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WRC'15 Wales Rally GB Nov12-15, talk/results spolier**

2K views 6 replies 1 participant last post by  Weasel 555 
#1 ·
Rnd13-Wales RallyGB Nov12-15



History

Founded in 1932, 367 crews entered the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Rally.
Introduction of forest roads in 1960 transformed the rally into what we know today.
Route formerly included loops around England, Scotland and Wales but the rally has been based solely in Wales since 2000.
Cardiff's Millennium Stadium hosted the WRC's first indoor stage in 2005.

What's new for 2015

Ceremonial start switches to Llandudno town centre.
Return of classic stages Myherin and Great Orme to the itinerary.

Don't miss

Superb viewing at Sweet Lamb's famous arena on Friday. Drivers tackle the test twice.
Sunday's Great Orme stage. Find a location high on the rock and look down on the competitors as they wind around the headland with stunning views of the sea below.

Official Website: walesrallygb

Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio

WRC+ : Live Stages/Live Maps/Onboard Action/Full Highlights plus.wrc.com/


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#2 ·
Shakedown

Andreas Mikkelsen was absent from Thursday morning’s Wales Rally GB shakedown after flying to Germany for an unscheduled medical check.

The Norwegian, who scored his maiden WRC victory last month in Spain, felt unwell on Wednesday. He cancelled early evening media engagements and flew to Germany last night to visit the Volkswagen team’s doctor.

Mikkelsen is due to return to Britain later today. Although he will not be back in time to take this evening’s start ceremony in Llandudno, Volkswagen personnel said he would be fit to start the 13th and final round of the FIA World Rally Championship tomorrow morning.

Volkswagen would not comment on the nature of Mikkelsen’s illness but a spokesman said it 'was not serious'.

Team-mates Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala were tied at the top of the times through the muddy 3.32km Clocaenog test. Latvala set the pace on the second of his three runs in a Volkswagen Polo R before Ogier matched the time on his third pass.

Kris Meeke was third, 0.3sec further back in Citroen’s DS 3, with Thierry Neuville another two-tenths behind in a Hyundai i20. The Belgian’s team-mates, Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo, completed the top six.

Both Robert Kubica and Mads Ostberg had their gearboxes replaced in the shakedown service in Ruthin, while Kevin Abbring damaged the rear of his i20 after clipping a hay bale under braking near the finish.

M-Sport duo Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak experienced gear selection problems in their Ford Fiesta RS cars which were resolved in service. Evans turned round on the liaison section before his first pass through the stage while Tanak returned after his first run.

The leading times were:


click: wrc.com/gb-shakedown/

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#3 ·
Friday

SS1: Ogier edges Latvala to lead in GB


Sebastien Ogier splashed through Friday morning’s wet and muddy opening stage in Hafren Forest to take an early lead at Wales Rally GB.



Despite trailing team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala’s split times throughout the test, Ogier was fastest in the final section to head the Finn by 0.8sec in his Volkswagen Polo R.

Torrential rain and strong winds blasted mid-Wales overnight and although Ogier admitted the gravel forest tracks were 'difficult', many drivers said the grip was better than expected.

"I was maybe a bit too careful," said Latvala. "There were a lot of muddy places but not as bad as I expected, so maybe that's where I lost time near the end."

Both Latvala and team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen, who returned with a clean bill of health from an unscheduled trip to Germany yesterday for a medical check that caused him to miss shakedown, finished with a cut in their rear left tyres after brushing a bank in a right bend.

Kris Meeke was third in a DS 3, 4.4sec off the lead, despite almost spinning after clipping a bank at a hairpin in the opening kilometre. Thierry Neuville was caught out at the same place and had to reverse his Hyundai i20, the Belgian disgruntled to drop 25.0sec in the test.

Mikkelsen, Mads Ostberg and Elfyn Evans rounded off the top six, while Robert Kubica was unhappy with the balance of his Ford Fiesta RS after replacing the gearbox at shakedown yesterday.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss1/

SS1 Hafren 1 (32.14 km)


32. 82 GBR D. HIGGINS 21:10.8 +2.9 +2:42.6
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SS2 Sweet Lamb 1 (3.19 km)


31. 82 GBR D. HIGGINS GBR C. DREW RC2 23:34.9 +1.5 +3:00.4

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SS3: Hat-trick for Ogier

Sebastien Ogier completed a hat-trick of stage wins at Wales Rally GB on Friday morning to lead this final round of the FIA World Rally Championship from Kris Meeke.



Having topped the timesheets in the opening Hafren test, the Frenchman won Sweet Lamb and Myherin in his Volkswagen Polo R to head the Briton by 12.9sec.

His task was eased when second-placed team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala went off under braking 600 metres after the start of Sweet Lamb and retired from the leg. Also out was Thierry Neuville who ripped a wheel from his Hyundai i20 after clipping a tree and Kevin Abbring who stopped with a mechanical problem.

"The conditions were better in Myherin, the grip was better," said Ogier. "It's a shame for Jari-Matti as I was looking forward to the fight."

Meeke was content with his performance in Citro?n’s DS 3. "I've only driven Myherin once and that was four years ago. It was a different surface to the others, slippery and polished so I had to be careful," he said.

Andreas Mikkelsen was third in Sweet Lamb and second in Myherin to climb to third overall, 3.9sec behind Meeke. The Norwegian headed fellow countryman Mads Ostberg by 5.0sec, Ostberg modifying his DS 3's set-up after Sweet Lamb and coping with a muddy cockpit due to a hole in the floor.

Elfyn Evans struggled for confidence in his Ford Fiesta RS but the Welshman was fifth, with Dani Sordo rounding off the top six in his i20 despite losing 10sec with a spin.

Hayden Paddon struggled with the inconsistent grip in his i20 but sixth fastest in Myherin promoted the Kiwi to seventh. Ott Tanak, Martin Prokop and Stephane Lefebvre completed the top 10.

Robert Kubica dropped 2min 20sec in Myherin after changing a puncture in his Fiesta RS 5km after the start.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss3/

SS3 Myherin 1 (30.23 km)


27. 82 GBR D. HIGGINS 42:55.3 +24.6 +5:19.0
 
#4 ·
SS4: Meeke closes on Ogier

Kris Meeke brought Sebastien Ogier's run of stage wins at Wales Rally GB to a close when he stopped the clocks fastest on Friday afternoon’s delayed opening test to slash the Frenchman's lead.



Meeke was 5.2sec quicker than Ogier in the second pass through Hafren in his DS 3 to bring the deficit down to 7.7sec with two stages remaining in today’s opening leg.

The Ulsterman is focused on helping Citroen defeat Hyundai in their fight for second in the manufacturers' championship, and emphasised that beating Ogier was not his primary aim this weekend.

"He’s not the target to be honest," said Meeke. "I had a good run and seemed able to cope with the surface here better than I did last year."

Ogier was unflustered at having his lead almost halved. “I took it a bit carefully. I could push more in some areas and it’s not a drama if we lose a couple of seconds here,” he said.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Mads Ostberg were third and fourth to retain the same places on the leaderboard, ahead of Dani Sordo who regained fifth from Elfyn Evans.

Evans plunged to ninth after losing a minute with a rear right puncture in his Ford Fiesta RS. "I have no idea what happened. We heard a strange rubbing noise and the tyre started to delaminate. We drove a long way like that," said the Welshman.

Team-mate Ott Tanak enjoyed better fortunes, climbing ahead of Hayden Paddon into sixth after the Kiwi spun and stalled the engine of his Hyundai i20.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss4/

SS4 Hafren 2 (32.14 km)



26. 82 GBR D. HIGGINS 1:04:31.3 +49.8 +7:53.0

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SS5 Sweet Lamb 2 (3.19 km)



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SS6 Myherin 2 (30.23 km)



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Sebastien Ogier dominated Friday's muddy opening leg of Wales Rally GB to lead the final round of the WRC season following five wins from six special stages.



Driving a Volkswagen Polo R, Ogier headed Kris Meeke by 13.5sec with team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen a further 17.9sec behind.

Torrential rain soaked the forests of mid-Wales last night and Ogier benefited from opening the road in slippery conditions. He won all three morning stages to build a lead of 12.9sec over Meeke.

Although Citroen's DS 3 driver stopped the rot with fastest time through the repeated Hafren test, Ogier bounced back to win the final two stages.

"Kris is driving very well and it won't be easy to win this rally. I have to focus on myself and not make a mistake and I'm just happy to finish a difficult day without trouble," said Ogier.

Meeke emphasised his priority was to help Citroën defeat Hyundai in their battle for second in the manufacturers' championship rather than pursuing Ogier. His only incident came in the opening stage when he almost spun after clipping a bank.

The only challenge to the leading duo came from Jari-Matti Latvala, but it was short-lived. The Finn was second behind Ogier in the opening test but ditched his Polo R early in the next stage and retired.

Mikkelsen returned with a clean bill of health after an unscheduled visit to Germany for a medical check yesterday. Having missed shakedown, he took time to acclimatise to the inconsistent grip but climbed into third following Latvala's demise.

Mads Ostberg's only problem was a leaky DS 3 which allowed the cockpit to become a mudbath and he held a comfortable fourth, 35.7sec ahead of Dani Sordo's Hyundai i20. The Spaniard was untroubled except for a spin.

Ott Tanak struggled for outright pace but a clean run earned sixth ahead of Hayden Paddon. The Kiwi suffered hydraulic problems in his i20, leaving him unable to use the paddle shift gearchange or handbrake.

Elfyn Evans ended the morning fifth but a puncture and stall in his Ford Fiesta RS dropped him to eighth. Lorenzo Bertelli and a flu-hit Stephane Lefebvre completed the top 10, the latter spinning his DS 3 in the final stage.

Hyundai's Thierry Neuville and Kevin Abbring were early casualties. Neuville ripped a wheel from his i20 after hitting a tree and the Dutchman stopped with mechanical problems.

Broken rear suspension in the final stage sent Martin Prokop tumbling from eighth, while a puncture and last stage overshoot into the undergrowth ruined Robert Kubica's day.

Saturday is a marathon with nine stages covering 142.32km, of which the final two are in darkness. After leaving the Deeside base at 05.00, drivers face more than 17 hours at the wheel and with torrential rain forecast, conditions could be treacherous.

click:
wrc.com/wales-friday-wrap/




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#5 ·
Saturday:

SS7 Gartheiniog 1 (11.34 km)



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SS8: Double take for Neuville

Thierry Neuville was fastest on both Saturday morning’s rain-soaked opening tests at Wales Rally GB as the dismal weather matched the fortunes of Mads Ostberg and Jari-Matti Latvala.



Neuville’s Hyundai i20 topped the times in Gartheiniog by 1.2sec from Latvala before going fastest in the longer Dyfi test by 1.1sec from Sebastien Ogier.

But Ostberg yielded fourth place after dropping almost a minute in Dyfi following a big impact and Latvala retired his Volkswagen Polo R following the stage after driving the final 15km with a broken driveshaft.

"I have no idea what happened," said Ostberg. "I had a big impact on the front right on a straight. I was shocked because I didn’t see anything." There was no evidence of a puncture on his DS 3 at the finish but the Norwegian left quickly to investigate.

Dani Sordo moved his i20 ahead of Ostberg, the Spaniard 7.7sec to the good.

Third-placed Andreas Mikkelsen reported a similar problem in his Polo R. "I heard something go bang about 10km from the finish and afterwards the car felt strange and I lost grip," said Mikkelsen, whose car also showed no signs of a puncture.

Although the rain fell steadily, grip was good and leader Ogier and second-placed Meeke had clean runs in both tests. Ogier widened his overnight lead to 15.1sec but the Frenchman’s mind wasn’t really on the rally following last night’s tragic events in Paris.

"It’s hard to carry on when these kind of things are happening. The things we do are secondary. We’ll try to find a better mind later," he said.

Elfyn Evans lost time in Gartheiniog after stalling at a hairpin near the start and ended Dyfi with a light pod hanging loose from the front left of his Ford Fiesta.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss8/

SS8 Dyfi 1 (25.86 km)


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SS9 Gartheiniog 2 (11.34 km)


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SS10: Frustrated Sordo slips down order

Mads Ostberg and Ott Tanak climbed the leaderboard at Wales Rally GB on Saturday morning after a gearbox glitch cost Spain’s Dani Sordo a hard-earned fourth place.



The Spaniard relegated Ostberg earlier but the second pass through Dyfi proved costly as he lost almost 30sec and dropped to sixth in his Hyundai i20.

"I had a problem shifting down with the gearbox," said Sordo. "I arrived at a hairpin in fourth gear when it wouldn’t change down and stalled. After that I went like crazy, braked too late for a corner and hit a barrier."

Ostberg and Tanak climbed to fourth and fifth respectively, even though the Estonian spun his Ford Fiesta RS in the same stage. Tanak is 1.7sec clear of Sordo.

Ostberg continued to struggle with water and mud entering the cockpit of his DS 3 through a hole in the floor. "It’s not feeling great. The pedals are getting slippery and there’s a lot of water in there," said the Norwegian, who has to mop up the dirt after each stage.

Conditions worsened for the second pass through Gartheiniog and Dyfi as rain fell steadily. Standing water filled the ruts and second-placed Kris Meeke explained how tricky it was on the muddy gravel tracks in Citroen’s DS 3.

"You can commit to a corner at the entry and everything looks good, but you get halfway through and find the ruts are full of water. I have to tread with caution because I don’t want to do anything stupid," he said.

Meeke narrowed the gap to leader Sebastien Ogier with second fastest time behind Andreas Mikkelsen in Gartheiniog before the Frenchman hit back to win Dyfi by 5.6sec from the Ulsterman. The gap between them was 19.3sec, with Mikkelsen a further 27.4sec back.

Hayden Paddon, Elfyn Evans, Stephane Lefebvre and Robert Kubica complete the leaderboard behind Sordo, Kubica having leaped ahead of Lorenzo Bertelli and Martin Prokop.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss10/

SS10 Dyfi 2 (25.86 km)


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#6 ·
SS11 Dyfnant 1 (19.02 km)


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SS12: Ogier delayed by Neuville roll

Wales Rally GB leader Sebastien Ogier was held up after stopping midway through the treacherously slippery Dyfnant stage when Thierry Neuville rolled.



Neuville's Hyundai i20 was upside down in the road 9.1km into the stage. Ogier stopped after being flagged down by the Belgian’s co-driver, Nicolas Gilsoul, as spectators tried to move the car.

"He was blocking the road so we had to stop for some time. The co-driver told us to stop completely. They managed to move the car and we carried on," explained Ogier.

Rally officials examined the onboard video footage from Ogier’s Volkswagen Polo R to see how long he was stationary before adjusting his stage time by 31sec - enough for the Frenchman to be credited with fastest time.

Ogier was then fastest through the following Aberhirnant by 3.3sec from Kris Meeke’s DS 3. With just the short Chirk Castle stage remaining before the end of a long morning, Ogier led Meeke by 28.9sec.

Conditions worsened further as the rain continued. "There was a lot of water in there, I was aquaplaning in sixth gear," explained Meeke after Aberhirnant.

Andreas Mikkelsen retained third, 28.3sec behind Meeke, despite a broken rear right damper on his Polo R after puncturing when he hit a hole earlier. Despite that he won the Dyfnant stage.

Mads Ostberg’s stay in fourth lasted just one stage. The Norwegian went off the road in Dyfnant and lost 90sec, dropping to eighth. It promoted Ott Tanak to fourth and the Estonian Ford Fiesta RS driver was 8.2sec ahead of Dani Sordo in fifth.

Hayden Paddon completed the top six despite a head-on collision with Martin Prokop after both took the wrong route following Aberhirnant. The Kiwi, who also had a gearshift problem, continued with a damaged i20 but Prokop retired his Fiesta RS.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss12/

SS12 Aberhirnant 1 (13.91 km)


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SS13 Chirk Castle (2.06 km)


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SS14 Dyfnant 2 (19.02 km)


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Ogier eases clear of Meeke

Sebastien Ogier remained on course for his eighth FIA World Rally Championship victory of the season after extending his lead during Saturday's storm-lashed second leg of Wales Rally GB.



He won four special stages through mid-Wales' windy and rain-soaked forests in his Volkswagen Polo R to increase his lead over Britain's Kris Meeke's DS 3 to 35.7sec with just tomorrow's short day to come.

Ogier steadily stretched his advantage this morning, but briefly lost the lead after stopping behind Thierry Neuville's crashed Hyundai i20 which was blocking the road in the first pass through the treacherously muddy Dyfnant test.

Officials viewed his onboard video footage before crediting him with the time for which he was stationary and the Frenchman was back at the top.

"Conditions were very tough. There was a lot of water but the stages weren't as bad as we expected. There was so much water that it washed away the mud and the grip was actually good," said Ogier, who struggled to concentrate this morning after last night's tragic events in Paris.

Nine stages covering 142.32km offered a tough challenge, especially with the final two tests in wild conditions and darkness.

Meeke delivered an error-free day. He refused to risk all in pursuit of the three-time world champion, focusing instead on banking points for Citroen in its tussle with Hyundai for the runners-up slot in the manufacturers' championship.

He headed Andreas Mikkelsen by 24.7sec. The Norwegian punctured and broke his Polo R's rear right damper after hitting a hole this morning, but won two stages to keep alive his slim hopes of securing second in the drivers' championship.

Mads Ostberg, Ott Tanak and Dani Sordo fought for fourth. Ostberg twice had control of the position in a DS 3 but a puncture and a trip into a ditch sent him tumbling to eighth. Sordo took advantage, but a gearchange glitch and a brush with a barrier allowed Tanak ahead, despite a spin.

The Estonian's Ford Fiesta RS headed Sordo's i20 by 14.7sec, with Hayden Paddon completing the top six despite a gearshift problem and a head-on collision with Martin Prokop after both took the wrong route on a liaison section. Prokop's Fiesta was too damaged to continue.

Elfyn Evans was only 4.4sec behind Paddon, with Stephane Lefebvre and Robert Kubica completing the leaderboard behind Ostberg, the Pole overcoming a broken driveshaft.

click: wrc.com/wales-saturday-wrap/

SS15 Aberhirnant 2 (13.91 km)



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#7 ·
Sunday

SS16 Brenig 1 (10.64 km)



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SS17: Tanak crashes out in Sunday's opener

Ott Tanak retired from fourth place in Wales Rally GB after crashing in Sunday mornings opening special stage.



The Estonian, who topped the times in yesterday?s short Chirk Castle test, went off the road at a right bend just over 5km into the Brenig test. The accident damaged the rear left of his Ford Fiesta RS too badly to continue.

Conditions in the north Wales forests were again wild. Gale force winds and persistent rain battered the region overnight but grip was surprisingly good on the gravel roads as the volume of water had washed away the slimy layer of mud on the surface.

Road opener Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through both stages in his Volkswagen Polo R from team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen.

Leader Sebastien Ogier was ultra-cautious, eighth fastest in Brenig and sixth in Alwen, to preserve a comfortable 27.9sec advantage over Kris Meeke in Citroen?s DS 3, with Mikkelsen 17.4sec further back in third.

"This morning is a very safe rhythm. Today I just need to finish like this," said Ogier, who promised there would be no attack in search of bonus points in the final live TV Power Stage after his rally-ending accident in Spain last month.

Lorenzo Bertelli overshot a junction in Alwen in his Fiesta RS.

click: wrc.com/gb-ss17/

SS17 Alwen (10.41 km)


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SS18 Great Orme (4.74 km)


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BREAKING NEWS: Ogier nets 8th win

World champion Sebastien Ogier netted his eighth win of the WRC year with victory at a storm-lashed Wales Rally GB on Sunday afternoon.



The Volkswagen Polo R driver headed Kris Meeke?s DS 3 by 26.0sec in the season finale, with Andreas Mikkelsen third in another Polo R a further 10.2sec behind. The result meant Jari-Matti Latvala finished second in the drivers? standings ahead of Mikkelsen.

Second for Meeke and seventh for Mads Ostberg ensured Citroen secured the runners-up slot in the manufacturers' championship ahead of Hyundai.

Latvala won the final live TV Power Stage to claim three bonus points. Mikkelsen took two points in second and Robert Kubica took the final point in a Ford Fiesta RS.

SS19 Brenig 2 (Power Stage) (10.64 km)



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Thank you to All who participated in WRC 2015... Andy
:)

WRC 2016 starts at Rally Monte-Carlo 22 - 24 January



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