Live WRC Japan Rally Day 1

Good morning, the Live feed from Day 1 of Rally Japan will begin with SS6 Iwanke Long 2, which gets underway from 7:03 in the UK. What follows on this page is a wrap up of the first loop earlier today.

Drivers’ Championship 1 Sébastien Loeb 191 points 2 Sébastien Ogier 133 3 Jari-Matti Latvala 117 4 Petter Solberg 100 5 Dani Sordo 95 6 Mikko Hirvonen 86 7 Matthew Wilson 56 8 Federico Villagra 26 9 Henning Solberg 25 10 Kimi Raikkonen 21

Manufacturers’ Championship 1 Citroen Total WRT 265 points 308 2 BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT 222 3 Citroen Junior Team 168 4 Stobart M-Sport FRT 116 5 Munchi’s FWRT 40

START LIST DAY ONE 1 Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena Citroen C4 WRC 2 Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Citroen C4 WRC 3 Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Ford RS Focus WRC 09 4 Mikko Hirvonen / Jarno Lehtinen Ford RS Focus WRC 09 5 Petter Solberg / Phil Mills Citroen C4 WRC 6 Henning Solberg Ilka Minor Ford RS Focus WRC 08 7 Dani Sordo / Diego Vallejo Citroen C4 WRC 8 Kimi Raikkonen / Kaj Lindstrom Citroen C4 WRC 9 Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin Ford RS Focus WRC 08 10 Frederico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc Ford RS Focus WRC 08

If Sébastien Loeb wins his 60th career rally, and Sébastien Ogier finishes lower than fifth, he will clinch his seventh world championship. “Before that happens there’s still a lot of ground to cover,” Loeb said. “Like all the rounds of the World Rally Championship, Rally Japan has is particularities. I can’t say it’s one of my favourite events. The stages aren’t all that exciting and the fact that they’re very narrow doesn’t really encourage you to let it rip behind the wheel! However, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape with the C4 WRC. The car has reached the end of its development and we know the kind of setup to use on this type of surface.”

Sébastien Ogier has been moved up to the Citroen Total World Rally Team for this his very first rally in Japan. “I’ve never set foot in Japan and I’m trying to engrave the stage in my mind by looking at the maximum amount of on-board footage. I have the impression that the vegetation hides the corners and the traps they contain,” explains Ogier. “It’s not going to be easy given our lack of experience, but we have the same aim as in all gravel rallies – a place on the podium. That would help Citroen score good points for the manufacturer’s world championship. Concerning the drivers’ title, I’m not under any illusions where the title is concerned. My aim is to hold on to second place and fend off Jari-Matti, Petter and Dani. Finishing in the runner-up spot against all these drivers would have been a dream at the start of the season. Now, it’s up to us to make the dream come true!”

Mikko Hirvonen has started in Japan on five previous occasions and also has a third place to his credit in 2006. "I enjoyed the type of roads here in 2008. They were fast, flowing and quite sandy. The championship hasn't been there for two years so it will be interesting to see if any work has been carried out on the roads. If not, they could be quite soft and slippery if it rains. Although the rally is earlier in the year this season, I don't think it will make a big difference to the road surface," he said. "After crashing out in Finland so early, I'm short of recent gravel competition because the previous loose-surface rally was at the end of May. The shakedown in Japan is at Sapporo Dome so there is no opportunity to benefit from a final test on a proper gravel stage. It may take a while to get back into the rhythm again on the first stage, but it shouldn't be a problem. I should have the speed to fight for a win but my main target is to end the year with a series of strong finishes," said the 30-year-old Finn.

This is 25-year-old Jari-Matti Latvala's fourth start in Japan, his best result in 2008 when he was runner-up to Hirvonen in a Ford one-two finish. "The stages are fast and although there are trees close to the road, visibility through the corners is good and the speeds remain high. I prefer fast, flowing rallies like New Zealand and Finland. Japan is another rally of that nature although the roads are narrower here. "My confidence is highest on that type of road and I want to fight for a podium. I had good speed when I won in Finland in July and the Focus RS WRC is competitive in those conditions so I'm confident a top three finish is possible.

“Both stages and surface are quite special here in Japan. The roads are narrow with soft gravel, but long straights still makes this a quite fast rally. – Japan is one of my absolute favourites, says Petter Solberg. – The atmosphere is quite unique, and I really appreciate all the support we have from Japanese fans. We did a small test on Monday, and I have a good feeling with both the car and the rally.”

TOP TEN SS3 Iwanke Long 1 (26.83km) 1P. Solberg 2 Ogier +3.2s 3 Sordo +11.2s 4 Hirvonen + 11. 5 Latvala +22.4s 6 Loeb + 24.2s 7 H. SOlberg + 32.3s 8 Wilson + 40.0s 9Villagra + 50.0s 10 Raikkonen + 58.3s

TOP TEN AFTER SS3 1 Ogier 2 P.Solberg +2.5s 3 Sordo +10.1s 4 Hirvonen +10.4s 5 Latvala +21.5s 6 Loeb +23.4s Raikkonen +2.3s 7 H. Solberg +34.8s 8 Wilson +43.4s 9 Villagra +51.4s 10 Raikkonen + 57.4s

TOP TEN SS4 Sikot 1 (27.76km) 1 P. Solberg 2 Latvala +0.6s 3 Sordo +2.8s 4 Hirvonen + 5.5s 5 Ogier +11.0s 6 H. Solberg + 12.6s 7 Loeb + 14.0s 8 Wilson + 39.6s 9 Villagra + 57.5s 10 Raikkonen + 1:10.9s

TOP TEN AFTER SS4 1 P.Solberg 2 Ogier +8.5s 3 Sordo +10.4s 4 Hirvonen +13.4s 5 Latvala +19.6s 6 Loeb +34.9s 7 H. Solberg +44.9s 8 Wilson +1:20.5s 9 Villagra +1:46.4s 10 Raikkonen + 2:05.8s

TOP TEN SS5 Koyka 1 (3.57km) 1 H. Solberg 2 P. Solberg +1.0s = Hirvonen + 1.0s 4 Latvala +1.7s 5 Loeb + 2.07 6 Ogier +2.8s 7 Sordo +3.1s 8 Wilson + 6.4s 9 Raikkonen + 6.6s 10 Villagra + 8.2s

TOP TEN AFTER SS5 1 P.Solberg 2 Ogier +10.3s 3 Sordo +12.5s 4 Hirvonen +13.4s 5 Latvala +20.3s 6 Loeb +36.6s 7 H. Solberg +43.9s 8 Wilson +1:25.9s 9 Villagra +1:53.6s 10 Raikkonen + 2:11.4s

Sébastien Loeb on WRC radio. "I really don't know why we are off the pace. I have had a hard time finding a good rhythm. We will see how we do this afternoon, there is nothing wrong with the car, so we will see."

Sébastien Ogier on WRC radio."I am really happy with my start, especially on the first stage this morning. Yeah, it is a very good start. I did better than I espected, but I was a bit anxious before the start.I ran hard on the first stage this morning, so I decided to push. I was very happy with my car this morning."

What you need to know about SS6 Iwanke Long 2 (26.83km) Friday’s gravel stages are all based in the same compact area of countryside about 50km south of the city. They are generally fast with Iwanke and Sikot likely to be the fastest of the whole event. Iwanke is a medium to high-speed forestry stage and is largely flat. The first half is very quick on mainly wide open hard-packed gravel roads. At the 5.4km mark the road gets narrower and there are some very slippery patches as the road climbs, then drops back onto the valley floor. This section will get very rutted on the second pass. Wide concrete rain water gutters traverse the road on many corners and could unsettle the cars in the braking zones.

Petter Solberg's co-driver, Chrs Pattterson on WRC radio. "We were concerned about Petter's health last night, but he was on form straight away this morning. We came here with the idea of going for the win and the car was working very well, but we did have a few moments this morning. It is so important for the team for us to get a victory. Hopefully, we will have luck on our side this weekened."

SS6 Iwanke Long 2 (26.83kms) is underway with Sébastien Loeb first on the road."

Okay, there is now a 30-minute delay, following an accident this morning. Stage 6 has yet to begin. We will bring you the split times and updates once it is running.

After the delay SS6 Iwanke Long 2 (26.83kms) is now underway with Sébastien Loeb first on the road."

Ogier is 0.1s behind Loeb at split 1.

Latvala is 0.4s behind Loeb at the opening split.

Loeb is now 1.9s behind Ogier at split 2.

Petter Solberg is in the stage, 0.1s ahead of Loeb.

Ogier is 1.4s ahead of Loeb at split 3. Latvala is 2.3s quicker than Loeb at split 2.

Sordo is 0.4s behind Loeb ath split 1.

Latvala is 3.4s quicker than Loeb at split 3.

Solberg is 0.1s behind Ogier at split 2.

Latvala is 2 seconds ahead of Ogier at split 3.

Ogier is 6.4s ahead of Loeb at split 4.

Sordo and Latvala are on equal time at split 2.

Ogier is 7.3s quicker than Loeb at the next split.

Hirvonen is slightly ahead of Latvala and Solberg at split 2.

Latvala is 2.4s ahead of Ogier at split 4.

Loeb is through the stage. "I pushed really hard, but I can't match the speed of the other guys. I don't have any grip and it is very bumpy. I think the car setup is too stiff."

Ogier is next through the stage,10.1s faster than Loeb. "It was a good stage, it is very rough. You have to follow the line, you can't go where you want."

Latvala is next to complete the stage, 4.0s faster than Ogier. "I was happy with my stage. The transition from the tarmac to the gravel was hard, there are a lot of ruts. We had to raise the height of the car to drive over the ruts.

Petter Solberg is through SS6, 4.9s slower than Latvala. "The ruts were really big, I struggled a little, but the time is okay. I was a little cautious, but I think everything is okay."

Dani Sordo is next through. There is some minor damage to his car. "I could smell something coming from the gearbox.I had some problems in some of the corners and I had to be careful."

Hirvonen is next through the stage; 2.5s slower than Latvala. "It is very rough, there are ruts all over the place, but it was a good stage. Jari was going really fast."

TOP TEN SS6 1 Latvala 2 Hirvonen + 2.5s 3 Ogier +4.0s 4 P. Solberg +4.9s 5 Loeb + 14.1s 6 Sordo +15.4s 7 H. Solberg +23.3s 8 Wilson + 53.1s 9 Raikkonen + 55.7s 10 Villagra + 56.3s

TOP TEN AFTER SS6 1 P.Solberg 2 Ogier +9.4s 3 Hirvonen +11.0s 4 Latvala +15.4s 5 Sordo +23.0s 6 Loeb +45.8s 7 H. Solberg +1:02.3s 8 Wilson +2:14.1s 9 Villagra +2:45.0s 10 Raikkonen + 3:02.2s

What you need to know about SS7 Sikot 2 (27.76km). Another almost flat, medium to high-speed forestry stage and possibly the biggest challenge of the day. In some places Sikot resembles the stages in Finland or New Zealand, with a nicely flowing road and some crests, but in others it’s terribly bumpy. The last few kilometres are particularly rough and a sequence of bumps leading to the finish line could throw cars off the road if they’re driven flat out. Much of Friday’s route has banks by the roadside rather than trees or ditches. Drivers can’t lean their cars on them like the snow banks in Sweden, but they have been known to nudge stray cars back on the road.

SS7 Sikot 2 (27.76km) is underway with an uncharacteristicaly struggling Sébastien Loeb first on the road.

Ogier is 0.2s ahead of Loeb at the opening split.

Loeb is 1.4s quicker than Ogier at split 2.

Latvala is on the road and 0.1s ahead of Loeb at split 1.

Petter Solberg is 0.7s ahead of Latvala at split 1.

Solberg is 0.6s quicker than Ogier at the first split.

Ogier is 0.9s ahead of Loeb at split 3.

Sordo is in the stage, 0.5s ahead of Loeb at split 1.

Latvala 2.6s ahead of Ogier at split 3.

Ogier is 1.3s ahead of Loeb at split 4.

Sordo is now 1.0s behind Loeb at split 2.

Hirvonen is 0.8s quicker than Latvala at split 1.

Latvala is 2.4s quicker than Solberg at split 3.

Latvala is 2.2s quicker than Ogier at split 4.

Ogier and Loeb are on equal time at split 5.

Loeb has completed the stage in 15:44.5s.

Latvala is 3.8s ahead of Ogier at split 5.

Latvala is 4.3s ahead of Ogier at split 6.

Ogier is through the stage, 0.9s quicker than Loeb.

Hirvonen is 1.7s ahead of Latvala at split 4.

Latvala is through the stage, 4.4s quicker than Ogier.

Solberg is 2.4s ahead of Latvala at split 5.

Solberg is through the stage, 2.8s quicker than Latvala, and 7.2s better than Ogier.

Hirvonen is 0.6s behind Solberg at split 5.

Hirvonen is through the stage, fastest time for the Finn, who is now second overall at 9.6s from Solberg.

TOP TEN SS7 1 Hirvonen 2 P. Solberg + 1.4s 3 Latvala +4.2s 4 Ogier +8.6s 5 Loeb + 9.5s 6 Sordo +10.1s 7 H. Solberg +18.9s 8 Villagra + 52.1s 9 Raikkonen + 57.6s 10 Wilson + 57.7s

TOP TEN AFTER SS7 1 P.Solberg 2 Hirvonen +9.6s 3 Ogier +16.6s 4 Latvala +18.2s 5 Sordo +31.7s 6 Loeb +53.9s 7 H. Solberg +1:19.8s 8 Wilson +3:10.4s 9 Villagra +3:35.7s 10 Raikkonen + 3:58.4s

What you need to know about SS8 Koyka 2 (3.57km) Friday’s final stage is a short sprint designed with spectators in mind and it’s extremely fast. The first 1.5km is on a very loose surface and the road is narrow. The soft surface is likely to become rutted for the second pass. After 1.6km the stage turn a junction right onto a wider road that gets faster and faster as it approaches the flying finish.

SS8 Koyka 2 (3.57km)is underway.

Sébastien Loeb is through the stage. "It has been a really difficult day. Ogier was pushing this morning. The only thing that will help us for tomorrow will be road position, we'll see how it goes tomorrow."

Ogier is through the stage,3.3s ahead of Loeb. "I tried to push and drive as fast as I can. The ruts are not easy, especially on the second run, but I am happy with my day."

Ogier was slower than Loeb by 3.3s Loeb not ahead.

Latvala is through, 3 seconds behind Loeb and 0.3s ahead of Ogier. It was looking very bad after the first stage. We had a problem with the tyres, but after that we did a good job and I am quite pleased."

Petter Solberg is through the stage, 0.8s quicker than Loeb and 3.8 seconds faster than Ogier. "I felt good on this stage. Everything is coming together. I really feel not well but I am very happy with our times today.

Sordo is next through the stage, 2 seconds slower than Solberg. "I am really happy to be here, I lost time with a gearbox problem. I am really lucky to be still here."

Mikko Hirvonen is next through the stage with the best time, 1.1s faster than Solberg. "I will be the second car on the road. It has been a good day, and we're really pleased. We did a really good job today, but tomorrow will be a very difficult day. Ogier and Jari will be behind me on the road and they will be really fast."

Henning Solberg is through with the second best stage time at 0.8s to Hirvonen.

TOP TEN SS8 1 Hirvonen 2 H. Solberg +0.8s 3 P. Solberg + 1.1s 4 Loeb + 1.9s 5 Sordo +3.1s 6 Latvala +4.9s 7 Raikkonen + 5.0s 8 Ogier +5.2s 9 Wilson + 6.3s 10 Villagra + 8.8s

TOP TEN AFTER SS8 1 P.Solberg 2 Hirvonen +8.5s 3 Ogier +20.7s 4 Latvala +22.0s 5 Sordo +33.7s 6 Loeb +54.7s 7 H. Solberg +1:19.5s 8 Wilson +3:15.6s 9 Villagra +3:43.4s 10 Raikkonen + 4:02.3s

What you need to know about SS9 and SS10 Sapporo Super Special (1.57km) Japan’s Super Special is built within the 43,000 capacity Sapporo Dome, a futuristic looking baseball and soccer stadium that hosted matches in the 2002 World Cup. With the grass playing surface removed, much of the tight and twisty head-to-head track is built under cover on the concrete stadium floor, but the stage also extends outside. The concrete provides a reasonable amount of grip - even though the surface is extremely smooth and cars are on gravel tyres. If it rains, however, the two outside corners will be as slippery as ice. Most of the route is lined with solid concrete barriers so a neat approach here is a good idea.

SS9 Sapporo Super Special 3 (1.57km) is underway. No split times for this one and the second run through the Super Special. Also, road positions are set for tomorrow with Petter Solbreg to be first on the road, followed by Mikko Hirvonen, Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala, Dani Sordo. Sébastien Loeb will start from 6th position.

TOP TEN SS9 1 Loeb 2 P. Solberg + 0.3s = Latvala +0.3s 4 Wilson + 0.4s 5 Raikkonen +0.6s 6 Ogier +0.8s 7 Hirvonen +1.1 8 H. Solberg +1.5s 9 Sordo +1.6s 10 Villagra + 2.1s

TOP TEN AFTER SS9 1 P.Solberg 2 Hirvonen +9.3s 3 Ogier +21.2s 4 Latvala +22.0s 5 Sordo +35.0s 6 Loeb +54.4s 7 H. Solberg +1:20.7s 8 Wilson +3:15.7s 9 Villagra +3:45.2s 10 Raikkonen + 4:02.6s

SS10 Sapporo Super Special 4 (1.57km), the final stage of day 1 of Rally Japan is underway.

TOP TEN SS10 1 P. Solberg 2 Loeb + 0.1s = Hirvonen +0.1s = Ogier +0.1s 5 Latvala +0.4s 6 Raikkonen +0.5s 7 Wilson +1.2s 8 Villagra + 1.3s 9 H. Solberg +1.5s = Sordo +1.5s

TOP TEN AFTER SS10 1 P.Solberg 2 Hirvonen +9.4s 3 Ogier +21.3s 4 Latvala +22.4s 5 Sordo +36.5s 6 Loeb +54.5s 7 H. Solberg +1:22.2s 8 Wilson +3:16.9s 9 Villagra +3:46.5s 10 Raikkonen + 4:03.1s

Thanks for joining motorstv.com for the live feed from day one of Rally Japan. You can see all the day's action from round 10 of the World Rally Championship from 17h00 in Europe and the UK on Motors TV. We will be back tomorrow morning with day 2, beginning at 7am in the UK.