Most liked posts in thread: WRC: Rally Finland (2013)

Steve · Aug 1, 2013

SS1: Ogier seizes early lead (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Stage data: SS1 Himos 1 (5.50 kilometres)

Stage description:

Based at the ski resort of Himos, the opening test takes competitors from the bottom of the slope to the top of the hill via access roads and back down again. The opening kilometre is asphalt, before switching to a double width gravel road to the top. The journey down is via a narrower, more gravelly track.

How the action unfolded:

Championship leader Sebastien Ogier was fastest out of the blocks to win the opening stage of Rally Finland. The Frenchman was quickest by 1.2sec in a Volkswagen Polo R from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, with last nightâ€™s qualifying stage winner Mikko Hirvonen in third.

The short spectator stage is far removed from the traditional fast and flowing Finnish stages and Ogier admitted it was tricky.

â€œIt wasnâ€™t so easy, short and slippery,â€ he said. â€œNobody is taking too many risks. In the next one we will have to be in the rhythm. Everyone knows that if you want to win Rally Finland you have to be in the rhythm from the beginning.â€

Latvala received a wake-up call at the first corner on asphalt. â€œI was going too fast into the corner and ran a bit wild and wide,â€ said the Finn.

Hirvonen was just two-tenths of a second behind his fellow countryman. He admitted to a steady opening in his Citroen DS3 but added: â€œNow weâ€™re going to go for it. Every stage is important but now we really have to fight back.â€

Mads Ostberg was fourth in a Ford Fiesta RS, with â€˜Russian Rocketâ€™ Evgeny Novikov and Thierry Neuville rounding out the top six, which were covered by just 2.2sec.

Juho Hanninen arrived at the finish with the front of his Fiesta RS full of dirt. â€œI went somewhere that wasnâ€™t in my plan!â€ the Finn told WRC Live. â€œAt a downhill section over a crest and jump I went off the road and I was lucky my rally didnâ€™t finish there. Luckily there were no rocks underneath.â€

P-G Andersson spun his Fiesta RS at the top of hill, while Jarkko Nikara complained of a lack of power in his Mini John Cooper Works.
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SS2: Latvala hits trouble (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Stage data: SS2, Torittu (8.40 kilometres)

Stage description:
The rally moves into the forests at Torittu, a stage last used in 1985. The early sections are narrow and under the trees, on fast and flowing roads with a series of quick corners and crests. After 4.8km, it turns onto wider roads, ending with a series of fast bends across open fields.

How the action unfolded:

Jari-Matti Latvalaâ€™s chances of a home win in Finland this weekend took a big knock on SS2 when he broke his carâ€™s suspension.

The Finn began the stage in second place, just 1.2sec off the lead, but he lost 39 seconds after swiping a roadside rock and damaging the left-hand rear of his Volkwagen Polo R.

â€œIt happened just before the road widened, on a right hand corner over a crest,â€œ Latvala explained when he arrived at the stop control. â€œThe car lifted and went wide and we hit a stone on the outside which broke the rear suspension.â€

With another four stages to run before the next team service opportunity in Jyvaskyla, the Finn risks dropping further back unless he can get the car running properly. Asked if he could repair the damage, Latvala said: â€œI donâ€™t know what we have in the car to fix it. We have to see. Weâ€™ll go now and try.â€

Meanwhile Thierry Neuville became the new joint rally leader after a terrific stage win at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS. â€œThe road was very slippery but it went okay,â€ said the Belgian. â€œSometimes my pace notes were too slow and at others they were too fast, so I had to adapt my driving a bit, but otherwise it was a nice one.â€

Jyvaskyla resident Mikko Hirvonen shares the top spot with Neuville after surviving a scary moment in his Citroen DS3 to go third fastest. â€œIt was really, really slippery and we hit a rock in one corner - it can happen easily on these new stages, â€ he said. â€œMy notes were also not great, but we made it okay, so Iâ€™m happy with that.â€

Second quickest on the stage was Ford Fiesta RS pilot Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian holds third overall but wasnâ€™t totally happy with his driving, feeling he had pushed too hard in some sections.

Early leader Sebastien Ogier could only manage fifth-fastest, the Frenchman 3.1seconds slower than Neuville. â€œI heard about Jari-Matti before I started, so I took it a bit easy and then I lost my rhythm,â€ he said.

Citroen substitute driver Kris Meeke was tenth fastest after running more than half of the stage with a problem. â€œI got a puncture about three kilometres in,â€ he explained. â€œThereâ€™s a nick in the front right tyre and it cost us maybe seven or eight seconds. Iâ€™m disappointed but itâ€™s early in the rally, so okay.â€

P-G Andersonâ€™s disappointing start to the rally continued on SS2 when he arrived at the stop control with his Fiesta RS dragging an assortment of forest undergrowth.

â€œWe had another spin at the end,â€ he explained. â€œI donâ€™t know whatâ€™s happening with the car but when I steer into corners itâ€™s fine, and then the rear just snaps. We have to do something, but I donâ€™t know what.â€

Jarkko Nikara was eighth fastest in his Mini, having cured the lack of engine power he experienced on the opening test. â€œWe were missing a part on the engine turbo boost but itâ€™s better now. I went wide in a couple of places, so it wasnâ€™t a clean run, but better,â€ he said.
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SS3: Neuville and Ogier all square (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Stage data: SS3 Koukunmaa (13.68 kilometres)

Stage description:

The most southerly stage of the rally was used in both 2011 and 2012. It has a smooth, hard surface with challenging sections that demand precise lines. There isn't a straight worthy of the name, the fast, wide road sweeping from one great corner to another.

How the action unfolded:

The battle for the lead remained as tight as in the previous stage â€“ the difference being that now it is Thierry Neuville (pictured) and Sebastien Ogier who are tied at the top.

Ogier was fastest by 0.9sec in his Volkswagen Polo R, and that was enough to move him level with the Belgian, who was second quickest in his Fiesta RS.

The Frenchman said he was not surprised at Neuvilleâ€™s pace given his speed here last year and added: â€œWe expected a close fight and itâ€™s going to be a good one.â€

Neuville was the epitome of coolness at the finish. â€œIn some places I was maybe a bit careful but we have to check our pace notes. Itâ€™s a new system compared to last year. I could have been quicker, but already weâ€™re driving very fast,â€ he warned.

A superb third fastest was Kris Meeke on his Citroen DS3 debut, just 1.7sec behind Ogier. â€œWe have to be careful because we have no more spare tyres, so I was driving in the middle of the road all the time,â€ said the Ulsterman, who punctured in the previous stage.

Mikko Hirvonen, who was tied with Neuville after two tests, dropped 2.0sec to Ogier but was unperturbed at just 1.1sec off the lead in his DS3. â€œIâ€™m not relaxed enough. Itâ€™s not as flowing as it should be, but the differences are really small, so itâ€™s OK. We are in a good place,â€ said Hirvonen.

Fifth was Mads Ostbergâ€™s Fiesta RS, the Norwegian admitting he couldnâ€™t find a rhythm. â€œItâ€™s a stage I know quite well but I struggled in a few sections. In a few places I lost too much time,â€ he explained.

So what of Jari-Matti Latvala? The Finn and co-driver Miikka Anttila worked furiously to repair their Volkswagen Polo R after breaking the rear left suspension in the previous stage when they hit a rock, dropping almost 40sec.

They started the test 28 minutes late, incurring a 4min 40sec penalty, and dropped three minutes in the stage itself. But Latvalaâ€™s commitment to get the car to the end of the day could not be doubted.

â€œI will really, really try but itâ€™s going to be tough. The suspension was badly damaged but Iâ€™m happy how well our repairs have taken, so I hope to keep going,â€ he said.
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Steve · Aug 1, 2013

SS4: Still tied at the top (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Stage data: SS4, Torittu (8.40 kilometres)

Stage description:

The rally moves into the forests at Torittu, a stage last used in 1985. The early sections are narrow and under the trees, on fast and flowing roads with a series of quick corners and crests. After 4.8km, it turns onto wider roads, ending with a series of fast bends across open fields.

How the action unfolded:

After stage four of Rally Finland the competition couldnâ€™t be closer. Mikko Hirvonen and Thierry Neuville are tied in first place â€“ the third stage in succession where two drivers have shared the lead.

Citroen ace Hirvonen was fastest on the repeat of Torittu, but after the passage of 96 cars the soft road surface had deteriorated badly and deep ruts and loose rocks gave the drivers plenty to think about.

â€œI was surprised by how bad that stage was,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œFor the conditions our car was set far too low, but okay, no worries, we got through it with no problems.â€

Neuville however did not get through so cleanly. â€œWe went very wide on a fast left-hander,â€ he explained. â€œWe were in deep ruts, then the car oversteered and slid sideways. I lost three to four seconds. You canâ€™t imagine how rough it was.â€

Leading privateer Juho Hanninen was second quickest, 0.6sec slower than Hirvonen, and another Finn to be surprised by how much the road surface had broken up.

Sebastien Ogier kept out of trouble in the fourth fastest time, to hold third overall. â€œReally bad conditions, but for us no spins and no dramas,â€ he said.

Fifth placed Mads Ostberg was the first of a trio of drivers to be spat off the road by the same deep rut near the stage midpoint. â€œWe went off,â€ he said after throwing his balaclava into the back of his car. â€œWe were braking and turning in for a corner but the car just went straight on in the ruts. I had to stop and go backwards to get going again.â€

Andreas Mikkelsen told a similar story, but also had trouble getting his Polo R into gear. â€œI went straight on at a right-hand junction and was a long time in neutral because it wouldnâ€™t go into reverse. We lost a lot of time,â€ he said.

Evgeny Novikov was the rutâ€™s last WRC victim. â€œI had no chance to put the car sideways or anything. In the end we had to reverse back on,â€ he said.

Kris Meekeâ€™s impressive run continued with the fifth fastest time on SS4 - despite a cautious approach in the treacherous conditions. â€œItâ€™s horrible in there,â€ he said, â€œreally soft and big, big rocks. I got a puncture here earlier and now I donâ€™t have a spare wheel so I took it really carefully. There are massive stones appearing here and another puncture could be the end for me.â€
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Latvala retires in Finland (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Jari-Matti Latvala has retired from Rally Finland after the rear suspension damage on his Volkswagen Polo R proved too great to continue.

The Finn, winner of his home event in 2010, stopped after battling through two stages since swiping a rock and breaking the left-hand rear suspension.

His car will now be brought back to the Jyvaskyla service park and repaired before restarting under Rally 2 rules in tomorrowâ€™s second leg, with an additional 10 minute penalty.

Latvala was second through the opening Himos test but dropped almost 40sec in the following Torittu.

â€œIt happened just before the road widened, on a right hand corner over a crest,â€ Latvala explained. â€œThe car lifted and went wide and we hit a stone on the outside which broke the rear suspension.â€

With four more stages to complete without service, Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila worked furiously to repair the car. They started the next test 28 minutes late, incurring a 4min 40sec penalty, and dropped three minutes in the stage itself.

They lost another 2min 30sec in the repeat of the Torittu test, but the writing was on the wall when Latvala admitted the suspension was getting worse. He retired shortly after the finish.
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SS5: Hirvonen fumes over time loss (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Stage data: SS5 Himos 2 (10.20 kilometres)

Stage description:

This is a repeat of the opening stage, the difference being that competitors start at 30 second intervals and cover two loops. Based at the ski resort of Himos, the opening test takes competitors from the bottom of the slope to the top of the hill via access roads and back down. The opening kilometre is asphalt, before switching to a double width gravel road to the top. The journey down is via a narrower, more gravelly track.

How the action unfolded:

Mikko Hirvonen was furious after losing 16sec in heavy rain to plunge from equal first to fifth.

Groups of four cars started the stage at 30 second intervals, with a 4min 30sec gap between the groups.

Conditions deteriorated in increasingly heavy rain and Hirvonen was last of the top drivers to start, as the opening car in the fourth group. The ruts created during this morningâ€™s first pass filled with water during the gap between the groups, and the Citroen DS3 pilot was only 12th fastest.

â€œIf we were in the group before it would have been more equal. There is so much water in the ruts that we lost nearly 20 seconds. Really good decision from the organisers. Really, really good decision,â€ complained an upset Hirvonen.

After three stages where two drivers were tied at the top of the leaderboard, there is finally a clear leader. Thierry Neuville was only fifth in his Ford Fiesta RS but it was sufficient to earn a 2.0sec advantage.

â€œI couldnâ€™t see in the rain and there was a lot of fog on the window. I just tried to stay on the road,â€ said the Belgian.

The stage win went to fellow Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian was quickest by 1.3sec to climb to second overall. â€œWe could see the rain coming and it was heavy, especially on the other side of the mountain. On the downhill section the wipers could not cope,â€ he said.

Jarkko Nikara benefited from starting last of the opening group to go second fastest in his Mini John Cooper Works, with Kris Meeke third in his Citroen DS3.

Sebastien Ogier was sixth and complained of a misted windscreen in his Volkswagen Polo R. The Frenchman is now third overall, 2.5sec behind Neuville.

P-G Anderssonâ€™s oversteering problems continued with a half-spin in his Fiesta RS while Riku Tahko dropped almost 13 minutes when his Mini John Cooper Works stopped with a throttle problem. The Finn reconnected a faulty wire before completing the stage.
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Day 1 wrap: Neuville leads tight fight in Finland (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Belgium's Thierry Neuville holds the overnight lead of Neste Oil Rally Finland after a thrilling and extremely close battle on this afternoon's opening six stages.

Neuville, who drives a Ford Fiesta RS for the Qatar World Rally Team, was quickest on two of todayâ€™s all-gravel tests, but kept out of trouble in some unusually rough and slippery conditions to end the day 5.2sec clear of championship leader Sebastien Ogier with two days of the rally still to go.

The Volkswagen duel between Ogier and his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala meant they were the pace-setters on todayâ€™s opening test, run 130 kilometres south of the rallyâ€™s base in Jyvaskyla, but that all changed on the second when Latvala wrecked his Polo Râ€™s suspension on a rock and Ogier immediately backed-off his attack.

Latvala nursed his damaged car through the next two stages before admitting defeat and retiring from the day.

A fastest time for Neuville on SS2 moved him into a joint rally lead with Citroen ace Mikko Hirvonen, and he remained tied at the top after SS3 (with Ogier) and a badly rutted SS4 (with Hirvonen again) before finally pulling clear on SS5, helped in part by a sharp rain shower that hampered Hirvonenâ€™s progess.

Rounding off the day with fastest time at the Killeri Super special, Neuville was understandably delighted with his progress. â€œItâ€™s been a good day, I took no big risks and I think I drove quite cleverly,â€ he said. â€œIn the rainy stage I slowed down in some places and managed my pace quite well. Iâ€™m looking forward to tomorrow.â€

Ogier is keen to restart tomorrow too, when the action shifts to some classic Finland stages, rather than todayâ€™s selection of shorter sprints. â€œI think Friday is the real start of the rally,â€ said the Frenchman. â€œWeâ€™ll need to be awake and Iâ€™m sure weâ€™ll have more fun tomorrow.â€

Ford Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg is third overnight, just 3.7 sec behind Ogier, and satisfied to have got through the day in one piece and with just one small mistake when he â€“ like many others - overshot a rutted junction on SS4. â€œItâ€™s been tough and the last stage especially was so, so slippery, but weâ€™re here. It was important to get through today and be in a good position for tomorrow.â€

Hirvonen ended the day 4.9 seconds further back in fourth, and still furious about losing time on SS5 when his place in the start order coincided with a heavy downpour. Can he make up 13.8 seconds tomorrow? â€œWe will see. Iâ€™ll try,â€ is all the Finn was saying at the end of the stage.

Newly appointed Hyundai test driver Juho Hanninen is fifth in a Fiesta RS, 3.2sec behind Hirvonen. â€œOkay, but I cannot be completely happy,â€ said the Finn. â€œWeâ€™ve seen how fast Thierry is in the same car, so thereâ€™s room for improvement for tomorrow.â€

On his first rally in a DS3 World Rally Car, Kris Meeke is an impressive sixth overall - less than four seconds behind factory driver Hirvonen. The Brit was drafted in as a replacement for absent Qatar World Rally Team driver Khalid Al Qassimi and produced one of the stand out performances of the day â€“ with his only problem a puncture on Stage two. â€œI havenâ€™t done a rally for so long and Iâ€™m over the moon. I feel so at home in this DS3, I just want to drive it more and more!â€ he said.

Ford Fiesta RS driver Evgeny Novikov is seventh, but in such a tight race still just 20.7 seconds off the lead. â€œNot the best day for us, with lots of ruts and the rain but there are still two long days to come and we will fight for sure for a better place,â€ said the Russian.

Volkswagenâ€™s Andreas Mikkelsen is eighth, and happy to be close to the pace of the cars ahead, while Dani Sordo is down in ninth after a lacklustre day in his Citroen. â€œTomorrow we start from zero again,â€ said the Spaniard.

Jarko Nikara is ninth, the Finnâ€™s Mini hampered by a faulty turbo solenoid on the opening stage, with P-G Andersson rounding out the top ten in a Fiesta RS with extremely wayward handling. â€œToo many spins today - I just want to get back to service,â€ said the deflated Swede. â€œI donâ€™t know what the problem is, itâ€™s something we have to look at it.â€

Ford Fiesta RS driver Martin Prokop is 12th with Riku Tahko in a Mini JCW the final WRC runner 13 minutes off the pace after a throttle cable problem on SS5.

WRC 2

Jari Ketomaa dominated the WRC 2 category to win four of the six stages in the new Ford Fiesta R5. The Finn, who was an amazing fourth quickest overall in the final test, is 24.0sec clear of Robert Kubicaâ€™s Citroen DS3 RRC, with Elfyn Evans third in another Fiesta R5, a further 2.0sec behind.

WRC 3

Alastair Fisher heads the WRC 3 category, winning the opening three stages to lay a solid platform for the day. The Northern Ireland driver is 9.8sec clear of Irelandâ€™s Keith Cronin, with Finn Jussi Vainionpaa in third, a further 29.0sec back. Cronin and Vainionpaa won a stage each and all three drivers are in Citroen DS3 R3T cars.
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Steve · Aug 1, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQUkbcxPTWY]Leg 1 - 2013 WRC Rally Finland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 2, 2013

Stewards to investigate Meekeâ€™s Novikov delay (MaxRally.com)

by Richard Rodgers / 2nd August 2013

Rally Finland stewards are investigating the time delay Kris Meeke suffered behind Evgeny Novikovâ€™s faltering Ford Fiesta on stage eight this morning.

Novikov crashed into a pile of logs at the top of a right-hand crest earlier in the Palsankyla run, damaging the front of his car in the process. Meeke, in a factory Citroen, quickly caught the Russian but was unable to pass for 10 kilometres.

The Britonâ€™s efforts to overtake resulted in more time being lost when he picked up a front-left puncture three kilometres from the stage finish. To make matters worse, Meeke then trapped a finger between the jack and a door while he was changing the damaged tyre.

Meeke started stage eight 15.7s adrift of the leaders but the delay meant he dropped 39.6s off the pace after posting a time of 7m33.3s. When the stage was repeated this afternoon, Meeke clocked a 7m09.6s.

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson confirmed that he apologised to Yves Matton, his counterpart at Citroen, and also spoke to Meeke at the regroup in Jyvaskyla. â€œWe sent a message to Evgeny to pull over,â€ Wilson confirmed. â€œHeâ€™s not seen it but in the heat of the moment these things happen. Iâ€™m sorry for Kris.â€

Matton added: â€œItâ€™s really not the fault of [M-Sport], itâ€™s Evgeny. He needs educating.â€

Meeke said: â€œThis shouldnâ€™t happen and I tried to tell him what does he think heâ€™s at. Itâ€™s not up to me [what happens now] but I also went off into a ditch and broke a rim because I couldnâ€™t see where I was going running behind him. I ran out of washer fluid and the wipers were smearing the screen, the screen was broken. With no spare left, I had to be careful not to touch anything. I tried to keep calm."

In his defence, Novikov (pictured) said: â€œAs soon as the text was sent to me I pulled over but I think they sent it to me too late. I am sorry for that of course. I spoke with Kris and told him Iâ€™m sorry and pulled over when I see the message from the team. Otherwise I canâ€™t see whatâ€™s behind me. I have a smashed windscreen and the bonnet is open so I have to see whatâ€™s in front of me.â€

Photo: Julian Porter
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Yup:

Novikov's crash:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W3wP2xthn0]Novikov crash WRC Rally Finland 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 2, 2013

Apparently this is Nikara while getting 45 meters of air in his MINI:

Steve · Aug 2, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnM6RNtqQgc]Leg 2 - 2013 WRC Rally Finland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 2, 2013

Officials have taken 24sec from Kris Meeke's time because of the delay following Novikov. I wonder how they decide how much time to deduct. Leaves him still 5th but now only 8.1sec behind Hirvonen.

Steve · Aug 2, 2013

Ogier takes 38sec lead into Finland finale (WRC.com)

01 Aug 13

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier will start Saturday's final leg of Neste Oil Rally Finland with a 38 second lead after a perfectly-managed performance on today's nine stages.

The Frenchman began Fridayâ€™s action second in his Polo R, trailing Ford Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville by 5.2sec, and nestled near the top of a pack of seven drivers separated by less than 23 seconds.

Things remained tight all morning, with Ogier trading stage wins with Citroen DS3 driver Mikko Hirvonen and Mads Ostberg in a Fiesta RS, so that just 11.4 seconds covered the top four at the midpoint service.

But it was all change in the afternoon, when Ogier upped his pace on the rutted surface of the repeated stages, winning all of them while one-by-one his rivals hit trouble.

â€œItâ€™s been a perfect afternoon,â€ Ogier acknowledged. â€œIâ€™m very pleased with the way that the car worked, how we were able to push, and also the way that I managed my pace. But itâ€™s not over yet, thereâ€™s still a long day to come tomorrow.â€

Overnight leader Neuville lost the position on todayâ€™s opener, but remained close until the 13km Mokkipera (SS13) when he slipped more than 30 seconds behind after driving most of the stage with a punctured left front tyre.

Another tyre related-problem followed on SS14. â€œWithout the puncture it was an okay day,â€ said the Belgian. â€œIt was a shame, but okay thatâ€™s rallying. I donâ€™t have that many but this time itâ€™s happened.â€

Ostberg is third, less than one second behind Neuville. The Norwegian was right with Ogier until SS15 - the dayâ€™s final forest stage - when he hit a rock, shattered his Fiestaâ€™s front left wheel and dropped 45 seconds.

â€œWeâ€™re still here, and Iâ€™m happy about that,â€ he said. â€œIt was a big shame but you know, punctures happen and itâ€™s just unfortunate. Thereâ€™s nothing we can do. Okay, we know we have the speed to beat Thierry tomorrow, so thatâ€™s what weâ€™ll do.â€

Hirvonen is fourth 1m04.4s off the lead, and the first to fall out of the victory battle. The Finn clipped a bank and had a massive spin on SS11, losing 20 seconds and damaging two tyres and his DS3â€™s rear suspension.

The winner here in 2009, Hirvonen is hoping things will go his way on the remaining eight stages. â€œThereâ€™s still a long and fast day to go. My plan is simple â€“ to go flat out and try and catch the guys in front,â€ he said.

Citroenâ€™s stand-in driver Kris Meeke is fifth on his debut in a DS3 World Rally Car. The Brit was slowed on SS10 when he caught - but was unable to pass - the damaged Ford of Evgeny Novikov, but was second-fastest on two stages.

â€œIâ€™ve had plenty of hard days in the WRC over the years but this is the best hard day Iâ€™ve ever had,â€ he grinned. â€œItâ€™s so, so satisfying to be with a proper team and in a proper car â€“ Iâ€™ve always wanted an opportunity like this. Thereâ€™s more to come, and weâ€™re improving step by step.â€

Jarkko Nikara is sixth in a Prodrive-prepared Mini JCW, and the highest placed privateer.

Andreas Mikkelsen was seventh until the penultimate stage when he retired his Volkswagen Polo R after the finish, the car having shed its left rear wheel and suspension.

Instead the position is held by Citroen works team driver Dani Sordo, who struggled for most of the day. â€œItâ€™s difficult to know why I havenâ€™t had a good feeling but weâ€™ll keep pushing,â€ he said.

Jari Ketomaa is eighth, with Evgeny Novikov ninth after his crash on stage 10.
After handling problems on day one, and driving this morningâ€™s stages with front-wheel drive only, P-G Andersson had a better afternoon to return his Fiesta RS to service in 15th.

Jari-Matti Latvala restarted today under Rally 2 rules after his leg one retirement. The Volkswagen driver had a good run but is more than 20 minutes behind the leaders as the last WRC runner.

Czech Ford Fiesta RS driver Martin Prokop had been ninth until he retired after SS11 with an overheating engine. He joined Hanninen on Fridayâ€™s retirement list, the Finn stopping with broken suspension after SS9.

WRC 2

Jari Ketomaa continued his domination of the WRC 2 category by winning eight of todayâ€™s nine stages to increase his lead to 70.2sec in the new Ford Fiesta R5. Polandâ€™s Robert Kubica lies second in a Citroen DS3 RRC with New Zealander Hayden Paddon completing the podium 1min 55sec further adrift in a Skoda Fabia S2000.

WRC 3

Keith Cronin tops WRC 3 with a comfortable 1min 34.2sec lead over series leader Sebastien Chardonnet. Finlandâ€™s Jussi Vainionpaa lies third, 26.1sec behind, with all three drivers in Citroen DS3 R3 cars. Leg 1 leader Alastair Fisher rolled into retirement in SS8.
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Steve · Aug 2, 2013

Penalty for Novikov as time change puts Meeke in the fight for fourth (MaxRally.com)

by Richard Rodgers / 2nd August 2013

Evgeny Novikov has been given an official reprimand by the Rally Finland stewards for not moving out of Kris Meeke’s way on stage eight this morning.

Meeke spent approximately 11 kilometres trying to pass the Russian’s Ford Fiesta, which had been damaged when he crashed into logs earlier in the run. In his efforts to overtake to limit the increasing time loss, Meeke picked up a front-left puncture after briefly running into a ditch.

Novikov said afterwards that he’d been unaware Meeke was running immediately behind him and insisted that he moved out of the way when he became aware of a message transmitted by his M-Sport team.

However, on viewing video evidence and hearing statements made by Meeke and co-driver Chris Patterson, the stewards concluded that the “passage of car 10 was impeded by car 5 through SS8”. They “imposed a penalty of a reprimand on competitor 5 for the behaviour shown during this incident”.

Meeke’s time for the first Palsankyla test has been adjusted to 7m09.6s, which was the same time he set when the stage was repeated this afternoon. It means the Briton will start day three 8.1s behind his Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen in the battle for fourth overall.
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Crashton · Aug 2, 2013

WOW!!! :eek6:

Steve · Aug 3, 2013

I was paying attention mainly to see how Jarkko Nikara and Riku Tahko (both Fins) would do in their MINIs, ex-works MINI driver Kris Meeke on his test run in a Citroen and Robert Kubica on his first run in Finland.

Kubica did well to learn the stages and finish 2nd in WRC2, 9th overall. Tahko had a major problem early and was playing catch-up from then on but finished stages usually at or near the back of the WRC pack.

Nikara and Meeke both impressed, though. Until Stage 22 Meeke was running 5th overall and regularly finishing stages well ahead of his Citroen teammate Dani Sordo. Not bad for his first ever WRC run in Finland (I think) and his first ever WRC run in a Citroen. Up to the same point, Nikara was running 6th overall, almost 2min ahead of Sordo in 7th. Unfortunately, both met the end of their rally on Stage 22. Meeke rolled (4 times?) near the end of the stage and Nikara retired after the stage with suspension damage.

You can see Meeke's roll (onboard) in this highlights video from Citroen:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6FIODtIenY]CitroÃ«n WRC 2013 - Rally Finland - Day 3 - YouTube[/ame]

Victory for Ogier in Finland (WRC.com)

03 Aug 13

Sebastien Ogier won a thrilling Neste Oil Rally Finland this afternoon to claim his fifth success of the season.

It was a 12th career victory for Ogier, who brought his Volkswagen Polo R to the Jyvaskyla finish with a 36.6sec advantage. It stretched his lead in the FIA World Rally Championship to 90 points with five rounds remaining.

Thierry Neuville took the runners-up spot for the second consecutive rally in a Ford Fiesta RS. The Belgian finished 21.0sec ahead of the similar car of Mads Ostberg, after an enthralling duel which was only decided when Ostberg went off the road in the penultimate stage.

â€œI had a dream about winning here,â€ said the Frenchman, who became only the fifth non-Nordic driver to win this classic event. â€œA lot of points for the championship and victory in Finland make it a perfect weekend.

â€œWe pushed when we had to and backed off when necessary to save the tyres and the car,â€ said an emotional Ogier, who ensured that for the third consecutive year the rally was won by a non-Finn after 53 wins for the host country in the previous 60 editions.

Huge crowds lined the blisteringly fast roller-coaster forest roads of central Finland to watch what proved the most exciting event of the season. Four drivers led during the opening seven tests and just 11 seconds covered the quartet at the midpoint.

However, Ogier built a comfortable lead yesterday afternoon with a string of stage wins as one-by-one his rivals encountered problems. He had the luxury of measuring his pace through todayâ€™s final leg, but still produced the necessary speed to smash the record for the classic Ouninpohja test.

Neuville and Ostberg were locked together all day. The advantage swung to and fro and they started the second pass through Ouninpohja split by one-tenth of a second. But when Ostberg went off the road avoiding a huge rock, the battle was decided.

â€œItâ€™s an unbelievable feeling,â€ admitted Neuville. â€œWe did a great job. Yesterday we lost time with a puncture but otherwise it was a smooth, clean run. Before the rally I couldnâ€™t have imagined this result was possible.â€

Third marked a change in fortune for Ostberg after a disappointing opening half of the season.

â€œItâ€™s nice to be here fighting for the whole rally without any problems,â€ said the Norwegian. â€œWe have been leading, we had a safe second and we ended up third. But itâ€™s great to fight for the win again and rebuild my confidence because it was low after the first half of the season.â€

Mikko Hirvonen, who also led during the first leg, was fourth in a Citroen DS3, 1min 21.6sec behind Ogier. His chances ended when he dropped time in torrential rain on Thursday evening, but he was lucky to see the finish after twice almost rolling.

â€œItâ€™s not what we were after from this rally, but we had our good moments,â€ said the 2009 winner.

Kris Meeke was on course for fifth in another DS3 after a fine debut in the car, but the Briton rolled out in the penultimate test. There was also late disappointment for Jarkko Nikara, who retired his Mini John Cooper Works from sixth with a broken front right shock absorber.

All that allowed Dani Sordo to claim a distant fifth in a DS3 after what the Spaniard admitted had been a poor rally for him. Evgeny Novikov rounded off the top six in a Fiesta RS, the Russian recovering after crashing into a log pile yesterday.

WRC 2 winner Jari Ketomaa took seventh after a successful debut for the new Fiesta R5, ahead of Swedenâ€™s P-G Andersson. The top 10 was completed by Robert Kubica, who finished second in WRC 2, and Andreas Mikkelsen, who rejoined today after losing a wheel yesterday.
Click to expand...

Steve · Aug 3, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MsdR_rql6Y]Highlights - 2013 WRC Rally Finland - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 3, 2013

Close but no cigar for hero Meeke (MaxRally.com)

by Richard Rodgers / 3rd August 2013

Kris Meeke was one kilometre from the finish of Ouninpohja when his “dream weekend” turned into a nightmare and he rolled out of fifth place and retired, it has emerged.

Briton Meeke had impressed throughout Rally Finland on his debut in a Citroen DS3 WRC, which also marked his first appearance in the world championship since his home round back in November 2011.

“I was in a corner and I went a bit in the loose and I thought it would be fine but the rear got caught and we went off and rolled,” Meeke said.

Meeke and co-driver Chris Patterson were uninjured in the crash although the former IRC champion said he was hurting inside.

“You cannot imagine the pain I’m feeling to miss the perfect weekend,” Meeke continued. “It has been fantastic to work with the team over for the rally, I learnt so much and it’s an incredible experience to work at this level. I am sorry and I don’t know what will happen next.”
Click to expand...

Steve · Aug 4, 2013

Some of the Finnish trees tried to hold up Kubica. Notice the "debris" he left behind for others to deal with.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhTVjMBdad8]Robert Kubica near crash Finland 2013 - If in doubt, flat out! - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 4, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3f8P4mp82k]WRC 2013 Finland, SS21 Leustu. Y. AL RAJHI - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 5, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-bWmiYLkgE]Neste Oil Rally Finland 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 5, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keyvk8RkChI]WRC Rally Finland 2013 [HD-Pure sound] By Devillersvideo - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 5, 2013

VW's summary:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvWQBvPkh1E]2013 Rally Finland - Summary - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 6, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U17-O7pxG5M]WRC Rally Finland 2013 | Slowmotion clip - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 6, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoDYO9Ya6DA]WRC Rally Finland 2013 - Kris Meeke catches Evgeny Novikov - YouTube[/ame]

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