Rally Sweden 2019
14h
The crews are now preparing for the 28,44km of Svullrya, the longest stage of the event, where Suninen took the scratch in 12'47″0 this morning. Ogier is expected at the start from 15:17 p.m.
14h
Kristoffersson remains in 2nd position in WRC 2. The double World RX champion is now ahead of Ostberg in the general classification with a little more than 2 seconds ahead of the WRC 2 Pro leader.
14h
Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) took advantage of his good position on the road in the second passage of Hof-Finnskog, SS5 of the Swedish Rally, contested on a muddy road due to the high temperatures which melted the snow . The Finn set the second time 3''7 behind Elfyn Evans (M-Sport), the author of the scratch in 10'02''8.
Teemu Suninen (M-Sport) follows more than 5 seconds behind, while his teammate Pontus Tidemand was able to regain pace by clocking in at 9 seconds. Kris Meeke (Toyota) follows 11 seconds ahead of his teammate Ott Tänak and Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai).
Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) was one of the big losers of the course with his opening position since he failed almost half a minute from the benchmark. The six-time WRC champion finished 14 seconds behind Sébastien Loeb (Hyundai) who suffered again in these conditions.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) lost more than half a minute in the special after spinning and suffering a brief exit from the road, failing just behind Esapekka Lappi (Citroën). His Hyundai bears the marks of off-road excursions on the front left.
Jari-Matti Latvala took the lead in Rally Sweden by less than 2 seconds over his compatriot Teemu Suninen. Ott Tänak lost a place with a similar delay to the M-Sport driver. Andreas Mikkelsen climbs into 4th position with around ten seconds ahead of Kris Meeke who also gains 3 places. Thierry Neuville falls to 6th place and is only 3 tenths ahead of Sébastien Ogier. Elfyn Evans moved up to 8th place, 2 seconds behind the Frenchman, with a lead of more than 5 seconds over Esapekka Lappi. Sébastien Loeb finds himself 10th, maintaining an 18-second lead over Pontus Tidemand.
Ole Christian Veiby (Volkswagen) remains at the head of WRC 2 in 12th place in the general classification ahead of his compatriot Mads Ostberg (Citroën), still leader of WRC 2 Pro.
14h
Evans takes the provisional scratch with a 3″7 lead over Latvala. The M-Sport driver climbs to 8th place, 2 seconds behind Ogier. “It's very complicated because there's a lot of grip most of the time, but some corners are very tricky. »
14h
Lappi only sets the 9th time, more than half a minute from the benchmark. The front spoiler of the Citroën has disappeared… The Finn falls to 8th place between Ogier and Loeb. “I hit a wall of snow on a turn in 4th or 5th gear. I had to turn around, it took me a long time. »
14h
Tidemand is doing better in this passage since he signs the 3rd time, 5″6 from the provisional scratch. The M-Sport driver is less than 18 seconds behind Loeb.
14h
Suninen is closest to Latvala with 2 seconds behind. The M-Sport driver maintains his 2nd place between the Toyotas of Latvala and Tänak. “I had a good time but the conditions are bad. I have to stay focused. »
14h
Latvala takes the provisional scratch with a 7″6 lead over Meeke. The Finn takes control of the Swedish Rally with a 3″ lead over Tänak. The Toyotas are in control of the event for the moment. “I didn't push as hard as I could in these conditions. »
14h
Latvala takes the provisional scratch with a 7″6 lead over Meeke. The Finn takes control of the Swedish Rally with a 3″ lead over Tänak. The Toyotas are in control of the event for the moment. “I didn't push as hard as I could in these conditions. »
14h
Loeb sets the 3rd time, 3″3 behind Meeke. The nine-time WRC champion is still 15 seconds behind his compatriot Ogier in the general standings. “It’s undriveable. The conditions are terrible, it's very hard here. I did my best but it's not perfect. »
14h
Meeke beats his teammate Tänak by 1″7. The Northern Irishman takes Neuville and Ogier by a few tenths. “Maybe my driving style is better suited for the afternoon stages. It is certain in any case that it will be hard on the tires. It’s reminiscent of Wales Rally GB. »
14h
Tänak performs better and improves Ogier's time by 15″5. The Toyota driver is ahead of the Frenchman as well as Neuville by half a minute! “The trajectories are difficult. The car handles well despite these conditions. I hope to maintain a good position on the road for tomorrow. »
14h
Neuville finally fails 8s behind Ogier. The Hyundai driver lost further time following a brief exit from the road. “It’s a dirt road now. We cannot drive in these conditions, it is even dangerous. » The Belgian remains ahead of the Citroën driver by only 3 tenths overall.
14h
Neuville is now 2s behind Ogier near the finish.
14h
Neuville's Hyundai is damaged at the front left. The Belgian seems to be able to keep a steady pace.
14h
Ogier finished with a time of 10'31″3, around twenty seconds behind Tänak's scratch this morning. “It’s definitely more complicated. I am not in a position to take a lot of risks, I must rather insure myself. »
14h
Neuville made a mistake and found himself spinning. The Hyundai driver was able to leave.
14h
Neuville is now ahead of Ogier by a dozen seconds in the 4th split. Tänak precedes the Belgian by 2s in the previous split.
14h
Tänak leads Neuville by a little more than a second in the 2nd split, but it is Meeke who now seems the fastest with 6s ahead of his Estonian teammate in the first intermediate.
14h
Neuville is now ahead of Ogier by around ten seconds in the 3rd split. The Citroën driver risks suffering this afternoon…
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