Rally Sweden

14:59 Thank you for following!

Well what a rally! It couldn't have been any more exciting and the new power stage was a huge success. Congratulations go to Mikko Hirvonen taking the first win of the 2011 season. Thank you for following us here on Live Text, we shall be back for Rally Mexico in three weeks time. Until then you contact us at @OfficialWRC and let us know what you're up to and what you think of the new season.

14:48 Mikko Hirvonen wins Rally Sweden 2011

Mikko Hirvonen has won Rally Sweden 2011 after completing the power stage in 2m24.1s. The win makes the Flying Finn Ford's most successful driver to date with 13 stage wins, surpassing Marcus Gronholm's record of 12. This makes it a podium lock out for Ford, their Fiesta RS WRC in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. It's been a fantastic rally all round and a year on from his last rally win, Mikko can be proud to take first place on the podium later today. Sebastien Ogier will be happy with his power stage win and will take home the extra points. Well done Latvala and Ostberg for putting up a great fight and congratulations go to Mikko Hirvonen our winner of Rally Sweden 2011.

14:46 Mads Ostberg takes 2nd place

After a fantastic rally Mads Ostberg completes the power stage with a good time of 2m25.7s, the Norwegian surpassed all expectations this weekend and drove hard and fast. It looks to be a very promising season for the young driver.

14:45 Loeb breaks down off stage

Continuing the unexpected Sebastien Loeb has broken down off stage

14:40 Chris Patterson drives Petters car!

Bizarre events are unfolding at Rally Sweden's final stage. It turns out that Petter Solberg was caught speeding on Friday, going 112kmph in an 80kmph zone. Swedish Police decided that 48hours after the event his licence will be revoked, as a result Chris Patterson had to drive his Citroen DR3. Patterson completed the stage in 3m13.9s, the co-driver was 51.2s behind Ogier the current stage leader.

14:37 Latvala secures podium

Jari-Matti Latvala has won a podium place on Rally Sweden, he completed the power stage in 2m23.4s and was fast enough to secure third place over all.

14:34 Ogier surpasses team mate Loeb on power stage

At 2m22.7s, Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier sets fastest pace on the power stage so far by beating his team mate Loeb but 0.3s, it is doubtful that it is quick enough to take a podium place, although it's not over until it's over.

14:32 Loeb sets fastest pace on power stage

World Chapion Sebastien Loeb has not had the best rally in Sweden, however he'll be happy to put it behind him and with a fast final stage time of 2m23.0s, 1s faster than PG Andersson.

14:28 Raikkonen completes Rally Sweden behind Andersson

Kimi Raikkonen has finished the power stage in 2m26.0s, 2s behind PG Andersson. He battled yesterday to finish in 7th but Andersson fought back today and the Ice Man will have to settle for 8th overall. Still a good rally performance by the former F1 Champ, will look forward to having him back at Rally Portugal.

14:25 Disappointed Andersson is grateful for support

PG Andersson was massively disappointed not finishing Rally Sweden higher up in the overall standings, despite finishing the power stage with the fastest time so far of 2m24.0s, 4s ahead of Matthew Wilson. Andersson said 'I'm so grateful for all the spectators and the fans, it's unfortunate to let them all down' A shame for the Swedish driver, although 2011 still shows some great promise.

14:21 Sandell happy with Rally Sweden finish

Patrick Sandell was the first Swede to finish Rally Sweden 2011 and he seemed very happy after finsihing the power stage in 2m31.8s. 'I enjoyed it a lot, especially the first day when we fought with the WRC cars.... I'm really happy'

14:19 Wilson secures 9th

British driver Matthew Wilson has secured 9th position of Rally Sweden 2011 with current fasted time of 2m28.0s, he battled Al-Qassimmi all day and can be happy to remain 9th overall.

14:16 Al-Qassimmi behind Block on stage time

Khalid Al-Qassimmi finished his first ever power stage 3.4s behind Ken Block, he will hope Wilson makes a mistake if he is to take the 9th place overall.

14:15 'No pressure it's only on live TV' - Ken Block

Ken Block has finished Rally Sweden in an overall time of 3h40m48.4s, the American showman was happy to complete his first rally of 2011, when asked how he felt at the end of the stage he joked 'No pressure it's only on live TV'

14:11 Ken Block starts the power stage

With the new power stage the drivers head out in reverse order so we won't know who wins Rally Sweden until the last car, Mikko Hirvonen, crosses the finish. Ken Block is away in his Monster Ford Fiesta and the stage is live

14:08 Stage Begin - SS22 Gustavsfors 2 (Power Stage) (4.16km)

Here we are, the final stage of Rally Sweden and it all comes down to this. With only 4.9s separating Mads Ostberg from current rally leader Mikko Hirvonen we can expect an incredible power stage finish. With points up for grabs on the power stage we should see every driver going flat out to try and set the fastest pace. One driver who has been flat out all morning is Jari-Matti Latvala who is currently 3rd overall and but only 6.7s ahead of Petter Solberg who has remained strong despite a minor spin. If the standings remain the same then Ford will hold the top three. It's been an amazing rally so far and as Ken Block heads out first on SS22 we are mere kilometres away from seeing who will win Rally Sweden 2011.

13:05 Ostberg bears down on Hirvonen as Latvala wins stage

Mikko Hirvonen's overall lead into the final stage of Rally Sweden has been cut down to 4.9s, an impressive run by Mads Ostberg has seen him within striking distance of the Finn. An incredible run by Jari-Matti Latvala saw him move onto 3rd overall, who is 6.9s ahead of Petter Solberg who has now moved up to 4th. Sebastien Ogier will definitely be disappointed, having slid down to 5th after a slow run on Rammen. Rally Sweden will all come down to the final power stage, could you have asked for any more than that?

13:03 Wilson extends lead over Al-Qassimmi

The battle for 9th position is going Matthew Wilson's way as he completes Rammen 6.9s faster than Ford's Khalid Al-Qassimmi, meaning that the overall difference is 14s. It will come down to the power stage to see if the British rally driver can hold onto the 9th position.

12:59 Unlikely for Raikkonen to take back 7th

After finishing SS21 in 12m29.1s Kimi Raikkonen is unlikely to take back 7th place from local lad PG Andersson who was 12.3s faster than the Ice Man. Andersson who has been on form all day is now 38.3s faster than Raikkonen overall.

12:58 Loeb finishes stage ahead of Ogier

Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb has finished Rammen in 12m24.8s, 3.7s faster than his team mate Sebastien Ogier.

12:55 Slow time by Ogier leads to 5th place

After a disappointing run by Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier on SS21 of 12m28.5s, he has now moved down to 5th overall. Jari-Matti Latvala has now moved up to 3rd and Solberg is now 4th. The Frenchman will have to do something special at the power stage to have any chance of getting a podium place.

12:51 Latvala sets fastest time but power steering problems?

Jari-Matti Latvala showed his intent to get a podium place with the fastest pace so far of 12m12.9s, 2.6s faster than Mads Ostberg. However despite the remarkable pace he expressed concerns with his power steering, explaining 'the power steering was getting harder towards the end. I hope there’s not a leak in the power steering track' This could be a real concern for the Ford driver, we will have to wait until the power stage to see how serious the problem is.

12:48 Petter faster than Hirvonen

Petter Solberg was 4.1s faster than rally leader Mikko Hirvonen with a stage time of 12m15.7s, only 0.2s behind Mads Ostberg. An impressive time but more than likely not enough to contend for the podium.

12:45 'Let's take them!' - Mads Ostberg

The fantastic form of Mads Ostbverg has continued as he sets the pace at 12m15.5s, 4.3s faster than Hirvonen. We asked about the run Mads was somewhat reserved saying 'It's going well for us but I didn't want to risk anything. We have a great result now anyway, better to end second than to fail....I'm very happy with my driving' However when asked about the power stage the nippy Norwegian laughed 'Let's take them!'

12:44 Latvala flying through the splits

Jari-Matti is currently 4.8s faster than Hirvonen on the third split

12:40 It's going to be close' - Mikko Hirvonen

Mikko Hirvonen has set a strong pace at 12m19.8s. However with Ostberg up 3.9s on the final split, we will have to see if he's done enough. Mikko said 'I tried to stay a clean line the whole time but it's going to be close'

12:38 Ostberg great pace continues into third split

Mads Ostberg is now 3.2s faster than Mikko Hirvonen on the third split, it's getting very very close at the top.

12:37 On Twitter - @iandevany

"WRC is back and its looking awesome!!!"

12:36 Ostbergs pulls back by second split

After a slower first split, Mads Ostberg has now pulled ahead by 1.6s at the second split. He will looking to cut down Hirvonen's lead as much as possible.

12:35 Ostberg 0.3s behind on the opening split

Mads Ostberg is slightly slower than Hirvonen on the first split by 0.3s

12:31 Stage Begin - SS21 Rammen 2 (22.76km)

With the longest stage of the day now live, we have ourselves a real battle at the top. Mikko Hirvonen leads the rally by 9.2s over Mads Ostberg, however after the conditions working against him in SS20 it could may well be possible the Finn will struggle to maintain his lead. With Petter Solberg's spin on Torntorp it is unlikely he will see the podium today but the battle is intense between Ogier and Latvala for 3rd place. Only 1.2s separate the Citroen and Ford driver who both will be driving flat out to secure a spot in the top three.

11:40 Solberg spins out of podium race at Latvala claims stage win

Petter Solberg will be extremely disappointed to have spun on SS20, losing 25s off the lead pace set by a very determined Jari-Matti Latvala. Dropping down to 5th overall Petter will feel his chances of a podium place are slim to none. However SS20 also saw Hirvonen's lead at the top cut down to 9.2s over Mads Ostberg. The Flying Finn will now have to pull out all the stops to make sure Ford keep the number 1 spot at the end of the day.

11:38 Wilson surpasses Al-Qassimmi

British rally driver Matthew Wilson has moved up to 9th overall with a stage time 7.5s faster than Khalid Al-Qassimmi. Now there's only 7.1s in it for the 9th place but Khalid says 'the battle is still on'

11:36 Andersson slower than Raikkonen

PG Andersson set a slower time on SS20 than Kimi Raikkonen with a time of 10m26.3s, the local boy was disappointed with the run but still sits comfortably 26s ahead of the Ice Man in the overall standings.

11:33 Raikkonen on good form

The Ice Man, Kimi Raikkonen has continued his strong form with a good time of 10m22.9s, 22.9s off the lead pace set by Latvala. The Finn will be happy to maintain his good form.

11:31 Loeb sets respectable time

Citroen driver Sebastien Loeb has set a respectable time of 10m19.7s, he was reserved on the stage in order to save his tyres for the power stage, a luxury the front five cannot afford.

11:29 Ogier in podium place

After Petter Solberg's spin, Sebastien Ogier has managed to get into 3rd place overall coming into the last stage of the day. He finished Torntorp in 10m11.2s, 13.8s ahead of Solberg.

11:27 'I feel like a new man after the service' - Jari-Matti Latvala

Latvala has come flat out of the midday service with a fantastic time of 10m exactly, 5.5s faster than Ostberg. As a result he has overtaken Petter Solberg and now is back into 4th place.

11:24 Petter 15s behind Ostberg after spin

Petter Solberg had a disappointing run on SS20 after a spin after the first split. He dropped 15s behind Ostberg with a time of 10m25.0s, he will feel he's really missed out

11:21 The fight is back on!

Mads Ostberg has set a strong time of 10m05.5s and as a result cut the lead at the front down to 9.2s, at the finish Mads said 'Bloody hell it’s really difficult....I won't stop driving but I won’t risk my life either.' An impressive run by the young Norwegian, the fight for the top spot is heating up in the final stages.

11:19 Mikko sets the pace

Mikko Hirvonen sets the pace at 10m10s but he is not overly happy, stating 'It was a lot more difficult than I first thought, there's a lot more snow now' After seeing Ostberg is chasing up on the split Mikko continued 'It's going to close, the next one is going to be even worse...' Looks like the battle for first place is on.

11:16 Petter Solberg loses 13.8s on the second split

Something has happened with Petter Solberg as the timing for the second split comes in and he is now 13.8s behind Mikko Hirvonen, putting his podium place in danger of Sebastien Ogier who is currently 8.2s behind overall.

11:14 Ostberg increases split lead as Solberg sets good pace

Mads Ostberg is now 0.6s faster than Mikko Hirvonen on the second split and Petter Solberg is 0.9s faster than the lead by the first split

11:13 Ostberg is faster than Hirvonen on the first split

Mads Ostberg has put in a time 0.3s faster than current rally leader Mikko Hirvonen on the first split of Torntorp

11:09 Stage Begin - SS20 Torntorp 2 (19.21km)

Mikko Hirvonen has had an amazing morning here at Rally Sweden, he edges ever closer to the first rally win of 2011, however it is far from over, anything can happen and Mads Ostberg is only 13.7s behind. SS20 Torntorp is now live and the Ford driver is gong flat out

10:58 On Twitter - @EmpireSteve

"#WRC Nice to hear Jean Todt is giving WRC some love by being a co-driver in one of the safety cars for special stage 20."

10:42 On Twitter - @DenzilVW

"I got a sneaky suspicion that the wrc fiesta will be mighty this year.... Car is based on good chassis and formula S2000" Do you agree with Denzil? Let us know @OfficialWRC

10:33 The cars are out of their service and on the way to SS20

With the midday service of Day 3 done the cars head out to the last few stages of the day, starting with SS20 Torntorp

09:25 On Twitter - @patriksandell

"Remmen is a fantastic stage, but the top speed of the S2000 and WRC are not on the same level.. :0)"

09:15 Three for three for Hirvonen

Three stage wins from three this morning for Mikko Hirvonen. It's been the dream start of Day 3 for the Flying Finn, starting the morning with a lead of 7.3s he can now go into the service park with a comfortable lead of 13.7s. Mads Ostberg has been pushing himself 'absolutely to the limit' but cannot seem to catch the Ford driver. It's been a fantastic day so far and as the cars head into service we shall head into lunch. We will see you back here for the conclusion to what has to be one of the most exciting rallies of recent years.

09:12 Wilson creeps closer to Al-Qassimmi and 9th place

British rally driver Matthew Wilson has completed Rammen in 12m36.5s, 5.6s faster than Khalid Al-Qassimmi. This reduces the difference down to 0.4s between the two drivers who are currently fighting over 9th place overall.

09:09 Andersson pulls away from Raikkonen

PG Andersson crosses the finish at Rammen in 12m10.2s he is 24.2s faster than Kimi Raikkonen, this means that the overall difference between the two is 29.4s. Kimi will be disappointed to not have closed the gap.

09:04 'Why wasn't it like this on the first morning?' - Sebastien Loeb

After front runner Mikko Hirvonen has been pulling away the World Champion could only question his luck. Compared to Day 1 where Loeb has to clear the road in heavy snow, Day 3 has seen Hirvonen extend his lead with each stage. After crossing the finish in 12m08.8s, Loeb couldn't help but ask 'Why wasn’t it like that on the first morning?'

09:02 Ogier edges closer to Solberg

Sebastien Ogier completes Rammen with a strong time of 12m01.3s, 0.1 faster than current 3rd place Petter Solberg, there's now only 8.7s between the two drivers.

08:59 Latvala suffering on Rammen

Jari-Matti Latvala's hopes of winning Rally Sweden have taken a real knock after he finishes SS19 in 12m10.4s, 15.1s off the lead. After losing the front bumper on Torntorp Latvala has struggled to keep up with the front three.

08:56 Broken front damper hold Solberg back

Petter Solberg has suffered on SS19 with a broken front damper, and crossed the finish in 12m01.4s. He explained 'I’m struggling a lot every time I do something it goes completely wrong.' It will interesting to see if after Petter fixes that at the midday service if he can make up for lost time.

08:54 'Absolutely on the limit' - Mads Ostberg

Mads Ostberg has completed SS19 in 11m57.1s, although 1.8s behind Mikko Hirvonen he was still positive about the run, 'We are pushing really really hard, I’m absolutely on the limit, any faster and I will push mistakes I can’t go any faster..... I’m very happy, Mikko is one of the best drivers in the world, I’m very very happy'

08:46 Hirvonen finishes with minor damage

Mikko Hirvonen has crossed the finish setting a good pace of 11m55.3s. His Ford RS WRC had damage on the front right side, Mikko said 'there's a little bit more snow on this one, I tried I really tried we'll see if it's enough, there's lots of ice blocks and cubes on the road falling from the banks'

08:42 Hirvonen pulls away on the first split

Consistently good this morning, Mikko Hirvonen continues his form is currently ahead on the first split

08:38 Power issues in the service park

We are currently experiencing power issues in the service park and as a result split times are not showing up, bear with us we'll have it back up shortly.

08:37 Stage Begin - SS19 Rammen 1 (22.76km)

Mikko Hirvonen is flat out for the win, with Rammen under way Mikko will look to carry on his fantastic form this morning and try make it 3 stage wins from 3 on the final day and head into the midday service park with a comfortable lead

08:05 Hirvonen takes second stage win in a row

It seems Mikko Hirvonen is a dream start to the final day of Rally Sweden, claiming his second stage win of the rally and extending his lead to 11.9s over Mads Ostberg. Initial fears that having to head out first would slow the leader have been put to bed as Hirvonen starts to pull away.

07:59 Andersson 360 spin keeps Raikkonen hopes alive

After a 360 spin by local boy PG Andersson, the Ice Man is now only 5.2s away from 7th position. He finished Gustavsfors in 2m31s and has edged closer to Andersson in the overall standings.

07:57 Loeb puts in strong time

The World Champion has paced a strong time of 2m23.7s, although 1.6s behind the lead it shows he's not happy to just sit back on the final day.

07:56 Ogier keeps 4th place

Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier has managed to stay in 4th overall and ahead of Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala with a stage time of 2m24.9s, 0.9s faster than the Finn, only 3.3s between them overall.

07:52 Latvala faster than Solberg

After a disappointing opening stage, Jari-Matti Latvala has finished SS18 in 2m25.8s, he was 1.8s faster than Solberg but it's still not enough to beat Hirvonen.

07:50 Petter slower again

Mikko Hirvonen looks to only extending his lead on the final day as Petter Solberg completes SS18 in 2m26.2s, he is now 24.4s off the lead overall.

07:47 Ostberg trails behind Hirvonen

Mads Ostberg has finished the second stage of today behind Hirvonen, completing the stage in 2m24.0s, he was 1.8s behind the Finn on the stage is now 11.8s behind overall.

07:44 Impressive time for Hirvonen

Mikko Hirvonen has crossed the finish at Gustavsfors with a time of 2m22.1s

07:43 Stage Begin - SS18 Gustavsfors 1 (4.16km)

With Gustavsfors under way Mikko Hirvonen will be looking to further extend his lead, after his fantastic stage win on Torntorp. Snow dust and visibility issues have made the conditions difficult for many of the drivers, especially Jari-Matti Latvala who after going too wide round a corner, hit a snow bank and lost his front bumper. The Ford driver moved down to 5th overall and the the nippy Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier has now moved into 5th. What a start...

07:38 On Twitter - @Becsywecsy

"What a start! #WRC #Rallysweden"

07:34 Hirvonen takes first stage win and extends lead

Mikko Hirvonen has taken his first stage win of Rally Sweden and what a stage to take. The opening stage of the final day saw the Flying Finn extend his lead at the front to 10s, it would seem today's conditions suit the front runner. It's been a disappointing start for both Jari-Matti Latvala and Kimi Raikkonen, who has moved down to 5th and 8th respectively.

07:27 Al-Qassimi passes Wilson after penalty

Khalid Al-Qassimi has leaped Matthew Wilson and jumped from 11th to 9th in the overall standings. Khalid was 0.8s faster than the Brit however after a jump start penalty by Wilson and a particularly slow time by Patrick Sandell, he has managed to jump to 9th overall.

07:24 Disappointing time for Sandell

Patrick Sandell has put in a very disappointing time of 10m49.1s, 59.9s off the lead pace on the opening stage of the day, this could result in him losing his overall placing of 9th to Matthew Wilson who is currently 10th.

07:22 PG pushes hard

Local lad PG Andersson has crossed the finish with a strong time of 10m01.4s, although 12.2s behind the lead it is enough for him to overtake Kimi Raikkonen in the overall standings and move into 7th.

07:19 Unsettling start for Raikkonen

After having a very promising Day 2 at Rally Sweden, Kimi Raikkonen will be very disappointed with a pace of 10m33.9s, 44.7s behind Mikko Hirvonen. He will look to improve on this through the day and return to the form he found yesterday.

07:17 Conditions difficult for Loeb

Snow dust seems to be the condition holding many of the drivers back and the World Champ is no different. Finishing in 10m08.7s, Sebastien Loeb was 19.,5s behind Hirvonen, 'the conditions are very difficult today (snow dust) is an issue.'

07:15 Puncture for Ogier

Sebastien Ogier completes SS17 with a puncture on his front left tyre with a time of 10m03.8s, according to the Frenchman the tyre punctured just on the finish line. However after Latvala's slow time, Ogier now moves up to 4th in the overall standings.

07:11 Latvala loses front bumper

Jari Matti Latvala lost his front bumper after hitting a snow bank on his opening stage on the final day. 'We went a bit wide and hit a snow bank....we were struggling to keep the windscreen open.' Jari-Matti conceded 'The conditions are very difficult.... that was a difficult one.' He finally crossed the finish in 10m11.1s, 21.9 behind the lead. Will this knock him off the podium come end of the day?

07:07 Solberg trailing behind Hirvonen

Petter Solberg will be disappointed with an opening stage time of 10m00.6s, 8.8s off the pace set by Hirvnoen, extending the overall difference between the two to 20.3s

07:04 Ostberg slower than Hirvonen

Current second place Mads Ostberg crosses the finish in 9m51.8s, 2.6s off the pace, he explained he was 'trying to push but not pushing hard enough' Can the Norwegian push that little bit extra and catch the lead?

07:01 Mikko sets fantastic pace at start of Day 3

Mikko Hirvonen has finished his first stage of the final day with a fantastic time of 9m49.2s. According to the splits so far he is pulling ahead, although Mads Ostberg is yet to show any split times

06:52 On Twitter - @clabedan

"WRC : cinq pilotes en seize secondes !"

06:51 Stage Begin - SS17 Torntorp 1 (19.21km)

Morning rally fans, we are back for the Final Day of Rally Sweden 2011 and we have an almighty day ahead of us. Only 15.8s separate the top five, Mikko Hirvonen is just in front by 7.4s but with a Mads Ostberg, Petter Solberg, Jari-Matti Latvala and Sebastien Ogier all chasing from behind, today is far too close to call. Torntorp is now live and the Day 3 of this amazing rally is under way

06:50 On Twitter - @the_axos

"A great last day battle hopefully for rally Sweden win #wrc Go Mikko!!"