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The first WRCs are already in the 22,22km Cabeceiras de Basto special.
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Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) increased his lead in the 17,5km of Vieira do Minho, the first special stage of the second stage of the Rally of Portugal. With a time of 10'54''6, the Belgian beat Esapekka Lappi (Toyota) by two tenths, but above all took a small second from his direct opponent Elfyn Evans (M-Sport). Dani Sordo (Hyundai) followed three seconds ahead of Teemu Suninen (M-Sport) and the Citroëns of Mads Ostberg, Kris Meeke and Craig Breen in first positions on the road.
Among the drivers who returned to Rally 2, Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) was the fastest as he took the scratch with a time of 10'52''2. Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) finished 4”7 behind the Finn.
Thiierry Neuville increased his lead over Teemu Suninen to 18”6. Dani Sordo follows less than nine seconds ahead of Teemu Suninen. Esapekka Lappi came back to within seven seconds of his compatriot. Mads Ostberg follows just over eight seconds ahead of teammates Kris Meeke and Craig Breen.
10h
Latvala takes the scratch in SS10 with a time of 10'52″2 where he is ahead of Neuville by 2″4. The Toyota driver is also in Rally 2.
10h
Ogier is on a better pace since he sets the 4th time, 2″3 from the scratch. The Frenchman also went through Rally 2. “We don't have a target, it's hard to stay motivated. »
10h
Mikkelsen settles for 8th fastest time, 6″8 behind Neuville. The Norwegian returned to Rally 2.
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Neuville takes the scratch for 2 tenths ahead of Lappi. The Hyundai driver now has an 18” lead over Evans. “This advance is sufficient. I am satisfied. »
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Good time also for Evans who ranks 7 tenths behind Lappi and who is now ahead of Sordo by almost 9 seconds overall. “It was quite slippery in places. I hope to resist Sordo, that's for sure. »
10h
Sordo remains on a good pace finishing less than 3s behind Lappi. The Hyundai driver increased his lead over Suninen to almost 12s overall. “It was slipping a bit in the special. »
10h
Suninen is closest to Lappi but still drops nearly 5s to the Toyota driver. The M-Sport driver maintains 4th place for a 6″7 lead. “I was constantly on the edge. »
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Lappi beats the Citroëns by beating Ostberg by almost 6s. “I don't have to focus on them because they're already behind me. » The Toyota driver now has a lead of more than 8 seconds over the first Citroën overall.
10h
Ostberg improves by another second the reference previously signed by his teammate Meeke. The Norwegian is fighting for 5th place against Lappi. “We had a good pace, it went well. I enjoyed this special. »
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Meeke improves his teammate Breen's time by 11 seconds. “I really enjoyed driving in this SS. It's a shame to have suffered so much yesterday. I felt really good behind the wheel. » The Northern Irishman is in 7th place, half a minute behind his teammate Ostberg.
10h
Breen finished with a first time of 11'13″0.
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Meeke is almost 5s ahead of his teammate Breen in the special.
10h
No differences in strategies. All WRC drivers opted for 5 soft tires.
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The course offers a good mix of all the difficulties encountered in this event, offering wide or winding roads. Large rocks sometimes border certain areas.
10h
Breen has just set off in the 17,5km of Vieira do Minho.
09h
The summaries of the crazy first stage of the rally:
09h
Welcome to the live text of the 2nd stage of the Rally Portugal!
Here is the departure order for this day. Tänak and Paddon definitively retired yesterday, the Estonian having broken his engine while the New Zealander was hospitalized for examinations after going off the road.
Start order for Day 2 of the #RallyPortugal #WRC pic.twitter.com/aJCWoDo84C
— Michelin Motorsport (@Michelin_Sport) 19th May 2018
