sec faster at the 11.56km timing line. Sun 09:56 SS17: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is going great on this test, he's 1.8sec faster than anyone at the 11.56km split. Sun 09:54 SS17: Sordo - Dani Sordo is on the move! Sun 09:54 SS17: Ogier - The reigning champion is faster than anyone at the first split, he's 0.7sec up at 3.24km

11 Sun 09:51 SS17: Suninen - Teemu Suninen has broken the first timing beam and he's 0.2sec down on Breen Sun 09:49 SS17: Sordo - Dani Sordo has stopped on the road section leading into this stage Sun 09:46 SS17: Breen - Craig Breen is back for his second run of Grafschaft, Scott Martin counts him down into the stage. Sun 09:46 SS17: Live! - Here we go then, the first run of this stage threw up a number of surprises, what will the second deliver? Jourdan Serderidis is into the stage now! Sun 09:42 Tecnhical break - After that action, we'll take a short break before we repeat it all again! The second run of Grafschaft starts at 9:42 so we'll be back for the start! Sun 08:54 Dani Sordo - WRC TV crews are sending photos of Sordo refilling the water in his i20, he's doing everything he can to make it to the start of SS17! Sun 08:53 WRC 2 standings after SS16-1. Rovanperä 2h 51m 53.3sec 2. Andolfi +3.1sec 3. Kopecký +3.2sec 4. Kajetanowicz +19.0sec 5. Kreim +41.8sec 6. Pieniazek +1m 47.8sec

12 Sun 08:49 WRC standings after SS16-1. Tänak 2h 39m 53.4sec 2. Neuville +43.9sec 3. Lappi +56.6sec 4. Ogier +1m 48.0sec 5. Suninen +1m 57.4sec 6. Mikkelsen +2m 01.8sec Sun 08:48 Kaj Lindström - Toyota's Kaj Lindström is asked about Latvala's issues by WRC All Live's Becs Williams: "We had a technical problem there, and finally couldn't continue on the stage. Something transmission related problems but we don't know any more at the moment. He wasn't feeling that the car was 100 per cent on the road section and he was checking the stuff and unfortunately this happened. They're well trained and know what to check on the car, they checked everything but unfortunately this was the result on the stage. They can't continue any more so that's it." Sun 08:47 Dani Sordo - WRC TV crews have filmed Sordo ripping out the windscreen of his i20 on the road section after the stage. Sun 08:42 Michel Nandan - Michel Nandan is asked about Dani Sordo's dramas on SS16: "From what he said he went off in the vineyards and the front is damaged. I think the most difficult for him is the windscreen. In fact in the regroup between the two stages he is normally not allowed to do anything on the car so he has to try to continue like that. I think he reported a small leak of water, but I don't know if that will be such a big thing." Sun 08:41 SS16: Kopecký - Jan Kopecký completes the stage and he's only 0.1sec behind Andolfi now, could he recover to second on the second run of Grafschaft? Sun 08:37 Pierre Budar - Citroën team principal Pierre Budar is asked about Mads Østberg's off on SS16: "We just know that he has lost the rear on a fast corner and went off in a field. There is some damage underneath the car, and he won't be able to restart."

13 Sun 08:36 SS16: Rovanperä - Meanwhile in WRC 2, Kalle Rovanperä reaches stage end and he's 0.2sec faster than Fabio Andolfi who quickly follows him across the line. Sun 08:33 Sordo and Latvala - Dani Sordo is checking the car over on the road section after SS16. Meanwhile Miikka Anttila is working under the bonnet of the Toyota Sun 08:32 SS16: Evans - Elfyn is restarting under Rally 2 this morning after his issues yesterday and he's 21.6sec down on Neuville. Sun 08:31 SS16: Tänak - Ott Tänak pulls in just behind Sordo, he's 8.6sec down on Neuville but he doesn't need to push too hard this morning. "Very clean, I saw from the beginning the lines were far away from the road, there was everything on the road from trees to bushes!" Sun 08:29 SS16: Sordo - Dani Sordo completes the stage, 1m 37.5sec slower than his team-mate after his issues early in this test. What's happened? "I went really fast in a right corner and I hit all the vineyards, it broke the screen and I can't see anything. The temperature is a little bit high so I think I damaged something." Sun 08:28 SS16: Latvala - Jari-Matti has stopped 28km into the stage, WRC All Live shows the car crawling along the stage before stopping. Sun 08:25

14 SS16: Østberg - Citroën reporting Mads has gone off the road on this test, but the crew are OK. Sun 08:23 SS16: Neuville - Where's Thierry pulled that time from? He's 5.4sec quicker than Ogier on this test! He tells Colin: "Really tricky stage, I made a couple of mistakes where I went into the field but I always saved it." Sun 08:22 SS16: Lappi - Lappi has a clean run through this stage and he's 1.0sec slower than Ogier, a great time for the Finn. He says: "It is a tricky stage, quite a bit of dirt already coming from the front cars. But we managed. I was crying on the stage! I had very wet eyes so I had to blink a few times to clear the vision, but it is okay!" Sun 08:21 SS16: Mikkelsen - Andreas Mikkelsen completes the stage and he's 14.3sec slower than Ogier, he's lost a position to the Frenchman. "I did some changes to the car yesterday and for me it was in the worse direction. I lost the rear on the some of the medium/fast sections in there and after that I didn't trust it at all." Sun 08:19 SS16: Latvala - Jari-Matti is using the manual gearshift in his Yaris, he must have an issue with the shift paddle. Sun 08:18 SS16: Ogier - Reigning champion Sébastien Ogier is 3.6sec up on his team-mate as he reaches Colin Clark at stop control. He is told about all the problems so far: "All of this means Neuville is going up so he will catch more points!" Sun 08:16

15 SS16: Suninen - His brake discs are glowing on his M-Sport Ford Fiesta and he's 5.5sec quicker than Craig Breen. "Feeling is good and the car is really nice to drive." Sun 08:14 SS16: Sordo - Dani Sordo has reached the second split and he's lost 15.0sec compared to Suninen. Reports of front-right damage and a smashed windscreen. Sun 08:13 SS16: Breen - Craig Breen reaches stage end now. "It is nice, just purely trying to get a bit of confidence back and get the rhythm back again. It was quite enjoyable though." Sun 08:10 SS16: Østberg - Mads Østberg has stopped 23.6km into this test. Sun 08:10 SS16: Latvala - Jari-Matti Latvala has gone 6.7sec slower than Breen at the first split. Before the start of this stage he had the bonnet up on his Yaris and he was checking the engine and had the air filter box out. Sun 08:09 SS16: Suninen - Suninen has lost a bit of time to Østberg later into this test, at the 15.9km timing point he's 0.8sec slower than the C3 driver Sun 08:06 SS16: Ogier - Ogier is getting up to speed in his Fiesta, at the first split he was 0.6sec slower than his team-mate but at the second split he's 1.4sec up. Sun 08:03

16 SS16: Østberg - The Norwegian reaches the 11.56km split - the third of six on this test - and he's 4.9sec faster than Breen. Sun 08:01 SS16: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is quickly learning on sealed-surfaces as he goes 0.7sec quicker than Østberg at the first split. Sun 07:58 SS16: Østberg - Mads Østberg reaches the first split, 3.24kkm into the stage, and he's 1.0sec quicker than his team-mate. Sun 07:56 SS16: Breen - Craig Breen, Citroën fully repaird after his off yesterfday, fires off into the first run of Grafschaft now! Sun 07:53 SS16: Let the fun begin! - This is it then, the final day of ADAC Rallye Deutschland gets underway now as Jourdan Serderidis fires his Fiesta onto the stage Sun 07:49 Stage info: SS16 - Grafschaft 1, 29.07km A mix of vineyard tracks and narrow roads which wind through woods. The first 8.9km are a new addition to the traditional Grafschaft test, running mainly through vines before briefly entering the trees. A second vineyard section leads onto a super-fast main road, before diving back into the woods and only emerging into the open for the final few kilometres. Sun 07:46 Road order - 1. Serderidis 2. Breen 3. Østberg 4. Suninen 5. Ogier 6. Mikkelsen 7. Lappi 8. Neuville 9. Latvala 10. Sordo 11. Tänak 12. Evans 13. Griebel

17 Sun 07:44 Tyres - All the crews have taken 5 hard compound tyres for this morning s stages Sun 07:42 Eyes on the skies - Another beautiful day in Germany, it s a bit chilly this morning but the sun is shining and it ll soon warm up! Sun 07:40 WRC 2 state of play - It seemed nobody wanted to lead WRC 2 yesterday, with at least half the field encountering problems. Kalle Rovanperä snatched the lead on Saturday s final stage and he s 2.9sec ahead of Fabio Andolfi. Third is Jan Kopecký, the Czech driver had fallen to eighth after being forced to replace a wheel on the first run of Panzerplatte, but won six stages in a row to move to just 5.9sec behind Rovanperä. Fourth is Kajetan Kajetanowicz, with Fabian Kreim fifth and Nicolas Ciamin sixth. Sun 07:38 State of play - Ott Tänak has a comfortable lead at the head of the WRC field, 43.7sec ahead of Dani Sordo. The Spaniard has to keep checking his mirrors as Jari- Matti Latvala is third and only 0.8sec behind. Thierry Neuville is 8.0sec further back in fourth, with Esapekka Lappi fifth and Andreas Mikkelsen sixth. Sun 07:35 What s in store today? - We ve got three tests today - two runs of Grafschaft (29.07km) and then the Live TV Power Stage Bosenberg (14.04km) which starts at 12:18 Sun 07:32 We re live - On the WRC App and at WRC.com, bringing updates from Sunday s three stages - including the rally-ending Live TV Power Stage. Sun 07:30

18 Good morning all - And welcome back to the final day of Live Text for ADAC Rallye Deutschland Sun 07:28 Goodbye for tonight - As we try and digest everything that happened during a thrill-a-minute afternoon loop, we're going to end the Live Text for the evening. Remember to keep checking WRC.com for all the latest news and reports after the second leg of ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Sat 19:39 WRC 2 standings after SS15-1. Rovanperä 2h 34m 29.8sec 2. Andolfi +2.9sec 3. Kopecký +5.9sec 4. Kajetanowicz +7.8sec 5. Kreim +40.2sec 6. Ciamin +1m 04.0sec Sat 19:26 SS15: Kreim - Fabian Kreim has also had a great run, he's the third driver to set a time 3.1sec down on Kopecký - he's fifth now fifth overall. Sat 19:24 SS15: Pieniazek - The same could be said for Pieniazek, the Pole is 5.2sec down but he's seventh in class. Sat 19:23 SS15: Ciamin - A cracker of a time for Ciamin, he matches Rovanperä by crossing the flying finish 3.1sec down and he's fifth overall now. Sat 19:22 SS15: Lefebvre - Stéphane Lefebvre has lost more time on this test, he's 1m 11.5sec as he reaches the end of the stage.

19 Sat 19:17 SS15: Andolfi - Fabio's lost the lead! He was 6.8sec slower than the fastest stage time and 3.7sec slower than Rovanperä. The 17-year-old has moved into the lead by 2.9sec. Sat 19:14 SS15: Rovanperä - Rovanperä is 3.1sec down on Kopecký - the gap between them is just 5.9sec. Sat 19:14 SS15: Kajetanowicz - Kajetanowicz completes the stage now, he's 5.6sec slower than Kopecký and he's lost the position to the Czech driver by 1.9sec. Sat 19:13 WRC standings after SS15-1. Tänak 2h 23m 27.1sec 2. Sordo +43.7sec 3. Latvala +44.5sec 4. Neuville +52.5sec 5. Lappi +58.8sec 6. Mikkelsen +1m 50.7sec. Sat 19:09 SS15: Tänak - Tänak rounds out the manufacturer entries to complete the day and he's 2.0sec down on his team-mate, his lead is now 43.7sec. He says: "It was a mega fight today with Seb, we were pushing really hard. I must say I was not feeling too comfortable on the first loop. It is a big shame for Seb." Sat 19:04 SS15: Ogier - Ogier just loses 0.5sec on this stage, he was green through the splits but he's lost a bit of time late on. He says: "I pushed as much as I can, now it is full risk because I have nothing to lose any more. It is disappointing for sure, at this moment you just want to cry. We had a strong performance this weekend and you don't get the reward for it." Sat 19:01

20 SS15: Neuville - Thierry is 2.2sec down on the fastest time on this stage and he's 8.8sec behind Latvala overall. "We are not really on the pace, we struggle a bit with the handling. If you push hard it is easy to make a mistake and I did one earlier." Sat 18:58 SS15: Latvala - Blimey, Latvala is absolutely charging through this stage - he's 0.4sec faster than his team-mate and 3.5sec quicker than Sordo. He's only 0.8sec behind the Spaniard now, the battle for second tomorrow is going to be mega! "It was a big push out there I tell you. There was a bit of a moment on the gravel early on but it was okay. These fights are great, you really have to push yourself." Sat 18:55 SS15: Sordo - Sordo crosses the flying finish, ending his day, and he's 3.1sec down on Lappi after initially matching the Finn. "Looks like I lost a little bit of time." Sat 18:52 SS15: Lappi - Esapekka is quickest through the stage, 0.9sec faster than Suninen. He says: "Step-by-step we are improving, but much better than yesterday." Sat 18:48 SS15: Breen - Craig has limped the C3 to the end of the day, he does a great job to get the car to the finish just 1m 26.1sec down. He's dropped from sixth to behind Mikkelsen, Suninen and Østberg. He jumps out immediately to look at the damage. He tells Colin: "I tried, I didn't have a good start to the stage and I just got caught out by some loose." Sat 18:47 SS15: Mikkelsen - Ahead of that, Andreas Mikkelsen has completed the stage now, 2.2sec down. "We keep on working and finding out things. We're taking steps, that is the main thing. Now I try to use a little bit more handbrake, it is not the most efficient way to turn the car but it seems to work." Sat 18:43

21 SS15: Breen - He takes a big cut on a right-hander and then sends him wide - into the same field Elfyn Evans ended his day on the first run of this stage! Sat 18:42 SS15: Breen - Oh no Breen goes off! He's too fast through a corner and goes into a field, he's got some suspension damage but he's carrying on to the end. Sat 18:41 SS15: Suninen - Suninen takes full advantage of that spin, he's 6.1sec up across the flying finish. He says: "It has been a good day from that side so I can be quite happy for this day that I have been improving and making some good times. But there are some things I would like to improve - driving fast in the corners." Sat 18:40 SS15: Østberg - Mads completes the stage now, he was 5.1sec down at the second split after his stall, how different will that be once Suninen completes? Mads is speaking to Colin at stage end: "The car just stalled, you cannot pull the handbrake without the car stalling. We're just going through all the things that can go wrong really." Sat 18:38 SS15: Suninen - Teemu breaks the beam at the first split point and he's 0.8sec up 3.48km in. Sat 18:34 SS15: Østberg - Oh dear! A small stall for Østberg but he quickly gets it going again. Sat 18:34 SS15: Østberg - Eriksen counts down the time for Østberg as the pair blast off into Römerstraße.

22 Sat 18:31 SS15: Serderidis - Jourdan Serderidis gets us started for the final time today on the second run of Römerstraße. Sat 18:26 SS14: Kreim - Fabian Kreim is up to fifth overall, he's just 3.1sec slower than Kopecký - the latter also up to fourth after issues for everybody else! Sat 18:22 SS14: Lefebvre - It's all change on this stage, Lefebvre has lost 1m 02.8sec and he's slipped to fifth in the class standings now. That's given Andolfi the lead. Sat 18:18 SS14: Rovanperä - Although, just as we type that last message, Rovanperä has put in a corking time on this test - he's 5.3sec down on his team-mate and that's put him 5.3sec ahead of Kajetanowicz and only 0.8sec behind Andolfi, who dropped 10.3sec to Kopecký on this test. Sat 18:14 SS14: Kajetanowicz - Kajto crosses the line now, he's 15.8sec down on Kopecký but he should be third once the rest of the WRC 2 cars filter through. Sat 18:13 SS14: Camilli - Such disappointment for Eric Camilli, he has had to retire before the start of SS14 - he's had an alternator problem in his Fiesta. Sat 18:09 SS14: Griebel - Griebel rounds off the 12 WRC runners to come through this stage, he's 27.1sec down in his DS 3.

23 Sat 18:06 SS14: Tänak - Ott can't match Ogier's fastest stage time, but he's still go an advantage of 42.2sec over Sordo so he doesn't need to push too hard. He tells Molly: "There is nothing about pushing any more. In the tricky places I was just being careful and on the smooth asphalt I can just push. The balance is a lot better than it was earlier as well." Sat 18:03 SS14: Ogier - Oh my word, Ogier is flying through this test as he looks to recover from having to replace a broken wheel on the last stage - he's 2.3sec faster than Dani Sordo. He's back ahead of his team-mate. "Unfortunately we will get not so much out of this rally, but what can you do at this moment? We were trying hard, but it is part of the game." Sat 18:00 SS14: Neuville - Thierry completes stage 14 of this year's Rally Germany and he is 4.2sec slower than the joint fastest stage time, Latvala is pulling clear in third. He says: "I had a very good stage to be honest, but I think we are a little too stiff on the springs, with the speed I am driving we should be on the pace." Sat 17:57 SS14: Latvala - Latvala is trying to chase down Dani Sordo for second overall, and he's done his quest a great service in this stage as he matches team-mate Esapekka's fastest stage time! Sordo's advantage is only 4.3sec now. He's looking around for something in the footwell as he pulls into stop control, it's a bottle of water! He says: "It is a big fight, we had a very, very good stage. Dani has been pushing harder than this morning so it is going to be quite a battle." Sat 17:54 SS14: Sordo - Dani Sordo can't quite secure the fastest stage time on this test, but he's not far off - only 0.8sec down. A replay shows he knocks the mirror off the right-side of the car on a hay bale. The fans at that point gratefully collected that! He tells Molly: "The mirrors in this rally are kind of in a bad place with the chicanes! I can't do more on this stage, it was better than this morning though." Sat 17:51

24 SS14: Lappi - Lappi was 0.1sec up at the middle split, but he's 0.7sec down at the final split. However, he finds time late on and he's 1.2sec quicker across the line! His advantage over Breen is now 8.6sec. "It is okay. Couldn't come faster to be honest, quite a clean stage." That's the Esapekka understatement we all know and love! Sat 17:48 SS14: Breen - Craig Breen reaches stop control 2.6sec to the good, how will that compare to Lappi? The pair are battling for position today. He says: "I'm enjoying it, it is just class being in the middle of something. In the last few rallies I've been out on my own opening the road, or near to it, but this is just class." Sat 17:45 SS14: Mikkelsen - Andreas completes the stage now, he's 2.5sec off the fastest time. "We had an okay stage, I tried to be a little more aggressive now with the handbrake." Sat 17:42 SS14: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is 1.2sec to the good as he passes the flying finish now. He says: "I will drive for the time if needed, but I'm really sure Seb has good pace so I can go full throttle and he will pass me." Sat 17:39 SS14: Østberg - His team-mate meanwhile, is at stage-end talking to Molly. "Very slippery, not really a line for me. I think when the other WRC drivers come there will be a clean line. I tried my best, but for sure I think it will get faster this time." Sat 17:37 SS14: Breen - Craig Breen is also into the opening kilometres of this stage, Scott Martin warning the Irishman of spots where there could be gravel dragged on from the cuts. Sat 17:36

25 SS14: Mikkelsen - The i20 driver is also out onto the penultimate stage of the day and he's 1.2sec slower than Suninen at the opening split. Sat 17:36 SS14: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is learning all the time on his asphalt rally debut and he's still setting quicker times than Østberg - 0.4sec up at the first split. Sat 17:33 SS14: Østberg - Torstein Eriksen is rattling off the notes as quickly as he can as Mads takes to the stage in his Citroën C3. Sat 17:29 SS14: Serderidis - The second run of Freisen is live as Jourdan Serderidis gets the test underway! Sat 17:24 SS13: Bonato - Citroën has confirmed on Twitter that Bonato has retired due to a technical issue Sat 17:12 WRC 2 standings after SS13-1. Camilli 2h 18m 21.9sec 2. Lefebvre +25.0sec 3. Andolfi +25.6sec 4. Kajetanowicz +26.2sec 5. Rovanperä +31.4sec 6. Kopecký +45.7sec Sat 17:00 SS13: Huttunen - Jari Huttunen has made it to the end, he's lost 13m 34.7sec on this stage - that's dropped him from fifth to 13th as it stands. Sat 16:55

26 WRC standings after SS13-1. Tänak 2h 08m 44.0sec 2. Sordo +42.8sec 3. Latvala +47.9sec 4. Neuville +49.5sec 5. Lappi + 1m 01.8sec 6. Breen +1m 09.2sec Sat 16:52 SS13: Bonato - Yoann Bonato has stopped just before the finish of Panzerplatte. Sat 16:50 SS13: Tempestini - Simone Tempestini, in the second of the factoryentered Citroën C3 R5s has lost a considerable chunk of time on the stage, he's 3m 06.5sec down on Kopecký Sat 16:48 SS13: Lefebvre - Lefebvre has completed the stage 11.1sec down on Kopecký but he's jumped ahead of but he's jumped ahead of Rovanperä, Kajetanowicz and Andolfi on that stage to go up to second provisionally. Sat 16:45 SS13: Greensmith - Greensmith has stopped on stage. Sat 16:40 SS13: Kopecký - Jan Kopecký completes the stage. He's 19.3sec quicker than Camilli and 17.5sec faster than team-mate Rovanperä as he looks to move back up the standings. Sat 16:39 Malcolm Wilson - All Live catches up with Malcolm Wilson: "I haven't managed to speak to Seb, not a good day. First Elfyn goes off and basically out of the rally and then didn't expect Seb to get a puncture. It is amazing because his pace after that was the same as Dani. I mean hopefully he can get ahead of Teemu and Andreas but basically I

27 think seventh is the most he can hope for. The championship isn't looking as good as it was a few minutes ago. But there are still four rallies left and as you can see, anything can happen. "It is a blow don't get me wrong, but we've been in this game a long time. Everyone will be back fighting at the next event." Sat 16:38 SS13: Griebel - The German - local to the area - is the last to complete Panzerplatte, he's 1m 11.4sec down. Sat 16:32 SS13: Tänak - Ott is flying, he completes the stage just 0.2sec slower than Sordo. His lead over the Spaniard is 42.8sec after Ogier's issues. He's informed of Ogier's puncture: "We had a puncture on the previous one actually. On this stage it was a bit distracting at points because I saw Seb so close to me and I backed off a little bit." Sat 16:29 SS13: Ogier - Ogier makes it through to the end now, 1m 43.0sec down on Sordo, he has dropped to what will be ninth once Tänak completes the stage. What happened to him? "Puncture. Don't know how it happened, same line like always. We know it is a bit of lottery with the rocks." Sat 16:27 SS13: Neuville - Thierry Neuville is the next to make it to the finish and he's 5.4sec slower than his team-mate. He's told about Ogier's problem: "That's part of the game obviously and you can see what happened to me last year, a puncture for Seb I guess? The car was good, I kept a clean rhythm and didn't take any risks." Sat 16:23 SS13: Latvala - Dani Sordo is up to second! Latvala is 5.7sec slower than the Hyundai driver on this test and Sordo gains a place, his advantage 5.1sec. Sat 16:19

28 SS13: Sordo - Dani Sordo is a big fan of the Panzerplatte, he's 6.9sec faster than anyone at the end of this 38.57km test. He tells Colin: "I'm happy with the car and with the performance on this stage. In the morning this stage was also good for us. I want to do well on the next two stages because the Toyotas look like they're faster." Sat 16:16 SS13: Ogier - Ogier's second split is now on the board and he's 1m 40.5sec down compared to Craig Breen 17.08km in. Sat 16:14 SS13: Lappi - Esapekka breaks the timing beam at the flying finish 1.2sec down. He says: "Not perfect for sure, it is hard to manage. I think my tyre management is okay but I am just missing the perfect feeling." Sat 16:13 SS13: Ogier - Ogier is now back at full speed in his Fiesta. Sat 16:10 SS13: Breen - Craig Breen completes the stage, further ahead on Panzerplatte, and he's 3.4sec faster than Suninen as he continues his fine form today. He says: "Didn't push as much as I wanted in there. I had a bad tyre in that one, thankfully there is a tyre fitting zone next." Sat 16:09 SS13: Ogier - He's going again now, but we're hearing he's moving slowly. Sat 16:08 SS13: Ogier - Ogier has stopped 8.4km into the stage!

29 Sat 16:08 SS13: Mikkelsen - Andreas Mikkelsen has lost a few seconds as he completes this stage, 4.7 seconds to be exact. Sat 16:07 SS12: Greensmith - Just a note on Gus Greensmith, he's only 4.4sec slower than Kopecký on Arena Panzerplatte and he's set that time with a broken thumb. He broke it trying to repair the Fiesta's diff yesterday - good effort from that man to continue that pace with a broken thumb! Sat 16:05 SS13: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is the next to greet Colin Clark at stop control, he's 7.1sec up on the target time. "I was struggling with the tyres, it was difficult to manage them but it was only my second time ever with the WRC car here and maybe that is part of the learning." Sat 16:04 SS13: Østberg - Østberg completes the longest stage of the rally for a second time. How did the Norwegian find that run? "I'm not so happy to see my time in there because the feeling with the car was better but the time was worse. I just need more time in the car basically just so I can understand how you drive it." Sat 16:03 SS13: Sordo - Dani Sordo and Jari-Matti Latvala have set the same opening split, both are 0.9sec faster than Breen. Sat 16:01 SS13: Breen - Craig Breen is on for a cracking time as goes 1.5sec faster than Suninen at the second split point on the test. Sat 15:57

30 SS12: Rovanperä - Kalle reaches stage end 4.4sec slower than his team-mate. "We had some mistake here and lost some time. We have to be careful on the next one so we don't have any punctures and then we'll assess from there." Sat 15:55 SS13: Suninen - Teemu Suninen is the fastest on SS13 so far, he's 3.7sec up on Østberg at the 17.08km split. Sat 15:54 SS12: Camilli and Kajetanowicz - Eric Camilli matched Kopecký through the mid-stage split but he's lost time late on and he's 3.2sec down. The second Fiesta of Kajto Kajetanowicz is 3.3sec off the fastest time. Sat 15:53 SS12: Bonato - Yoann Bonato crosses the line 7.7sec down on Kopecký as he completes the test. Sat 15:52 SS12: Kopecký - Back on Arena Panzerplatte, Kopecký reaches the end of the stage - the first of the WRC 2 cars through the flying finish. He comments: "We just need to focus now on our performance which has to be perfect." Sat 15:51 SS13 - We've got cars onto the longer Panzerplatte stage. At the moment Teemu Suninen is currently the fastest driver through the first split. Sat 15:49 SS12: Griebel - Marijan Griebel completes the WRC runners in his Citroën DS 3 WRC and he's only 16.8sec off the pace. A decent time for a previous-

31 generation machine. He adds: "A lot of spectators here, I enjoyed it quite a lot but unfortunately we have intercom problems." Sat 15:48 SS12: Tänak - The Neste Rally Finland winner, the leader on this rally, Tänak is on a charge once again. He's dropped 0.7sec to Sordo on this test but his lead is still 13.6sec. "I had a good clean run, the feeling was better. There was no risk, but I was more happy. I'm happy to go for the long one now." Sat 15:45 SS12: Ogier - Sébastien Ogier is the next to complete Arena Panzerplatte in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta and he is just 0.2sec slower than Sordo! He says: "We are trying our best, it was a good clean stage to us." Sat 15:42 SS12: Neuville - Thierry Neuville is through the flying finish and he has lost 3.1sec to his team-mate on this test, Sordo has moved ahead of him in the overall standings as well. Neuville will be fifth by the time Ogier and Tänak reach stage end. "I could not match his time. I had a really good stage, but obviously he has something I couldn't find in the set-up yet." Sat 15:39 SS12: Latvala - Latvala is having a back and forth battle with Sordo and on this stage he's 1.3sec slower than the Spaniard. Sordo is just 0.6sec behind now. He tells Molly: "It is a great battle, I thought I had a good run but it seems Dani is even faster." Sat 15:36 SS12: Sordo - Dani Sordo is the next to reach stop control and he's 2.4sec quicker than Breen! "Looked like the car is working really well in these conditions. I am really confident when the surface is like this. The problem is I was slower on the last two stages before this." Sat 15:33

32 SS12: Lappi - Lappi flies through the Gina jump on his way to the flying finish and he's 2.4sec down on the Irishman. That's reduced Lappi's advantage to 8.6sec ahead of Breen now. "Not a clean run, a lot of dirt on the roads. A few mistakes but quite okay." Sat 15:30 SS12: Breen - Breen is carrying on his good form - which netted him a stage win on SS11 - and he's provisionally quickest through this one as well. He's 1.1sec up on Teemu. "Made a little change in service, definitely feeling confident with the whole thing. Just conserving the tyres so I can go like the clappers in the next one." Sat 15:27 SS12: Mikkelsen - Andreas Mikkelsen is the second Norwegian through to the end of the stage and he's 2.1sec slower than Suninen. He tells Molly: "We try as good as we can. Maybe it was a bit better now, we made some changes - very small." Sat 15:24 SS12: Suninen - Teemu is the fastest driver on the board at the end of this stage, he's 2.4sec up. He says: "It was okay, nothing special. I want to do my best and hope to be faster." Sat 15:21 SS12: Østberg - Østberg completes the stage now, how have the changes in services affected things in this test?: "It felt a little bit better, but I had less grip in the car as well. The time is better but it is still a bad time. It felt faster than the time shows." Sat 15:18 SS12: Suninen - Teemu Suninen breaks the beam at the first split point and he's 1.6sec faster than Østberg Sat 15:17

33 SS12: Østberg - Mads is the next onto the stage in his C3 Sat 15:11 SS12: Serderidis - Jourdan Serderidis engages first and powers off onto the Baumholder military training complex! He gets things underway on the afternoon loop. Sat 15:08 We're back! - There's just five minutes until the afternoon loop gets underway with the second run of Arena Panzerplatte Sat 15:03 Technical break - On that note from rally leader Ott Tänak, we'll take a break now but we'll return for the second run of Arena Panzerplatte at 15:08 local time. Sat 13:28 Tänak - Rally leader Ott Tänak just finishes his chat with Tommi Mäkinen and he's now talking to All Live: "It has been a very tough morning, we knew it would be completely different. There was a lot new to me that I was having to adjust to. I was having to push hard to get a rhythm. We managed to increase the lead but it was very hard. I do everything I can, I know we can be a lot better, especially in Baumholder. We had far too much understeer and I was really pushing, but let's say it was not an easy push." Sat 13:27 Neuville - Championship leader Thierry Neuville talks to All Live: "I think we are pushing, we are trying. I didn't do the stages last year, even the last one was new for me. The only reference I have is my team-mate Dani and we were almost level except for on the long stage. We are going to attempt to put the diff from yesterday morning back on." Sat 13:25

34 Ogier - Seb Ogier is also asking questions about his performance this morning: "Another good loop for us, another clean drive. The gap didn't really change compared to Ott, it changes a little bit in the wrong direction! For the championship it is no secret that I want to win to achieve maximum points. We have to keep trying, this afternoon will be very hot and I can improve in the afternoon I hope. I don't think we can find much more in the car, it feels really nice to drive. I just need to keep pushing harder, I am close to the limit already but maybe there are some places I can be even closer to the limit. That's rally, you need to be on the limit without crossing it." Sat 13:22 Järveoja - Ott Tänak's co-driver Martin Jarveoja is chatting to All Live: "Today in the morning the rhythm was maybe not the best but already on the last one the feeling was already better so lets see what the afternoon brings." Sat 13:20 Latvala - Jari-Matti finishes his chat with team boss Tommi Mäkinen and his engineers and now he talks to All Live about his thoughts on the morning's stages: "It was overall a good morning, but then Dani did an amazing time on Panzerplatte. But on the last two stages they were working very well for us and we were gaining time on Dani and Thierry. We don't do big changes in service, just a very small thing on the front." Sat 13:17 Mikkelsen - Andreas Mikkelsen is the next to answer questions in the media zone. "It is challenging for sure, we just try to improve basically. All corners are different, all the stages are different in rally. We are improving, we are closer and closer but for sure I want to be up there fighting for the win and the good results. We will do some changes in service to make the car better on the entry to the tight corners. If we can sort out the entry then it will be better." Sat 13:14 Lappi - Esapekka Lappi is asked whether he'll be making any changes in service: "I think we go stiffer springs, stiffer rollbar because the Baumholder was difficult for me, the car was rolling around on those stages. It is clean and easy on the country stages, even with a soft car it was easy on those roads. On Baumholder with the really high grip it wasn't pleasant." Sat 13:12

35 Breen - Craig Breen is also discussing his morning performance: "It is nice to get things in a good way again, waking up from my slumber perhaps. Nice to come back with some positivity. No changes in service last night which was really good, I made a mistake with set-up yesterday because I thought it would work on the stages. It didn't work then but we kept it the same and it's worked this morning. "This morning I can just let it go and do what we want." Sat 13:10 Markkula - Mikko Markkula is also chatting to Becs in the media zone and he's asked about Suninen's development: "It has been a learning curve for Teemu this weekend, we only did 150kms of testing before this rally and I think he is doing well. He is only 0.2sec/0.3sec per kilometre to the fastest guys already." Sat 13:08 Østberg - Mads also gives his thoughts on the morning loop, and the eye exercise he was doing before SS11: "It is something I have from my coach to really free my eyes to work better and have a better flow in mind basically." He's also asked about the conversation with his engineer in the media zone: "We're just trying to develop the car basically, I need to change the car a little bit and my own style as well. But I think we need to meet halfway. It is important to bring forward every option we have for set-up." Sat 13:06 Torstein Eriksen - WRC All Live talks to Østberg's co-driver Torstein Eriksen as he heads into the media zone before technical regroup which leads into service. "It is going really well. It is very enjoyable. After the podium in Finland I try to be back down to normal again for this weekend. The stage times here are good despite the problems yesterday." Sat 13:03 WRC 2 standings after SS11-1. Camilli 1h 49m 15.0sec 2. Kajetanowicz +22.9sec 3. Andolfi +26.2sec 4. Rovanperä +32.0sec 5. Lefebvre +32.5sec 6. Huttunen +52.7sec Sat 12:59

36 WRC standings after SS11-1. Tänak 1h 41m 23.8sec 2. Ogier +14.1sec 3. Latvala +41.8sec 4. Neuville +41.9sec 5. Sordo +43.7sec 6. Lappi +49.8sec Sat 12:57 SS11: Lefebvre - Stéphane Lefebvre has dropped behind Rovaperä now, the Finn up to fourth. Lefebvre was 0.8sec down on the Skoda driver and he's now 0.5sec behind in the standings. Sat 12:54 SS11: Evans - WRC All Live has caught up with M-Sport Ford's Richard Millener: "It sounds like he has had quite a big impact with the sump guard underneath and even with his repair skills I don't think it will be possible to repair. So we'll have to arrange recovery. "It looked like a small mistake, and he just ran slightly wide. It looked like there was something in that grass that was quite hard and it has caused quite a bit of damage." Sat 12:53 SS11: Andolfi - Fabio Andolfi was green through both the splits but he loses time in the closing section and he's 1.9sec off the fastest time. Sat 12:48 SS11: Kajetanowicz - The LOTOS Rally Team driver is just slipping further away from the lead, he's 2.2sec slower than Camilli and is now 22.9sec off the lead in the class standings. Sat 12:47 SS11: Camilli - Camilli continues his strong run through the morning loop, he's just 1.5sec off the Czech driver. Sat 12:45