Rally Sweden 2019

13h

Esapekka Lappi (Citroën) distinguished himself in SS12 of the Swedish Rally by taking almost 4 seconds from Elfyn Evans (M-Sport) and more than 5 seconds from Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). The Finn was the closest to the scratch by being 2 seconds behind Ott Tänak (Toyota) who further increased his lead overall since Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) was more than 6 seconds behind.

Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) deliberately started late in order to benefit from a better position on the road. The six-time WRC champion finished 9 seconds behind the benchmark, ahead of Kris Meeke (Toyota).

Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) failed almost 15 seconds from the scratch. The Alsatian indicated that he had the impression of no longer having any studs on his tires even though he was the only one to have only taken a spare wheel in the second pass of the day.

Ott Tänak now has a lead of more than 40 seconds over Andreas Mikkelsen. Esapekka Lappi gained two places to find herself on the provisional podium with a little more than a second ahead of Elfyn Evans. Thierry Neuville follows 3 seconds behind the M-Sport driver. Kris Meeke remains 6th, 11 seconds behind the Top 5, ahead of Teemu Suninen who overtook Sébastien Loeb by a few tenths. Pontus Tidemand (M-Sport) remains isolated in 9th place.

13h

Suninen sets the 3rd time, 5s from the scratch. The M-Sport driver moved up to 7th place, 7 tenths ahead of Loeb.

13h

While Tänak already has a good lead, the Toyota driver has the luxury of signing the provisional scratch with a 2″1 lead over Lappi and 6″6 over Mikkelsen. The Hyundai driver is now more than 40s behind overall. “I'm a little surprised. There is now a lot of grip and the positions on the road count for a lot. »

13h

Mikkelsen gives Lappi 4″5 but still maintains a 14″5 lead overall over the Citroën driver. “I'm trying to be quick. We made a few changes at the break. »

13h

Evans finally lost to Lappi by 3″7 after losing time in the last sector. Lappi thus gains 2 places and moves into 3rd position with a 1″6 lead over the M-Sport driver. “It’s better this afternoon even if it’s not perfect yet. »

13h

Great performance from Lappi who takes 5″6 from Neuville. It is the Citroën driver who seems well placed to threaten Evans in 3rd place since he caught the Belgian with a 4″6 lead. “I felt slow though. It's nice to see that the pacing is good. »

13h

Ogier is the closest to Neuville with 1”3 behind. The Citroën driver will receive a significant penalty for his deliberate delay at the start of the SS, allowing him to benefit from a better position on the road for the Power Stage.

13h

Loeb told his co-driver Elena that he felt like the studs had disappeared from his tires. The Hyundai driver is also the only one to have only taken a spare wheel.

13h

Loeb sets the 5th time, 7s behind the provisional scratch. The Hyundai driver is now 19s behind Meeke in 6th place. “It wasn’t perfect but it’s okay. »

13h

Neuville improves Meeke's time by another 4″3, which is pushed back to more than 11 seconds behind the Belgian overall. The Hyundai driver is aiming for 3rd place occupied by Evans. “The road is gradually clearing up. I rode well, preserving my tires and keeping a good pace. »

13h

Meeke: “There's nothing more we can do with this position on the road. »

13h

Meeke improves the benchmark by 5″2 against his teammate Latvala. The Northern Irishman is fighting against Neuville and Lappi for 4th position.

13h

Tidemand: “We made some changes. The car is very good now. It's more complicated on the road but it's still passable. »

13h

Good time from Tidemand who ranks just 3s behind Latvala. The M-Sport driver is in 9th place.

13h

Loeb is the only driver to have only taken a spare wheel.

13h

Tuohino is the closest to Latvala with 19s behind. The Finn on Ford occupies 16th position. “The conditions are tougher, but it’s still very pleasant to ride. »

13h

Bertelli ranks more than half a minute behind Latvala. The M-Sport private driver is in 24th place.

13h

Budar (Citroën): “The objective is to do km using the special stages as a test session. We are now aiming for points in both championships. To succeed, you aim for a better position on the road. » Ogier's delay is therefore a strategy of the Reds. The six-time WRC champion has just started the special.

13h

Latvala this time leads Grönholm by 23 seconds at the end of the special. “It was complicated, I can tell you that. The trajectories are very narrow. We don't always really know where we're going. »

13h

Petter Solberg won the historic Rally Sweden after winning every stage in his Ford Escort MKII.

 

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