Brother Rally New Zealand

03:29 Rally complete!

Well folks that is another action-packed round of the FIA World Rally Championship and yet again Rally New Zealand has not disappointed! Congratulations to Citroen on their 1-2 two finish and of course Mr Loeb on yet another rally win! Great job by the local lad Hayden Paddon who wins the SWRC category and Argentine driver Marcos Ligato who wins the PWRC round! We hope you have enjoyed Rally New Zealand via LIVE Text and see you all next time as the championship heads to the heart of rallying - the Neste Oil Rally Finland!

03:27 Live Tweets #WRC

@karina_rally @RallyNewZealand concludes...Loeb wins @MikkoWRC @Petter_Solberg Novikov and @thierryneuville in the top 5 #WRC

03:27 PWRC: Marcos Ligato wins PWRC category

Ligato said: "I am very happy. It was a difficult rally and it rained every day which made it very muddy and slippery and it was hard to keep the car on the road all weekend. I really want to thank my team and all my supporters who helped us get here this weekend. It was a great win."

03:26 Live Tweets #WRC

‏@TodoRallyArg SS22 - Power Stage: 1º Latvala, 2º Solberg, 3º Loeb, 4º Sordo, 5º Neuville, 6º Hirvonen. General: 1º Loeb, 2º Hirvonen a 29s6 #WRC

03:25 Power Stage results

1. Latvala (3 bonus points) 2. Solberg (2 bonus points) 3. Loeb (1 bonus point)

03:22 Loeb wins Brother Rally New Zealand

Loeb said: "This is a great victory after a long weekend with some very difficult conditions. I really enjoyed the big fight with Mikko all weekend. I made a few mistakes in the Power Stage and went wide about three times so we at least picked up one extra point."

03:20 Hirvonen completes fifth quickest and 2nd overall in Rally New Zealand

Hirvonen said: "This has been a fantastic weekend and we had a great fight over the first two days. My driving is really starting to feel a lot better now and right before Finland this is perfect!"

03:19 Solberg steams home third overall for Rally New Zealand

Solberg said: "It was raining very hard from the start in there so I new it would be hard to catch Jari-Matti's time. I am very happy to get through after what happened on the first day. It's great to get third place and OK we came here to win but it is still a good result for Ford."

03:17 21-year-old Novikov claims fourth overall

Novikov said: "Very good result on a very difficult rally. It is so easy to make a mistake here and a small mistake can cost you a lot. I am very happy with everything this weekend and this is a great result for us."

03:15 SWRC: Hadden Paddon wins SWRC category on home soil!

Paddon said: "It has been a very hard rally for us and we had to settle down at the end and get home in one piece. It is another great points haul thought and it's great for all our supports in New Zealand to be able to get the result on home soil."

03:14 Live Tweets #WRC

@RallyNewZealand Latvala stays quickest in SS22. Followed by Sordo & Neuville #RallyNZ #WRC

03:11 Neuville sets speedy time behind Latvala on special stage

Neuville said: "I am really happy with this weekend and OK we had a few little problems along the way so it is a shame because I think we could have finished fourth. But OK fifth is great and I have to thank the team for guiding me through this rally as it was my first time rallying in New Zealand."

03:10 Sordo second fastest through final stage

Sordo said: "It was difficult weekend with our tyre choice on Friday. To be honest in the Power Stage I felt like I was driving really well with the tyres I had. I made a small mistake but a part from that it felt good. I will now focus on my next rally."

03:08 Latvala currently quickest through Power Stage

Latvala said: "I haven't been so happy this weekend and I lost the confidence after what happened on Friday. I could have been on the podium without my mistake on Friday but we have fought back and got some points out of this event. My focus now is Finland next and getting back on track and rebuilding my confidence."

03:07 Araujo boosted by top-10 result

Araujo said: "This result is good for us and the team because we have set some good pace and scored some points which has really given us a boost."

03:04 Block completes another WRC event with a top-10 result

Block said: "I absolutely love this rally so it felt pretty good to come out here after 3 months out of the sport and set a decent pace. As I said yesterday, the stages were the best I've driven in my rally career. The stages today were a bit trickier but it's and awesome place to be and great to see all the fans supporting WRC in New Zealand."

03:02 Manfred Stohl completes stage currently second fastest

Stohl said: "The nice dream is over so it is back to work now! At the moment I am just going to continue my rallying in Austria but maybe we will be back, I'm not sure."

03:01 Live Tweets #WRC

@bluethru: Power Stage time!! :D #WRC #RallyNZ

03:00 Jari Ketomaa finishes Rally New Zealand

Ketomaa said: "I am happy to be here and I have had an extremely enjoyable week. But we still have a bit of work to do to pick up our pace."

02:54 Stage Begin - SS22 Burnside/Wech Access 2 (7.3km)

The Power Stage has just got underway. Paulo Nobre will set the benchmark, first out on the stage!

02:54 Nobre clears SS22

Nobre said: "This power stage was really slippery, maybe the most slippery of the entire rally! We are happy to finish the New Zealand rally the proper way and I will remember this time. Thats two consecutive rally finishes for us and now it's time to relax."

02:48 Latvala wins SS21 - Ahuroa

Jari-Matti Latvala is the fastest driver over SS21 now its over to the Power Stage and final stage of Rally New Zealand!

02:39 Latvala currently fastest through SS21

Latvala is the quickest man through the 6.75km stage with just Hirvonen and Loeb of the WRC crews left to complete the test.

02:35 Neuville and Sordo pushing hard

Neuville up on two wheels and Sordo has a brush with a bank as both seem to be getting set for the final stage of the rally - and more importantly the Power Stag where three bonus points for the fastest driver are on offer!

02:30 Ketomaa quickest through SS21

Ketomaa is currently the fastest driver through the penultimate stage of the rally as we watch Latvala fly through the test on the eye in the sky chopper cam!

02:27 SWRC: Paddon stops with puncture but now completes stage

Paddon said: "We smacked the bank at the very first corner and tore the tyre off so had no other option but to get out and change it and that why we lost so much time. We have a huge lead in the SWRC so got away with that one."

02:26 Nobre complete penultimate stage

The MINI of Nobre is clear through the penultimate stage of the day.

02:23 Loeb clears SS20

"Everything has been OK and no problem at all. We're just trying to keep our rhythm and make no mistakes. I will drive how I feel on the Power Stage, there is no pressure there."

02:22 Hirvonen clear through SS20

Hirvonen said: "That was quite a steady stage and everything was working fine. Just a cruise to the end now."

02:21 Stage Begin - SS21 Ahuroa (6.75km)

Nobre into the Ahuroa stage and we are underway!

02:16 Solberg clears SS20

Solberg said: "It is very slippery and muddy and I saw Tanak in there and that was too bad for those guys. I'm not taking any risks now I just want to finish this rally with the podium."

02:15 Tanak update

Reports from the stage are that both driver and co-driver are OK. However are unable to continue and will retire from the event. An unfortunate error after such a great rally for the Estonian.

02:14 Neuville clears SS20

Neuville said: "Now I just need to get through and now we are fifth so we need to stay fifth. We will see on the Power Stage but I have to think about my position also."

02:13 Tanak rolled in stage!

Ott Tanak has rolled approximately 6km into SS20 from fifth position. More to follow...

02:11 Words from Sordo at stage end

"It was a good run but probably not as good of a run as this morning. We will do what we can with these tyres and maybe save a bit of the rubber for the Power Stage this afternoon for a big push."

02:08 Latvala through SS20

Latvala said: "We have been testing some little things and I have to say we have learn't some new information this weekend."

02:05 Small spin on SS20 for Block

Ken Block said: "I was a little too cautious over a crest and I had a don't cut in the notes so ran a little wide, onto the marble and spun. We probably lost about 10 or 15 seconds but no damage so its OK. Looking forward to the next two, they're really great stages."

02:04 Eye in the sky report

Currently sunny conditions out on SS20 but still several muddy sections on the stage making road conditions very changeable.

02:02 Ketomaa clears quickest

Ketomaa said: "I am just trying as hard as I can to see where we are at on the time-sheets. But I cannot go faster I was at maximum attack in there!"

01:50 Nobre has cleared the stage

Nobre said: "This stage is better than in the morning and it has dried out a lot. But sill some areas are so slippery so I am happy we are here and just two more stages to go until we finish this great event."

01:36 Live Tweets #WRC

‏@RallyNewZealand SS20 Brother Puhoi 2 is set to go live in about 10 mins or so. It's a repeat stage from this morning - 17.94km #RallyNZ #WRC

01:36 Stage Begin - SS20 Puhoi 2 (17.94km)

The first car has just entered the stage!

01:13 Live Tweets #WRC

@TodoRallyArg SSS19: Sordo, Loeb, Stohl, Neuville, Tanak, Novikov, Latvala, Araujo, Hirvonen, Block, Solberg, Ketomaa, Nobre #WRC

01:13 Live Tweets #WRC

@adolfonline After SS19 #RallyNZ #WRC: 1- Loeb, 2- Hirvoenen +20.9, 3- Solberg +1:36.8, 4- Novikov +2:02.8, 5- Tanak +2:23.9, 6- Neuville +2:40.1

01:00 Sordo takes his first stage win of the rally!

Dani Sordo has won the second and final pass of the Auckland Domain SSS with all WRC crews through the test.

00:57 Sordo fastest through SSS

The MINI of Dani Sordo is currently fastest through the 2km super special!

00:53 Latvala completes second quickest

Stohl remains the quickest driver through the super special with Latvala setting the second best time over the test.

00:47 Block, Stohl complete SSS

Ken Block has put on another spectacular display for the Auckland crowd and is currently third fastest behind Stohl and the MINI of Araujo.

00:46 Nobre completes SS19

A quicker time for Nobre in the MINI with his second pass of the super special.

00:43 Stage Begin - SS19 SSS Auckland Domain 2 (2.05km)

SSS is underway for the second and final time today!

00:43 Eye in the sky report

The sun has popped it's head out for the fans at the Auckland Domain SSS as World Rally Cars begin to move through the 2.05km test.

23:31 PWRC: Top-5 overall after SS18

1. Paddon, 2. Andersson, 3. Oleksowicz, 4. McRae, 5. Al-Rajhi

23:31

That's the stage complete as crews begin to make their way to back to Service before this afternoon's final loop of stages!

23:30 PWRC: Top-5 overall after SS17

1. Ligato, 2. Aska, 3. Trivino, 4. Gorban, 5. Linari

23:22 Live Tweets #WRC

@planetemarcus #WRC #RallyNZ SS18 Sordo Novikov+1.4 PSolberg+1.8 Tanak+2.1 Loeb+2.6 JML+3.3 Neuville+3.7 Stohl+3.8 Hirvo+4.2 Araujo+4.7 Block+6.7

23:14 WRC Top-10 Overall after SS17

1. Loeb, 2. Hirvonen +17.4s, 3. Solberg +1m32.6s, 4. Novikov +2m00.9s, 5. Tanak +2m22.7s, 6. Neuville +2m39.0s, 7. Sordo +3m01.6s, 8. Latvala +4m56.5s, 9. Araujo +8m49.3s, 10. Block +9m31.9s

23:12 Solberg through third fastest

Petter Solberg has put on a show for the crowds in Auckland and heads in third fastest over the stage.

23:04 Sordo sets a blistering time on SSS

The MINI of Dani Sordo is currently the fastest car over the SSS by over two minutes!

23:00 Latvala and Araujo clear SS18

Latvala heads across the finish line of the Auckland Domain as the quickest driver so so far with the MINI of Araujo also setting a quick time.

22:56 Block styling it up for NZ fans

Block and his typical gymkhana driving style have wow'd fans here in Auckland as he completes the Domain Super Special!

22:51 Two drivers clear SS18

Ketomma currently fastest from Nobre through SSS

22:48 Stage Begin - SS18 SSS Auckland Domain 1 (2.05km)

The MINI of Paulo Nobre has kicked off proceedings here at the Auckland Domain!

22:46 Live Tweets #WRC

@RallyNewZealand Made it down to the Auckland Domain. Its free for all spectators & you can see these guys twice!! #RallyNZ #WRC

22:43

Despite the heavy rain about, spectators are out in force for the 2.05km Super Special around the Auckland Domain!

22:30 SWRC Top-5 overall after SS17

1. Paddon, 2. Andersson, 3. Oleksowicz, 4. McRae, 5. Al-Rajhi

22:23 PWRC: Top-5 overall after SS17

1. Ligato, 2. Aska +5m48.9s, 3. Trivino +6m43.0s, 4. Gorban +9m20.6s, 5. Linari

22:20 Live Tweets #WRC

‏@chelseabeckman Just started raining here in the auckland domain #RallyNZ #WRC @RallyNewZealand

22:18 WRC Top-10 Overall after SS17

1. Loeb, 2. Hirvonen +15.8s, 3. Solberg +1m33.4s, 4. Novikov +2m02.1s, 5. Tanak +2m23.2s, 6. Neuville +2m37.9s, 7. Sordo +3m04.2s, 8. Latvala +4m55.8s, 9. Araujo +8m47.2s, 10. Block +9m27.8s

22:16 WRC: Double stage win for Neuville

Citroen driver Thierry Neuville takes two stage wins on SS16 and SS17 this morning!

22:15 PWRC: Marcos Ligato continues to lead the way

Ligato said: "It is difficult and now I must be very focused not to make mistakes. I have a big lead but we will enjoy ourselves when we get to the finish."

22:13 Live Tweets #WRC

@TodoRallyArg #PWRC en la SS16: Marcos Ligato ganó el tramo. General: 1º Ligato, 2º Aska a 5m47s2, 3º Triviño a 6m13s0, 4º a Gorban 9m05s8 #WRC

22:10 SWRC: Paddon on course for SWRC win despite broken damper

Paddon said: "The car feels like a yo-yo in the back. We changed the dampers last night and they were obviously not right. It's a bit disappointing because we wanted to come out and try and catch Manfred [Stohl] this morning but that's not a chance now. All OK though, we can get it to the end of this rally."

22:07 Loeb clear through SS17

Loeb said: "No big risks in there, just trying to consolidate the position and it about a medium push."

22:05 Hirvonen safely through SS17

Hirvonen said: "I tried to take it quite careful in there. It is very slippery under braking and I don't need to take any risks so we just got through."

22:03 Solberg through SS17

Solberg said: "There is no point to push too hard. Third is important to me and I have no threat from anyone behind. I stopped braking into one slow corner in there because it was so muddy."

22:01 Novikov through second quickest

Novikov said: "Everythng is OK. We wen't for a big push here but not too crazy and I think now we will just take it easy and get to the end in our position."

21:59 Tanak clears SS17

Tanak said: "We are watching Neuville's times to make sure he doesn't get too close but he was on some softs and we were all hards for this loop so of course he had a small advantage this morning."

21:57 Neuville fastest again as he looks to secure his second consecutive stage win

Neuville said: "I just tried to drive fast ad we had a clean run. It was difficult at the end but we just kept pushing and I am going to try and push to the end to put some pressure on the guys in front."

21:55 Sordo fastest thus far

Sordo said: "I drove really cautiously in there so I am surprised with the time because I was pushing like crazy in the previous stage and I couldn't keep up with Latvala but now we are fastest. Confusing, but maybe these soft tyres are starting to work beter now."

21:53 Latvala completes SS17

Latvala said: "It is getting very, very twisty and lots of rhythm changes in there. But I have to say these hard-compound Michelin tyres are working extremely well on this surface."

21:52 Araujo through on SS17

Araujo said: "This stage it was really difficult with the mixed compound tyres and the feeling with the car was strange. We are just going to try and keep in front of Block behind us."

21:51 Ken Block clears SS17

Block said: "Really tricky stage but I really enjoyed it. It is nice to have these more technical stages to add variety but I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the super special and I hope there is a good crowd up there today."

21:46 Nobre, Ketomma and Stohl complete stage

Crews are beginning to complete the the 17.94km Puhoi test.

21:45 Paddon contiues

Paddon said: "The rear suspension is not working at all. It's just bouncing around everywhere and I can finish the rally but now I won't catch Manfred!"

21:43 Loeb through SS16 as Citroens consolidate places - Neuville takes stage win

Loeb said: "It's not the best tyre choice for this stage because it is really wet in there. But the car is feeling very balanced."

21:41 Hirvonen clears SS16

Hirvonen said: "The hard tyres are not working too hard. It was really slippery but I didn't need to take any risks, we just followed Petter's time and made sure we were on par with him."

21:38 Solberg through on 4 used soft tyres

Solberg said: "It's very muddy in some places and I thought the old softs would be the option but it is still very slippery in there. I'm not taking any risks in my position."

21:35 Novikov clears SS16

Novikov said: "It was quite slippery with the heavy rain but everything is OK."

21:33 Stage Begin - SS17 Puhoi 1 (17.94km)

Nobre into stage!

21:33 Neuville quickest on SS16

Neuville said: "I really like the feeling of the car with this mix of hard and soft compound tyre. Ideally it would be best with 4 new soft tyres but this still gives me a good feeling."

21:31 Sordo completes second quickest

Sordo said: "I have soft tyres but I am surprised at Jari-Matti's time. We had some grip in the stage but I was hoping for a better time on these soft tyres."

21:29 Latvala finishes SS16 fastest

Latvala said: "The worst things was the 7 minute delay at the start of the stage and sitting there on the hard tyres because the tyres lost some temperature with the delay. I think it is better to run a brand new hard-compound tyre on this stage rather than a used soft."

21:27 Araujo the second MINI to clear SS16

Araujo said: "Not too tricky in there but we are on two used tyres and two new ones so this made it a bit slippery for the MINI."

21:23 Block completes SS16 second quickest through

Block said: "It's quite slippery in there and we are 10th overall so there is no point to take too many risks. We still had a couple of moments but it's still fun."

21:21 Jari Ketomaa clears SS16

Ketomaa said: "It was a very nice stage but there were some very muddy places in the braking areas and I nearly came of the road at one point."

21:15 Nobre completes SS16

Nobre said: "It's very slippery in there I must say I was a little bit nervous. I was really careful but now I can trust my notes a lot better for the Power Stage this afternoon."

21:06 Stage Begin - SS16 Burnside/Wech Access 1 (7.3km)

Nobre is into the stage as we kick off the final day of the 2012 Rally New Zealand!

21:02

Good morning folks and welcome to a cold and rain-effected opening stage to Day 3 of Rally New Zealand. This 7.3km stage is the event's Power Stage when crews tackle it for the second time this afternoon at 13.40 local time. The first car is just moments away from hitting the gravel!