GT / Tourism
Rally of Catalonia 2018
11h
The crews are about to compete in the 38,85km La Fatarella-Vilalba, the longest stage of the event. This will be the last time of the morning. Neuville is expected to start at 11:20 a.m.
11h
Ott Tänak (Toyota) seemed set to score another scratch in SS3 of the Rally of Spain, but it was his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala who was the fastest, completing the 26,59km of Pesells in 14'36 ''5 with almost 2 seconds ahead of the Estonian. Elfyn Evans (M-Sport) was the closest, 5 seconds behind, ahead of Dani Sordo (Hyundai).
Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) regained some rhythm by finishing 8”7 behind the benchmark and ahead of his teammate Craig Breen by just under a second. Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) marks the break with more than 18 seconds behind the scratch by a tenth ahead of his teammate Thierry Neuville who beat Esapekka Lappi (Toyota). Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) is 20 seconds behind and only ahead of Teemu Suninen (M-Sport) among the first opponents. Ken Block (M-Sport) fails by more than a minute.
Ott Tänak retains the lead of the Rally of Spain for 6 seconds ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala who climbs to 2nd place ahead of Elfyn Evans, Dani Sordo and Craig Breen. Sébastien Ogier falls to 6th position ahead of Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen. Sébastien Loeb returns to the Top 10 at the expense of the Finns Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen.
11h
Loeb finished 8″7 behind Latvala. “I always have hesitations,” admits the Alsatian to his co-driver Elena. “It's better because I really wasn't confident in the previous SS because there were some wet sections. The next SS will be difficult for everyone. I hope to regain confidence. »
10h
Loeb is 4″2 behind the best time in the 3rd split.
10h
Very good time from Evans who signs the 3rd time, 5 seconds behind Latvala. The M-Sport driver climbs onto the provisional podium, 8 seconds behind leader Tänak. “We drove cleanly. I have no complaints about the car. »
10h
Hard learning for Suninen who is 27s behind the provisional scratch. The M-Sport driver is more than 41 seconds from the lead of the race. “It's not a good morning for us. I can't get the rhythm right. I know the car has more to offer. »
10h
Breen ranks 9″6 from Latvala’s provisional scratch. The Citroën driver is 16s behind the leader in the general classification. “I need to gain experience on these roads, I don’t have any references yet. »
10h
Sordo finished 7″3 behind Latvala. The national star remains in the match with a dozen seconds behind the new leader of the race. “The road was very slippery. Tänak and Latvala were very fast here. »
10h
Sordo seems to be more comfortable playing 5s from Latvala in the 3rd split.
10h
Mikkelsen cannot keep up with the incredible pace of the Toyotas and is more than 18 seconds behind, despite everything setting the 3rd provisional time. The Hyundai driver is 23s from the lead of the race. “The car remains very unstable and we have to deal with both understeer and oversteer. The car is good when the conditions are good, but it's difficult here. »
10h
Latvala improves Tänak’s time by 1″9, which seemed unbeatable! The Finn is 6s behind the new leader of the event in the general classification. “I'm surprised because I didn't know if I was slow or fast, but it seems to work. Confidence is gradually increasing. I'm still waiting for Loeb's response. »
10h
And here is Latvala who is ahead of Tänak by 2″1 tenths in the 3rd split! The Finn also seems to have found the trick on the Yaris WRC.
10h
If he has the same car, Lappi cannot keep up with his teammate Tänak. The Finn finished 18″6 behind his teammate and already found himself more than 37 seconds from the lead of the race in the general classification! “No, yes…” The Nordic pilot is not sparing with words…
10h
Boom! Tänak improves the reference signed by Neuville by 16″6! This incredible time obviously allows him to take the lead in the Rally of Spain with more than 18 seconds ahead of Ogier. " What can I say ? I did my best. We still had a lot of margin, the others should be faster. I can't complain, I use the advantages of the Yaris WRC. »
10h
Tänak is ahead of Neuville by almost 16s in the last split!
10h
Ogier finished 2″1 behind Neuville. The Belgian came back to 2s behind the Frenchman in the general classification. “I was a little too optimistic when I came out. The road was very slippery and it was difficult to attack because the grip was low. »
10h
Tänak has a lead of almost 9 seconds over Neuville in the special. The clock risks hurting the competition...
10h
Neuville sets a first time in 14'55"0. “The rear moves a lot anyway. We'll see what our tires will do at the end of the passage. It's frustrating having to sweep but that's how it is. »
10h
The crews are already in the 26,59km of Pesells and Tänak seems well on his way to setting a new scratch by adopting an impressive pace.
