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Category: WRC, Rally
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Latvala warms up nicely for Rally Italia Sardegna, quickest in shakedown
Jari-Matti Latvala who topped the shakedown on Thursday. Photo: WRC Alghero, 07 June 2018: Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through an unusually damp shakedown at Rally Italia Sardegna on Thursday morning. He topped the times in the 3.51km Olmeda test in his Toyota Yaris, 0.8sec clear of Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20. Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak were tied in third, a further tenth behind.
It was the third successive rally in which Latvala has won shakedown, but broken suspension sidelined him early at the last two rounds in Argentina and Portugal after hitting rocks. The Finn has changed his preparations in a bid to avoid an unwanted hat-trick.
“In the recce, I used more time than previously. I stopped at some places to throw the stones away and I walked around and looked at the stones,” he told wrc.com. “I also tried to mark more carefully the bad places or where there was a stone on the ground and rather than going over it, I will go round it.
“We’ll run the car higher which should help with the impacts and I won’t turn so aggressively into corners. There was no time to do any suspension work between Portugal and this rally, but the reality is that I’ve been driving too aggressively.”
Team-mate Lappi set the pace during the first pass of the gravel stage. Paddon was fastest on the next two runs before Latvala moved top of the standings on his fourth and final attempt.
Persistent rain fell in the Alghero service park and while the stage was drier, the obligatory hard compound Michelin rubber was not ideal for the conditions.
Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen were both caught out, swiping a rock during their first runs which caused bodywork damage to the co-driver’s side of their cars.
Leading positions were:
POSITION DRIVER CAR TIME 1 Jari-Matti Latvala Toyota Yaris 1min 53.9sec 2 Hayden Paddon Hyundai i20 +0.8sec 3= Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 +0.9sec 3= Esapekka Lappi Toyota Yaris +0.9sec 3= Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris +0.9sec 6 Sébastien Ogier Ford Fiesta +1.4sec 7 Elfyn Evans Ford Fiesta +2.2sec 8 Teemu Suninen Ford Fiesta +2.8sec 9 Andreas Mikkelsen Hyundai i20 +3.2sec 10 Craig Breen Citroën C3 +3.6sec -
MRF Tyres and Gaurav Gill set for historic WRC debut in Rally Italia Sardegna
Gaurav Gill (right) and co-driver Glenn Macneall with the M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 By Anand Philar
Bengaluru, 05 June 2018: Come this weekend, India will be marking her presence on one of motorsport’s biggest stages, the FIA World Rally Championship as MRF Tyres and Gaurav Gill will take the start in Rally Italia Sardegna, albeit in the non-priority WRC2 category.
MRF Tyres have linked up with WRC’s top team, UK-based M-Sport who also manage the reigning World champion Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, to run four gravel rounds this season which will serve as a platform to do some R & D on their tyres before participating in the full season next year.
Gill, along with his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall with whom he won two of the three FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship titles, will be piloting the M-Sport R5 Ford Fiesta. The 36-year old Delhi-based Indian did two days of testing in the forests of Cumbria, UK, last week before heading to the island of Sardegna.
MRF, after having won nine APRC titles since their debut in 2002 and as such, the move to WRC was to be expected with Gill as their driver mascot, though it meant loads of preparatory work by way of making tyres to WRC standards and competing against established global brands such as Michelin and D-Mack. Participation in four gravel rounds mean generating data on tyres over 1,200 Kms of Special Stages.
Besides Sardegna, MRF and Gill plan to take part in Rally of Finland (July 26-29), Wales Rally GB (October 4-7) and Rally Australia (November 15-18).
So, what is in store for Gill in Sardegna? First, being a non-priority entry, Gill will start the rally from the last group, behind WRC (priority 1), WRC2 (priority 2) and WRC3 (priority 3), and this could be a disadvantage since the surface would have been chewed up by the cars that preceded him. As per the official list published, Rally Italia has 50 entries of which 28 enjoy “priority” status as mentioned above. The non-priority category has four WRC-spec entries, nine R5 cars and nine more in the RC2/3/4/5, NR4/R3T/R2/R1 class.
Rally Italia Sardegna service park. Photo: Rally Italia website Second, Gill faces another disadvantage of not having sufficient seat time in the Ford Fiesta R5, but he was in similar situation in the APRC too, driving the Skoda Fabia R5. Third, the ecosystem of the WRC takes some getting used to though Gill had taken part in three WRC rounds in the Production (now WRC2) class, back in 2008 and 2009, courtesy Bengaluru-based Sidvin Core-Tech.
Yet, you can’t put anything past Gill who over the years has, like good wine, matured into a World-class rally driver. “It is not just about raw speed for me today. I have evolved over the years along with the sport itself which I think is the key to where I am now. Moving on to WRC2 will no doubt present fresh challenges, but I take comfort in the fact that I have raced against some of the current top drivers in APRC and also beaten them. However, I do not entertain any high expectations for this season as the focus will also be on tyre R & D. Yes, it will be a steep learning curve for me and also MRF, but I am looking forward to the challenge,” Gill told me during a recent conversation.
To say the obvious, it will be a tough going in Rally Italia Sardegna, but, given the circumstances, if you can bet on one driver to deliver a strong performance, then my man is Gaurav Gill. WRC has been a long time coming, but as Gill agreed, better late than never.
RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA DETAILS
Rally Italia Sardegna comprises 20 Special Stages totalling over 313 Kms on gravel roads and the temperatures will be high. After the Super Special Stage on Thursday at the rally cross circuit of Ittiri, Friday features four Stages, each run twice. On Saturday, the competitors will do seven Special Stages covering over 146 Kms while Sunday will see four Stages.
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Sebastien Ogier hoping to bounce back in Rally Italia Sardegna this weekend
Sebastien Ogier…..keen to make up for Portugal debacle. Photo: WRC Alghero, 05 June 2018: Reigning champion Sebastien Ogier is looking to put the disappointment at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal behind him as he looks to claim a fourth victory at this weekend’s Rally Italia Sardegna.
The M-Sport Ford driver was forced to retire on the opening day in Portugal after a pace note error caused him to hit a tree stump and break the suspension on his Fiesta, sending him sliding into the trees on the following corner.
His first no-score of the season meant he forfeited his lead in the championship to rally winner Thierry Neuville. Ogier now trails the Hyundai i20 driver by 19 points in the drivers’ standings thanks to the Belgian also claiming four bonus points on the Live TV Power Stage.
“Portugal was a shame as we had the speed to challenge for the win,” Ogier explained. “It was a small mistake with big consequences, but we put it behind us and are now fully focused on giving it everything we’ve got in Sardinia.”
The one silver-lining for the Frenchman is that he won’t be tasked with opening the road on Friday, but he conceded starting second won’t be much of an advantage.
“We won’t be opening the road this year, but we’ll still have something of an uphill battle with many fast drivers benefitting from a cleaner road behind,” Ogier said. “Even so, I’m confident that we can challenge for a good result. If we can keep the lead in sight on Friday night, then we’ll be in with a good chance – and will push for the best possible result.”
The five-time World champion has good form on the Mediterranean island rally, with three previous wins – most recently with VW in 2015 – from seven World Rally Car starts.
Ogier added: “I’ve learned to really enjoy these demanding stages, it’s a beautiful island but not the easiest of rallies with some very rough and abrasive terrain. You need to keep a margin and stay focused from start to finish – which is exactly what we intend to do.”
Sardinia’s beautiful beaches and luscious landscapes attract visitors in their droves, but the island is also prime rally territory – its rugged mountains, ancient forests and unspoilt rural terrain providing some of the year’s most demanding stages.
Lined with car-breaking obstacles, these stages leave no room for error. Fast and narrow, they demand precision driving and note calling from the drivers and co-drivers who must maintain their focus in temperatures as high as 30C.
More than a third of this year’s route is new – countless sections within each of the demanding speed tests offering a different challenge to last year’s encounter.
But the service park remains a familiar affair, hosted by the coastal town of Alghero. The town hosts the ceremonial start as well as the podium ceremony, and its idyllic cafes and mouth-watering selection of Italian gelateria are a must for teams and spectators alike.
Rally Italia Sardegna offers 20 Special Stages totalling more than 313 Kms on rugged and sun-baked gravel roads. Not only the tough gravel roads, but as well the temperatures are a challenge for the crews. While it has 28 Centigrade outside, the temperatures inside the rally cars can easily raise up to 68 degrees.
After the Super Special Stage on Thursday at the rally cross circuit of Ittiri, Friday features four stages in the north of the island, each run twice. Saturday is again the longest day of the rally with seven special stages covering over 146 kilometres. Sunday will bring the final decision with four stages close to the coast north of the host town of Alghero. The event first took place in 1928 as the “Rally of Flowers” and has been a round of the WRC since 1973.
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Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik chalk up ERC3 debut win in EKO Rally Acropolis
Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik celebrate their ERC3 win in the EKO Rally Acropolis. Photo: ERC Athens, 03 June 2018: Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik from India scored a fairy-tale underdog victory in the FIA European Rally Championship’s ERC3 category of the EKO Rally Acropolis, winning on their debut in an older-specification Ford Fiesta R2 on Sunday.
Leading his class heading into Sunday, Ghosh simply had to bring his Prospeed-prepared car home in one piece to complete his first ERC appearance – his third outside native India – in first place. He did exactly that, continuing a deliberate approach to prioritise survival over speed in Acropolis’ rough, rock-strewn stages he had taken since Friday.
“Coming here with an older generation R2, the goal was to finish. In the back of my mind, I knew that if we got to the finish we’d be on the podium, but yesterday morning, when I was only two seconds behind [Artur] Muradian in the Peugeot I knew I could do it,” he told ERC Radio at the finish line.
Amittrajit Ghosh on the charge. Photo: ERC TBRacing’s Muradian had been ERC3’s quickest driver throughout all three days, but his PEUGEOT 208 R2 was appropriate battle-scarred from his fast approach. He was fastest in all but one stage he completed, but sheared wheel bolts in SS5 on Saturday morning forced him to retire from the lead.
“[The wheel bolts] sheared, like somebody cut them off. It’s funny because it was the first turn of the stage, 90 metres, sharp right and you can see the wheel flying in front of you! We lifted the car and when we decided to put the tyre back on, we noticed there were no bolts. We found all four of them in the corner later on!” he said.
Despite his speed, Muradian’s Saturday retirement meant he would settle for third place, well behind ERC Ladies’ Trophy frontrunner Emma Falcón in second. She bravely fought through all four of Leg Three’s stages with no brakes, her middle pedal going down to the floor and forcing Falcón to use her handbrake instead.
Chrysostomos Karellis had hoped to return for Leg Three after his retirement in Drossohori on Saturday but did not make it out of service come Sunday morning.
Amittrajit Ghosh….sensational win. Photo: ERC The Indian pair’s victory that saw them finish over 12 minutes ahead of their nearest rivals, was a foregone conclusion at the end of Saturday’s stages when they enjoyed a commanding lead despite treacherous conditions as Ghosh rightly opted for safety-first approach which put him ahead of class rivals.
Ghosh was taking part in only his third rally event outside of his native India, piloting a Baltic Motorsport Promotion-prepared Ford Fiesta R2. Much of the foundation for his victory was laid on Saturday when after Leg Two’s morning loop, he led in ERC3, taking a steady approach as others were caught out by tricky conditions.
“The whole plan for the event was not to take any risks but drive at a decent pace, so we were surprised to see that we were only two seconds off the fastest [in SS3],” said Ghosh. “For the first 7-8 km [in SS4] we took it almost at recce speed as I knew if you go hot there, you’re not going to finish that stage. When I saw our competitor [Chrysostomos Karellis] unfortunately parked, I knew the call was right.”
Though he lost 17 seconds to previous leader Artur Muradian in SS4, he then moved to the front when a wheel bolt failure ended Muradian’s day in the following stage. “In the next stage at the first corner he was parked,” said Ghosh “I immediately backed off because it doesn’t make any sense to push, and this car can’t take it. If you drive anything more than 70%, I don’t think any car is going to finish.”
His nearest competitor Emma Falcón suffered a puncture in SS5, allowing him to extend his gap and potentially set him up for a sensational debut ERC3 win.
Source: ERC
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MRF Tyres unveils M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 to be driven by Gaurav Gill in WRC 2
Gaurav Gill (right) and co-driver Glenn Macneall pose before their M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 Bengaluru, 31 May 2018: The MRF Tyres today unveiled their M-Sport Fiesta R5 car that will be driven by Indian champion Gaurav Gill with Australian Glenn Macneall as the co-driver. The pair will take part in four rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2 category) this season, beginning with the Rally Italia Sardegna (June 7-10).
The distinctive red and white livery of the Indian tyre manufacturer has been retained as MRF Tyres moves onto the World stage in the non-priority R5 category.
The Delhi-based 36-year old Gill, a three times FIA Asia Pacific Rally Champion, said: “It is a huge honour for me to represent Team MRF at World Rally Championship level.
“MRF tyres has evolved a lot over the years and being the best tyre manufacturer in the region and the WRC is the best platform to showcase the product development. To achieve what no Indian tyre manufacturer has ever done before and compete in what is considered to be the most difficult motorsport championship in the world, is a huge achievement.”
For Macneall, who has competed in 100 WRC events, Rally Italia Sardegna is a return to MRF after many successful years partnering Gill in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
The car will be run by the UK-based WRC World Championship winning M-Sport outfit. The MRF Tyres Fiesta R5 will be one of four cars they service at Rally Italia Sardegna, alongside the three works WRC cars, including the one piloted by World champion Sebastien Ogier.
Besides the Rally Italia Sardegna, the MRF Tyres M-Sport Fiesta will also compete in the Neste Rally Finland (July 26-29), Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (October 4-7) and Kennards Hire Rally Australia (November 15-18).
Prior to joining the WRC, MRF Tyres won nine Asia Pacific Rally Championships and supplies tyres to rally championships across the World.
A side-on view of the MRF Tyres M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 The M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 specs:
ENGINE:
M-Sport developed 1.6 Turbo, direct injection powerplant, FIA regulated 32mm restrictor. Life Racing engine control unit and power management systems.
BODYSHELL:
M-Sport designed bespoke roll cage as per FIA R5 regulations. R5 Aero Package
TRANSMISSION:
Sadev 5 Speed Sequential Gearbox mated to Sadev front and rear differential units.
SUSPENSION:
Front and Rear MacPherson struts with Reiger external reservoir dampers, three way adjustable. Front and rear antil roll-bar options.
UPRIGHTS:
Machined Aluminium uprights of a universal design – strengthened suspension links.
INTERIOR:
FIA 8862 Standard Competition Seats with 6 point HANS compatible harnesses. AP Racing ‘fly by wire’ fully adjustable pedal box. Life Racing fully functional drivers display controlled by a membrane switch panel.
FUEL SYSTEM:
ATL 80 Litre competition standard fuel tank, centrally mounted.
BRAKES:
AP Racing Forged 4 piston front and rear calipers. Gravel 300 x 28mm ventilated discs / Asphalt 355 x 32mm ventilated discs. Hydraulic Handbrake.
WHEELS:
7”x15” wheels – Gravel / 8” x 18” wheels – Asphalt.
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Rally de Portugal: Victory gives Thierry Neuville title lead in WRC
Thierry Neuville who scored a brilliant win in Rally de Portugal to take lead in WRC. Photo: WRC Matosinhos, 20 May 2018: Thierry Neuville won the Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Sunday to swing the FIA World Rally Championship pendulum firmly in his favour. Victory at the gruelling four-day dirt road encounter promoted the Belgian to the top of the standings as the series approaches its midpoint. After starting 10 points behind reigning champion Sébastien Ogier, the Belgian leaves Portugal with a 19-point advantage.
Neuville steered his Hyundai i20 away from trouble during a weekend of attrition that sidelined many frontrunners to win by 40.0sec from Elfyn Evans’ Ford Fiesta. Fellow title challengers Ogier and Ott Tänak ended pointless after falling foul of Friday’s rock-strewn speed tests and Neuville pressed home his advantage by claiming four extra bonus points in the final Power Stage.He moved to the front near the end of Friday’s first leg after the lead changed hands six times in a frantic opening. He doubled his advantage yesterday and eased through Sunday’s finale to secure his second win of the year.
“It was a clever approach all weekend,” he said. “I had a fantastic car which was working well and I felt comfortable. We can be proud of what we achieved here There are a lot of Portuguese mechanics in the team and I think the party is going to be big tonight!”
Second for Evans eased the pressure after a disappointing season and team-mate Teemu Suninen helped erase the frustration of Ogier’s blank weekend in the M-Sport Ford squad by claiming his maiden podium. He finished 7.3sec behind the Welshman.Suninen held off Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo in an intense fight for the final podium place. Lappi was 7.4sec adrift of his fellow Finn in a Toyota Yaris with Spaniard Sordo 6.2sec further back in his i20. Sordo went to bed last night in third but woke up this morning in fourth after receiving a 10sec penalty for dislodging two bales on a Porto street stage roundabout on Friday night.
Mads Østberg finished sixth on his first gravel rally in a Citroën C3, ahead of team-mate Craig Breen who was handicapped by starting first on the sandy tracks for the final two legs.
WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand was eighth in a Skoda Fabia and fellow support category drivers Lukasz Pieniazek and Stéphane Lefebvre completed the leaderboard.
Andreas Mikkelsen and Jari-Matti Latvala finished well down the order after retiring on Friday, while Ogier was withdrawn in the final service when lying outside the top 20. Hayden Paddon and Kris Meeke joined Tänak in retiring earlier in the weekend.
Round seven promises a high-summer shootout on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The all-gravel Rally Italia Sardegna is based in Alghero on June 8-10.
Third WRC 2 title for Pontus Tidemand
Pontus Tidemand on a charge. Photo: WRC Starting the final leg with 1m 19.4sec in hand over fellow Skoda Fabia R5 driver Lukasz Pieniazek, the Swede Tidemand took two stage wins on Sunday to finish more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Pieniazek settled for second on the final day, deciding to manage his advantage over third-placed Stéphane Lefebvre rather than needlessly chasing the commanding Tidemand.
Lefebvre pushed hard to try and catch his Polish rival and was quickest during the first run through the Fafe test on Sunday. But the Frenchman ran out of stages to complete his attack and finished 17.0sec behind in his Citroën C3 R5.
“It didn’t look so good on Friday, but we went out and pushed as hard as we could. We went into Saturday with good speed, no problems, and won all the stages,” Tidemand explained. “The conditions were quite hard on the tyres, many people had punctures and many drivers also made a mistake and hit something – it was not an easy rally.”
Pierre-Louis Loubet finished just off the podium in fourth after a clean run through the final five stages in his Hyundai i20 R5. He was helped when his closest challenger, Hiroki Arai, was handed a 60sec penalty for checking into a time control six minutes late.
The Japanese Toyota development driver still completed the rally in fifth place in Ford Fiesta R5, albeit only 9.5sec ahead of Juuso Nordgren who went second fastest in the Live TV Power Stage.
Gus Greensmith was eighth, just behind Benito Guerra. The Briton had led earlier in the weekend but retired before the Amarante 2 test on Saturday with steering arm failure. He rejoined on the final day and salvaged some pride by taking a pair of stage wins in his Fiesta.
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Rally de Portugal: Thierry Neuville takes control, extends lead
Thierry Neuville….well placed to claim victory in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC Matosinhos, 19 May 2018: Thierry Neuville gave his World title hopes a major boost after doubling his lead in Saturday’s penultimate leg of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. He starts Sunday’s short finale with a 39.8sec advantage in his Hyundai i20, and victory would propel him back to the head of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time since February.
Conditions were more benign than yesterday when rock-strewn dirt roads caused carnage among the frontrunners, and the Belgian focused on the double pass through the 37.60km Amarante speed test, the longest of this sixth round of the series.
He protected his Michelin tyres through the two previous stages of the morning and afternoon loops, before attacking in Amarante. He distanced closest rival Elfyn Evans on both occasions to build a comfortable advantage.
“I was comfortable in the car, especially in the long stage. I tried to make a difference in there and it worked twice. It’s not finished yet but it could be a great weekend,” said Neuville whose conservative mix of hard and soft compound tyres was ideal for the wet final test.
Evans won two of the day’s six stages in his Ford Fiesta, one more than Neuville, and the Welshman looked increasingly secure in second as the day progressed. He struggled for confidence in both passes through Amarante, but had a 17.4sec margin over Dani Sordo.
The Spaniard stiffened his i20’s set-up following the morning’s opening test but slipped back into the clutches of Teemu Suninen with a final stage spin. The margin between them narrowed to 4.7sec.
The young Suninen had a stellar day in his Ford Fiesta, holding off fellow-Finn Esapekka Lappi in a furious fight. Both were on the limit throughout as they traded seconds in every stage and Lappi ended 11.1sec adrift in his Toyota Yaris.
Mads Østberg was a distant sixth, the Norwegian conceding almost a minute after sliding onto a bank at a muddy corner. The Citroën C3 driver was almost 1min 40sec clear of team-mate Craig Breen.
Breen endured a tough day opening the roads in the sandy conditions but gained a place following more disappointment for Kris Meeke in the French squad’s third C3. The Ulsterman slid wide on a fast left bend and his C3 rolled heavily down a bank and into trees. Both Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were unhurt.
Pontus Tidemand took the WRC 2 lead and held eighth place, ahead of fellow support category drivers Lukasz Pieniazek and Stéphane Lefebvre.
Five more stages covering 51.53km lie in wait on Sunday, including two passes through the classic Fafe test and its famous jump. The second pass forms the Power Stage with bonus points on offer to the fastest five drivers.
Pontus Tidemand recovers to forge ahead
Pontus Tidemand….grand recovery to lead WRC 2. Photo: WRC Tidemand recovered from a disappointing Friday to claim all six Stage victories on Saturday and move into the lead of the WRC 2 category. The Skoda Fabia R5 driver started the day 1m 44.6sec off the lead in fifth place after two a double puncture yesterday, but he combined blistering pace with bad luck befalling his rivals to move his way up the order. By lunch-time service, he was second, with 49.4sec to make up to Stéphane Lefebvre. Another three wins on the afternoon loop sealed his place at the top of the class at the end of the day.
He was helped by a puncture for Lefebvre on SS14 and then brake and transmission problems cost the C3 R5 driver more than two minutes one stage later. The Frenchman finished the day in third.Overnight leader Gus Greensmith had a day to forget in his Ford Fiesta. On the opening Vieira do Minho test, he had a puncture which forced him to use his spare, and then another tyre de-beaded. With no more spares, he had to be cautious through the next two stages. Having slipped to sixth, he was quickly reclaiming the time he lost but had to retire with broken suspension on the road section before the second run of Amarante.
Benefiting from his retirement was Lukasz Pieniazek in a Fabia R5, who kept his second place despite a puncture of his own on SS14. Fourth place went to Pierre-Louis Loubet. The Hyundai i20 R5 driver had a clean run through the tests to move to within 8.0sec of compatriot Lefebvre.
Toyota development driver Hiroki Arai grew in confidence as the day went on, with top-five stage times allowing him to claim fifth place before the final stages on Sunday. Juuso Nordgren ended the day sixth in his Fabia, despite a puncture on SS14 slowing his progress.
Pedro Heller dropped out of the top five after a challenging day of his own. After a puncture this morning, he retired with mechanical issues 6.4km into SS15. His team-mate Nil Solans also hit trouble on the final stage, retiring at the 24.1km mark.
Finnish ŠKODA junior Juuso Nordgren was delayed by another two punctures and are sixth after the Saturday leg.
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Rally de Portugal: Neuville makes profit amidst crashes and retirements
Thierry Neuville, who made most of the situation to take early lead on Friday. Photo: WRC Porto, 18 May 2018: Thierry Neuville led the Vodafone Rally de Portugal on Friday night after a chaotic opening leg destroyed the hopes of a host of front-runners. The lead changed hands on six occasions on rock-strewn dirt roads near the Spanish border before the Belgian took a 17.7sec advantage in his Hyundai i20 over Elfyn Evans. Dani Sordo was a further 6.6sec adrift in third.
WRC leader Sébastien Ogier, previous round winner Ott Tänak, Toyota Yaris team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala and Hyundai duo Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon were all sidelined as the gruelling roads took a heavy toll.Neuville’s gamble to select soft tyres for this afternoon’s second loop of three speed tests appeared to have backfired as temperatures rose and the tracks became rougher than expected. He held his nerve and jumped from sixth to first as bedlam broke out around him, retaining his advantage over two asphalt stages in the streets of central Porto.
“Today was tough, but we managed to stay out of trouble. It was very rough and there were many, many surprises. So I tried to save the car a bit. It was a risky tyre choice which was maybe not great but we made it work,” he said.
Evans held second in a Ford Fiesta until a spin dropped him down the order, but the Welshman vaulted from seventh to second in the twists and turns of the final dirt road stage.
Sordo topped the leaderboard midway through the leg in his i20. Like team-mate Neuville, the Spaniard opted for soft tyres this afternoon, but regretted his decision and had to slow as they became worn.
Teemu Suninen was fourth in another Fiesta, the Finn avoiding the carnage to trail Sordo by 10.1sec and head Esapekka Lappi in the sole-surviving Toyota Yaris by 11.4sec. Mid-leg set-up changes resolved Lappi’s traction problems.
Mads Østberg was sixth in a Citroën C3, half-a-minute clear of team-mate Kris Meeke who twice led. Tyre troubles forced Meeke to drive the final Porto stages with just a wheel rim on the rear left of his car and he conceded a minute.
Craig Breen plunged from third to eighth after stopping to change a puncture, while WRC 2 leader Gus Greensmith and Lukasz Pieniazek completed the leaderboard.
End of road for Sebsatien Ogier. Photo: WRC Ogier was fourth until he broke a steering arm in his Ford Fiesta after hitting a tree root and he crashed at the next bend. Tänak hit a rock and damaged his engine’s cooling system, forcing him to retire from the rally. Toyota’s turmoil continued when Latvala hit a rock and broke his front right suspension.
Paddon retired from the lead after a heavy impact damaged the front left of his i20 and blocked the stage. The Kiwi was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after complaining of back pain. Broken power steering and engine issues accounted for team-mate Mikkelsen.
Saturday’s leg is the longest of the event, journeying east of the rally base in Matosinhos to demanding roads in the Cabreira Mountains. Three stages are driven morning and afternoon covering 154.64 Kms.
Gus Greensmith takes early lead in WRC 2
Gus Greensmith. Photo: WRC Greensmith profited when championship leader Pontus Tidemand (Skoda Fabia R5) suffered a puncture on the very first Stage. Driving a Ford Fiesta R5, Greensmith was battling for the lead with Citroën Racing’s Stéphane Lefebvre from the very start of the day as the pair took a stage win apiece. Tidemand recovered from a right-rear puncture early on Friday to claim a stage victory on the third test of the day, but his time loss on the opener dropped him to seventh after the morning loop.
The leader going into mid-day service was Lefebvre, as an intercom failure for Greensmith before the 27.54 kms Ponte de Lima stage wiped out his early gains.
In the afternoon, it was Skoda Motorsport’s Tidemand who was on the pace as he claimed a trio of wins – including a double on the Porto Street Stage – to recover some of the time he lost, ending Friday in fifth.
Greensmith came out on top after Lefebvre was struck with a right-rear puncture on SS5 with the Brit claiming the category lead one stage later. He will start Saturday’s second leg with a lead of 34.3sec.
Citroën C3 driver Lefebvre finished the day third, 0.5sec behind Lukasz Pieniazek who kept out of trouble to work his way onto the podium. Fourth was Pedro Heller, the Fiesta driver rewarded for a clean run through the day while others hit trouble. Sixth was Nil Solans, who couldn’t match the pace of the front-runners, while Pierre-Louis Loubet ended the day’s eight stages seventh in his Hyundai i20 R5.
Six crews retired from the leg, including Sweden category winner Takamoto Katsuta as well as Simone Tempestini and Max Vatanen – who are both making their first appearance of 2018. Also running into issues was Hyundai Racing’s Jari Huttunen who retired after a mechanical problem on SS6.
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Ott Tanak sets early pace in Super Special Stage; Suninen, Ogier tied second
Ott Tanak in a Toyota Yaris sets the early pace in Rally de Portugal. Photo: WRC Lousada, 17 May 2018: The duo of Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja in a Toyota Yaris WRC was the quickest on the Super Special Stage (3.36 Kms) in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal which commenced here on Thursday evening.
The Estonian, the recent winner of the Rally of Argentina, beat Finn Teemu Suninen (Ford Fiesta) and five-time champion and World champion Sébastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta) by 0.4 seconds, who set an equal mark to reach second fastest time.
Kris Meeeke was the fastest in Citroën, as was Andreas Mikkelsen at Hyundai, both finishing the special at 1.4s off Tanak.
Suninen outpaced Hayden Paddon, returning after missing the last three WRC rounds, while Ogier was more than a second quicker than Thierry Neuville in the evening’s headline heat. Tänak dictated the previous round in Argentina but acknowledged a repeat is unlikely this weekend.
“It will be tough to dominate here. We know how loose the roads will be tomorrow and there will be a lot more cleaning than in Argentina. It will be a key tomorrow to get a good position so we can fight hard on Saturday,” he said.
Citroën C3 pilot Kris Meeke and Mikkelsen, driving a Hyundai i20, were fourth, a full second behind the tying Ford pair. Neuville completed the top six.
Jari-Matti Latvala dropped almost four seconds after stalling his Yaris in a hairpin. “Under braking, the engine cut completely. There’s something strange happening with the engine and we need to investigate that. It doesn’t worry me, but it annoys me,” he said.
M-Sport Ford mechanics replaced the cooling pack in Elfyn Evans’ Fiesta before this evening’s start at Guimaräes Castle after damage caused by a heavy landing in this morning’s shakedown.
Friday’s first full day is based close to the Spanish border. Two identical loops of three stages are split by service in Matosinhos, before the leg ends with two short street tests in central Porto. The eight stages cover 148.66 Kms.
JARI-MATTI LATVALA QUICKEST IN SHAKEDOWN
Jari-Matti Latvala. Photo: WRC Latvala edged Origer and Neuville to win Thursday morning’s shakedown. The Toyota Gazoo driver was fastest by 0.3sec through the 4.60 Kms Baltar speed test. Ogier and the Hyundai i20-mounted Neuville tied in second. Conditions were dry and dusty and the stage, which ended with a loop of Baltar’s rallycross circuit, was closely contested. The top eight drivers were covered by a second.
Latvala set the pace in the first run, before Kris Meeke went top of the timesheets in a Citroën C3 at his second attempt. The Finn set the benchmark in his third run as most drivers posted their best time in their final pass.
It has been a disappointing year for Latvala. He is eighth in the points after retiring from the previous two rounds in Corsica and Argentina and views this rally as an opportunity to turn around his fortunes.
“Springtime has been difficult for me and I would really like to use this rally as a turning point for the season. I want to see the finish line, have a clean rally and find the speed I can do. I believe the car is competitive enough, so I have to stay cool and do my job,” he said.
“Three runs in a row this morning and no changes. You normally know that when you don’t need to do any changes then the set-up is correct and that’s the way it should be. If you have to start working in the shakedown, it’s normally not a good sign.”
Meeke, driving a C3, and Andreas Mikkelsen, in an i20, were tied in fourth 0.4sec adrift of Ogier and Neuville. Hayden Paddon, returning to the WRC after a three-rally absence, was another tenth behind in sixth.
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Rally Portugal: ŠKODA’s Pontus Tidemand aiming for hat-trick victory in WRC 2 category
Defending WRC 2 champion Pontus Tidemand seeking a hat-trick of wins. Photos: SKODA Motorsport Mladá Boleslav, 15 May 2018: Reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson (SWE/SWE) are entering the competition at Rally Portugal to be run this weekend leading the WRC 2 championship standings.
Second placed ŠKODA team-mates Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) will compete at Rallye Český Krumlov at the same weekend instead of travelling to Portugal.
Meanwhile, promising Finnish juniors Juuso Nordgren and co-driver Tapio Suominen will make their 2018 WRC 2 season debut driving another ŠKODA FABIA R5 run by the factory team of ŠKODA Motorsport.
Three years ago, the ŠKODA FABIA R5 started its success story with a strong debut on the gravel roads of Rally Portugal. Homologated on 1 April 2015, the brand-new R5 machine proved right from the start that it will be the car to beat in WRC 2 and currently is the most successful car in the category.
On top of that, Tidemand and Andersson have more good memories of Rally Portugal. “Back in 2015, it was my first rally with the ŠKODA FABIA R5. One year later, we could win there for the first time, and in 2017, we were lucky to be the winners again after a dramatic final on the last stage. I really love to drive the nice gravel stages of Portugal and want to win for a third time in a row,” Tidemand said ahead of the sixth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2).
Juuso Nordgren and Tapio Suominen…2018 WRC 2 season debutants. Nordgren said: “My first rally for ŠKODA Motorsport this year was the second round of Czech Rally Championship, the Rally Šumava Klatovy, where I finished third. It was nearly 100 per cent on tarmac roads with only some small gravel sections. Now I am really looking forward to drive the ŠKODA FABIA R5 on pure gravel roads.”
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek is hoping for another great result for the Czech manufacturer. “The competition will be very tense at Rally Portugal. I am happy to see that among the 35 entries in WRC 2 and RC 2 classes, no fewer than 12 crews are competing with a ŠKODA FABIA R5.
“With three starts, Tidemand so far won two of the five 2018 rallies. He can further increase his lead in the WRC 2 Championship. For Juuso, it is all about learning. Last year, he already proved, that he is really fast on gravel.”
After moving back to the north of the country to the region around Porto in 2015, Rally Portugal is one of the most spectator crowded events of the FIA World Rally Championship. The notorious Fafe jump alone every year attracts tens of thousands of spectators.
The rally starts on Thursday (17 May) with a show stage on the rallycross circuit of Lousada. The first full day of action on Friday (18 May) features eight stages in the far north near the border to Spain, covering nearly 150 Kms. Like in 2017, Saturday (19 May) offers the longest leg, running over nearly 155 Kms divided in six special stages with a mixture of sandy roads, rocks and deep ruts during the second pass of the stages.
The right tyre choice between soft compounds for more traction and hard compound in order to manage tyre wear on the long stages is one of the keys to success. On Sunday (20 May), the spectacular Fafe loop with five stages on fast and smooth gravel roads, including the famous jump, is the spectator highlight of the event.
In total, the teams will face 20 special stages of 358.19 Kms before the winner will reach the podium on Sunday in Matosinhos close to the city of Porto.
A FEW SALIENT FEATURES OF RALLY PORTUGAL
The Rally Portugal was first held in 1967, and in 1973, it was one of the founding events of the then new World Rally Championship. Until 1994, the rally traditionally started in Estoril close to Lisbon and the first leg was held on tarmac before it became an all-gravel event in 1995.
In 1996, due to the FIA’s calendar rotating system, Rally Portugal did not count for the World Rally Championship. From 2007 to 2014, the rally was held in the Algarve region before moving back to the north.
The ŠKODA FABIA R5 made its World Rally Championship debut at Rally Portugal in 2015 and up to now, 200 units of this model have been sold to customer teams worldwide. In 2012, Sébastien Ogier won his class with a ŠKODA FABIA S2000, finishing an impressive 7th overall, and again in 2013, Esapekka Lappi won WRC 2 with a ŠKODA FABIA S2000.
Neuville steered his Hyundai i20 away from trouble during a weekend of attrition that sidelined many frontrunners to win by 40.0sec from Elfyn Evans’ Ford Fiesta. Fellow title challengers Ogier and Ott Tänak ended pointless after falling foul of Friday’s rock-strewn speed tests and Neuville pressed home his advantage by claiming four extra bonus points in the final Power Stage.
Second for Evans eased the pressure after a disappointing season and team-mate Teemu Suninen helped erase the frustration of Ogier’s blank weekend in the M-Sport Ford squad by claiming his maiden podium. He finished 7.3sec behind the Welshman.
