Rally Sweden 2019
09h
Teemu Suninen (M-Sport) took the scratch in the 24,88km Svullrya, the longest stage of the Swedish Rally, with a time of 12'47''0. The Finn was ahead of Ott Tänak (Toyota) by a second. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) follows a few tenths ahead of the Finns Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) and Esapekka Lappi (Citroën).
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) is more than 7 seconds behind, just ahead of Sébastien Ogier (Citroën). Kris Meeke (Toyota) follows a dozen seconds ahead of Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) who is still having difficulty finding the right pace. Elfyn Evans (M-Sport) follows 16 seconds ahead of teammate Pontus Tidemand.
Marcus Grönholm (Toyota) lost more than a minute following another spin.
Kalle Rovanperä (Skoda) lost several minutes stuck in a wall of snow while leading the WRC 2 Pro.
09h
Rovanperä is stuck in a wall of snow. His Skoda is pushed by spectators.
09h
Grönholm ranks 1'21 behind the benchmark in the special. The Finn is a little less enthusiastic than at the start of the day.
09h
Spin for Grönholm in preparation for the finish. The private pilot is stuck and must call on spectators for help to be able to leave...
09h
Evans finished around ten seconds behind the benchmark, only ahead of his teammate Tidemand. “This morning is complicated. I have difficulty understanding the reason for this waste of time. »
09h
Grönholm once again visited a wall of snow but the former WRC champion was able to continue his effort.
09h
Lappi finished a little more than 4 seconds behind the benchmark. The Citroën driver climbs to 6th place with 2 seconds ahead of Mikkelsen. “I can't go any faster. »
09h
Mikkelsen sets the 5th time just over 7s behind Suninen. The Hyundai driver is 14s from the lead of the race. “I have difficulty following the trajectories. I think the conditions are getting worse as the cars pass by. »
09h
Tidemand is still behind with 24s delay. The crew seemed concerned about the state of the Ford and left without commenting on the special.
09h
Suninen manages to beat Tänak with a 1″1 lead over the Toyota driver. The Finn is in 2nd position, 3″5 behind the leader of Rally Sweden. “The road seemed quite slippery, especially with all those walls of snow so close. »
09h
Latvala is on the pace with just over a second behind his teammate Tänak. The Finn is 5s behind the Estonian overall. “I'm doing well in terms of rhythm even if it's not yet perfect. »
09h
Loeb is still the slowest among the first to finish with 13 seconds behind the reference. “I had a better rhythm even if it’s not there yet. I remain hesitant in certain places. The car is good. » The Hyundai driver finds himself more than 13 seconds behind Meeke overall and more than half a minute from the lead of the race.
09h
The times have arrived! Tänak has the provisional scratch with 4 tenths ahead of Neuville. Ogier is behind with 6s behind the Belgian. Meeke is 11s behind his Estonian teammate.
09h
Tänak and Meeke are at the finish but still no time in sight…
Meeke: “My pace just isn't good this morning. I’m looking for the grip…”
09h
The Torsby stage was canceled for the historic rally to preserve roads for the WRC. Organizers said temperatures were higher than expected.
09h
The times have yet to be confirmed but Neuville seems faster than Ogier at the end of the special.
09h
Ogier finished with a time of 12'54″5. The Citroën driver is fighting for the lead of the race. “It was a little more complicated than in the previous special. The snow was a little fresher and there was a little less grip, but the car handles well. »
09h
Tänak is still the fastest but the Toyota driver only has a tenth lead over Neuville in 3rd intermediate.
09h
Ogier is now 3″7 behind Neuville in the 3rd split. The gap is widening between the two title contenders.
09h
Neuville is ahead of Ogier by 3 tenths at the first intermediate.
