Rally Portugal 2019
13h
Veiby's Volkswagen was rescued even though it was on fire. The crew is safe:
We were so lucky, crew stopped by a firetruck pic.twitter.com/CjrWHYhX9R
— Erik Veiby (@VeibyErik) 1th June 2019
13h
Lappi: “We shouldn't have brought 2 wheels because the tires held up pretty well in the end. We'll see what we're going to do this afternoon with the team. The adjustments made last night worked well. It's moving in the right direction. »
13h
The crews return to service for a long break. The second passage is scheduled from 16:08 p.m.
13h
Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) put in a great performance in the 10th special of the Rally of Portugal. The Finn completed the 37,6km of Amarante, the longest course of the event, in 25'10''4 and thus took almost 6 seconds from his teammate Ott Tänak. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was the closest with just over 4 seconds behind, taking 2 seconds from the Citroën of Esapekka Lappi and Sébastien Ogier. Kris Meeke (Toyota) followed at 8 seconds.
Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) started late to play his team's strategy and give Thierry Neuville the maximum advantage, but the Alsatian finished more than 24 seconds behind.
Ott Tänak only has a lead of 5”1 over Jari-Matti Latvala after the first pass of the second stage of the Rally Portugal. The provisional podium is still completed by Kris Meeke, now followed by Thierry Neuville who regained his 4th position for less than 2 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier. Esapekka Lappi took 6th place 9 seconds ahead of Teemu Suninen. Gus Greensmith (M-Sport) remains 8th ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans.
Ole Christian Veiby (Volkswagen) stopped in the special while leading WRC 2 ahead of Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda) and Pierre-Louis Loubet (Skoda).
12h
Tänak is 5”8 behind Latvala and now only has a 5”1 lead over his teammate at the head of Rally Portugal. “It’s nothing…” the Estonian simply comments, reluctant to comment on his performance.
12h
Veiby was stopped in the special while leading WRC 2. Pieniazek, 3rd in WRC 2 Pro, was also stopped.
12h
Latvala takes the provisional scratch with 4″2 ahead of Neuville. The Finn is fighting for the lead of the race against his teammate Tänak who is behind in this SS. “It was a very good stage for us. We were able to take advantage of the trajectories and attack. We are progressing step by step. »
12h
Meeke fails 3″8 behind Neuville. The Toyota driver retains his place on the provisional podium with 5″3 ahead of the Belgian. “We did the job this morning, I am satisfied with this passage. »
12h
Tänak came back to just over 5s on Latvala in the 6th split. He had an 11s lead over the Finn at the start of the special.
12h
Neuville improves Lappi's time by 1″8 and takes 2″1 from Ogier. The Hyundai driver takes 4th place with a 1″9 lead over the Frenchman. “It was perhaps not the best solution to take 2 wheels. The gap between the cars is correct. »
12h
Tänak lost ground on Latvala 6s behind in the 5th split. The lead in the Rally of Portugal is at stake.
12h
Sordo sets the 3rd provisional time, 3″2 behind Lappi. The Spaniard plays the sweeper like Loeb for Neuville. “It’s very slippery and it’s difficult to follow the trajectories. We don't really know what level of attack we need to have to follow the lines. »
12h
Latvala is currently the fastest in the special. Tänak managed by following the Finn by a second.
12h
Loeb remained cautious, finishing more than 18 seconds behind the benchmark. The Hyundai driver has nothing more to risk. “We could only help him, we had to do it. There is a lot of dust, including dust in the passenger compartment. I didn't attack. »
12h
Ogier finally finished 3 tenths behind his teammate Lappi. The Frenchman risks being caught by Neuville, who is faster than him in the special. “He is much further away now and that matters, we saw it with the Toyotas this morning. That’s how it is, we make do. »
12h
Neuville has a little more than 2 seconds ahead of Ogier in the 4th intermediate position. Meeke follows the Belgian by a few tenths in the previous sector.
12h
Suninen lost a lot of time in the last km and finished almost 15 seconds behind Lappi after encountering engine problems. The Citroën driver recovers 6th place with 9 seconds ahead of his compatriot. “I have no more power. » Fortunately for him, it was the assistance that followed.
12h
Greensmith finished 35 seconds behind the benchmark set by Lappi. The M-Sport driver remains 9th. “I arrived too quickly in a hairpin. I made the same mistake at the start of the special, losing around ten seconds. It is fun. »
12h
Slight error from Greensmith who stalled in a tight corner, the Fiesta WRC finding itself covered in a thick cloud of dust. The rookie was able to resume walking.
12h
Neuville is ahead of Ogier by 3 tenths at the first intermediate. The Frenchman is in the lead with 2 seconds ahead of Lappi in the 6th sector.
