Rally Australia 2018
02h
The 2018 season will end with the Wedding Bells super special staged from 3:18 a.m. where the Manufacturers' title is still at stake between Toyota and Hyundai.
02h
Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) is now assured of winning his 6th title since Ott Tânak (Toyota) abandoned in the Sapphire special (SS23) for an as yet undetermined reason.
Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) signed a new scratch by completing the 19,27km in 11'48''1, almost 3 seconds ahead of Hayden Paddon (Hyundai).
Jari-Matti Latvala has more than half a minute ahead of the New Zealander before the pPower Stage. Mads Ostberg (Citroën) climbs onto the provisional podium with more than a dozen seconds ahead of Esapekka Lappi which allows Toyota to maintain the advantage in the Manufacturers' Championship. Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) climbs into the Top 5 and now has nothing to fear, even in the event of a retirement. The Frenchman is ahead of his teammates Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen, while Craig Breen (Citroën) finds himself 8th.
02h
Latvala improves Paddon's benchmark by 2″8, who is more than half a minute from the lead in the race. The rear bumper of the Yaris WRC was torn off. Toyota maintains the advantage in the Manufacturers' championship despite Tänak's retirement. “It was such a demanding stage, fortunately I reached the finish. I'm sorry about Ott. »
02h
Paddon improved Ostberg's time by 1″2 and now occupies 2nd position.
02h
Tänak appears to check the clutch of his Yaris WRC.
02h
The Toyota is pushed to the side by spectators. The rally seems to be over for the Estonian! The title is almost acquired by Ogier now!
02h
Tänak went off the road at the 2nd km. The Toyota driver was able to leave after a while.
02h
Ostberg puts 3″8 back on Lappi who is now 12″7 from 4th position.
02h
Ostberg's Citroën also has damage to the right rear door. The WRCs are suffering in these last stages.
02h
Lappi improves Suninen's time by 23 seconds. The Toyota driver who lost his rear bumper is still chasing Ostberg's 4th position. “It’s terrible, we can’t have any fun in this ES. »
02h
Lappi is ahead but the Toyota driver has slight damage to the rear of his Yaris WRC.
02h
Ogier kept a good pace, finishing 7 tenths behind his teammate Suninen. The M-Sport driver is only 7km away from a 6th title. “It’s no longer piloting. We're just trying to keep the car on the road. »
02h
Evans ranks 11s behind his teammate Suninen. The Welshman is in 7th place. “We went out to sea and the door suffered a slight contact. It was at a very slow place. »
02h
Dan Barritt, Evans' co-driver, has to hold his door which refuses to close.
02h
Suninen improves Breen's time by 37s. “I didn't have any problems... Oh yes, I had to go back at one point. »
02h
Neuville: “We gave everything and took risks to win the title. We had nothing more to lose. Conditions were difficult in SS22. We hit a tree and had to abandon. »
We've been giving everything and took some risks to try to get the title. We had nothing to lose anymore. In SS22, the conditions were really bad. We went wide, clipped a tree, damaged our car and had to remove. #WRC #RallyAustralia #HMSGOfficial pic.twitter.com/QS4lE1Wq7L
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) November 18, 2018
02h
Breen signs a first reference in 12'56″1. The Citroën driver is now ranked 9th following Neuville's retirement. The C3 WRC is slightly damaged at the rear right. “I spent 13 or 14 seconds when I found myself stuck. »
01h
Serderidis finished with a time of 15'08″5.
01h
Light contact against a tree from Suninen in a left turn. The M-Sport driver was able to leave.
01h
Error from Breen who ended up in the trees. The Citroën driver manages to get going again.
