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Interesting shape going into the weekend. Sordo is on good form, it's just a shame he stalled it at the hairpin towards the end of the day. Hopefully this doesn't wreck his momentum even though he's lost the lead. Hyundais are looking stronger than Toyota so far but Thierry's accident was an unfortunate blow to an otherwise steady run. Evans is in a good position to pick up good points for Toyota if he keeps up the pace over the weekend. However, can somebody explain to me the ruling behind nominal stage times? After Evans got stuck in Thierry's dust he was given a "nominal" stage time. I've heard of this being used many times before but, in this case, Evans' given time was the same as the stage winner (Ogier). How is this determined? I could understand some average time being allocated but I was surprised that he got an equal best stage time. This, in turn, contributed greatly to his overall rally position.
On another note, M-Sport are having another good run on the back of Croatia. It's good to see them seemingly improve even if both drivers had a mishap over the course of the day. Could be a good points haul for the team if they both keep it together and Greensmith may even clinch a maiden stage win if he keeps his form up.
Hard to hedge a bet on a winner. I'd put my money on Sordo on sheer pace and form but it's hard to tell if he'll keep out of trouble. If he suffers some accident or mechanical issue I can imagine Tanak will be waiting in the wings.
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