SS11 Nambucca II (48.92 km)
Sébastien Ogier blasted back into the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia after a stunning drive through the second pass of the marathon Nambucca stage to outpace Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 13.4sec.
Latvala’s 4.1sec lead was wiped out as tyre selection proved the difference between the duo in the 48.92km test.
Forecasts suggested rain was likely, prompting Latvala to opt for two hard compound Michelin tyres on the front of his Polo R and two softs on the rear. But the roads were dry and Ogier’s option of three hard and one soft tyre proved more matched to the conditions.
“It wasn’t a perfect choice but better than Jari-Matti, I guess,” said Ogier. “The best would have been four hard tyres. We had a clean stage and avoided the small mistakes we made earlier.”
Latvala admitted his mistake. “According to our information there was an expectation of rain showers. But they never came and the road was 100 per cent dry so the rears overheated. Towards the end it was better but at the beginning the road was too dry for the soft compound,” he said.
Kris Meeke, with four hard tyres on his Citroen DS3, was second fastest, 0.6sec ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen. He closed to within 0.2sec of the Norwegian in their fight for third.
Fifth fastest Mads Østberg was 10.3sec quicker than Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20 to relegate the Kiwi driver in their battle for sixth.
M-Sport trio Mikko Hirvonen, Elfyn Evans and Robert Kubica all choose five soft tyres in expectation of rain, a decision they regretted. “We will lose quite a lot of time with these tyres,” said a despondent Hirvonen. Evans dropped behind Thierry Neuville into 10th.
click:
wrc.com/ogier-back-in-lead/
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SS12 Valla II (7.92 km)
Kris Meeke ousted Andreas Mikkelsen from third as their fight for the final podium place at Coates Hire Rally Australia continued unabated through the last country stage of today’s second leg.
A Mikkelsen error allowed Meeke to set a time 1.5sec faster through the second pass of the 8.96km Vella stage. The Citroen DS3 driver heads into tonight’s last two short stadium tests in Coffs Harbour with a 1.3sec advantage.
“I came too fast into a right bend. I had to save the car and lost my speed for the next straight, which was a long one. I lost 2-3sec,” Mikkelsen admitted.
However, Meeke was concerned that, like yesterday, he might lose position through tonight’s stages. “The Volkswagens are immense in those stages. They took seven seconds from me in only 3kms yesterday, but I’m happy with my speed,” he said.
Sébastien Ogier was fastest by 1.0sec from team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala to extend his advantage to 10.3sec, and the Finn paid tribute to his colleague’s pace.
“Seb is driving really well. We had a good stage with the soft tyres and I wouldn’t have been able to go faster on harder tyres,” he said.
Robert Kubica dropped more than a minute after crashing in a bizarre incident. “I was distracted by a yellow flag test (safety system). I saw it flashing in the car when braking for a crest and we crashed,” said Kubica, whose Ford Fiesta RS sported damage on the left at the front and rear.
Thierry Neuville finished with the front bumper missing and a damaged bonnet in his Hyundai i20. “I pushed hard and lost the rear in a corner. I hit a pole, or a mail post and pulled that down,” said the Belgian.
Despite that he moved ahead of Kubica into eighth, the Pole also slipping behind Elfyn Evans into 10th.
click:
wrc.com/meeke-climbs-to-third/
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SS13 SSSIII (1.56 km)
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SS14 SSSIV (1.56 km)
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Tyre gamble gives Ogier Oz advantage
A shrewd tyre call from Sébastien Ogier handed him the lead of Coates Hire Rally Australia after Saturday’s second leg.
Ogier headed Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 11.8sec after out-guessing the Finn during this afternoon’s special stages when the threat of rain prompted a myriad of different tyre selections from the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading drivers.
Latvala snatched top spot from overnight leader Ogier with fastest time in this morning’s two gravel stages near the New South Wales base of Coffs Harbour. However, his 4.1sec advantage was wiped out when the tests were repeated.
Forecasts suggested rain was likely, prompting Latvala to opt for two hard compound Michelin tyres on the front of his Polo R and two softs on the rear. But the roads remained dry and Ogier’s option of three hard and one soft tyre was more matched to the conditions.
He snatched back more than 13sec from his rival during the marathon 48.92km Nambucca test to deflate Latvala’s victory hopes.
“It was all about tyre choice this afternoon,” said Ogier. “The meteo was very unsure and there was a risk of thunderstorms, but finally it stayed dry. We had to use one soft tyre but Jari-Matti had to use two so it was even harder for him.
“The car moved a little bit and oversteered in right corners but you have to keep that in mind and be a bit cautious,” he added.
More:
wrc.com/australia-end-leg-2/
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Cutting corner costs Meeke fourth place
Kris Meeke has been relegated from fourth to fifth place at Coates Hire Rally Australia after event stewards handed him a 1min 1sec penalty for cutting a corner on Saturday’s Stage 10.
The Briton was locked in a tense battle for third with Andreas Mikkelsen when the incident occurred, within sight of the finish line of the Valla stage.
Live television cameras captured Meeke’s Citroen DS3 as it left the road before a left-hand corner and drove over a grass area before rejoining.
Meeke told stewards that while he had always intended to cut the corner, he had approached it too quickly and ended up taking a bigger cut than he had planned.
He said he had realised the inside area of the corner was clear of people and he had not gained any time advantage. He apologised for the lapse, and added that he was aware that his driving was not in the spirit of the rules.
The stewards decided to penalise Meeke by dropping him one place in the classification. He will start Sunday’s final leg 0.6sec behind the Ford Fiesta RS of Mikko Hirvonen.
click:
wrc.com/meeke-cutting-corner
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