Rnd8 WRC Finland July 28-31
Official Website: nesterallyfinland.fi/en/
Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio
WRC+ : Live Stages/Live Maps/Onboard Action/Full Highlights plus.wrc.com/
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Thurs-Shakedown
Jari-Matti Latvala headed a Volkswagen clean sweep of the top times at the Neste Rally Finland shakedown on Thursday morning.
Latvala, chasing a third consecutive victory at his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, went fastest through the 4.81km Ruuhimaki special stage in his Polo R on his third and final pass.
The 31-year-old was 0.5sec ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen, who tied for second.
"I'm very happy with the car, it felt good. I have a similar set-up to last year, the dampers are a little bit different but that's all. I don't use this set-up on any other gravel rally. The dampers are harder and I feel more comfortable landing after jumps. They stop the car from 'crashing through' and touching the road," Latvala said.
When Latvala starts the rally in Jyvaskyla this evening he will become the most experienced Finnish driver in WRC history and climb to fourth in the all-time list. His 164th start will move him ahead of ex-Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.
Thierry Neuville was a tenth of a second back in fourth in his Hyundai i20. Mads Ostberg, hoping to banish memories of a disappointing event in Poland earlier this month, was fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS with Hayden Paddon completing the top six.
Craig Breen, who rolled testing on Monday, was eighth in his repaired DS 3, tied with Abu Dhabi Total team-mate Kris Meeke. Yazeed Al Rajhi rolled his Fiesta RS during his second attempt through the stage but the car was not badly damaged and he is expected to start.
click: wrc.com/finland-shakedown
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SS1 Harju 1 (2.31 km)
Ott Tanak and Andreas Mikkelsen were tied for the lead after Thursday night’s opening speed test of Neste Rally Finland in the centre of Jyvaskyla.
Estonian Tanak, who came so close to scoring his maiden WRC victory in Poland earlier this month, and Norway's Mikkelsen edged championship leader Sebastien Ogier by a tenth of a second through the 2.31km Harju special stage in the rally’s host town.
Tanak, who lost the win with a penultimate stage puncture after leading for much of the rally in his Ford Fiesta RS, joked: "We were not working hard enough in Poland so we have to work harder here! I’ll try to make the perfect weekend."
Mikkelsen could count himself slightly lucky to finish the test unscathed in his Volkswagen Polo R. He flirted with disaster exiting a fast left bend so wide that his car was totally off the road.
Thierry Neuville was 1.2sec off the lead in fourth in his Hyundai i20 with Kris Meeke next up in Citroen’s DS 3. Jari-Matti Latvala, aiming for his third consecutive Finland win, completed the top six in another Polo R but was far from happy at being 2.1sec behind the leading duo.
"It was a bad start. I wasn't happy with my driving, I struggled with the gears and was braking too early. I lost time," he said.
Tomorrow brings a long day behind the wheel. After leaving Jyvaskyla at 06.05 they face two loops of five tests mainly west of the town, before a repeat of tonight's Harju test. The 11 stages cover 146.85km before the action ends at 21.45.
click: wrc.com/finland-ss1
....
Official Website: nesterallyfinland.fi/en/
Listen Live: wrc.com/live_popup_radio
WRC+ : Live Stages/Live Maps/Onboard Action/Full Highlights plus.wrc.com/
...
-------------------------------
Thurs-Shakedown
Jari-Matti Latvala headed a Volkswagen clean sweep of the top times at the Neste Rally Finland shakedown on Thursday morning.
Latvala, chasing a third consecutive victory at his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, went fastest through the 4.81km Ruuhimaki special stage in his Polo R on his third and final pass.
The 31-year-old was 0.5sec ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen, who tied for second.
"I'm very happy with the car, it felt good. I have a similar set-up to last year, the dampers are a little bit different but that's all. I don't use this set-up on any other gravel rally. The dampers are harder and I feel more comfortable landing after jumps. They stop the car from 'crashing through' and touching the road," Latvala said.
When Latvala starts the rally in Jyvaskyla this evening he will become the most experienced Finnish driver in WRC history and climb to fourth in the all-time list. His 164th start will move him ahead of ex-Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.
Thierry Neuville was a tenth of a second back in fourth in his Hyundai i20. Mads Ostberg, hoping to banish memories of a disappointing event in Poland earlier this month, was fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS with Hayden Paddon completing the top six.
Craig Breen, who rolled testing on Monday, was eighth in his repaired DS 3, tied with Abu Dhabi Total team-mate Kris Meeke. Yazeed Al Rajhi rolled his Fiesta RS during his second attempt through the stage but the car was not badly damaged and he is expected to start.
click: wrc.com/finland-shakedown
-------------------------------------
SS1 Harju 1 (2.31 km)
Ott Tanak and Andreas Mikkelsen were tied for the lead after Thursday night’s opening speed test of Neste Rally Finland in the centre of Jyvaskyla.
Estonian Tanak, who came so close to scoring his maiden WRC victory in Poland earlier this month, and Norway's Mikkelsen edged championship leader Sebastien Ogier by a tenth of a second through the 2.31km Harju special stage in the rally’s host town.
Tanak, who lost the win with a penultimate stage puncture after leading for much of the rally in his Ford Fiesta RS, joked: "We were not working hard enough in Poland so we have to work harder here! I’ll try to make the perfect weekend."
Mikkelsen could count himself slightly lucky to finish the test unscathed in his Volkswagen Polo R. He flirted with disaster exiting a fast left bend so wide that his car was totally off the road.
Thierry Neuville was 1.2sec off the lead in fourth in his Hyundai i20 with Kris Meeke next up in Citroen’s DS 3. Jari-Matti Latvala, aiming for his third consecutive Finland win, completed the top six in another Polo R but was far from happy at being 2.1sec behind the leading duo.
"It was a bad start. I wasn't happy with my driving, I struggled with the gears and was braking too early. I lost time," he said.
Tomorrow brings a long day behind the wheel. After leaving Jyvaskyla at 06.05 they face two loops of five tests mainly west of the town, before a repeat of tonight's Harju test. The 11 stages cover 146.85km before the action ends at 21.45.
click: wrc.com/finland-ss1
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