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Tag: WRC
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Evans takes the lead on a dramatic Friday; Loeb, Ogier retire
Mikołajki (Poland), 20 May 2022: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin avoided punctures and technical issues to edge into a lead of 13.6 seconds after a further eight demanding special stages of the 55th Vodafone Rally of Portugal on Friday.
With tyre wear causing chaos on the second loop of gravel stages during the afternoon, and both multiple World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb retiring, Evans took advantage and four stage wins enabled the Welshman to seize the initiative.
“Pretty happy to be here, quite extreme conditions,” said Evans. “Everyone trying to pick their way through. It was a bit of a lottery to be honest. You can always say you could have gone faster, but it’s difficult to know.”
His championship-leading team-mate Kalle Rovanperä had carried out road sweeping duties all day, from his position as first on the road, but the championship leader drove cleanly and preserved his tyres to give Toyota a 1-2 at the night halt.
Dani Sordo was making his first appearance of the season for the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT and the Spaniard gradually began to climb up the leader board and avoided the on-stage carnage to snatch third place in his i20 N Rally1. Takamoto Katsuta also drove cleanly and an afternoon spin was the only blot on the Japanese’s copybook; he held fourth place in a third Toyota GR Yaris.
Gus Greensmith was the best-placed of the five Ford Puma Rally1 drivers in fifth, despite his own tyre and dust issues, while team-mate Pierre-Louis Loubet rounded off the top six after a spin into a banking in the eighth stage cost him a potential top four finish.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville held second overall for much of the day but the Belgian lost drive to a wheel on the road section and, despite managing his tyre wear perfectly, the drive shaft issue pushed him down to seventh at the night halt.
“We could have been in the fight for the rally,” said Neuville. “But we had this issue. We’re missing the points at the end of the year and mainly due to small technical issues. I cannot do more than this to be honest. It is frustrating.”
Craig Breen was also hovering around the podium until dust issues cost him time and a spin in the dust in Mortágua pushed the Irishman down to eighth in the third of the Pumas. Adrien Fourmaux suffered tyre issues and erred on the side of caution to hold ninth, while Ott Tänak dropped back when he was forced to stop and change a tyre during the afternoon and also suffered a transmission scare.
Ogier opted to take one spare tyre for the afternoon loop and it was a costly choice by the eight-time World Champion. He sustained two punctures in subsequent stages and was forced to pull over in Arganil 2 and retire for the day,
Loeb led after stage four, but an uncharacteristic mistake by the Frenchman on the next stage saw his day end prematurely with wheel damage after an impact with a stone wall.
Mikkelsen snatches WRC2 advantage
A shredded rear tyre ruined Hyundai Motorsport N Teemu Suninen’s day-long advantage in the FIA WRC2 category and the Finn’s hard-earned lead disappeared on stage seven. Norway’s 11th-placed Andreas Mikkelsen duly inherited the lead in a Škoda Fabia Evo and the Toksport WRT driver completed the Lousada super special with an advantage of 37 seconds, despite a misfiring down-on-power engine. PH Sport’s Yohan Rossel was classified in third in a Citroën C3.
Jean-Michel Raoux (Volkswagen Polo GTI) topped the standings in the new FIA WRC2 Masters section, the Frenchman leading fellow countrymen Frédéric Rosati (Hyundai i20 N) and Laurent Battut (Hyundai NG i20) heading to Lousada.
Finland’s Sami Pajari and Lauri Joona were classified as the first two Juniors running in the FIA WRC3 category heading to the Lousada super special stage. Jon Armstrong had been leading the Junior category by over a minute heading to Arganil 2, but the Briton hit trouble and slipped out of contention.The provisional results at the end of Friday can be consulted here
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Rovanpera wins WRC Croatia Rally ahead of Hyundai duo
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera did enough to win WRC Croatia Rally from Hyundai pair of Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville.
Friday:
Kalle Rovanpera demolished his opponents in Friday’s treacherous opening leg of the WRC Croatia Rally to build a convincing lead of more than a minute. Despite rain, mud and mist in the hills west of capital Zagreb, he won six of the eight asphalt speed tests in a Toyota GR Yaris to head a resilient Thierry Neuville by 1min 04.0sec.
FIA World Rally Championship leader Rovanpera thrived in the tricky conditions. He won three of the morning’s four special stages to lead by 47.5sec and stretched it during an equally dominant afternoon. Having missed valuable experience when he crashed in the opening kilometres of Croatia’s WRC debut 12 months ago, the Finn expected to be at a disadvantage.
But first in the start order helped as conditions progressively worsened as each car dragged mud onto the road. Neuville endured a topsy-turvy day. The Belgian completed the opening quartet of tests 12.5sec adrift, but a broken alternator belt in his Hyundai i20 N’s engine twice stopped the car en route to service. Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe pushed the car the final 800m.
The exhausted pair fell to the floor as they arrived four minutes late and a 40sec penalty demoted them to fourth. A spirited afternoon, including fastest time in the final stage, propelled them back to second. They had 19.3sec in hand over team-mate Ott Tanak. The Estonian’s low start position hindered him, along with a penultimate stage puncture, but Tanak was content with third.
Despite overshooting a corner and narrowly missing a water hydrant, Craig Breen was fourth on his first time aboard a Ford Puma in the wet. The Irishman overnighted 11.9sec back. Oliver Solberg was delayed by a spin and was fortunate to survive an impact in a water-filled corner en route to fifth in his i20 N. He was more than a minute adrift of Breen and 10.6sec clear of Evans, who denied Rovanperä a clean sweep of morning stage wins.
That was the Welshman’s only joy as two punctures on his GR Yaris cost valuable time. He was almost 40sec clear of the similar car of a low-on-confidence Takamoto Katsuta. In worse trouble was Esapekka Lappi who retired his GR Yaris in the first stage after clipping a boulder and wrecking the front right corner.
Aside from Breen’s efforts it was a disappointing day for M-Sport Ford. Adrien Fourmaux went out after sliding his Puma through a hedge into a roadside garden, while both Pierre-Louis Loubet and Gus Greensmith exited when three punctures left them with no more usuable tyres onboard. WRC2 leader Yohan Rossel was eighth with Nikolay Gryazin and Eric Camilli completing the leaderboard.
Saturday:
Kalle Rovanpera’s commanding WRC Croatia Rally lead came under threat from Ott Tanak during Saturday’s absorbing second leg. FIA World Rally Championship leader Rovanpera began the second day of three in the hills near Zagreb with a seemingly impregnable lead of almost 90sec over the Estonian in his Toyota GR Yaris.
He ended with that advantage slashed to just 19.9sec after a puncture and Tanak’s persistence set up an exciting Sunday finale. Tanak had already trimmed Rovanperä’s lead when the Finn punctured his front left tyre on the morning’s penultimate speed test amid heavy rain and thick fog at the Platak ski resort above the Adriatic coast.
The pair were the only frontrunners who had the advantage of Pirelli’s wet weather tyres on all four corners of their cars. While Tanak pushed on through the gloom to win the stage in his Hyundai i20 N, Rovanpera conceded nearly 55sec. Tanak sniffed the opportunity of a first victory for more than a year and nibbled back more time, despite an afternoon gearchange problem. But Rovanpera sent a clear message in the final test, setting fastest time to regain 5.1sec.
Tanak admitted the Platak test was an eye opener. While conditions on the other stages were drier than yesterday, the weather deteriorated in Platak and the afternoon’s repeat pass was cancelled. Craig Breen and Thierry Neuville were blanketed by 4.9sec for the final podium place, almost a minute behind Tänak. Breen overshot a hairpin in his Ford Puma while Neuville’s torrid weekend took yet more twists.
He received a one-minute penalty overnight for speeding on Friday which relegated him from second to fourth. His i20 N had to be pushed into service this morning and another 10sec penalty came for leaving a minute late. Neuville clawed back almost 40sec from Breen to end hot on the Irishman’s heels and 49.9sec clear of Elfyn Evans. The Welshman won the opening test in a GR Yaris but was reluctant to take risks when on course for his first points finish of the year.
Takamoto Katsuta rounded off the top six. The Japanese pilot dropped time with a puncture and an overshoot and was almost 3min 40sec adrift of Evans. WRC2 leader Yohan Rossel was seventh, with fellow support category contenders Nikolay Gryazin, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Emil Lindholm completing the top 10.
Oliver Solberg crashed his i20 N out of fifth in the opening stage, which was cancelled as rescue vehicles attended a fire at the rear of the car. Esapekka Lappi returned after hitting a rock and retiring his GR Yaris yesterday. The Finn benefited from opening the roads and scored three fastest times.
Sunday:
Kalle Rovanpera snatched an extraordinary WRC Croatia Rally victory on Sunday afternoon as a downpour turned the event on its head in the final kilometres. The Finn led from the start of the three-day rally in the hills around Zagreb in his Toyota GR Yaris, only for a storm in the penultimate speed test to wipe out his hard-earned advantage.
A resurgent Ott Tanak, whose gamble on softer Pirelli tyres gave his Hyundai i20 N a performance edge on the streaming asphalt, grabbed a 1.4sec lead. The pendulum swung back towards Rovanpera as drier roads in the closing Wolf Power Stage offered hope, but the odds remained firmly in Tanak’s favour as mud and dirt littered the final 14.09km.
Rovanpera threw caution to the wind and remarkably overturned the deficit to claim back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship wins by 4.3sec. Victory extended his points lead to 29 after three rounds of the 13-event season. He had dominated the early stages of the event and was almost 90sec clear until falling into Tanak’s clutches following a puncture on Saturday morning. He rebuilt his lead to half a minute until the deluge set up a breathtaking finale.
It was a disappointing outcome for Tanak, whose victory drought dates back to February 2021. The Estonian finished 2min 16.7sec clear of team-mate Thierry Neuville. The Belgian overhauled Craig Breen on the final morning to claim a podium despite a torrid weekend which would have forced many to give up.
He and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were on the point of collapse after pushing their car for 800 metres into service on Friday after stopping with alternator problems. Time penalties and speeding fines knocked them further back and they almost gave up a podium with sight of the finish after hitting a bank and almost rolling.
Breen survived an overshoot and a spin to take fourth in a Ford Puma. The Irishman fended off a closing Elfyn Evans, whose fifth place marked a first points finish of the year for the GR Yaris driver. Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta was a distant sixth in another Yaris.
The tricky asphalt, allied with heavy rain and fog, proved highly attritional and the remainder of the leaderboard was filled by drivers from the WRC2 support category. Yohan Rossel secured seventh ahead of Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Emil Lindholm. A poor tyre choice cost Nikolay Gryazin valuable time across the closing stages and he dropped two places to 10th.
Here’s WRC Croatia Rally: https://www.wrc.com/en/wrcplus/live-timing/
[Note: The above is per press release with no edits made]
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WRC resumes for Round 3 on the Croation tar
Zagreb, 17 April 2022: The battle to win the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship continues in Croatia next week (April 21-24) with the first asphalt event of the season free of ice and snow following on from Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.
A newcomer to the WRC in 2021, Croatia Rally proved a huge challenge for the drivers and teams when it took place last April with ever-changing grip levels and surface conditions characterising the first world-level rally in Europe’s eastern region since Rally Bulgaria in 2010.
The Zagreb-based event also delivered a truly memorable finale as Sébastien Ogier beat Elfyn Evans, his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate, to victory by 0.6s following the winner-takes-all Wolf Power Stage.
Teams prepared for the second Croatia Rally to count for the WRC – and the first for the Rally1 era – during a series of tests on closed-public roads similar in character and challenge to what they’ll experience on the event. However, the unseasonal cold temperatures experienced at the start of the month are likely to contrast to the warm weather expected during rally week.
Nevertheless, the early starts, particularly on legs two and three, coupled with the use of stages in the hills around the city will make for colder and potentially damp conditions in the mornings and could therefore result in tyre strategy becoming a factor in the outcome of the rally.
Official WRC tyre supplier Pirelli will provide the P Zero HA (hard) and SA (soft) tyres for Croatia Rally. The first-choice hard compound tyre is designed for warm and dry conditions. The soft-option tyre is better suited to colder temperatures and damp road surfaces. In the event of heavy rain, the Cinturato wet tyre can be used. A maximum of 28 tyres are available to teams running Rally1 cars during the event including four for Shakedown.
Croatia Rally is the third event of the 2022 WRC season and marks the resumption of action following the lengthy break after Rally Sweden, which concluded on February 27 with a third career victory for Finns Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen, who top the provisional title standings as result.
FIA WRC2 and WRC3 points are also up for grabs in Croatia, while the event is round two of the FIA Junior WRC Championship.
THE 2022 ENTRY
A season best-equalling 11 Rally1 cars are entered for Croatia Rally, including a Ford Puma Rally1 for Pierre-Louis Loubet/Vincent Landais, winners of the WRC2 title in 2019. They are joined in the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team line-up by Irishmen Craig Breen/Paul Nagle, fellow French pair Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria and Briton Gus Greensmith, who is co-driven by Swede Jonas Andersson. Breen completed the Rallye Monte-Carlo podium in January, while Fourmaux returns to the scene of his debut in the WRC’s top-level category last season. Fourmaux was also in action when Mexico hosted Rally of Nations Guanajuato, a round of the FIA NACAM Championship earlier this month.
Four Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 challengers appear on the entry list. In addition to Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT is represented by British duo Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin, Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta and his Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston, plus Finns Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm. While Evans and Katsuta completed the entire Croatia Rally distance in 2021, Rovanperä crashed into retirement on the opening stage, while the event wasn’t part of Lappi’s limited event schedule last season.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team starts Croatia Rally boosted by Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe’s Rally Sweden podium and mindful of the Belgians’ performance on the event last season, which they led after leg one before finishing third overall on the back of six stage wins. Estonian pairing Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja drive a second Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and finished fourth in Croatia last year. Swede Oliver Solberg and Briton Elliott Edmondson’s fledgling partnership netted sixth overall on Rally Sweden although Croatia Rally is unchartered territory for the duo.
THE SUPPORTING CATEGORIES
As well as the chase for overall success, Croatia Rally also hosts the latest round of both the FIA WRC2 Championship, for Rally2 cars, and FIA WRC3 Championship, for Rally3 cars.
Yacco ACCR Team’s Erik Cais in a Ford Fiesta Mk II is the best-placed driver in the provisional WRC2 rankings where his opposition will include Frenchmen Eric Camilli (Sainteloc Junior Team), Stéphane Lefebvre, Yohan Rossel in Citroën C3s, Toksport WRT2’s Nikolay Gryazin and Emil Lindholm as well as Kajetan Kajetanowicz or Chris Ingram in Škoda Fabia Evos, M-Sport Ford’s Jari Huttunen, Georg Linnamäe in an ALM Motorsport-entered Volkswagen Polo GTI, Grégoire Munster in a Hyundai i20 N and WRC2 newcomer Miko Marczyk, a double Polish championship who finished third in last season’s FIA European Rally Championship.
In WRC3, 2021 Junior WRC champion Sami Pajari heads the current WRC3 Open order over Lauri Joona and Jan Černý. In the FIA Junior WRC class, seven young talents are taking part to the second event following the opening round in Sweden in identical Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3s from M-Sport Poland. They include title leader Jon Armstrong, William Creighton, McRae Kimathi, Robert Virves and Jean-Baptiste Franceschi, who has recovered from serious injury to take up his prize drive for winning the FIA Junior ERC3 crown in 2021.
Meanwhile, Niko Pulić and Ivica Siladic will fly the flag for Croatia in WRC2 and WRC3 respectively.
THE 2022 ROUTE
The second WRC-counting Croatia Rally is based in Zagreb from April 21-24 and consists of 20 stages over a competitive distance of 291.84 kilometres. Crews head first to the hills of Samoborsko Gorje, Žumberak and Karlovac west and southwest of host city Zagreb for four stages each run twice either side of service in the capital on Friday April 22. Mali Lipovec – Grdanjci is up first from 08:33 hrs local time, while the 20.77 kilometres of Stojdraga – Gornja Vas is packed full of corners. Saturday’s route, again to the west of Zagreb and featuring four double-use stages, begins with Kostanjevac – Petruš Vrh, the longest of the rally at 23.76 kilometres. The day also includes the new Platak test to the far southwest close to the Adriatic Sea. It’s an early start on Sunday with Trakošćan – Vrbno, another untried stage – and the rally’s most northerly – getting underway at 07:18. The second pass of Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec forms the event-deciding Wolf Power Stage. As well as the new Platak and Trakošćan – Vrbno stages, the 3.65-kilometre shakedown stage, scheduled for 09:01 hrs on Thursday April 21, is also new for 2022 and is located near the ancient town of Okić.
RALLY DATA
Total distance: 1642.18 km
Stage distance: 291.84 km
Number of stages: 20
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WRC: Sebastian Loeb claims his 8th Monte Carlo win in dramatic battle with Ogier
Monte Carlo, 23 Jan 2022: Sébastien Loeb became the oldest winner of an FIA World Rally Championship round after grabbing a remarkable Rallye Monte-Carlo victory from the under the nose of old foe Sébastien Ogier on Sunday.
The 47-year-old Frenchman trailed Ogier by almost half a minute heading into the penultimate speed test of the four-day event in the French Alps.
But when Ogier received a ten-second jump start penalty and limped to the finish with a front left puncture, Loeb reclaimed a lead he had conceded to his compatriot on Saturday. He stayed calm through the final test to seal his eighth Monte-Carlo success in a Ford Puma by 10.5s.
Starting his first WRC event for more than a year, the nine-time World Rally Champion was competing for the British M-Sport Ford squad in a one-off appearance. He joins Ogier at the top of the Monte-Carlo roll of honour with eight wins.
His victory means he has topped the WRC podium in three different decades. Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a 50-year-old math teacher who was making her first top-tier start, became the first female winner of a WRC fixture since 1997.
“I didn’t expect so much when I came here,” Loeb admitted. “It was a great fight, Ogier was really fast and I struggled a bit yesterday and even this morning.”
The duel between the most successful drivers in the sport’s history proved a fitting start to the new hybrid-powered era in the championship’s 50th season.
Ogier led initially after Thursday’s short opening night in his Toyota GR Yaris but a run of four consecutive fastest times on Friday put Loeb ahead. He failed to find the same pace on Saturday and Ogier moved back in front before Sunday’s breath-taking finale.
Craig Breen finished almost 90sec further back in third in another Puma, giving the British-based M-Sport Ford squad an early lead in the manufacturers’ championship.
Kalle Rovanperä languished outside the top 10 after the opening night, but after set-up changes improved the balance of his GR Yaris, he soared up the order to secure fourth.
Despite losing time with engine issues on Saturday, Gus Greensmith claimed fifth in another Puma after winning his first special stage at WRC level. Thierry Neuville was sixth in a Hyundai i20 N after a lacklustre weekend for the Korean manufacturer.
The Belgian fought problems all rally, including a broken damper which punched through his bonnet on Saturday. Team-mates Ott Tänak and Oliver Solberg both retired.
Elfyn Evans, championship runner-up in 2021, was on the edge of the fight for victory until he beached his GR Yaris on a bank and remained stranded there for 20 minutes. The Welshman ended 21st.
Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Torstein Eriksen got the defence of their FIA WRC2 titles off to the best possible start with victory in their Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. Yacco ACCR Team’s Erik Cais finished second in a Ford Fiesta MkII with Toksport’s Nikolay Gryazin recovering from early delays to complete the provisional podium in a Toksport-entered Škoda Fabia Evo.
Sami Pajari, with Enni Mälkönen co-driving, marked the start of the new-look FIA WRC3 category, which is now for Rally3 cars, in style by beating Jan Černý to the class laurels with a mere 7.6s in hand. Enrico Brazzoli rounded out the top three with all drivers competing in Ford Fiesta Rally3s.
Raphaël Astier headed Manu Guigou and François Delecar in an Alpine A110 clean sweep of the FIA RGT Cup.
The full unofficial results can be consulted here.
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Sebastien Loeb takes lead: WRC Rallye Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo, 21 Jan 2022: Sébastien Loeb became the oldest driver to lead an FIA World Rally Championship round after a sensational return to dominate Rallye Monte-Carlo on Friday.
As he approaches his 48th birthday, the Frenchman won four of the six French Alps speed tests to lead the first rally of the WRC’s innovative new hybrid era by 9.9sec in M-Sport Ford’s Puma.
The Monaco-based event is Loeb’s first WRC outing for more than a year and, currently, a one-off appearance with the British squad.
Loeb was second after Thursday night’s short opening leg behind old foe Sébastien Ogier. He charged by his fellow countryman in the last of the morning’s three special stages and preserved his advantage in the afternoon, despite a small technical issue.
“The first four stages were really great then we had a little hybrid problem,” he explained. “In the last stage I made a good drive, but maybe it was freezing a bit more. We had some little ice coming out at the end of the stage, so it was a bit tricky.
“I was really surprised when I was doing the best time in yesterday’s shakedown in the first pass. Usually in shakedown I’m not great but with this car I was immediately in the rhythm. It’s not a big gap but I’m happy to be leading after the first full day.”
Ogier dropped to third behind Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans after a cautious approach on frosty roads in this morning’s final stage. But fastest time on the afternoon repeat promoted him back to second.
A wary run in the same test cost Evans valuable seconds. The Welshman ended 12.1sec adrift of his colleague after a frustrating day learning the intricacies of driving with the hybrid system for the first time in competition.
Thierry Neuville topped an intense battle for fourth in a Hyundai i20 N. His day improved after an eye-opening first stage in which he described the balance as ‘a nightmare’. “I’ve never been so scared while driving,” he said.
The Belgian stiffened his car’s settings and ended 8.9sec clear of team-mate Ott Tänak, with Craig Breen dropping 2.5sec behind the Estonian in the final stage in another Puma.
Team-mate Gus Greensmith celebrated his first WRC stage win en route to seventh. But for a minor problem with the hybrid system, the Briton would have been snapping on Neuville’s heels.
Takamoto Katsuta, Kalle Rovanperä and Oliver Solberg completed the leaderboard. A spin and smoke seeping into his i20 N’s cockpit delayed Solberg.
Adrien Fourmaux was fourth overnight but the Frenchman crashed his Puma down a ravine in the opening test. He and co-driver Alex Coria escaped injury, a testament to the new enhanced safety cell chassis introduced this year.
In FIA WRC2, Stéphane Lefebvre scored a slender lead after a late Friday push. The DG Sport Competition driver started the day 24.5sec adrift of Saintéloc’s Eric Camilli’s similar Citroën C3 Rally2 car, but moved to second behind Andreas Mikkelsen (Toksport Škoda Fabia Evo) when the early leader retired after going off the road and damaging his front suspension.
The former Citroën factory driver hacked a massive 14.5sec from Mikkelsen’s advantage during the first pass of Val-de-Chavagne / Entrevaux before going another 8.0sec quicker than his rival when it was repeated as the final stage.
The last-minute charge enabled Lefebvre to move in front and he arrived back to the Monaco service park 8.0sec ahead of Mikkelsen.
In FIA WRC3, Jan Černý kept his cool under increasing pressure from Sami Pajari to retain the class lead.
The Czech driver initially led the field of M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars by 21.2sec after winning both Thursday’s night stages but was much less dominant in the daylight.
Flying Finn Pajari set fastest times on all bar two of Friday’s frosty tests and at one point reduced the deficit to 14.8sec. However, a slow time at the final Val-de-Chavagne / Entrevaux blast undid his hard work and he ended 26.7sec off the pace.
Monte-Carlo stalwart Enrico Brazzoli ended another 11min 7.5sec behind, followed by Hungarian pilot Zoltán László who trailed the leaders by 11min 48.5sec
Saturday’s action switches west for five stages near Digne-les-Bains. Three morning tests precede a tyre change in the town before the latter two are repeated. The day features two climbs of the mythical Col de Fontbelle, likely to feature several kilometres of snow and ice at the summit.
The provisional results can be consulted here.
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Hybrid Rally1 era begins with Monte Carlo rally
Monte Carlo, 14 Jan 2022: Heralding the advent of a new and sustainable era, the Rally1 regulations are the product of extensive work by the FIA departments in partnership with the competing manufacturers Hyundai, M-Sport (Ford) and Toyota.
Together they aligned to deliver a category that maintains spectacular performance, further enhances safety, while focusing firmly on the environment. In addition to the plug-in hybrid unit, which is mated to the existing 1.6-litre turbocharged internal combustion engine, Rally1 cars run on 100 per cent fossil-free fuel.
The hybrid kit includes a 100kW electric motor fitted to a 3.9kWh battery and can lift combined performance levels to more than 500hp. Significantly, however, Rally1 cars are designed to run on electric mode only, which they will be required to do in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) zones located close to event service parks.
Rallye Monte-Carlo is the first of 13 WRC rounds in three continents between January and November. First held in 1911, the event is regarded as one of the most challenging on the calendar due to the likelihood of fluctuating grip levels and changeable weather. They put a huge onus on the choice of Pirelli tyres as drivers and their teams attempt to select the most suitable tyres for the conditions.
The start of the WRC’s half-century celebrations on the 90th edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo is marked by the major advances governing body the FIA has made in rallying both in terms of sustainable technology and safety. The plug-in hybrid-powered Rally1 cars have raised performance levels while reducing harmful emissions. Aligned with significant safety innovations – the result of months of intensive research and development – the FIA is overseeing a period of wide-reaching change that is pivotal to strengthening the sport, its appeal and importance into the future
THE 2022 ENTRY
A capacity entry of seventy-five cars, including 11 Rally1 cars, are entered for Rallye Monte-Carlo. Reigning FIA WRC champion Sébastien Ogier heads the list in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 as he bids for his record-extending ninth victory in the principality and his first with new co-driver Benjamin Veillas.
Sébastien Loeb, the eight-time Monte-Carlo winner and nine-time world champion, returns to the WRC in an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 co-driven by Isabelle Galmiche. Both Ogier and Loeb are planning selected appearances in 2022, with Rallye Monte-Carlo a rare opportunity to see them both in action. Like the illustrious Frenchmen, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Thierry Neuville is also a former Monte-Carlo winner, while Ott Tänak completes the list of FIA WRC champions past and present in action.
In addition to Loeb, the M-Sport line-up includes Craig Breen, Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith, while Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Kalle Rovanperä join Ogier at Toyota Gazoo Racing. Rallye Monte-Carlo marks Oliver Solberg’s first event as part of Hyundai’s full factory effort.
THE SUPPORTING CATEGORIES
FIA WRC2 for Rally2 cars has been restructured for 2022 and features separate classifications for Teams, Drivers, Co-Drivers, plus Junior’s. The Masters Cup includes awards for the best Driver and Co-Driver.
Andreas Mikkelsen begins the defence of his FIA WRC2 Drivers’ title with new recruit Torstein Eriksen, who won the WRC2 Co-Drivers’ title in 2021 alongside Mads Østberg. Yohan Rossel steps up as the WRC3 champion from last season, while Eric Camilli and Nikolai Gryazin have both won WRC2 events in the past.
Gryazin is also eligible for the WRC2 Junior title with opposition coming from Marco Bulacia and Gryazin’s fellow FIA European Rally Championship graduates Erik Cais, Grégoire Munster and Chris Ingram, the 2019 ERC champion. Former factory WRC driver Freddy Loix is also in contention for overall WRC2 points along with 19 rivals.
Sami Pajari, the 2021 FIA Junior WRC champion, will go up against Enrico Brazzoli and Jan Černý in FIA WRC3, which is exclusively for Rally3 cars from this season, in line with the FIA Rally Sporting Pyramid.
Rallye Monte-Carlo is also the opening round of the 2022 FIA R-GT Cup. Emmanuel Guigou, last season’s runner-up, heads an eight-car entry which also features French legend François Delecour, who won Rallye Monte-Carlo outright in 1994. Both drive Alpine’s A110 R-GT.
THE 2022 ROUTE
Based entirely in Monaco for the first time since 2006 following stints based in Valence and Gap, the 90th Rallye Monte-Carlo features three days of reconnaissance from January 17-19, when crews will sample a route of 296.03 kilometres that’s 95 per cent new compared to 2021.
Shakedown follows from 09:31 hrs local time on January 20 and provides the first opportunity for the respective performances of the Rally1 cars to be checked against the clock. A renovated Casino Square then hosts the traditional ceremonial start from 18:45 hrs on January 20 before the action begins for real with two night stages – Lucéram / Lantosque and La Bollène-Vésubie / Moulinet – in the Alpes-Maritimes. La Bollène-Vésubie / Moulinet is the rally’s longest stage at 23.25 kilometres.
Crews head back to the Alpes-Maritimes on Friday January 21 for two loops of three stages, either side of a tyre fitting zone in Puget-Théniers, totalling 97.86 timed kilometres. The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence hosts Saturday’s 92.46 kilometres of competitive action. Following the single-pass Le Fugeret / Thorame-Haute stage, there are two passes of Saint Jeannet / Malijai and Saint-Geniez / Thoard, separated by a tyre fitting zone in Digne-les-Bains.
It’s off to the north-west of Alpes-Maritimes on Sunday for the final 67.26 kilometres of competitive running and two repeated stages, the new La Penne / Collongues, plus Briançonnet / Entrevaux, which counts as the Power Stage when it’s repeated from 12:18 hrs CET. The Casino Square hosts the prize-giving ceremony from 16:00 hrs.
FOCUS ON SAFETY
By introducing hybrid technology in the WRC, the FIA has implemented a number of safety measures, such as requiring the hybrid components to be contained in a reinforced safety structure.
Rally1 cars are identifiable by an ‘HY’ graphic on the side door panels. Safety lights on the windscreen and both side pillars will be green when the car is safe to touch. A flashing red light with an audible warning means a car is unsafe to touch. An awareness campaign on social media has also been launched and highlights the precautions spectators and safety crews must take in the event of an accident due to the high-voltage electrical current they can generate.
All Rally1 cars must carry two pairs of Class-0 gloves capable of withstanding 1000 volts that can be easily accessible for the driver and co-driver when vacating their car. This will enable both crew members to provide valuable assistance in the event of a high voltage issue affecting either their car or the car of a competitor. Crews and volunteer officials have also received essential training.
RALLY DATA
Total distance: 1511.47 km Stage distance: 296.03 km (19.59%) Number of stages: 17 -
Pajari, youngest Junior WRC champ in 20-year history
Sami Pajari is the youngest ever champion in Junior WRC’s 20-year history at the age of 19 years old and the first-ever Finnish driver to win the championship.
Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen won the Junior WRC Championship by winning Rally Spain, the final and double points paying round of the championship. The rally saw the Finnish crew go head-to-head with their championship rivals and excelling where their competitors faltered.
It marks the Finn’s second career victory in Junior WRC, with his first coming on Rally Estonia this year, which also saw him secure the championship lead. Pajari’s rally started on the backfoot and it appeared that he would need to mount a serious challenge on Jon Armstrong who was the favourite heading to the Spanish Tarmac.
By the end of Friday Pajari began to charge and was able to stay trouble-free through Saturday to emerge with a clear lead. The Finn was able to maintain his lead with some impressive drives, fending off the competition on Sunday to take home the biggest prize package in rallying: A brand new M-Sport Fiesta Rally2, 200 Pirelli tyres, free registration for WRC2 2022 and five free entries for 2022.
Jon Armstrong was Pajari’s closest championship challenger in Spain and the initial favourite, he appeared on course to live up to expectations, following his performance on Friday. His rally unravelled on Saturday after going off the road and losing over five minutes to Pajari. The Northern Irishman regrouped and delivered a series of blisteringly quick times to earn valuable Wolf Stage Win Points but his day would draw to a sudden stop as he hit a drain on stage 11. The retirement put his championship hopes in tatters and meant the pressure was off Pajari to maintain his lead. Armstrong would restart on Sunday in fourth, taking two stage wins before finishing and taking the Wolf Stage Win Points award for the most stage wins of the season.
Martins Sesks was in contention for the title heading to Spain but it soon became apparent that the Latvian was struggling for pace on Friday. Saturday saw Sesks pushing hard but his day came to a premature end when a puncture saw him go off the road, damaging his wheel in the process and retiring for the day. Sesks restarted the rally on Sunday to finish sixth and claim third in the 2021 FIA Junior WRC Championship.
Lauri Joona claimed his second Junior WRC podium of the season on Spain and for a few stages looked like he was in contention for the rally win too, trailing Pajari by just two seconds after stage 11. In his first full Junior WRC season, Joona claimed fourth in the championship.
Robert Virves delivered some competitive times during Rally Spain and finished third, a puncture saw him fall away from the leading pack where he was once closing on Pajari’s lead. Virves’ third place meant he claimed fifth overall in the championship with some impressive stage times on Rally Spain, taking a total of five Wolf Stage Win Points.
William Creighton appeared to be a potential contender for victory on Rally Spain but an accident on stage one soon put those plans to bed. Creighton took a stage win on Saturday to prove he has the pace on the way to securing sixth in his rookie Junior WRC season.
Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship Manger, said: “What a fantastic result and achievement for Sami and Marko! The first Finns to win the Junior WRC Championship and Sami becoming the youngest ever Junior WRC champion, I think we will be seeing his name a lot more in years to come. His performance this weekend has been incredible and he is a truly deserving champion, I really cannot wait to see what he can do in the future. Jon Armstrong and Phil fought admirably throughout this rally, once it became clear Jon was on the back foot we really saw what speed he his capable of and that is underlined by the fact he won the Wolf Stage Win Points Award. I want to highlight just how competitive Junior WRC has been this year, every driver entered took Wolf Stage Win Points at some point this year which is truly remarkable. We have had an incredibly talented field and I see futures for everybody entered here in Spain. Lastly, I want to thank the M-Sport Poland team, WRC Promoter, Pirelli, Wolf and FIA for all of their hard work and effort to deliver such a special and exciting championship. The story from this year will not be forgotten for a long time.”
Sami Pajari, 2021 FIA Junior WRC Champion, said: “This is a really big achievement, I don’t know what to say. I feel so thankful for so many people who made this possible. I think it’s not only me who deserves it, it’s many people also. Wow, just wow. There were so many ups and downs just in one rally so it was not so easy to really see this coming, I was the lucky one this time. You can dream, dream about lots of things, but to this really happening is something that doesn’t even feel real at the moment.” -
Neuville seals 2nd win as title-fight goes to wire: WRC
(Spain), 17 October 2021: Thierry Neuville, navigated by Martijn Wydaeghe, stormed to his second FIA World Rally Championship victory of the season with a commanding success at RallyRACC – Rally de España on Sunday afternoon.
The Belgian took control of the penultimate round with eight straight fastest times in his Hyundai i20 across the middle of the three-day asphalt rally to secure back-to-back Spain victories by 24.1 sec.
Second place for Elfyn Evans in a Toyota Yaris means the fight for the drivers’ title goes to a final round decider in Italy next month. He headed Dani Sordo’s i20 by 11.2sec and trails team-mate Sébastien Ogier by 17 points. A maximum 30 remain available.
After demoting Evans from the lead on Saturday morning, Neuville’s progress at the front was serene until a big scare ahead of the closing Wolf Power Stage.
A starter motor problem meant co-driver Wydaeghe pushed their i20 into the regroup before the stage. The crew managed to restart the car and tackled the test without further problems, but the incident clearly rattled Neuville.
Evans felt uncomfortable on dirty roads when the smooth asphalt speed tests in the Costa Daurada hills were tackled for a second time, but the Welshman has slashed the deficit to Ogier from 44 points with victory in Finland earlier this month and second here.
He tried a variety of set-up changes to no avail but had enough pace to stay ahead of a charging Sordo, who won all four of Sunday’s special stages to demote Ogier and claim the final podium place.
Ogier, pursuing his eighth title in nine seasons, struggled for pace in the first half of the rally. While set-up changes gave the Frenchman fresh heart, he could not hold off the Spaniard.
Neuville and Sordo’s 1-2 in the bonus points-paying Power Stage means the fight between leader Toyota Gazoo Racing and Hyundai Motorsport for the manufacturers’ crown will also go to the last round.
Kalle Rovanperä finished fifth in another Yaris, almost 50sec adrift of Ogier, with Gus Greensmith overcoming several problems to complete the top six in a Ford Fiesta at the final rally for co-driver Chris Patterson.
Oliver Solberg celebrated his first WRC asphalt drive in an i20 World Rally Car with seventh, equalling his career-best result, and top-tier debutant Nil Solans was eighth in another i20.
In FIA WRC2, Frenchman Eric Camilli claimed the class glory, whilst Andreas Mikkelsen wrapped up the drivers’ title without even starting the event.
Camilli moved into the lead on SS2 after an early battle with title-chaser Mads Østberg’s similar Citroën C3 Rally2 entered by TRT. A puncture for Østberg on Friday gifted Camilli the chance to stretch his legs and he steadily increased his advantage over the remaining two days.
Whilst Camilli won the rally, results elsewhere meant the absent Mikkelsen was crowned the drivers’ champion. The Norwegian had planned to end his season at FORUM8 ACI Rally Monza next month, but as neither Østberg nor Teemu Suninen scored enough points to catch him, the title was decided earlier than anticipated.
Finland’s Emil Lindholm rounded out the perfect weekend by taking the win in FIA WRC3.
The 14.9sec advantage he opened up on Friday had more than doubled by close of play on Saturday and a clean run over the final four speed tests confirmed his win by 28.5sec from Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
Kajetanowicz moved into the championship lead with one rally to go, however, his main rival Yohan Rossel is still awaiting news regarding an appeal over his EKO Acropolis exclusion. The hearing is scheduled to take place before the season-closing FORUM8 ACI Rally Monza next month.
The title-deciding final round at FORUM8 ACI Rally Monza will take place on 18 – 21 November.
The final unofficial results can be consulted here.
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Ogier santches Safari win after Neuville heartbreak: WRC
Nairobi (Kenya), 27 June 2021: The French crew of Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia emerged unscathed from a gripping final morning’s action to secure victory in Safari Rally Kenya and increase their leads in the FIA World Rally Championship.
Third overall at the start of the day, the Toyota Yaris WRC driver moved up to second when Thierry Neuville damaged his Hyundai’s rear suspension on the opening stage. Ogier then displaced Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on the penultimate special and went on to record victory by the margin of 21.8 seconds.
“One out of one (Safari) is not so bad,” said Ogier, who now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 34 points after his fourth win of the season. “We had amazing support from the people. It has been incredible. The people have been cheering for us on the road sections. It is a beautiful country. It is a great win for us. After the trouble on Friday we had a good weekend. Well done also to Taka. It was not easy to catch him.”
The victory was Toyota’s first on the Safari since Japanese driver Yoshio Fujimoto and Swedish co-driver Arne Hertz won the 43rd Safari in 1995 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD. It was the Japanese manufacturer’s ninth in total after winning for the first time in Kenya with the late Björn Waldegård and fellow Swede Hans Thorszelius in 1984.
Safari success marked Ogier’s 53rd WRC win as he continues to close in on fellow Frenchman Sébastien Loeb’s record 79 successes.
Partnered by Daniel Barritt, Katsuta’s second place marked a career best finish and first ever WRC podium for the young Japanese talent. “It’s feeling very good,” said Katsuta. “It has been a very long weekend. Everybody had some problems but we survived.”
The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team suffered agony and disappointment for the third consecutive rally. After Ott Tänak’s woes in Portugal and Sardinia, it was Thierry Neuville’s turn to suffer the same cruel twist of fate in Kenya.
The Belgian had dominated the Safari for two days and looked set to cruise to the finish and take the win until a rear-right damper exploded on the first stage of the morning and he was not able to continue. It was a bitter blow to the Belgian’s title challenge and a major setback for the team in the battle with Toyota for the Manufacturers’ title. They now trail their rivals by 59 points.
“Basically we came to a very slow left-right corner and something broke on the car,” said Neuville. “We saw that the damper exploded and we had to retire there. It is a big disappointment, not only for me but for the whole team. It’s a tough time after three rallies in a row retiring from the lead.”
Ott Tänak’s third place was scant consolation for the effort that the team had put in over the weekend. But the Estonian claimed five maximum bonus points for winning the Power Stage and closed to within eight points of third-placed Neuville in the title race.
The Safari was a success for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team in the absence of senior management because of the UK’s Covid quarantine rules for arrivals from Kenya.
Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith were closely matched throughout the event, but a career-first fastest stage time and a pacey morning enabled Fourmaux to overhaul his English team-mate to secure a personal best fourth position. The ever-improving Greensmith finished fifth.
Kalle Rovanperä won two stages and led the rally outright after the fifth one, but the Finn suffered his very own disappointment on Friday afternoon and spent the rest of the weekend avoiding trouble to give himself a chance to gain Power Stage points. He finished sixth overall and second in the Power Stage with his Toyota.
Throughout WRC history, rallies with a high rate of attrition – like the Safari and the Ivory Coast – enabled amateur drivers to score WRC points for impressive performances.
This year’s returning African classic was no exception and Kenyan driver Onkar Rai finished a superb seventh overall. The Volkswagen Polo GTi driver won the WRC3 category and devoted the victory to his brother Tejveer, who crashed heavily and sustained a spinal injury on Friday.
“It’s amazing,” said an overwhelmed Rai at the finish. “I hope he’s watching (brother). It was a really hard drive and I am so happy that Kenya has got it back (WRC).”
Fellow countryman Karen Patel and five-time Safari winner Carl Tundo were Rai’s closest challengers and crossed the finish line in eighth and ninth places.
After losing any chance of taking a win on Friday, title contender Elfyn Evans fought back from the lower reaches of the top 20 to finish in 10th place and collect a solitary WRC point to add to the three he scored on the final Power Stage. He now trails team-mate Ogier by 34 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Sunday – as it happened
Evans was handed road-sweeping duties on the first pass through the 11.33km of the narrow and twisty Loldia stage and completed in 7min 49.4sec.
Dani Sordo had been 20 minutes late leaving service because of a reported fuel pressure issue and then clocked in 10 minutes early to the stage start and lined up in third place behind Lorenzo Bertelli with 13min 20sec of additional time penalties to his name.
Fourmaux and Greensmith were separated by just 12 seconds at the start of the day and locked in a tussle for fifth place. The Frenchman threw caution to the wind to post a time of 7min 41.2sec and reduced his M-Sport team-mate’s advantage to just six seconds.
Ogier opted for four soft tyres in his quest to hunt down Katsuta and snatch second place and the Japanese saw his 18.1-second cushion whittled down to 4.6 seconds when the seven-time World Champion carded the fastest time of 7min 37.1sec.
Neuville struggled through the stage with right-rear suspension damage and haemorrhaged 59.2 seconds to the Frenchman. But the Belgian somehow managed to hold on to a lead of 11.7 seconds after a stunning development at the start of the final morning.
The first pass through Hell’s Gate was shortened to 5.63km by rally officials after regrading and repair work. Crews were then permitted to recce the repaired section for the subsequent Wolf Power Stage after the stage finish.
Hyundai confirmed that Neuville would not be able to continue after breaking a rear damper. The Belgian’s demise lifted Katsuta into the outright lead, but he was running on a far from ideal tyre option and was coming under severe pressure from Ogier.
Evans was closing in on 10th overall and he carded the fastest time of 3min 14.3sec to move within seven seconds of Lorenzo Bertelli.
Fourmaux pinched another tenth of a second from Greensmith, who summed up his thoughts: “It’s hard to put into words this rally. One minute it’s fine and then it’s going end-over-end – metaphorically!”
Ogier continued to reel in Katsuta and his team-mate’s lead was reduced to 0.8 seconds heading to a single pass through the abrasive Malewa (9.71km) stage. But Katsuta led a WRC rally for the first time with three stages to go.
Malewa may have been a short stage but it was rough and demanding. Evans managed to pass Bertelli and claim 10th place and a potential WRC point with a time of 7min 21.9sec.
An inspired Fourmaux delivered a scintillating time of 7min 01.1sec to go 15.8 seconds quicker than Sordo and his efforts were rewarded when he displaced Greensmith to take fifth place by 2.3 seconds. He also confirmed a first personal stage win in the WRC.
Ogier erred on the side of caution to preserve his soft compound tyres and moved into a tie for the outright lead after beating Katsuta by 0.8 seconds. The pair headed to the re-run of Loldia tied to the fraction of a second to set up a grandstand finale in Kenya.
Evans beat his opening run by two seconds to consolidate 10th place and Fourmaux continued to push hard and extended his advantage over Greensmith to 4.7 seconds in the fight for fourth overall. The Frenchman was 8.5 seconds faster than Evans and second quickest on the stage.
Ogier was quickest and managed to snatch the outright lead for the first time since the super special on Thursday afternoon. He headed to the final special with an 8.3-second cushion over Katsuta, with Tänak a distant third.
Attention turned to the Wolf Power Stage and the second run through the regraded Hell’s Gate (10.56km) with crucial bonus points at stake for the fastest five drivers.
After the Kenyan trio of Rai, Patel and Tundo had confirmed the top three places in WRC3, Sordo laid down the Power Stage gauntlet with a run of 6min 17.517sec but a flying Evans was 9.135 seconds faster than the Spaniard.
Rovanperä pushed hard and managed to sneak inside Evans’s target by 1.183 seconds with a new fastest time of 6min 07.199sec. Fourmaux and Greensmith were unable to match the Finn’s time but confirmed two solid finishes for the M-Sport team.
Tänak was desperate for Power Stage points and the Estonian managed to beat the benchmark by 0.734 seconds to snatch the fastest time with Ogier and Katsuta still to run. The Japanese confirmed a career-best WRC finish but was not able to match the target time.
That left the stage free for Ogier but the Frenchman was more concerned with securing a first Safari win and he finished the Power Stage in fourth place to seal outright victory by the margin of 21.8 seconds.
2021 Safari Rally Kenya – positions after SS18 (@14.35hrs):
1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 18min 11.3sec
2. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN)/Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 18min 33.1sec
3. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC 3hr 19min 20.8sec
4. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 19min 56.0sec
5. Gus Greensmith (GBR)/Chris Patterson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 20min 05.9sec
6. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN)/Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 29min 04.7sec
7. Onkar Rai (KEN)/Drew Sturrock (GBR) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3) 3hr 47min 37.7sec
8. Karen Patel (KEN)/Tauseef Khan (KEN) Ford Fiesta (WRC3) 3hr 51min 41.7sec
9. Carl Tundo (KEN)/Timothy Jessop (KEN) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3) 3hr 54min 52.0sec
10. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 4hr 07min 34.0sec
11. Lorenzo Bertelli (ITA)/Simone Scattolin (ITA) Ford Fiesta WRC 4hr 08min 28.8sec
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Neuville-Wydaeghe survive storm to stay ahead on Saturday
Nairobi (KENYA), 26 June 2021: The Belgian crew of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe survived heavy rain on the last stage to extend their overall advantage to 57.4 seconds at Safari Rally Kenya on Saturday.
The Hyundai driver had managed to keep Toyota rival Takamoto Katsuta at bay over the leg’s other five stages on what had developed into a processional day for the leading crews. But the leading group were badly affected by the onset of a sudden downpour and Neuville was fortunate to escape relatively unscathed to take a good lead into the night halt.
Katsuta dropped over half a minute to seven-time World Rally Champion and team-mate Sébastien Ogier on the last special, but the Japanese retained second position by just 18.1 seconds. “It was very scary,” said Katsuta. “I never feel that kind of feeling. In the beginning it was okay and then the storm came and I could not see anything.”
Ogier won three stages and managed to pass Estonia’s Ott Tänak and snatch third place when the Hyundai driver was forced to stop in the last special and clear a misting windscreen. The delay proved costly for the 2019 World Champion and he trails Ogier by 65.7 seconds heading into the final day.
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team colleagues Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux were locked in their own little tussle for much of the day. The Briton maintained his advantage to consolidate fifth place, with his French team-mate heading to the night halt 12 seconds behind in sixth.
Seventh-placed Kalle Rovanperä was too far behind the Fords to attack and comfortably ahead of the WRC3 runners. The Finn achieved his goal of finishing the day’s stages as he prepares for a push for bonus points on Sunday’s Power Stage.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Dani Sordo continued to climb back towards the top 10 after their retirements on Friday. Sordo benefited from missing the final stage storm to claim the fastest time.
Local driver Onkar Rai led WRC3 in a fine eighth with his Volkswagen Polo GTi. Fellow Kenyan Karen Patel and five-time Safari winner Carl Tundo rounded off the top 10.
Poland’s Daniel Chwist stopped a short distance into the ninth stage and lost his place amongst the leading WRC3 group.
Saturday – as it happened
Young Oliver Solberg and WRC2 runner Martin Prokop were unable to restart after accident damage sidelined their cars on Friday.
Dani Sordo, Elfyn Evans, Lorenzo Bertelli and Kalle Rovanperä all returned to action and were given road opening duties at the start of day two and the first pass through the 14.67km of the Elementieta stage.
Rovanperä managed to rejoin in seventh overall after his seventh stage issues in the fesh-fesh, but Bertelli (17th), Evans (19th) and Sordo (20th) were realistically too far behind to challenge for serious WRC points other than the final Power Stage.
Bertelli stalled briefly and Evans and Rovanperä set the early target of 9min 18.6sec. Greensmith increased his advantage over Fourmaux to 33.6 seconds with an impressive run of 9min 12.0sec but Neuville recorded the fastest time of 9min 01.4sec and extended his overall advantage over Katsuta to 26.3 seconds.
The Soysambu (20.33km) stage incorporated a pair of tricky water crossings and followed a very short road section. A lack of rain in the area nullified the risks associated with the water hazards, however, and a hard-charging Fourmaux clocked the early target time of 14min 16.1sec on only his third WRC event in a World Rally Car.
The Frenchman managed to claw 10.3 seconds back from team-mate Greensmith, as Ogier carded the quickest time of 14min 11.9sec and closed to within 43.5 seconds of Tänak in the battle for third place.
Katsuta was forced to slow for zebra on the track, as Neuville was third quickest and extended his overall advantage over the Japanese to 28.9 seconds. Onkar Rai continued to lead the way in WRC3 in eighth overall, but Polish rival Daniel Chwist stopped after 3.4km.
The Sleeping Warrior (31.04km) stage completed the morning loop before the return to service at Navaisha. Sordo pushed harder on the faster opening kilometres and eased off over the rock-strewn final tracks to post an impressive target time of 17min 44.0sec.
Most of his rivals erred on the side of caution on the deteriorating surface and Ogier was the first to beat the Spaniard’s opening run. The Frenchman was quickest with a time of 17min 26.6sec and shaved another 5.9 seconds off Tänak in the battle for third.
Fourmaux’s roof vent came off and let in vast quantities of dust. The issue cost the Frenchman valuable seconds and he ceded another 16.1 seconds to Greensmith in the battle for fifth. Katsuta beat Neuville by 0.8 seconds and reduced the deficit to 28.1 seconds.
Elementeita had been the easiest stage in the morning loop, but no-one was taking anything for granted on the second pass over the twisty gravel trails by the lake.
The four cars that failed to finish on Friday safely negotiated the special without issues and Fourmaux then set the target of 8min 59.5sec. He trimmed another 1.8 seconds off Greensmith’s hold on fifth place.
Ogier still had his sights set on a podium finish and a stunning run of 8min 47.5sec enabled the Frenchman to set the fastest time and nibble another 2.1 seconds out of Tänak to trail the Estonian by 35.5.
Katsuta was safe in second place but dropped time to Tänak and another 4.4 to leader Neuville, who was forced to brake on a long straight to avoid a dazzle of zebra.
One mistake from any of the top four drivers would prove costly on the second pass through Soysambu. Stage openers, Sordo and Evans, were locked in their own little tussle as they climbed back towards the top 10 and were closely matched in 15th and 14th overall at the start of the stage. Evans beat the Spaniard by 15.3 seconds to move clear in his quest for a points-scoring finish.
A flying Fourmaux clipped a low banking and survived a two-wheel moment before a water crossing to post the target time of 14min 01.9sec for his five closest rivals.
Greensmith beat his team-mate by 4.1 seconds and Tänak stemmed the flow of time to beat Ogier by a mere second and claim his first stage win of the weekend.
The Estonian’s pace was such that he reduced Katsuta’s hold on second overall to 14.5 seconds heading to the last test of the day. Neuville was fourth quickest and headed to SS13 with a 35-second advantage.
With dark storm cloud gathering ominously overhead, would the re-run of the Sleeping Warrior stage be the sting in the tail after a relatively processional day at the Safari?
Sordo was 19 seconds quicker on his second pass in dry conditions and that pace gave the Spaniard the fastest time after a heavy shower caused chaos amongst the other front-runners.
Greensmith had to stop and clear his screen after spinning the Fiesta on the saturated surface (known locally as ‘black cotton’) but he maintained a 12-second advantage over Fourmaux.
Ogier survived what he described as like ‘driving on ice’, but Tänak suffered more than anyone and was forced to stop and clear a misting windscreen. A time loss of two minutes pushed the Estonian down to fourth place – 1min 05.7sec behind Ogier.
Neuville and Katsuta were also caught out in the changing weather conditions but were able to stay in first and second places with the Belgian extending his lead to 57.4 seconds after a hard charge in treacherous conditions.
Sunday
Crews tackle five special stages on the final morning, starting with the first of two passes through the 11.33km of the Loldia special – located close to the tracks used on Wednesday’s shakedown.
A first run in the high-speed Hell’s Gate (10.56km) follows and starts close to a geo-thermal plant. Kenya is second in the world for producing geo-thermal energy after Iceland.
A single pass through the abrasive Malewa (9.71km) special precedes a repeat of Loldia and the televised Hell’s Gate Wolf Power Stage finale.
2021 Safari Rally Kenya – positions after SS13 (@17.30hrs):
1. Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC 2hr 45min 04.6sec
2. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN)/Daniel Barritt (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 46min 02.0sec
3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 46min 20.1sec
4. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC 2hr 47min 25.8sec
5. Gus Greensmith (GBR)/Chris Patterson (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 47min 44.0sec
6. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Renaud Jamoul (BEL) Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 47min 56.0sec
7. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN)/Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 56min 08.9sec
8. Onkar Rai (KEN)/Drew Sturrock (GBR) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3) 3hr 11min 03.7sec
9. Karen Patel (KEN)/Tauseef Khan (KEN) Ford Fiesta (WRC3) 3hr 16min 36.4sec
10. Carl Tundo (KEN)/Timothy Jessop (KEN) Volkswagen Polo GTi (WRC3) 3hr 18min 30.6sec
