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WRC'16 Rally Argentina April 21-24 talk/results spoiler**

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#1 ·
Rnd 4 Rally Argentina April 21-24



Official Website: rallyargentina.com/

Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio

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


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Shakedown:


Haydon Paddon set the pace at Thursday morning’s shakedown at YPF Rally Argentina when he topped the times by more than a second in his Hyundai i20.

The Kiwi set the benchmark on his third run through the 6.01km gravel test from Vila Carlos Paz to Cabalango, stopping the clock 1.3sec clear of Jari-Matti Latvala’s Volkswagen Polo R. Sebastien Ogier was third, a further 0.7sec back.

“Shakedown wasn’t that representative of a lot of the rally. It’s quite a slow stage and much of the rally is very fast,” said Paddon. “The surface was similar but it’s difficult to gauge what the car is like in the fast sections until we get in there tomorrow.

“It’s very, very fast and you need to be really committed to the pace notes and carry a lot of speed in the fifth and sixth gear corners. The surface seems reasonably hard-packed at the moment, but I think we’ll find in the second pass it’s going to chew up after all the rain they’ve had here and it will become like train tracks with the ruts.”

Team-mate Dani Sordo was fourth, with Andreas Mikkelsen placing his Polo R fifth and Thierry Neuville rounding off the top six in another i20. All set their fastest time in their third and final pass through the test, Neuville having been delayed by a throttle sensor problem in his first run.

click:wrc.com/argentina-shakedown



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#2 ·
Thursday SS1

Dani Sordo and Sebastien Ogier shared fastest time through Thursday night’s opening street stage at YPF Rally Argentina.

The pair could not be split through the 1.50km asphalt test in Cordoba, watched by huge crowds, while Ott Tanak was just a tenth of a second further back in third.

The drivers recced the test in golf buggies and Spaniard Sordo was on course for the win in his Hyundai i20. But Ogier, the last of the big-name drivers to start, matched the time in his Volkswagen Polo R, despite a mistake.

“I lost a good second with a mistake after the jump,” said Ogier. “It was great to be here tonight, there were a lot of people and it was a good atmosphere. The stage was spectacular and it was good to be equal fastest, but things really start tomorrow.”

Behind Tanak’s Ford Fiesta RS were Hyundai duo Thierry Neuville and Hayden Paddon, with Lorenzo Bertelli completing the top six.

Jari-Matti Latvala lost several seconds after overshooting a junction, while both Mads Ostberg and Andreas Mikkelsen had similar escapes. Eric Camilli had a launch control problem at the start in his Fiesta R5 and Marcos Ligato stalled his DS 3 at the same point.

This fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship continues tomorrow when drivers face eight more tests covering 150.08km.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss1



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Friday SS2 SOCONCHO - VILLA DEL DIQUE (I) (24.71 km)





SS3 AMBOY - SANTA MONICA (I) (20.44 km)

Sebastien Ogier held a narrow lead of six-tenths of a second over Hayden Paddon following Friday morning’s opening two special stages at YPF Rally Argentina.



Ogier, who was tied at the top of the standings with Dani Sordo following last night’s Cordoba street stage, was quickest in his Volkswagen Polo R through this morning’s opener from Soconcho to Villa del Dique by 1.3sec from Paddon’s Hyundai i20.

Second fastest for the Kiwi in the following test from Amboy to Santa Monica enabled him to close on the Frenchman. Jari-Matti Latvala was quickest through Amboy and was a further 3.7sec back in third in another Polo R.

Conditions in Soconcho were predicted to be extremely rough and rocky, but road opener Ogier was unperturbed.

“It was quite rough, but better than I expected,” he said. “I was expecting lower grip because conditions are drying and the set-up wasn’t quite right. The car was a bit too soft.”

Despite setting second fastest time there, Paddon was disappointed. “A terrible stage. I couldn’t get any flow and the dust hanging in the air meant I couldn’t see the braking points,” he said.

Team-mate Dani Sordo was fourth overall, despite losing time in Soconcho when he clipped a grass bank on a fast corner near the finish, damaging the rear of his i20 (pictured below). Andreas Mikkelsen and Ott Tanak completed the top six.



Thierry Neuville struggled for confidence and was already 42sec off the pace in eighth, while WRC 2 leader Elfyn Evans punctured in Soconcho before an electrical issue on the liaison section to the following stage forced the Welshman into retirement.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss3



SS4 SANTA ROSA - SAN AGUSTIN (I) (23.85 km)




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#3 ·
Friday Afternoon:

SS5 SUPER ESPECIAL PARQUE TEMATICO ( 2 laps) (6.04 km)


Jari-Matti Latvala completed back-to-back stage wins to lead YPF Rally Argentina at the midpoint of Friday’s opening leg.



Having topped the times in SS3, the Volkswagen Polo R pilot was quickest in Santa Rosa - San Augustin and second in the Fernet Branca super special stage on the edge of host town Villa Carlos Paz to lead Hayden Paddon by 5.4sec.

Latvala tweaked his back after hitting a rock on the driving line near the end of SS3 but the Finn was content with his morning.

“It was my plan to take the first stage this morning steadily because it was the roughest. We started to go faster after that and the remaining stages went well. I was pushing and not hesitating!” said the Finn.

Paddon relished his Hyundai i20 on the fast roads but was less comfortable in the rough sections. He admitted to several small mistakes but headed championship leader S?bastien Ogier by 1.5sec. Ogier had no problems in his Polo R but, as road opener, he was not looking forward to sweeping the gravel on the second pass of the stages.

Andreas Mikkelsen was a further 9.9sec back in fourth ahead of Dani Sordo, who dropped time and a place when the throttle pedal of his Hyundai i20 stuck open in Santa Rosa.

Mads Ostberg climbed to sixth in a Ford Fiesta RS following the demise of Ott Tanak. A jammed alternator stopped the Estonian after Santa Rosa and although he tried to make repairs (below), his Fiesta RS stopped again en route to the morning’s final test.



Henning Solberg was seventh with Lorenzo Bertelli, Eric Camilli and Marcos Ligato completing the leaderboard. Local hero Ligato went off following a watersplash in Santa Rosa. The impact pushed his DS 3’s front bumper against the radiator intake and he stopped to remove it, losing three minutes.

Thierry Neuville lost six minutes after his i20 stopped several times in Santa Rosa with an electrical problem. “I had to get out and found a loose connection. Yesterday in shakedown we had problems, but I’m not sure this is the same,” explained the Belgian, who recovered to win the super special stage.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss5




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SS6 SOCONCHO - VILLA DEL DIQUE (II) (24.71 km)



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SS7 AMBOY - SANTA MONICA (II) (20.44 km)

Jari-Matti Latvala fractionally increased his YPF Rally Argentina lead after he and Hayden Paddon shared the wins in the first two stages of Friday afternoon’s repeated loop.



Kiwi Paddon struck first to win the test from Soconcho to Villa del Dique by a tenth of a second from S?bastien Ogier, with Latvala half a second further back as the fight for supremacy continued at the head of this fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Latvala hit back in Amboy - Santa Monica to head Ogier by two-tenths of a second with Paddon another 2.4sec behind. It left Latvala with a slightly increased 6.6sec advantage over Volkswagen Polo R team-mate Ogier, who relegated Paddon to third, 0.8sec back.

“The first stage isn’t one of my favourites. There was a lot of impacts in the ruts and I had to be careful not to push too much. The next one was very good, it’s a big fight,” said Latvala.

Ogier admitted he was on the limit and could do no more while Paddon was far from down-hearted at ceding second to the Frenchman.

“I’ve cleaned up my driving. The roads are better than we thought but there is a lot of bedrock which is hard on the car. A long way to go, but if I can keep this time gap at the end of the day and stay within striking distance then I’ll be pleased,” said the Hyundai i20 driver.

Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen were fourth and fifth in both tests but the time gaps were so small that the Spaniard regained just half a second to leave the gap at 12.9sec.

Seventh-placed Henning Solberg reported difficulties in downshifting in his Fiesta RS while Lorenzo Bertelli retired his similar car from eighth after losing all power in Soconcho.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss7



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SS8 SANTA ROSA - SAN AGUSTIN (II) (23.85 km)



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SS9 SUPER ESPECIAL PARQUE TEMATICO ( 2 laps) (6.04 km)

Latvala leads after leg one in Argentina


Jari-Matti Latvala made a determined start in his quest for back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship wins by leading YPF Rally Argentina after Friday’s first full day of action.



Latvala, victorious at the previous round in Mexico, won four of today’s eight speed tests to head Volkswagen Polo R team-mate Sebastien Ogier by 7.9sec.

Hayden Paddon was 3.5sec further behind in a Hyundai i20 after an intriguing day covering 150.08km, primarily on fast and sandy gravel roads in the Calamuchita Valley, south of Villa Carlos Paz.

Ogier, who tied for the lead in last night’s curtain-raiser through Cordoba’s streets, topped the order after today’s first two tests. Latvala made a cautious opening but moved ahead before mid-leg service and extended his advantage this afternoon.

“It’s been a very good day with no really big mistakes,” said Latvala. “A couple of small ones, but that’s part of the game when you’re fighting hard. It was my plan to take this morning’s first stage steadily because it was the roughest. It isn’t one of my favourites and second time through there were many impacts in the ruts, so I was careful not to push too much again."

He enjoyed the best of the conditions in contrast to road opener Ogier. As temperatures climbed to 22˚C, the surface dried and the Frenchman had to sweep the loose gravel. As Latvala edged clear, Ogier fought with Paddon and the pair exchanged places four times.

Paddon admitted to a few small mistakes initially. However, the Kiwi cleaned up his driving on the repeat run through the stages and was only hindered by a minor damper problem.

Andreas Mikkelsen was fourth in another Polo R, the Norwegian overhauling Dani Sordo this morning when the Spaniard lost time with a sticking throttle in his i20. The gap is 23.3sec.

Mads Ostberg kept clear of trouble in sixth in a Ford Fiesta RS ahead of the similar cars of Henning Solberg and an ultra-cautious Eric Camilli, who is targeting a clean run after an incident-filled start to his rookie season.

Local hero Marcos Ligato was ninth, despite losing three minutes when he skidded into a bank and stopped to release the damaged bumper blocking his DS 3’s radiator inlet.

Thierry Neuville completed the leaderboard, the Belgian fighting back after losing almost six minutes when his i20 stopped several times with a loose connection in the fuel system.

Ott Tanak and Lorenzo Bertelli were the two major retirements. Estonian Tanak was sixth until a jammed alternator stopped his Fiesta RS, while Bertelli lost all engine power in his similar car.

Tomorrow drivers face two identical loops of three stages north-west of Villa Carlos Paz. Covering 158.82km, it is the longest leg of the event.

click: wrc.com/friday-wrap




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#4 ·
SS10: Paddon blitzes rivals in Saturday's opener

Hyundai’s Haydon Paddon delivered a strong message to his Volkswagen rivals as he regained second place at YPF Rally Argentina with fastest time in Saturday morning’s opening speed test.



The Kiwi was 2.1sec quicker than leader Jari-Matti Latvala from Villa Bustos to Tanti and 7.7sec ahead of Sebastien Ogier, relegating the Frenchman to third and reducing the margin to Latvala to 9.3sec.

Paddon and Ogier fought tooth and nail yesterday afternoon and this was the fourth consecutive stage in which the pair swapped positions in the overall standings.

“I enjoyed that! I’m over-driving in a few places and lost two or three seconds here and there but I need to make the most of the advantage I have,” said Paddon, whose lower start position ensured cleaner conditions in comparison to road opener Ogier.

Latvala was also impressed by Paddon’s performance. “I had a really good stage, only a couple of places where I could improve. That time from Hayden was amazing,” said the Finn.

Seventh-placed Henning Solberg dropped time with a power steering problem in his Ford Fiesta RS while Ott Tanak, returning under Rally 2 regulations after retiring yesterday, had to cope with the distraction of his side window flapping open.

Also unhappy was Lorenzo Bertelli who was back after retiring yesterday with a turbo problem. All was not well as repairs were not completed until this morning and now the Italian had no engine response, believing the anti-lag system was not working.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss10

SS10 VILLA BUSTOS - TANTI (I) (19.71 km)


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SS11 LOS GIGANTES - CANTERA EL CONDOR (I)



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SS12: Latvala relieves Paddon pressure

Jari-Matti Latvala increased his YPF Rally Argentina lead in Saturday morning’s final speed test to stem Haydon Paddon’s determined charge.



After going fastest in today’s opening special stage, New Zealander Paddon closed the gap on Latvala to just 6.7sec with another victory in the high altitude test from Los Gigantes to Cantera El Condor, the longest of the weekend.

Latvala responded in the last stage of the loop from Boca del Arroyo to Bajo de Pungo to go fastest in his Volkswagen Polo R. He was 6.6sec up on third-quickest Paddon and the margin widened to 13.3sec as drivers returned to service in Villa Carlos Paz.

“It was a fantastic performance from Hayden in the first two stages, I wasn’t able to match him,” admitted Latvala. “I struggled with the pace note in the long stage, they were too quick and we had a couple of moments but the last one was better.”

Paddon admitted the final twisty stage didn’t suit his Hyundai i20 as much as the previous two faster tests.

“We have to work on that but it was a positive morning and we need to keep the pressure on. Unless Jari-Matti makes a mistake it will be difficult to catch him but if the gap stays around 10sec he knows he can’t make a mistake,” said Paddon.

Opening the roads in drying conditions cost Sébastien Ogier dear. He yielded 24sec to Paddon in SS11 and 10sec to team-mate Latvala in SS12 to fall back from the lead fight. Ogier was 32.3sec behind Paddon and falling into the clutches of Andreas Mikkelsen.

Mikkelsen has adopted a cautious policy all weekend, but the Norwegian closed to within 7.4sec of Ogier. Dani Sordo was fifth in his i20 and Mads Ostberg sixth in a Ford Fiesta RS.

Seventh-placed Henning Solberg (below) lost almost 90sec wrestling his Fiesta RS with broken power steering



and local hero Marcos Ligato closed to within 25.8sec, having earlier overhauled Eric Camilli. Thierry Neuville completed the top 10.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss12

SS12 BOCA DEL ARROYO - BAJO DEL PUNGO (I)



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#5 ·
SS13 VILLA BUSTOS - TANTI (II) (19.71 km)

Frontrunners Jari-Matti Latvala and Hayden Paddon gambled on contrasting tyre choices for what could prove the decisive loop of special stages at YPF Rally Argentina on Saturday afternoon.



Leader Latvala left the Villa Carlos Paz service with five soft compound Michelin units in his Volkswagen Polo R for the three afternoon speed tests. Hayden Paddon, 13.3sec behind, opted for two hard and three soft tyres in his Hyundai i20 to combat roads that are rockier and more rutted than this morning.

As the thermometer hovered around 25˚C, Paddon fitted hard rubber to the front and softs to the rear. The result? He conceded 1.2sec to the fastest time of Latvala, but will look at the two following longer tests as the places where his gamble will either pay off or fail.

“It was a compromise for this one,” said Paddon. “The handling wasn’t so bad but the softs were moving around quite a lot and it upset the balance. Hards all round would have been too hard, and softs would have been too soft.”

Latvala’s stage win increased his lead to 14.5sec. “I had a good run. I was too fast into the ruts at one place and the car snapped a bit. I lost a little time but nothing serious,” he said.

Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville filled the podium places in the stage, a deflated Ogier admitting he wasn’t fighting after his time loss in the slippery loose gravel this morning.

In WRC 2, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari lost his lead after rolling early in the stage. The Qatari continued after replacing a punctured rear right tyre but Peru’s Nicolas Fuchs emerged with a 3min 27.1sec lead.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss13



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SS14: Latvala crashes out of Argentina lead

Jari-Matti Latvala crashed out of the lead of YPF Rally Argentina on Saturday afternoon to leave Hayden Paddon with a comfortable advantage at the head of this fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Latvala started the second pass of the Los Gigantes - Cantera El Condor speed test, the longest of the weekend, with a 14.5sec lead in his Volkswagen Polo R. However, the Finn went off the road at 21km and retired.

His demise left Paddon, who won the stage by 0.9sec from Hyundai i20 team-mate Dani Sordo, with a 34.3sec lead over Sebastien Ogier with one more stage remaining today and three tomorrow.

“That changes things a little bit, doesn’t it?” said Paddon, when told about Latvala’s accident. “I’m struggling with the tyre balance. I’ve struggled in the past and I’m trying to adapt. We want a good clean run on the next stage, we know Seb will be fast there and tomorrow.”

Following drivers reported Latvala’s crash was a big one but both he and co-driver Miikka Anttila were reported to be OK.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss14

SS14 LOS GIGANTES - CANTERA EL CONDOR (I) (38.68 km)



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SS15 BOCA DEL ARROYO - BAJO DEL PUNGO (I) (20.52 km)

Hayden Paddon is on course for his maiden WRC victory after Jari-Matti Latvala rolled out of the lead of YPF Rally Argentina on Saturday afternoon.

Paddon, seeking to become the first New Zealander to win a WRC round, ended the penultimate leg of the four-day event with a 29.8sec advantage over championship leader Sebastien Ogier. Less than 60km of gravel speed tests remain tomorrow.

Latvala seemed to have withstood a determined charge from Paddon this morning to enter the penultimate special stage with a 14.5sec advantage in his Volkswagen Polo R. The Finn was almost seven seconds quicker midway through when he crashed heavily and retired.



Paddon started today in third and slashed Latvala’s lead to 6.7sec after winning the day’s first two stages in his Hyundai i20, before Latvala responded with two wins of his own to open the biggest margin of the weekend.

“There’s still a long way to go with very tough stages,” said Paddon. “We have to stay calm because a 30sec lead over a world champion isn’t a whole lot. I haven’t been comfortable this afternoon. Performance wise there’s room for improvement but my consistency is good.”

Road opener Ogier became frustrated at sweeping the surface gravel in his Polo R. Less than eight seconds off the lead last night, he fell back in the drying conditions as temperatures touched 25˚C and was more than 45sec adrift of Latvala before the face of the event changed.

click more: wrc.com/saturday-argentina-wrap/



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#6 ·
Latvala blames suspension failure for SS14 crash
Jari-Matti Latvala has revealed that a front-suspension failure caused him to crash his Volkswagen Polo R earlier today - losing him the lead of YPF Rally Argentina.

The Finn was leading by 15.5sec from Hyundai's Hayden Paddon when he hit trouble 21km into the repeated 38km stage from Los Gigantes.

"I was in a very fast section where there was a bit of bedrock on the road, and when we went over the bedrock suddenly the front-right top-mount broke and the damper came through the bonnet," he told wrc.com

"At that moment I couldn't steer the car any more, we went into a bank and we rolled."

Latvala, winner of the previous round in Mexico, could not explain why the top mount had come off.

"I'm really disappointed but I don't know what else I could have done," he said. "I had a good lead, it had been a controlled drive and I was in control on the stage. If I have to avoid every stone then we can go home - there is no point to come to the rally!

"You can't avoid every rock if you try to win. And this wasn't a loose rock, it was part of the road. I can't understand how it breaks. But that's how it is - very unlucky.

“My co-driver Miikka and I are both okay - that's the main thing. The car is very strong and I have to thank the team for that."

Latvala does not expect to restart on Sunday.

click: wrc.com/latvala-saturday-crash

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Sunday

SS16: Gearchange scare for Paddon


Leader Hayden Paddon yielded more than seven seconds to the chasing Sebastien Ogier in Sunday morning’s opening speed test at YPF Rally Argentina after stalling twice in the opening few kilometres.



A worried Paddon highlighted gearchange problems in his Hyundai i20 after finishing the classic El Condor stage, which was blighted by thick fog at the start. His overnight advantage of 29.8sec was cut to 22.4sec with two tests remaining.

“A terrible stage,” said Paddon. “Conditions are incredible and I couldn’t see anything at the top. Twice the car went into neutral when I changed down to first gear in hairpins and I had to reset before continuing. Now we’re aware of it, we’ll have to deal with it.”

Visibility changed constantly in the strong winds but Ogier, starting just three minutes earlier than Paddon was similarly affected in his Volkswagen Polo R.

“It was really, really bad and there were so many rocks on the road. It’s not a stage that you want to push on so I’m happy to make it through,” said the championship leader.

Third-placed Andreas Mikkelsen dropped 10sec after spinning near the start while Mads Ostberg, lying fifth, dropped more than 30sec after going off.

“There was a misunderstanding inside the car. I wasn’t aware there was a corner when there was and I didn’t see it. Spectators got us back on the road,” explained the Norwegian.

Fastest time went to road opener Ott Tanak, the Estonian 3.0sec quicker than Ogier with Mikkelsen third.

Jari-Matti Latvala restarted after crashing out of the lead yesterday afternoon but the Finn admitted he was not pushing. “Mechanically the team did a very good job to repair the car, but we have to be careful. We’re not driving at rally speed, we’re more cruising,” he said.

click: wrc.com/argentina-ss16

SS16 EL CONDOR - COPINA (16.32 km)



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SS17 MINA CLAVERO - GIULIO CESARE (22.64 km)


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SS18 Power Stage EL CONDOR (16.32 km)

Paddon claims maiden win




Hayden Paddon survived final day mechanical worries to score his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in Argentina on Sunday afternoon.

Gearchange problems threatened to spoil Paddon’s joy but he held on to win YPF Rally Argentina by 14.3sec in a Hyundai i20 from championship leader Sebastien Ogier. It was the first victory for a New Zealand driver in the WRC’s 43-year history.

Ogier extended his championship lead in a Volkswagen Polo R, the Frenchman finishing the tough four-day gravel rally near Villa Carlos Paz 50.9sec ahead of team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen.

Paddon also won the final live TV Power Stage to claim three bonus points. Team-mate Dani Sordo took two points for second while Ogier claimed the final point in third.





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Next Rnd5: Rally Portugal May 19-22, 2016



Official Website: rallydeportugal.pt/

Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio

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


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