Rally Estonia Day 2022 Three report – Kalle and Jonne take another victory!

The final day then and a day with almost 78km’s over six stages. The startlist looked like this – Breen, Solberg, Greensmith, Loubet, Lappi, Fourmaux, Katsuta, Neuville, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä.

We started with SS19 Tartu Vald 1 – 6.56 km and the top three was Kalle, Elfyn and Adrien. The Frenchman was quicker than Takamoto and reduced the gap a little. The was huge drama for his teammate, Pierre-Louis who struck a rock hidden at the edge of a left-hand bend and broke the front left suspension on his Puma. He made it to the end of the stage, but having looked at the damage, they decided to retire. A big shame for the young Frenchman and also M-Sport.

Onto SS20 Kanepi 1 – 16.48 km, a more normal stage flowing through the countryside and Ott plus the overall leader Kalle set the same time, whilst Takamoto was third fastest. Gus sadly retired with transmission failure at the end of the stage, giving further trouble for M-Sport Ford. The other two Hyundai’s both went off at different parts of the stage, but made it to the end of the stage.

Next up was SS21 Kambja 1 – 15.95 km and Craig once again was the early pacesetter, before his time was beaten first by Ott, then Elfyn came through next and went fastest, before Kalle came through and beat Elfyn’s time. Both the Hyundai’s had spins again in this one, the car just not liking the lack of grip. The battle between Andreas and Teemu was continuing, the gap closing another second or so as Teemu was the fastest WRC2 runner.

We had a new stage winner in SS22 Tartu Vald 2 – 6.56 km with Esapekka winning from Adrien and Ott. Elfyn and Kalle were fourth and fifth fastest the gap between them now 40 seconds. Other drivers were preparing for the second run in the stage, when rerun as the powerstage. Craig felt it went well, whilst Thierry was saving the tyres for a big push later.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Esapekka also won SS23 Kanepi 2 – 16.48 km from Oliver and Takamoto. It was a great time from Oliver, given that the car cut out during the stage when his centre console became detached! Elliott managed to get it back in position, and keeping the time loss to a minimum. There was a huge time difference between the top three and the later crews completing the stage almost 40 seconds slower. Elfyn took a small amount of time out of Kalle and the gap was now 38.4 seconds.

The final stage then, SS24 Kambja 2 [Power Stage] – 15.95 km and the startlist was changed once again, with the top four WRC2 drivers starting the stage first – Mikkelsen (WRC2), Suninen (WRC2), Lindholm (WRC2), Huttunen (WRC2), Breen, Solberg, Lappi, Fourmaux, Katsuta, Neuville, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä. Andreas had a really good run, setting a great time that none of the other WRC2 crews could beat. Teemu could not, as he suddenly started getting a misfire with the engine in his i20 and he lost a huge bit of time. Mind you, the weather closed in on stage in time for Jari Huttunen to have to driver through the whole stage and meant he was a full minute slower than Andreas. Craig was next in, but could not beat the time either. Now Esapekka did have a good clean stage, with no rain and, but was still not able to beat Andreas either. Oliver went off and Adrien just tiptoed his way through the stage, ultimately losing a position to Lappi as well. The rain kept moving around, and some had a clear run, but the conditions were still extremely difficult and finally we had just two crew left to go. Elfyn and Kalle, and Andreas remained the fastest still in the stage. The sun had completely come out, meaning that these conditions were the best since Andreas came through. There was till some standing water, but as these two made their way through they were setting new green sectors through the splits. Andreas’ time was finally beaten by Elfyn by just 2.2 seconds, but then came the charging Finns…. Each split was faster and faster, and they were really on a charge out there, and when they crossed the line, they’d gone fastest by 22.5 seconds over Elfyn just in this single stage. What a drive they had done, taking thirteen stage wins and their seventh career victory. Just unbelievable and incredible.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Estonia

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:54:29.0
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:00.9
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:55.7
4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +3:53.3
5 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:13.4
6 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:49.1
7 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +5:09.2
8 A. Mikkelsen T. Eriksen Škoda Fabia Evo +11:01.8
9 T. Suninen M. Markkula Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +11:27.1
10 E. Lindholm R. Hämäläinen Škoda Fabia Evo +13:04.8

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“It’s another amazing result this weekend. Opening the road on Friday morning it was hard to match Elfyn’s pace, but after that we could fight really well. The final day was not so easy to manage, it was longer than normal and a big battle with the weather. To get such huge rain on the last stages was quite tough, but on the Power Stage I still did a big push. I knew that in this weather you can make a difference and I just tried to push a bit while trying to still be a bit safe. I was enjoying the driving and the time was clearly good. It’s nice to get this victory before Rally Finland and hopefully we can do a good job there also.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s a bit of a relief to finish the rally after some really difficult conditions in the last couple of stages. Today was all about getting through and securing our second place. In the Power Stage I didn’t take any risks but it was good to get some points from there as well. The biggest positive is another one-two finish for the team which is great. From our side it was a step forward especially from where we were last year on this rally. Congratulations to Kalle: He was very fast, just as he was last year. I take my hat off to him and we’ll try again next time!”

Esapekka Lappi (6th)

“What a final day. It was a lot of kilometres today for a Sunday which was quite nice, and we had a good rhythm today. I had a better flow and I was a bit braver, which helped me to drive faster but it was also coming more naturally. Then we had really tricky conditions, especially on the last one which was definitely the craziest stage I have ever done. It was just horrible with the ruts all full of water. It’s been a great weekend for the team and not a bad one overall for us. We had pretty decent pace throughout, so without the problem yesterday the result would have been OK, and it’s good preparation for Rally Finland.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“For the first time in my life, I have not been competitive in Estonia, so that’s a bit frustrating. It’s unfortunately the situation we are in, we did everything we could, but third place feels disappointing. The real positive is the number of kilometres we have been able to complete across all three cars. We now need to evaluate our next steps in terms of development. The Estonian fans have shown that they are passionate and full of support, so I am thankful to them for that; it’s just a shame we weren’t competitive.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai i20 N Rally 1
Photographer: Dufour Fabien
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville (4th)

“It has been a tough and challenging weekend for us. I haven’t felt comfortable in the car, and it just didn’t work out. Lots of things came together, and even the Power Stage today didn’t go well, with zero visibility – I couldn’t see anything right from the start. Somehow, we were able to come away with fourth position, which is really the best we could have expected in this event. Our competitors were very strong, and Ott was driving really well. To finish behind our team-mate in this rally was all that we could do. We stay positive, continue fighting and there’s always hope for improvements.”

Oliver Solberg (13th)

“The conditions in the Power Stage were absolutely crazy, so much rain and standing water! It was a mission to stay on the road, but we made it to the end of what has been a very long and tough weekend. It has been difficult to build the confidence in the car needed for these stages and conditions. The team has done all it could to help me, and we have tried a lot of things. The mechanics have worked hard to prepare the car and it’s been a challenging event for them as well. We showed some signs of promise on Saturday afternoon but have a lot of work to do to get to the proper level.

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux (7th)

“I would say it was a really strong rally for me, my first one in Estonia with a top-level rally car against drivers with a lot of experience. I can be really happy with the pace we’ve shown to be able to fight for fifth position.

“It has been an interesting rally, it’s nice to build some confidence on this kind of surface, which has been tricky with the rain as well! The weather has been crazy throughout the weekend, especially in the last stage where unfortunately we lost sixth position, but I will definitely be taking the positives from this rally.”

Craig Breen (30th)

“Bit of a difficult weekend, honestly. Already from Friday, things were going against us. The speed was really good, the car is working well and I felt in a good rhythm.

“Today we tried to push for some points on the power stage, but we got caught right in the middle of the storm. No points for us today, but bring on Finland in a couple of weeks’ time. The car feels great and hopefully we can get a good result there.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet, retired Sunday

“I don’t know what to say, I just made a stupid mistake today. On Friday when we lost sixth place, we had been in a good position, so it was shame to lose time on that last stage. I was uncomfortable throughout the rest of the weekend after that.

“This morning, I was more focused on the next corner than the previous one, I was thinking about the next one because it was a corner I didn’t like. It’s all on me, and it’s a mistake I won’t be making again because on this event you can’t get away with it.”

Gus Greensmith, retired Sunday

“A tricky weekend – Friday didn’t start great but became much better in the afternoon. The plan for Saturday was to fight for sixth, but we had a puncture quite early on, so the day was mainly just about learning.

“There were a few things we wanted to try for Sunday, just to make some small improvements for Finland, but we had a problem with the driveshaft, so we had to retire the car for the day.”

Jari Huttunen (4th in WRC2)

“It was a difficult weekend. In the special stages we had the fastest times, which is great, but in some of the other stages we struggled.

“We are both looking forward to Finland, but that is another challenge of course. For sure it won’t be easy, but it will be different at least.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’

After round seven

1 K. Rovanperä 175
2 T. Neuville 92
3 E. Evans 79
4 O. Tänak 77
5 T. Katsuta 73
6 C. Breen 60
7 S. Loeb 35
8 S. Ogier 34
9 D. Sordo 34
10 G. Greensmith 28
11 E. Lappi 27
12 A. Mikkelsen 19
13 P. Loubet 18
14 O. Solberg 9

2022 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’

After round seven

 

1 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 298
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 211
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 157
4 Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team NG 80

 

Summary

Well, what an incredible performance from Kalle and Jonne throughout the weekend. To open the stages throughout Friday and still take victory is a remarkable feat, particularly given that it is meant to be a handicap. They are rewriting what is possible with their drives to victory, and I suspect into would take a huge amount of change in fortunes for them not to take their first championship this year.

In any other year, Elfyn’s amazing pace to take six stage wins throughout this rally would have meant that he and Scott would have won this rally. Second place is still their best result on this event to date, and it is a great drive. They will reset and go again in Finland, the place of their last win.

Finally, Ott and Martin. They drove a good rally with a difficult car, making the best of it. He was clearly very disappointed with third and will hope that there are better things in Finland next month. When they get the car working as they want it to, they will be right in the battle at the front.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Next up in Rally Finland over the weekend of the 4th to 7th of August. It will be spectacular!

Round 5 WorldSBK Donington Park, Race 2

The weather was heating up, and so was the racing.

The Superpole race saw the reigning champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha), claim his second win of the weekend, followed by Rea (Kawasaki KRT), and Redding (BMW Motorrad), in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Iker Lecuona Picture courtesy of HRC WorldSBK

Lights out for race 2, and again it’s Toprak with the hole shot, followed by Rea, Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati), and Redding in 4th. Rea in particular, was looking more aggressive than he had yesterday, and was keen not to let the Turkish rider get away again.

Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Rea 3. Bautista 4. Redding 5. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) 6. Lowes (Kawasaki KRT) 7. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) 8. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 9. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 10. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW). Toprak put in the new fastest lap of 1:26.696, with Rea still trying to find a way through. The gap behind to Bautista was now 0.6s.

Lap 4 of 23, and it was the turn of Bautista to put in the new fastest lap of 1:26.644. This trio had already pulled out a significant gap to the rest of the field, with only Scott Redding keeping contact in 4th, 0.5s behind.

Lap 6 of 23, and Rea was desperate to find a way through on Toprak. The Turkish rider is an absolute demon on the brakes, and with so few places to pass, it was making life impossible for Rea. He tried a move in the Foggy Esses, briefly getting ahead, but Toprak was able to use the acceleration of the Yamaha R1 to retake the lead. As was the case yesterday, the constant battle between Rea, and Toprak was playing into the hands of Bautista, who had closed the gap to Rea. Meanwhile further back it was 7. Locatelli 8. Bassani 9. Lecuona 12. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 13. Vierge (Honda HRC).

On lap 9 of 23 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Pedercini) retires from the race. Meanwhile at the front, Rea was still throwing everything he could at Toprak, although the reigning champion was showing his grit, and standing firm. Bautista was still making ground in 3rd, with Redding having a decent ride in 4th, Rinaldi 5th, and Lowes 6th. Further back Tarran Mackenzie (MacAMC Yamah), the reigning BSB champion, was in 15th, while Peter Hickman (FHO BMW) was in 19th.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Scott Redding Picture courtesy of BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

With 11 laps remaining, Rinaldi finds a way through on Redding, who slips back to 5th, Lowes was in 6th. At the front Toprak was still holding off Rea, with a gap of 0.5s, while Bautista was in 3rd. Further back Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), was having another poor race, and was in 18th.

With 8 laps to go, Toprak had pulled out the gap to 0.8s, Rea looked to be having a problem either mechanically, or with the tyres.

Next lap and the gap had been increased to 1.4 to Rea, who was still struggling with the bike. Meanwhile Toprak was looking cool, and calm as he had in race 1, and would surely take the win.

With 5 laps to go, Bautista had now closed right up to Rea, and cuts under him into Melbourne loop taking over 2nd. Further back Bassani gets through on Locatelli to take 7th.

With 3 laps remaining, Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), retires from the race, possibly having a mechanical issue. Meanwhile Rea was holding a gap of 1.2s to Rinaldi behind in 4th.

WorldSBK Round 5 Race 2 at Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu Picture courtesy of Pata Yamaha BRIXX WorldSBK

Last lap, and Toprak crosses the line proving he’s the king of Donington, taking his first career triple win across the weekend, and massively reducing the gap to the championship leader, Bautista, who comes in 2nd. Rea 3rd, Rinaldi 4th, Redding 5th, Lowes 6th, Bassani 7th, Locatelli 8th, Baz 9th, Lecuona 10th. Tarran Mackenzie takes 15th, while Hickman takes 19th on their debuts.

Result top 5:

  1. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha)
  2. Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati)
  3. Rea (Kawasaki KRT)
  4. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati)
  5. Redding (BMW Motorrad)

Championship top 3:

  1. Bautista – 246
  2. Rea – 229
  3. Razgatlioglu – 203

 

 

Rally Estonia 2022 Day Two report – Kalle and Jonne extend their lead.

The second day then, with 97km’s over nine stages. The startlist looked like this – Breen, Solberg, Loubet, Greensmith, Katsuta, Fourmaux, Neuville, Lappi, Tänak, Evans, Rovanperä. Craig returned under the restart rules of SuperRally and would open the road therefore.

The first one then, SS10 Elva 1 – 11.73 km and it would start well with Elfyn going fastest by 6 tenths of a second over Kalle, with Ott a further 8 tenths back. The Finn said that it was a bad stage and Elfyn said that the grip was a bit inconsistent, yet somehow, they were fastest of them all. Two of the youngsters Takamoto and Adrien were battling over sixth, with the Frenchman holding an advantage of just 1.6 seconds over the Toyota Challenge driver.

Into SS11 Mäeküla 1 – 10.27 km and normal service resumed with Kalle going fastest from Elfyn and yes, Ott third. Craig was putting a very good performance together, enjoying the stage and just 1.1 seconds slower than Thierry, the M-Sport Ford driver going sixth fastest. In the WRC2 category, Teemu and Andreas were going well the top two drivers in the field and they set the exact same time in this stage. There was rain in this one, but it didn’t affect the drivers too much.

The third stage of the day then, SS12 Otepää 1 – 17.08 km and once again the top three were Kalle, Elfyn and Ott. Craig had held the early benchmark before being knocked off the top spot, showing great pace indeed and taking fourth fastest in the end. There were some position changes though, with Takamoto going past two cars and into fifth overall and his teammate Esapekka had a tyre off the rim after a landing in the stage. Gus had the same problem and they were now in seventh and ninth overall respectively. Thierry also gained a place, moving into fourth place.

The final stage of the morning loop then, SS13 Neeruti 1 – 7.60 km and once again Craig set the early benchmark before Elfyn and Kalle came through. The stage winner? Well, it was the Finn who now increased his lead over Elfyn to 19.1 seconds.

After the service break, SS14 Elva 2 – 11.73 km was once again taken by Kalle from Elfyn and Ott. These three were giving a masterclass on how to set great pace, without going to close to disaster. In the WRC2 class, Teemu was faster than Andreas again, just keeping the gap between them to 13 or so seconds, whilst Emil took the best time.

We had a swap around between Elfyn and Ott in SS15 Mäekülä 2 – 10.27 km, with Ott second fastest from Elfyn who was third, whilst Kalle took yet another stage win, his fifth of the day. Amazing stuff!

Normal service resumed on SS16 Otepää 2 – 17.08 km, with the fastest three being Kalle, Elfyn and Ott. The Finns lead was now 29.4 seconds. Amazing stuff and really given that he’d opened the road throughout Friday, what incredible consistency.

Just two left then with SS17 Neeruti 2 – 7.60 km getting some rain falling after Oliver Solberg had finished. The crews came through and could not knock the Swede off the top, but eventually Elfyn and Kalle came through and went faster pushing him down to third fastest, while they took the two top spots, the Finn edging Elfyn by just a tenth! In the WRC2 class, Marco Bulacia was fastest from Emil and Andreas.

The final stage then, SS18 Toyota Tartu 2 – 1.66 km and we had a new stage winner, with Adrien fastest from Oliver and Ott! In fact, Elfyn set an identical time as the Estonian, but it was good to see a different top two for sure!

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:06:12.4
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +29.5
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:11.9
4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +2:20.2
5 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +3:41.3
6 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +3:54.7
7 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +4:34.5
8 P. Loubet V. Landais Ford Puma Rally1 +6:11.8
9 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Ford Puma Rally1 +7:19.7

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“I enjoyed today a lot. To begin with this morning, I felt there was not so much grip, but then we changed the setup a bit and we started to have really good times. Every stage we were gaining a bit more time, and pushing hard but not with too much risk. Everything felt in control. Whenever we’ve had tricky low-grip conditions this year it seems that I’m able to drive well and still push quite hard and this has been nice. Tomorrow is a long day still, so we need to keep a good pace with no mistakes.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s been a good day behind the wheel, even if we’re not ending it where we wanted to be. But Kalle’s been really strong and I had no answer to him today. He’s been a slight step ahead all the time and now he’s built up quite an advantage over us. The positive thing is that we’re a big step ahead of where I was on this rally last year when I really struggled, and it’s great to be in a one-two position for the team. But there’s still a long way to go tomorrow and it’s not easy with the ruts and the conditions out there.”

Esapekka Lappi (7th)

“It’s not been the easiest day. It felt good on the second stage this morning and then on the next one we had the tyre come off the rim when we were landing from a jump. We were landing a bit sideways but I think it was bad luck and part of the game. It came very early in the stage so there was no chance to continue without stopping to change it, and we lost a lot of time. After that it was tricky to find the right rhythm for the driving but there were still some good stage times, even though it’s not worth risking a stupid mistake now in this position.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“It has been a smooth day with no dramas. We have been discovering a bit more with the car and making some good steps, so from that point of view it has been a productive day. We have been doing all we can to find a positive way forward, looking at lot for the next rally in Finland. There are definitely areas we have found to improve; the potential is there. We need more development on the car, for sure, but it’s been encouraging. There’s only one day remaining and nothing really to push for in terms of our position but the rally itself is still quite interesting – the conditions are constantly changing, and we need to stay focused.”

Thierry Neuville (4th)

“We have faced another day of tricky and changing conditions. Somehow, on the rhythm we have been driving, we have been having fun with no real pressure. We moved up to fourth place after Esapekka’s puncture this morning, and from there we could only continue in the same way without taking any risks. You need to keep concentrated and basically have a clean, smooth drive through the stages. We used the opportunity to test a few different things on the car, but overall, it’s been about making it through safely. We have seen that we struggle in certain situations, which we need to work on, but it’s all good preparation for Rally Finland where we hope to make a step forward.”

Oliver Solberg (19th)

“Things have been getting better today. We have been able to push and set some fast split times. I am getting increasingly confident in the car. I just need more mileage. I have never done this type of road in the WRC, nor in this car. I was a bit annoyed yesterday, but I realised I just need to drive and get used to it. We had a huge moment in SS16 after bottoming out in a rut, sideways over a jump – this is proper rallying! I was happy to set some top-four times this afternoon, improving our pace despite not pushing too hard. We will keep working and making progress.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Oliver Solberg
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Tomorrow (Sunday)

With almost 78km’s over six stages still to run, there is still a big challenge ahead for the crews, especially given that there is no service break, so the day is as tough as any other day. Kalle is in a great position to extend his lead in the championship, and also Toyota will increase their lead over Hyundai as well, should it all finish as it stands. However, this is motorsport and anything can happen, so let’s wait and see.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Round 5 WorldSBK, Donington Park, Race 1

Donington Park was awash in glorious sunshine for the British round of WorldSBK, with the air temperature at 25 degrees Celsius, and a track temperature of 44 degrees Celsius. We were set for a scorcher on, and off, the track.

Rea (Kawasaki KRT) secured pole position with an unbeatable time of 1:36.080, followed by his team mate Lowes in 2nd and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) in 3rd.

WSBK Round 5 Race 1 Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu Picture courtesy of Pata Yamaha BRIXX WorldSBK

Lights out for race 1, and Toprak gets the hole shot, followed by the Kawasaki team mates of Lowes and Rea, Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) finds himself in 4th.

Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Lowes 3. Bautista 4. Rea 5. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 6. Redding (BMW Motorrad).

On lap 3 of 23 it was Lowes with the new fastest lap of 1:27.4 and was looking good in 2nd. Meanwhile in the lead, Toprak had now pulled the gap to 2nd place to 0.6s, and was showing great early race pace. Rea was looking frustrated in 4th, as he could see his title rivals disappearing into the distance, and was desperate to make up positions.

Next lap, and Toprak was showing no signs of slowing down, increasing his lead to 0.9s. Lowes had started to slip back, and Rea was able to get past his team mate to take over 3rd, setting a new fastest lap in the process of 1:27.263. Meanwhile it was Bautista in 2nd, and was showing good pace on the Ducati. Further back positions were as follows: 5. Redding 6. Lecuona 7. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati). 8. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) 9. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 10. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha).

With 17 laps to go Rea was still desperate to get past the Spaniard ahead of him. Meanwhile Toprak had now pulled the gap out to 1.6s. After showing good pace early on, Lowes had now dropped down to 5th, with Redding moving up a place. Rea tries a move on Bautista into turn 12 Goddards, but can’t get it done, as the Ducati has such good acceleration.

Next lap and the Argentine, Mercado crashes out, his race is over. Rea again tries a move into turn 12, this time he gets it done cutting under Bautista to take over 2nd. Rea was now 2.9s behind Toprak Razgatlioglu, and had massive work to do to catch him. Redding was in 4th, and 2.2s behind Bautista.

Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha), the reigning BSB champion, was having a decent ride in 12th on his debut. Further back it was a disappointing day for both Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), in 18th, and 20th respectively.

With 12 laps to go Bassani had moved up to 6th, getting past Lecuona who was now in 7th on his Donington Park debut. Meanwhile at the front, Rea couldn’t shake off the intentions of Bautista who was all over the back of the Kawasaki. All of this was playing right into the hands of the reigning champion, who was continuing to pull away, and was now 4s ahead of Rea.

With 9 laps of 23 remaining, Rea ran wide into turn 12 the previous lap, allowing Bautista to come through, and retake 2nd. Toprak was now 4.7s ahead, and any chance of him getting caught was now firmly over. Then drama for Bautista the championship leader, who lost the front end into turn 12 going down into the gravel, he rejoined but later retired, giving a massive boost for both Rea, and Toprak in the points standings. Redding now found himself in podium contention in 3rd.

With 7 laps left positions were as follows; 1. Toprak 2. Rea 3. Redding 4. Lowes 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi.

Next lap and Lowes had found some late race pace, and had caught right up to Redding, now only 0.3s behind him. Redding who himself seemed to be struggling with either tires, or the new rear swing arm, which the team had just fitted this weekend. Meanwhile the Texan Gerloff had moved up to 8th.

WSBK Round 5 Race 1 Donington Toprak Razgatlioglu; Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK

With 4 laps left, Redding was really struggling to resist the attempts of Lowes behind. Lowes finally made the right move into turn 12, and took over 3rd place. Redding fought back down Craner curves with some exciting racing for the fans, but Lowes held on to the position.

Penultimate lap, and Toprak was having fun out in the lead sliding his R1 Yamaha through Craner curves. Rea was still following, with Lowes in 3rd, followed by 4. Redding 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi 7. Lecuona.

Last lap, and Toprak Razgatlioglu crosses the line to take his first win of the season, certainly looking more like the rider of last season. 2. Rea 3. Lowes 4. Redding 5. Bassani 6. Rinaldi 7. Gerloff 8. Lecuona 9. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 10. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha). Meanwhile Tarran Mackenzie finishes 14th on his debut to claim 2 championship points, while the Isle of Man superstar Peter Hickman finishes in 22nd.

Result top 5:

  1. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha)
  2. Rea (Kawasaki KRT)
  3. Lowes (Kawasaki KRT)
  4. Redding (BMW Motorrad)
  5. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati)

Championship top 3:

  1. Bautista – 220
  2. Rea – 204
  3. Razgatlioglu – 166

Rally Estonia 2022 Day One Report – Elfyn and Kalle fight for the lead

After Thursday’s evening stage, we had Craig in the lead from Kalle and Elfyn. Moving into Friday, the first full day of stages, the startlist looked like this – Rovanperä, Neuville, Tänak, Breen, Katsuta, Evans, Greensmith, Loubet, Lappi, Solberg, Fourmaux. The crews faced just under 140km’s over the eight stages, with a service break between the two loops.

First up came SS2 Peipisääre 1 – 24.35 km and after Ott set the early pace, Elfyn came through with the fastest time moving into the overall lead, with Kalle holding second and Ott third. The early leader, Craig was fourth fastest, but as he got a penalty as well, fell down to fifth overall. The penalty was for not using electric mode in the HEV zone. Ott also got the same penalty.

Next up was SS3 Mustvee 1 – 17.09 km and we had the same top three, with Elfyn taking a second stage win from Ott and Kalle. The Welshman’s lead over his teammate was now 12.6 seconds. Further down the leaderboard, there was a swap in positions with Adrien moving ahead of Oliver, the Frenchman now into seventh overall. Meanwhile, Thierry was really struggling in the stages, only setting the fifth best time and now over 22 seconds from the leader.

Onto SS4 Raanitsa 1 – 21.45 km and Elfyn made it three in this one winning the stage from Kalle and Ott again. There was drama for Craig though who went off the road when setting a very good pace and unfortunately, he broke the steering and he was out for the day. A big shame for the leading M-Sport Ford driver, who was showing good pace before this. Everyone behind moved up a place, but the biggest gainer was Takamoto who jumped up four positions and into seventh overall.

The last stage then before the service break, SS5 Vastsemõisa 1 – 6.70 km and once again it was Elfyn fastest from Kalle and Ott and they remained the top three overall as well. In the WRC2 class, Emil held the lead from Andreas and Teemu. Hayden and John were making good progress, finishing the stages and gaining good knowledge about their i20rally2 out there.

After the break, Elfyn won SS6 Peipisääre 2 – 24.35 km from Kalle and Ott again, these three were really dominating the top places. Thierry dropped another place falling behind Esapekka and into fifth overall, and further down the positions Pierre-Louis moved up moved ahead of Takamoto and into seventh place.

The rain arrived in SS7 Mustvee 2 – 17.09 km and the top three were the same, but with Kalle now winning the stage from Ott and Elfyn. Running first on the road was an advantage, and the Finns made the most of it, reducing the gap to their teammate to just 14 seconds.

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Just two more stages then and SS8 Raanitsa 2 – 21.45 km was taken by Kalle, now taking his stage wins to two, whilst Elfyn was second and Esapekka third. The gap between the Toyota teammates was just 10.9 seconds. The rain was really changing things out on the stages with the lead change happening in WRC2 as well. Andreas took the lead from Emil who fell from the lead to fourth in class.

The final stage of the day then, SS9 Vastsemõisa 2 – 6.70 km and Kalle had the best of the conditions, running first and setting the pace good enough to win the stage from Thierry and Adrien! It was a big mix up for sure! Meanwhile, the other two Puma crews had huge moments, sliding wide. Gus kept going, but Pierre-Louis ended up on his side and lost about two minutes and fell to ninth overall. Adrien, Takamoto and Gus all moved up one place each, now holding the three positions ahead of the Frenchman.

Here is the top ten and the views of the drivers.

Classification after Day One

 

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1:16:19.7
2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +11.7
3 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +44.3
4 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:05.9
5 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1:12.9
6 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 +2:08.1
7 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +2:10.9
8 G. Greensmith J. Andersson Ford Puma Rally1 +2:29.4
9 P. Loubet V. Landais Ford Puma Rally1 +3:59.0

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1st)

“This morning the conditions were quite dry so there was a lot of cleaning for us, but I think we managed quite well and we didn’t lose too much time. Then in the afternoon the rain came and it was quite tricky, but we had some good times. In the last one it was heavy rain and I knew it was not going to get any better for the guys behind, so I pushed a lot and we could get the lead. Elfyn has been really fast the whole day, and now that we will be close together in the road order, we will try to do our best to fight, but we also need to think about the points for the championship.”

Elfyn Evans (2nd)

“It’s not been a bad day. This morning was very good, I was happy with the feeling inside the car and everything was working really well. This afternoon it was a bit more difficult with the conditions changing all the time, so it was hard to be perfect and easy to be a little bit too careful at times. We had very bad conditions in the last one, which was obviously less than ideal for us. But there’s a long way to go and it’s all to play for still, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 07 / Rally Estonia 2022 / 13-17th July, 2022 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Esapekka Lappi (4th)

“We lost a bit of time this morning because of a small issue with the brakes, which were not giving me the confidence that you need on this rally. But I think we managed that quite well and were still in a good position, and once the team could fix it in the midday service the times were better in the afternoon. We were maybe a bit unlucky sometimes with the rain showers but rallying is an outdoor sport so we can’t complain! I think we’re about where we expected to be, in a position to be there if something happens in front.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (3rd)

“Conditions were constant in the morning, but that was the opposite of what we faced this afternoon with demanding, inconsistent roads. There was water here and there, some dry places and it was just a lot more difficult. The issue in the final stage wasn’t as dramatic as it looked; a pipe came off from the windscreen heater and we had no visibility. The weather was tough anyway, so it was probably better not to see what was happening outside. Hopefully, we’ve been able to learn something in these circumstances and can take that forward. It’s important for us to get as much information from the car as we can. We are still in the competition and remain fully committed. Normally, I’d like to be competitive in Estonia; sadly, it’s not really happening so far this year but as we’ve seen today anything can change, so it’s not over yet.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 07, Rally Estonia
14-17 July 2022
Ott Tanak
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville (5th)

“At the end of today, things are pretty much as we expected. We knew it was going to be a tough one for us. Generally, my target throughout the day was to improve the handling of the car. I wasn’t 100% confident but I was able to drive with good speed, set some good split times in some stages and have some fun in the tricky conditions. We had mixed feelings about the morning loop, the first two stages went well, but after that we went wrong with the set-up to try and find something to suit these very narrow sections. We arrived at midday service in fourth and wanted to keep that position. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to, but we are just seven seconds away. This is a special event; I don’t want to put my rear wheels in the ditches when I don’t know what’s there; instead, we try to stay out of trouble and hope for another clean day tomorrow. The weather forecast certainly looks interesting.”

Oliver Solberg (27th)

“We’ve made it to the end of the day at Rally Estonia, but it’s fair to say things have not gone to plan so far. After a tough morning where we really struggled to find any grip, we had a puncture on the first stage this afternoon, then touched a big rock in a corner on the stage after and the power steering broke. We tried to fix it but couldn’t and lost a lot of minutes with time penalties and fighting the issue through the next stages. I can tell you it’s not easy driving these cars without power steering! But we’re still here, so let’s try and stay positive, go again tomorrow, and hope for better.”

 

Tomorrow (Saturday)

The second day will see the crews tackle 95km’s over nine stages. Can Kalle keep the lead, or will we see Elfyn or Ott move into the lead? One thing is for sure; The drama is not over.

Donington Park World Superbikes Couldn’t Have Planned It Better!

This weekend we are lucky enough to host the British round of the World Superbike series at Donington Park in Derbyshire and as far as I am concerned, it couldn’t have worked out better for them and us. At the time of writing this, the old laptop is pointing towards a temperature on Saturday of 28°c, Sunday showing 31°c and it doesn’t look like the wind is going to climb over 6 mph all weekend. SAFE TO SAY YOU’RE GONNA’ NEED YOUR SUNCREAM AND A HAT!

WSBK Estoril Race 1 Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team

Long hailed one of the jewels in the crown of British Racing, the 2.5 mile circuit winds its way across the rolling British countryside. Anyone who has visited Donington and walked down the Craner Curves to the Old Hairpin for example, will know it’s quite the hike. You are however rewarded by the stunning views and the spectating really does take some beating. Donington does cater well for slips, trips and falls with its gravel traps however it retains that “close to the track” feel that most British circuits, barring Silverstone offer. Hence Donington being a true fan favourite in person and on the TV.

The start of the season in World SBK has been anything (and everything) but boring. Unfortunately “boring” has been a moniker that the series has struggled to shake off it’s back in previous years. However, with some tweeking of the technical regulation by the series owner, to ensure the various manufacturers perform as closely as possible, and the recruitment of some seriously talented riders over the last 2-3 seasons, we have been served up nothing short of bar to bar, wheel to wheel, fairing to fairing, nonstop racing action AND IT’S ABSOLUTEY BRILLIANT!

Alvaro Bautista at Aragon 2022 WSBK. Image courtesy of Ducati

Jonathan Rea having taken a step this year aboard his Kawasaki ZX10R to ultimately close the gap (and overtake) last year’s World Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu on his Yamaha R1, plus the resurgence of the Ducati Panigale in the hands of returning factory rider Alvaro Bautista. Bautista has replaced regular race winner Scott Redding after he stepped away from the Italian Factory to race on BMW machinery for the 2022/2023 season. Bautista has taken the fight to both Rea and Razgatlioglu and put the dampers on any of Kawasaki and Yamaha’s hard work in the off season. After a string of hard-fought victories, the Spaniard holds a steady 36 points in the lead going into Donington on Rea with Razgatlioglu following another 43 points further back. Based on this alone, we are in for one hell of a treat this weekend.

The sweetener this weekend being the wildcards. The reigning British Superbike Champion, Tarran Mackenzie will make his World Superbike debut aboard a SBK Spec version of his McAms Yamaha R1. Taz was scheduled to debut at the Assen round of the world championship, however a pre-season training accident ruled him out of both Assen and even the opening rounds of the British Superbikes.

Speaking recently to worldsbk.com Tarran said “I am very excited to finally make my debut in the Superbike World Championship at Donington. It feels like it’s been a long time coming and I was obviously disappointed when we couldn’t do Assen. Donington is a special track for me as it’s only 10 minutes down the road from home, I’ve had some great success there in BSB so I am looking forward to getting out on a World Superbike-spec R1 and seeing what both myself and the McAMS Yamaha team can achieve. Obviously, there is a lot to learn with the engine and electronics, but I know the chassis well as my BSB bike is very similar. The level in World Championship is really high and I’m looking forward to getting out on track and giving it our all. I have to say a huge thanks to Steve and the McAMS Yamaha team, as well as Andrea and everyone at Yamaha Racing for making this possible.”

Joining the McAms team at Donington is the FHO Racing team. Peter Hickman will make his 3rd Wildcard appearance in the World Superbike series riding his very own motorcycle from the British Superbike series. As with the McAms bike, it will be running an upgraded electronics package to match the other race entrants with the hope of being in for the win.

In a statement released by the FHO Racing team, Peter Hickman says “I’m mega excited to get a chance to have a go at the World superbikes. I’ve done it twice – once in 2012 with Worx Suzuki and again in 2019 with the BMW World Superbike team but both times were last minute arrangements, jumping on bikes I had never seen before. This time I’ll be riding my FHO Racing BMW which I race in the British Superbike Championship so that will be good. We are having to work on raising the electronics package to World Superbike spec which will change things quite a lot which could be interesting, but we’ll see. I think it’s fantastic that we’re getting the chance to do this as a team and it’s all down to Faye. She’s owned the team for a year and a half and we’ve already done BSB, North West 200, Isle of Man TT and now we’re getting to do a World Superbike wildcard which is pretty cool. It’ll be good for everyone in the team to get to do a World Superbike round together. We’ve all done bits here and there not as a team, so I think it’s going to be a really great thing for us all.”

Also returning to the series is previous Kawasaki KRT rider and current Vison Track Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam, returning again for Team Pedercini Racing on their Kawasaki ZX10R. Not a last-minute decision. This has been in the making since the start of the season when Pedercini scaled back their two-bike team to a single bike entry and agreeing with Leon to join forces for four races this year. So far Leon has rode for the team at the Assen round where he scored 13th, 17th and 16th place finishes. Let’s hope Donington Park offers some home round advantage for Leon and he can pick up some much needed racing confidence after a somewhat disappointing start to the 2022 BSB season. Leon is also scheduled to ride for the Pedercini team at the Most and Portimao rounds later in the season.

WSBK Assen 23.04.2022 Razgatlioglu and Locatelli Picture courtesy of Pata Yamaha

As for the other Brits, it goes without saying we hope that Scott Redding, Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea have a great race. It’s been a while since we had a full compliment flying the flag for us on the world stage. It’s very nice to see some fresh faces being given a chance to shine. Well done to Yamaha, McAms, Kawasaki, Lucio Pedercini, BMW and Faye Ho for making the brave choices to invest further money into a sport famous for its expense. With the cost of living rising across the globe and the financial constraints placed on business in general, it’s a wonder we go racing at all.

Have a goodun’.

Racing Armchair

@racingarmchair

Rally Estonia 2022 Preview – Can anyone stop Kalle and Jonne?

The championship heads back from the Kenya plains to the fast roads of Estonia, with Kalle and Jonne holding a huge lead over their closest rivals from Hyundai. The young Finnish pairing took their first victory on these roads last year, but it will be interesting if they can repeat this feat this year. Last year he came to this event holding sixth in the championship standings and had a good road position therefore. The challenge this year will be quite different as they open the road. Still, who knows what they will be able to do given their results from the last few rounds.

His closest challengers are the two regular Hyundai crews, Thierry and Martijn and Ott and Martin. The Estonian crew will eye up a strong run on their home roads, and hope to take victory and boost their championship chances.

Amongst the usual WRC2 runners will be a returning Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, driving a i20 Rally2. The Rally Argentina 2016 winners are making a return to the world championship stages, and its fantastic to see them back.

Let’s take a look at the stages then – This year there are 313km’s over twenty-four stages.

A Super Special Stage – Tartu (1.66km) – on Thursday evening kicks off the action at Rally Estonia

Friday is the longest day of the event, with two passes each of Peipsiääre (24.35km), Mustvee (17.09km), Raanitsa (21.45km) and Vastsemõisa (6.70km) totalling 139.18km

Saturday’s running consists of two loops of four new stages, followed by another pass of the Tartu super special stage

The event concludes on Sunday with a final six stages, as the crews twice take on Tartu Vald (6.56km), Kanepi (16.48km) and Kambja (15.95km).

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“Of course, it’s going to be nice for me to go back to Rally Estonia. Winning there last year was a great moment and it was a really strong weekend for us. This year we are in a different situation leading the championship and so we will be opening the road, but hopefully we can do another good result there. I always enjoy rallies like this one with fast and flowing roads, they suit me pretty well. It’s really important to feel confident in the car when driving at those speeds, so we have done a lot of work in testing to try and get the setup how we want it.”

Elfyn Evans

“I’m looking forward to these next two rallies on fast gravel roads, which will be quite different to what we’ve experienced during the last few events. Estonia will be the first really fast gravel rally that we’ve done with these cars, so the testing has been really important to try and prepare for that. I enjoy the high-speed stages we have in Estonia but it always helps a lot if you feel good in the car, so the target is to have a car that works well in all conditions and then hopefully secure a strong result at the end of the weekend.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I’m really looking forward to being in the car for these next two events, and especially my home rally in Finland of course. Estonia will not be so easy as I didn’t do the rally last year, so there are some stages that will be new for me. I believe I can do well there, but I’m not going into it with any big expectations. So far this year we have had good pace on every surface but I haven’t always been able to put it together. Therefore, the main goal for Estonia is just to have a good, clean rally.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Estonia is one of the fastest events on the calendar, and also the home event of Ott, so it is a rally where we always want to be strong and get good results. Personally, it is a rally I enjoy. The first season there was a bit difficult, but once you get to know the roads you start to like it more. This is because the speeds are very high, so it helps to know the conditions and the terrain. It’s very similar in terms of setup to Rally Finland, as both have fast roads that are generally flat. In Estonia the surface is a bit softer than Finland so it gets more rutted on the second pass, and the jumps are actually bigger and faster too. I was able to finish on the podium there in 2021 so hopefully I can do the same again this year.”

Ott Tänak 

“Rally Estonia is always a great event. For the first time this year we will be going to smoother, faster roads, so I am expecting it to be fun, but we also need to make sure we extract all the performance and speed we can from the car. It will be a big challenge and we will have to be fast out of the box right from the beginning. The best part for me is that I have no travel days! It’s also great to have a rally at home because we get to have the amazing fans and those close to us around us. But there is no extra pressure, we just want to score as many points as possible. We will try our best and do everything we can to finish in the top positions.”

2022 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 05, Rally Italia Sardegna
2-5 June 2022
Ott Tanak
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Oliver Solberg

“Rally Estonia is the event I have been looking forward to most all year. It is one I have done many times before and I have been able to win there twice. Hopefully I will be able to fight for the podium, that is my personal goal for next weekend. It is a very tricky event with a lot of jumps. It’s also very fast and it is the first time I’ve competed there in these WRC cars, so it will be a different challenge. I’ve have driven in Estonia so much it feels almost like my second country, so I feel very comfortable on the roads. In the second loop the roads can get very rutted, so you need a car that is easy to drive and has good traction. But the main thing you need is to just keep your right foot flat down!”

Teemu Suninen WRC2

“Rally Estonia has been always a great challenge with a mixture of technical, narrow roads and super-fast wide roads. However, I have always liked the rally as it is similar to my home rally in Finland. Normally conditions change quite a lot from first loop to second loop when big ruts start appearing, so you have to adapt your driving to that. We had a good pre-event test and I am starting to feel happier with car; I have a better understanding of how to get a more balanced setup for fast gravel rallies. I am looking forward to bring good points home for me and team.”

Fabrizio Zaldivar WRC2

“Rally Estonia is a very interesting event. The roads are incredibly fast and very technical at the same time, so much so that sometimes you think you are going fast and then that is not reflected in the final time. A few weeks ago, we did an excellent test here, together with Teemu and Ott. The truth is that I learned a lot from their experience, especially when they were driving the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on these kind of roads. I am confident that we will put everything into practice which will allow us to continue learning and scoring points for the team.”

Also competing for Hyundai and sponsored by Hyundai New Zealand is Hayden Paddon and co-driven by longstanding mate, John Kennard. This is what he had to say.

Hayden Paddon WRC2

“We don’t have the stage experience and still trying to get their head around the car, so just a smooth consistent event is what we are looking for.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Craig Breen

“Obviously really looking forward to Estonia, it’s a rally that has served us well in the past, we’ve been on the podium now a good couple of times, and the last two years as part of the world championship we managed to bring home two podiums there as well. Honestly, I can’t wait for it, it’s a run of three rallies now that I’m very familiar and comfortable with. They are the complete opposite of the last couple of rallies of the season so far! I don’t feel alien heading to Estonia, I know what it’s all about.

“We had a really good test last week, the car felt great and I was really comfortable from the beginning, so I’m looking forward to it. The stages look great, obviously with high speeds, big jumps and big crests.”

Gus Greensmith

“Really looking forward to Rally Estonia, last year we already had a good package, and things were going very well before some problems, so we showed that we can certainly set up the car in a way that works.

“From the test, I probably haven’t been this comfortable in the car since Monaco, so really looking forward to this one for sure. Super-fast rallies mean very close times and putting everything together is a big job here, so we’ll do our best.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“I’m very happy to be going to Estonia, it’s always amazing to drive this type of car on such a fast rally. From our side it will be very important to continue our progression after Portugal and Sardinia, to stay calm and not try to do too much because on a rally like this it is very easy to make a mistake, like always, but you can’t make any mistakes at these high speeds.

“For us it will be important to keep continuing our progress and be very focused on our side and to build maximum confidence in the car. After Estonia we also have Finland, so these are two very important rallies in the season for me.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Estonia will be completely different to the previous rallies; it will be a really fast rally. It will be my first time with top category car on this event, but it’ll be my fourth participation in total, so I have a good knowledge of most of the stages.

“It will be nice to drive on these fast roads with all the big jumps, it’s always a good experience and a good feeling, so we can look forward to that. We had a good day of testing before the rally, and we’ll use that to do our best to achieve a good result for the team.”

Jari Huttunen WRC2

“Sardinia was a good event for us, and I am feeling very happy in the car. Estonia is a big challenge with the high-speeds, but we are looking forward to it. We started well last year, and I’ve learnt a lot from the events this season so far, so I think it’ll be good. The focus will be on not making any mistakes and keeping in tune with the car and hopefully we will get a good result for the team.”

Summary

Well, what a very interesting rally we are set for then. Can the championship leaders take another amazing win, or will it be one of his teammates? Elfyn and Scott will want to win and make some steps up the championship standings, and given that he showed such amazing pace in last season’s Rally Finland, the scene of their last win, they have a very good chance of it. There will be competition from Ott and Martin though, who will also want victory on home soil. Meanwhile, Craig and Paul in their Puma come to a rally that has seen some good success for them, and given that their car has shown good pace in their hands, they could be the dark horses for a win, which would be very welcome in the service park. Also, just want to welcome back Kiwi duo Hayden and John. It’s great to have them back.

Leclerc Wins whilst there’s Heartbreak for his Teammate

Charles Leclerc nurses the car to victory in a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix which saw his main championship rival have grip issues and his teammate retire when his car caught fire.

The race start. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

Lights out and Max Verstappen gets a great start to start ahead of Leclerc. Behind them, George Russell was alongside Sainz heading into turn one after getting a good start himself. Through the orange smoke, the two were alongside each other all the way down to turn three, Sainz narrowly getting ahead while Perez had joined in, battling Russell.

On the run down to turn four, the Mercedes was slightly ahead but the pace of the RedBull meant Perez would have to try around the outside of turn four. This didn’t work in RedBull’s favour as they touch, spinning Perez into the gravel trap. Like a copy of the Hamilton/Albon incident a few years ago, Russell tapped the inside back wheel of Perez. He was given a five-second time penalty which he served at his first stop.

Unlike the Sprint, the Ferrari’s didn’t battle each other, meaning Leclerc could catch up to Verstappen after he had pulled a gap early on. By lap 12 Leclerc was within DRS range of the RedBull and into turn four the Monegasque made a late move down the inside, clipping the curb on the way out. An excellent move by him and great driving from both drivers. Just a couple of laps later and RedBull decided to pit Verstappen. It appeared tyre degradation would be a problem for RedBull throughout the race.

While that was happening Lewis Hamilton was battling the Haas of Mick Schumacher who had overtaken the Merc at the start. Hamilton made a brilliant move down the inside of turn eight, carrying more speed in the car. One lap later the other Haas came into view but this time it would prove to be an easier overtake down the inside of turn four with DRS help.

Further down the field on lap 24 an epic battle commenced. Having slightly more pace than Zhou, Alonso looked down the inside of turn nine but thought better of it and backed out. This left him vulnerable to Magnussen behind him who was on good pace. The Haas and the Alpine were both catching the Alfa and ended up going three-wide into turn one. Everyone made it through with Magnussen coming out on top and Zhou coming down the inside of Alonso.

The epic five car battle into turn three. Image courtesy of Pirelli F1 Media

This battle meant that the two cars behind of Norris and Schumacher had caught up and a three-car battle became a five-car battle into turn three. Alonso slots in behind Magnussen but Norris comes from behind to go around the outside and takes the place off of Alonso. Schumacher also managed to get around Zhou as they headed down to turn four. Norris, with more speed, goes around the outside again of Magnussen but goes too wide so has to yield to the Haas.

On lap 27 Ferrari finally decided to pit both their cars, coming out behind Verstappen but importantly having fresher tyres. At this point, it looked like Verstappen would have to make a second stop to keep up with Ferrari.

Hamilton meanwhile was making great use of the newly found pace in his car from Silverstone. On lap 30 he made a great move on Ocon before turn three, showing that even though the Merc isn’t as powerful as RedBull and Ferrari, it is definitely quicker than the rest of the midfield.

Three laps later and the inevitable happened. On tyres that were 12 laps fresher, Leclerc overtook Verstappen into the braking zone of turn three. Verstappen didn’t really fight it, knowing that he didn’t have the pace or the grip at that point. As a result, RedBull brought him in on lap 37 for more fresh hard tyres.

Lap 40, and just as things had started to settle again Vettel and Gasly had contact at turn four, almost a carbon copy of the Russell/Perez incident earlier with Vettel in the gravel. Gasly ended up getting the time penalty to add to the one he got for track limits. Luckily he had already served that penalty, so only five seconds would be added to his time at the end.

Lots of drivers got black and white flag warnings during the Grand Prix, as was the theme throughout the whole weekend. Many drivers, like Lewis Hamilton, came onto the radio to complain but only Gasly and Norris got time penalties.

On lap 50 Ferrari brought in both their drivers again to put on more hard tyres. It looked like the two stops would be the quickest with RedBull not having an answer to the Ferrari pace throughout the race. It only took three laps for Leclerc to catch up and re-take the lead from Verstappen.

However, unfortunately for Ferrari, their reliability issues came back. For Sainz, who had an amazing weekend in Silverstone, his engine actually appeared to explode before catching fire on lap 57. In replays, the bodywork actually shook as the car came to a stop on the hill of turn three. In some scary scenes, the car was in flames quite quickly, and with no handbrake, it was proving difficult for Sainz to get out of the car.

A brave marshal came in with a block and Sainz was able to get out safely. The car was engulfed in flames, but the marshals were able to put it out. This brought out the virtual safety car, meaning both Leclerc and Verstappen pitted for new mediums to take them to the end of the race.

Russell putting the moves on Ocon. Image courtesy of Mercedes Media

As we went green again Russell was making great moves to bring himself up towards his teammate, now in a podium position. He made a great switch-back move on Ocon heading out of turn three to put himself in fourth place.

It was a tense last few laps for Ferrari fans though as Leclerc came on the radio to say his throttle was sticking. Verstappen was catching him but the degradation was too high so he couldn’t make it work and Leclerc was able to nurse the came home to take the victory.

Leclerc needed that victory after the last few races of unsuccessful running and to keep himself in the championship fight. This has now put him back to second in the championship but still 38 points off of Verstappen. Ferrari will be going back to Maranello to investigate their problems and try to resolve them quickly if they want to fight for this championship.

Another Victory for RXR

image courtesy of Extreme E

After being denied a perfect weekend in the last round by a post-race penalty, RXR took maximum points in Round 3 of Extreme E.

Semi Final 1:

Competing for the first two spots in the final were top qualifiers RXR, Chip Ganassi, and Acciona Sainz.

Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky for RXR got the best start with Laia Sanz in second place for Acciona Sainz. Sara Price was not far behind in the Chip Ganassi car.

It wasn’t long before Price was attempting an overtake on Sanz, but the two made contact and damage caused by the collision saw Price go off into the bushes. Chip Ganassi tried to continue but their rear right suspension was too damaged to finish.

The rest of the race was uneventful as the two teams remaining ensured they saw the chequered flag. RXR crossed the line first with Acciona Sainz joining them in the final.

Semi Final 1 Classification:

  1. RXR
  2. Acciona Sainz
  3. Chip Ganassi

Semi Final 2:

Two more places in the final were up for grabs in Semi Final 2, which was contested between X44, McLaren, and ABT Cupra.

Last years championship challengers X44 got the best start and took the lead going into the first waypoint markers. ABT Cupra and McLaren were not far behind.

Emma Gilmour in the McLaren car harried ABT Cupra’s Jutta Kleinschmidt for the entirety of the opening lap, but ultimately she would not get through.

X44 entered the switch zone in the lead, swiftly followed by ABT Cupra and McLaren.

There would be no position changes on the final lap of the race, despite some Nasser Al-Attiyah in the ABT Cupra’s best efforts to close the gap on X44. X44 sealed the win and their spot in the final, alongside ABT Cupra.

Semi Final 2 Classification:

  1. X44
  2. ABT Cupra
  3. McLaren

Crazy Race:

Racing for the fifth and final place in the Final were Veloce, Andretti United, Xite Energy, and JBXE in the Crazy Race.

Andretti United’s Catie Munnings took the lead as the lights went out, with Veloce getting ever closer. Indeed, too close at one point, with Veloce making contact with the Andretti United car and almost spinning off the track.

More contact between the two teams later in the lap, however, resulted in the Veloce car spinning and knocking down a waypoint flag. Despite the spin, Veloce remained in second place ahead of JBXE.

Andretti United would be uncontested for the remainder of the race, as they secured the last place in the Final. Further behind JBXE passed Veloce for second, with Xite Energy bringing up the rear.

Crazy race Classification:

  1. Andretti United
  2. JBXE
  3. Veloce
  4. Xite Energy

Final:

The final race of the round was the five-car Final, fought between Acciona Sainz, RXR, X44, ABT Cupra, and Andretti United.

ABT Cupra got the best start as the lights went out, taking the lead. RXR were not far behind, with X44, Andretti United, and Acciona Sainz also close by.

An issue for the Acciona Sainz car saw them soon fall off the back of the pack, and eventually they parked-up, unable to finish the race.

The teams came in to the switch zone line astern, with very little to separate them. But disaster struck ABT Cupra when Jutta Kleinschmidt failed to do up all of her safety belts correctly.

ABT Cupra continued on in first position but with a penalty looming large, their chances of winning seemed to dwindle.

RXR soon took advantage of ABT Cupra’s misfortune, with Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky overtaking Kleinschmidt on the inside. From there RXR would not relinquish the lead as they sealed maximum points for the weekend. They also picked up the extra five points for the fastest Continental Traction Challenge time.

ABT Cupra were later disqualified, promoting X44 into second place and Andretti United into third.

Final Classification:

  1. RXR
  2. X44
  3. Andretti United
  4. Acciona Sainz
  5. ABT Cupra

Overall Weekend Classification:

With their final win, RXR took the maximum 30 points for the weekend. X44 finished second overall, with Andretti United finishing in third. Xite Energy propped up the standings.

  1. RXR  –  30 Points
  2. X44  –  18 Points
  3. Andretti United  –  15 Points
  4. Acciona Sainz  –  12 Points
  5. ABT Cupra  –  10 Points
  6. McLaren  –  8 Points
  7. Chip Ganassi  –  6 Points
  8. JBXE  –  4 Points
  9. Veloce  –  2 Points
  10. Xite Energy  –  1 Points

Championship Standings:

RXR extended their lead at the top of the championship to 37 points over Chip Ganassi. X44 jumped into third position, just 2 points behind Chip Ganassi. Veloce continue their poor run at the bottom of the standings.

  1. RXR  –  80 Points
  2. Chip Ganassi  –  43 Points
  3. X44  –  41 Points
  4. Acciona Sainz  –  40 Points
  5. Xite Energy  –  27 Points
  6. Andretti United  –  27 Points
  7. JBXE  –  18 Points
  8. McLaren  –  19 Points
  9. ABT Cupra  –  16 Points
  10. Veloce  –  7 Points

 

RXR Top Qualifiers Once Again


image courtesy of Extreme E

RXR topped qualifying for the second time in as many rounds in Sardinia today, taking maximum points from the two sessions.

Qualifying 1:

By Extreme E’s standards, Qualifying 1 was a very sedate affair, with all teams able to post a time.

RXR were the first team to do their run, and they set a benchmark time of 9:00.503, some 10 seconds quicker than they set around the same track just a few days earlier.

RXR’s benchmark would not be beaten, with some drivers blaming evolving track conditions for their inability to beat it. Chip Ganassi went closest, with X44 not far behind.

Maximum classification points for Qualifying 1 were awarded to RXR, with Veloce’s continuing run of poor form see them prop up the classification.

Qualifying 1 Classification:

  1. RXR  9:00.503  –  10 Points
  2. Chip Ganassi  +10.741  –  9 Points
  3. X44  +11.374  –  8 Points
  4. McLaren +15.126  –  7 Points
  5. Andretti United  +15.203  –  6 Points
  6. ABT Cupra  +16.919  –  5 Points
  7. JBXE  +21.634  –  4 Points
  8. Acciona Sainz  +21.701  –  3 Points
  9. Xite Energy  +22.917  –  2 points
  10. Veloce  +34.065  –  1 Point

Qualifying 2 Heat 1:

The first heat of Qualifying 1 was contested between Xite Energy, Andretti United, X44, RXR, and JBXE.

RXR got the best start and took the lead of the race. Despite some intense pressure from X44 on the first lap, they would not relinquish the lead of the race.

Further behind, Xite Energy made contact with Andretti United, causing the right rear suspension to break on the Andretti car. Timmy Hansen, who was driving in the Andretti at the time, lost the back end, and spun. They dropped to the back of the field and would not complete their second lap.

After the switching of drivers, Xite Energy’s Tamara Molinaro overtook the less experienced JBXE driver, Hedda Hosas for third place.

X44 received a post heat penalty for leaving the switch zone early, but it was not enough to see them drop any positions.

Qualifying 2 Heat 1 Classification:

  1. RXR  –  10 Points
  2. X44  –  8 Points
  3. Xite  –  6 Points
  4. JBXE  –  4 Points
  5. Andretti  –  0 Points

Qualifying 2 Heat 2:

McLaren, Chip Ganassi, ABT Cupra, Acciona Sainz, and Veloce all competed against one another in the second and final heat in Qualifying 2.

Acciona Sainz got the best start, swiftly taking the lead before the first waypoint. Kyle Leduc in the Chip Ganassi harried the Acciona Sainz car for much of the lap, but was unable to make the move.

Towards the end of the first lap, Leduc made a mistake, seeing him lose control of the car and go the wrong way. The Chip Ganassi team dropped back into fourth place following Leduc’s off-course excursion.

Not much would happen for the remainder of the heat, as Acciona Sainz took a comfortable win ahead of McLaren and ABT Cupra.

Chip Ganassi received a 10 second penalty for dropping a waypoint marker, seeing them fall into last place in the second heat.

Qualifying 2 Heat 2 Classification:

  1. Acciona Sainz  –  10 Points
  2. McLaren  –  8 Points
  3. ABT Cupra  –  6 Points
  4. Veloce  –  4 Points
  5. Chip Ganassi  –  2 Points

Overall Qualifying Classification:

  1. RXR  20 Points
  2. X44   16 Points
  3. McLaren  15 Points
  4. Acciona Sainz  13 Points
  5. Chip Ganassi  11 Points
  6. ABT Cupra  11 Points
  7. JBXE  8 Points
  8. Xite Energy   8 Points
  9. Andretti United   6 Points
  10. Veloce  5 Points

RXR completed another qualifying clean sweep, putting them into Semi Final 1 against Acciona Sainz and Chip Ganassi.

Semi Final 2 will feature X44, McLaren, and ABT Cupra. JBXE, Xite Energy, Andretti United, and Veloce will all face off in the Crazy Race for the fifth and final place in the Final.

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