Category: WRC

The final day, and not a short day either with 55km’s over four stages. Two of the stages would also only be run once as well giving an extra dimension to the final day.

There was overnight drama for two of the drivers. Firstly, Thierry had drama coming back to the service park, with smoke coming out of the car. It was a turbocharger failure for the Belgian. Then Oliver who had a large lead was given a one-minute penalty for celebrating after the flying finish in the final Lousada stage with some donuts. Gus therefore was now leading the WRC2 category.

Into the first stage then, SS16 Paredes – 11.05 km was won by Takamoto from Kalle and Dani. Thierry’s problems with a lack of power were also clearly not solved and was 1 minute 26 seconds slower than the Japanese driver. In WRC2 Oliver was really quick setting a time that was just 11 seconds from the fastest driver and bringing the gap down to just 22 seconds from the category leader and fellow Toksport teammate.

Next up then, SS17 Fafe 1 – 11.18 km, the dress rehearsal for the Power Stage and Kalle was fastest from EP by just 2 tenths of a second and Ott third. Kalle now had a lead of close to one a minute. Oliver had also reduced the gap to Gus to just 15 seconds! He really wanted the win!

There was another stage win for Ott in SS18 Cabeceiras de Basto – 22.01 km from Dani and Takamoto. Oliver also was going well, setting the fourth fastest time, although there was a lot of tyre saving going on. The young Swede had now reduced the gap to just 8.7 seconds!

Well, it was time for the final stage, SS19 Fafe 2[Power Stage] – 11.18 km. Ott set the early pace, but Kalle came through and eclipsed his time, going seven tenths faster. EP was third and Takamoto and Dani rounded out the top five fastest in the stage and took the points. In WRC2, there was a really close finish with Oliver going fastest from Nikolay and Andreas taking the final point for third. Gus hung on for the category win by just 1.2 seconds from the charging Swede!

Let’s take a look at the final standings and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification –Rally de Portugal

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 

Kalle Rovanperä

“This win has been a long time coming. There have been some difficult weekends but all the time I knew that when we can have a clean weekend and a good drive, we are right in the game. It’s nice to win here in Portugal again and to finally be back on the top. A big thanks to Jonne and to the team, who have been pushing forwards all the time. This weekend we had a good feeling with the car, and we were able to push hard. In the Power Stage I wanted to take as many points as we could because I knew we would likely have to open the road on the next event anyway. It was not a perfect stage, but it was enough, so I’m happy. Sardinia will be more difficult, but we will definitely try to continue like this.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It has been a challenging weekend after the issue that we had on Friday. I was expecting a lot for this rally, so I was really disappointed, but sometimes this happens. After that I just had to try and get more experience and learn something for the future. It was not so easy cleaning the road, but the car felt fantastic, so the team and the engineers did a great job. On the Power Stage there were narrower ruts from the cars ahead, so I still had to open the line a bit, yet the time was pretty OK. It’s good to finish the rally and get some points for the team: huge thank you to them and big congratulations to Kalle and Jonne.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Dani Sordo

“I’m really happy to get the podium but in particular our performance yesterday was really satisfying for us. In the morning we weren’t really on it but in the afternoon, we found our pace, and it was the best feeling. This is for you, Craig. I think we drove very well, so I have to say thanks to him. He was with me all rally long and he was pushing me to the limits. I want to give this podium to his mum and dad, because I promised them, I would wear this helmet for him. Thank you very much to them. The fans have been amazing as always here in Portugal, you can absolutely feel their support in the car. I remember called Craig after Sweden and told him he was so fast, and he said ‘hell, now you have the pressure!’. Well Craig, I am back.”

Esapekka Lappi

“A little too much action on the final day for our team in terms of technical issues, both for Thierry and then myself right at the end. Two kilometres from the end of the last stage, we picked up a problem with our turbo as well. Overall, we had a good weekend. It was a strong consistent drive with no other problems, and it is a good result for the team to be second and third. We’ve scored important manufacturers’ points today. I’m sure the team will carefully investigate the issues so they don’t happen again, and we can be better in the next rounds.”

Thierry Neuville

“In short, this is what rallying is all about – full of ups and downs. It is one of the most cruel motorsports, if not sports, in the world. We have to face situations like this sometimes, but it is never easy. Martijn and I put a lot of energy and effort in, but we go home with very little points and not the result we were looking for, so we’re very disappointed about that. Rallying is never over until it’s over, and we paid the price today. I want to give a round of applause to the organisers, they have done an incredible job, and to the spectators as well. They were just perfect, so at the very least we enjoyed that. A weekend to forget; let’s see what we can do in Sardinia.”

M-Sport Ford WRT 

Ott Tänak

“Overall, a demanding weekend for sure. We have been struggling quite a lot, it’s just about understanding how we can go on from here. It’s my second gravel rally in the car now, in Mexico I wasn’t feeling completely confident, and it has been hard to figure out what’s been missing, but I would say this weekend has given us a lot more understanding and now I think we have enough information to move forward.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“Our performance, in terms of pace, I think is strong already. On Friday and Saturday, the pace was there which is good, we went back to the set-up we had last year, and I feel better in the car. We were able to set a best time and fight for the top-three, but unfortunately the small mistake on Saturday had big consequences for us. It’s a shame but part of the rally unfortunately. I’m sure with the pace we have then the right results will come.”

WRC2

Oliver Solberg – Toksport

“So close! We gave it absolutely everything, we left it all out on the stages. Of course, it’s hard when we get so close to the win, but we couldn’t do more today. First, I want to say how much I love to drive here. This rally is fantastic. And the fans are amazing. It’s frustrating, we didn’t make such good choices with the tyres and with the set-up, but we still built a good lead, and we had this rally ready to win.

“The good news for us is that we came to this rally 10 points behind in the championship, we leave one point behind. That’s positive, that’s progress.

“For the penalty, of course we accept the stewards’ decision. I was just trying to give something back to the fans, so many of them were standing, waving and cheering – like everywhere on this rally, the people were amazing, and I wanted to be happy with them. I understand this was the wrong thing to do and rules have to be abided by.

“For the team, thank you. Toksport gave me and Elliott a great car again. We were able to win seven stages and I feel we had this rally under control. To leave this event like this is a tough one, but OK, it is what it is. We move on.

“Before I go, I want to say, one more time, thank you to all the fans in Portugal. This country and these people are just fantastic. This place is the heart of the World Rally Championship. I love this event and can’t wait to be back here again next year.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“We didn’t have issues other than the punctures, otherwise it’s been very good, and we were doing well leading up to stage four. I think it’s been a strong performance this weekend, it’s a shame about the punctures but that’s part of the game. On Sunday we were focusing on the power stage, and in the end, we scored two points so that’s a real positive.”

2023 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 5

2023 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 5

Summary

Well, what an impressive drive from the world champion crew! Kalle and Jonne made the most of their road position and built a lead which was unassailable. It’s fair to say that they were back to the supreme best from last year, looking really comfortable on the stages.

Dani and Candido came out on top of the trio of battling Hyundai crews that saw EP and Janne fight with Thierry and Martijn, swapping positions before the final problem that caused the Hyundai crewed by the Belgian crew to lose power. A double podium for the Hyundai crews though is a real bonus and shows the car has good performance.

It was a case of what might have been for the two M-Sport crews. Both Ott and Martin and Pierre-Louis and Nicolas challenged at the front, winning stages and setting times good enough to take a possible podium. With the Estonian crew, their challenge was ended by the puncture, whist the French and Belgian crew saw a small mistake have big consequences. The positive is that the car does have pace and they are both capable of taking a great result in the remaining rallies.

Next rally is on the first weekend of June as the championship moves to the Island of Sardegna. Pop back just before or follow myself on Twitter to await my preview.

The second day of this seasons visit to Portugal saw a battle develop between the three Hyundai crews for the remaining spots on the podium. Here’s the story from the longest day of the rally. The start list looked like this – Katsuta, Tänak, Neuville, Loubet, Lappi, Sordo, Rovanperä.

Kalle won the first stage of the day, SS9 Vieira do Minho 1 – 26.61 km from Esapekka and Dani. EP moved back ahead of Thierry and into third overall. Meanwhile in WRC2 Adrien was fastest from Gus and Sami. However, Oliver remained firmly in the lead of the category with a 40 second lead over Gus.

Kalle also won SS10 Amarante 1 – 37.24 km from Ott and Esapekka. The Finnish world champion was building a very big lead over second placed Dani. The gap between the three Hyundai crews remained really close, just a little over six seconds between them. Unfortunately, Pierre-Louis had a little error with large consequences, hitting a tree at the side of the stage and then a bank on the opposite side. This led to his front suspension and steering breaking, and he was out for the rest of the day. In WRC2 top fastest runners were Adrien, Teemu and Andreas, whilst Oliver, Gus and Yohan remained the top three.

Into SS11 Felgueiras 1 – 8.81 km and Kalle took his third stage win of the day from Thierry and Dani. The Belgian’s pace brought him to just 9 tenths of a second from third place. In WRC2, there was no change in the leaders with Oliver still leading from Gus and Yohan.

After the service break Kalle also won SS12 Vieira do Minho 2 – 26.61 km from Dani and EP. Esapekka opened up the gap a little from Thierry who could only manage fourth best time and almost five seconds slower. In WRC2, there was a change for third place as Andreas moved into that position with Yohan who was struggling for pace dropping behind.

The second run of SS13 Amarante 2 – 37.24 km saw Dani set the fastest time bringing an end to Kalle’s run, the Finn setting the second fastest time and Thierry third. The Belgian moved ahead of EP and into third overall. The top three in WRC2 was Andreas, Teemu and Gus. Teemu’s pace brought him back into the top ten as well.

Just two stages left and next up was SS14 Felgueiras 2 – 8.81 km. Kalle won this from Esapekka and Thierry. Oliver was still holding the lead of WRC2 and actually set the sixth fastest time in the stage.

The final stage of the day, SS15 SSS Lousada – 3.36 km was a double run around the Superspecial track. Dani was fastest from Takamoto, and Thierry third.

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

Classification after Day Three

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been a really nice day. After yesterday we changed some small things on the car and the feeling was even better than before, so now we have just been enjoying the driving. The first stage this morning actually felt quite tricky with the grip changing a lot, but I knew that I had a good feeling in the car and I just kept pushing quite hard; I knew I could take some time if everything goes right. After that I just carried on with the good feeling. This afternoon I tried to keep up the pace when the conditions were good, and when it was rough we backed off and I think we did quite well to save the car and the tyres. We can feel quite comfortable now, and tomorrow we will aim to have a clean morning and then try something on the Power Stage also.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Today I knew it was going to be a big challenge opening the road, but it was still nice to get experience of how to manage these kinds of conditions. This morning it was very slippery and sandy, like it is every year on the Saturday stages here; a lot of loose gravel on top of the surface which is making traction difficult. The conditions were much rougher this afternoon, more than I had expected. There was still lots of cleaning too after the smaller cars had driven the stages with ruts and lines that are completely different. Tomorrow, I need to bring the car back to the finish but let’s see how it’s going in the morning, especially in the first pass of Fafe. If I’m feeling comfortable, I’ll try to push in the Power Stage to get extra points for the team.”

Elfyn Evans

“Yesterday was a difficult day. We knew that it would be tough with the cleaning effect, but we also struggled a little bit with the confidence and feeling in the car. Things were working better, and I definitely had a better feeling in the Mortágua stage, but I just got caught out in a tricky place. It was a pretty fast section with a couple of left-handers together; the second one was a bit more sandy and slippery, and we just slid ever so slightly wide into the bank, which pitched the car into an aggressive roll. Scott and I are both perfectly fine, so the car has done its job really well in protecting us, and I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel in Sardinia.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Dani Sordo

“I was really pushing to remain in the fight. I was concerned at times of wearing-out the tyres, but I tried to keep a good rhythm in the stages. I’m really enjoying being back in the car; today there was much more grip, so it felt more natural than yesterday. I was taking some risks, but I didn’t have any big moments. We have two new stages, which will be really demanding – it will be a long day, but hopefully a good one.”

Thierry Neuville

“The battle today was fun, even if I was struggling a bit out there! It was a bit better than yesterday, but things were not quite working as I would like them to. We are all very close, and tomorrow it is important for me to take maximum points for the drivers’ championship, as well as for the manufacturers’ standings. It will be crucial to have a strong Power Stage; I think if we are clever, we won’t push too hard in the first stages so we have good tyres for Fafe and we can end the weekend in a solid position.”

Esapekka Lappi

“It was really warm out there today, I could really feel the heat on my face. We stayed out of trouble and had no punctures or drama, and the speed has been ok. It’s been a consistent day. There are four stages tomorrow, so I think we are going to do take the same approach as today. The first person you compare yourself to is your team-mate, so it is good that we were able to match Thierry and Dani here, but it is frustrating that Kalle is pulling ahead.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“No issue, generally our nominated suspension, so we can’t do anything with the road rougher than the morning we can’t do anything and struggled quite a lot, let’s see what the future brings.”

Sunday

The final day sees two new stages run just once each, with the double run of the famous Fafe stage! Who will take the final spot on the podium. I’m sure that the fight between EP and Thierry will go down to the final stage.

The first full day of action from Portugal had lots of drama. Here’s the report of what happened throughout Friday’s eight stages. The crews started in championship order, and this is how the start list looked – Evans, Rovanperä, Tänak, Neuville, Lappi, Katsuta, Sordo, Loubet.

First up was SS1 Lousã 1 – 12.03 km and clearly the conditions suited the later runners as Pierre-Louis came through fastest from Dani, with Ott also right there, making the best of his position as third into the stage. Championship leader, Elfyn was almost eight seconds slower, just because on having to sweep the road. In the WRC2 category, Teemu led Adrien with Yohan third. Great to see three different makes of car holding those positions.

Into SS2 Góis 1 – 19.33 km, and Ott hit the mark with his fastest time, jumping two places into the lead, with Dani remaining in second and Pierre-Louis dropping to third overall, as the Frenchman could only manage the fifth best time. It was all change also in WRC2 as Adrien took the top spot in the category from Oliver who leapt up three places and Teemu fell to third.

The final stage of the morning loop saw Kalle go fastest from Ott and Elfyn. At this point only 3.6 seconds covered the top three as well, those drivers being Ott, Kalle and Dani. Elfyn’s time was really good to see, the Welshman jumping three positions and into fifth overall, just 18 seconds from the leader. There was some drama for Takamoto, who sadly retired with a mechanical problem. There was some drama for Pierre-Louis though who went past the stop line as there was smoke in his Puma. Meanwhile in WRC2, Adrien continued to set the pace leading new second placed Andreas who gained four positions and was now ahead of Oliver who was now third in the category.

A tyre fitting zone followed the morning stages and after that it was straight back into the action with SS4 Lousã 2 – 12.03 km. Esapekka set a great time to go fastest, from Dani and Pierre-Louis. Dani now led, after Ott suffered a puncture and lost almost a minute. The Estonian was now in seventh place. In WRC2 Andreas also had a puncture, dropping out of second place, which meant that Oliver and Teemu were now into second and third from category leader Adrien.

Next up was SS5 Góis 2 – 19.33 km and Kalle was revelling in the better handling of his Yaris GR, going fastest from Thierry and Dani. The Finnish world champion moved into the lead from Dani, who remained really close, just eight tenths of a second between them. There was a change for the WRC2 lead as well as Adrien was the next to suffer a puncture and Oliver benefitted, moving into the lead from Teemu and Yohan.

Kalle was on a roll now, winning SS6 Arganil 2 – 18.72 km from Dani and Pierre-Louis. The young Frenchman was certainly going well in his Puma, but Kalle was the one now building a lead, the gap now almost three seconds to Dani. Showing how much opening the road does to hurt your pace, Elfyn was now 46 seconds from the lead, but holding sixth place. There was more change in WRC2 with Oliver still in the lead, but now Yohan was in second from Marco third. Teemu sadly suffered a puncture and dropped out of second in the category.

The last proper stage of the day then, SS7 Mortágua – 18.15 km with just the super special to come, and unfortunately Elfyn rolled his Yaris GR out at 13.8km’s. The car briefly caught fire, but this was extinguished quickly. Meanwhile Esapekka was fastest from Kalle and Ott, whilst Kalle maintained his lead from Dani, despite the Spaniard going straight on at a junction. Esapekka’s pace brought him up two places and into third overall, whilst Pierre-Louis remained ahead of Thierry, the Belgian dropping from third to fifth place. In WRC2 Oliver was still leading and now Gus was now second, Yohan in third.

The final stage then, SS8 SSS Figueira da Foz – 2.94 km which was two circuits on full tarmac roads and a car park, lined with plastic barriers and Dani was fastest from Ott and Thierry third. The Belgian benefitted from EP only going fifth fastest swapping places around Pierre-Louis who remained fourth.

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

Classification after Day One

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been a really good day for us. This morning was not perfect, but we changed a few things on the car to give ourselves a bit more precision on the fast roads, and after this the feeling got better and the afternoon went well. I think the stages were even rougher than expected; it has clearly been very dry here in the lead up to the rally so there were a lot of stones and rough places. But we managed it quite well, I think we did a clever drive. It’s nice to be leading after starting second on the road today and to be in the fight for the win. Tomorrow our starting place should be much better and hopefully we can keep it up.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning the car felt good, and I was enjoying the driving. We had to manage an issue from the end of the first stage but still the times were good even though I wasn’t pushing at all, as I was feeling very happy with the setup and the balance. We tried to continue as best as we could but going to the third stage, everything shut down and we could not restart again, so we had to end our day there. This was a pity but we still have the chance to drive the remaining two days on these great stages. It will be difficult starting first on the road tomorrow, but we will try to enjoy it and learn something for the future.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Dani Sordo

“Today was a really nice day – a long one, but I felt very comfortable the car. I made a small mistake in the hairpin of the final stage and locked my tyres, but I just tried to do my best as I have done all day and enjoy it. I am really happy; Kalle is the world champion, and we are up there fighting with him at the front. It’s nice to be able to do that, so let’s see what we can achieve tomorrow. All in all, we have had a good day. The plan is to try to maintain second place and to continue the fight.”

Thierry Neuville

“A really tough, long day. I couldn’t find the confidence to go full attack. I was quite happy with the car, but something was missing, so tomorrow we will make some small changes which will hopefully help us to push a bit more. I had two very worn tyres, so I had to finish the loop with what I had left, which wasn’t easy. A lot of small things came together to make the day really challenging. The result isn’t so satisfying, we expected better, and now we have to find the confidence to do, or we won’t be in the fight. It is a different profile of stages tomorrow; we’re expecting it to be smoother, so hopefully everything is working a bit better tomorrow.”

Esapekka Lappi

“This morning was a struggle and clearly, we made a mistake with my tyres, but on the other hand we only have a limited amount, of hard tyres so it is not an easy decision to make. The afternoon was strong; we had the right tyres, and the attack was good. Our puncture on SS6 slowed us down a little bit, but then we did a good job on SS7. We pushed hard and we managed to gain two places, which was really important for securing a good road order for tomorrow. It was so rough on some of the stages, but you still have to drive as fast as you can. If you try to minimise the speed then you will hit every rock, so you have to keep going.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“More less how we expected it, not so bad. The first loop was quite nice and the second loop we got the puncture, we didn’t expect too much roughness on that one, it came out of the blue, and in the same stage we got some other damage on another tyre, so went the whole afternoon without any spare. It was difficult to survive, and somehow, we managed to bring the car home with tyre wear and punctures. Roads tomorrow should have more hard base.”

Saturday

The second full day of competition will see the crews tackle the longest day with 148km’s over seven stages including the longest stage of the rally, Amarante. It’s a long day, with the action starting before eight am UK time and the final stage starting at just after seven pm. We’ll have to wait and see if Elfyn and Scott return tomorrow.

It’s time for the championship to return to gravel for the first time this season. As championship leaders, Elfyn and Scott will be hoping for rain throughout Friday’s stages. This season’s event has 325km’s over 19 stages. The longest day is Saturday with almost 150km’s of stages and also has the longest stage at 37km in length. This is rallying, not those silly mickey mouse stages. There are a couple of those stages on Friday and Saturday, but at least they are only run once each.

Let’s take a look at the stages then.

Rally de Portugal begins with shakedown on Thursday before a ceremonial start that evening in Coimbra.

Friday’s itinerary covers a competitive distance of 121.25km, featuring two runs of Lousã (12.03km), Góis (19.33km), Arganil (18.72km) followed by Mortágua (18.15km) and Figueira da Foz (2.94km).

Saturday is the longest day of the rally in length and duration, with crews taking on Vieira do Minho (26.61km), Amarante (37.24km), Felgueiras (8.81km) and Lousada (3.36km).

Sunday contains four stages – Paredes (11.05km), Cabeceiras de Basto (22.01km) and two runs of Fafe (11.18km), the latter of which acts as the event’s Power Stage.

Let’s also hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Portugal is a nice rally but in recent years it has also become quite a rough one. There are sections which are really fast and flowing and fun to drive, and others where it’s a challenge to look after the tyres and the car. It’s definitely a mixed rally in that sense, but it’s one that I enjoy. We’re into a busy period now with rallies coming thick and fast, and Portugal is the start of a string of gravel events. Now that we were successful in Croatia, we will have the job of opening the road, but I’m sure that is something that is going to swing back and forth between the drivers a few times over the next rallies. We will just have to try and maximise our performance in the loose conditions we will face on Friday and see what’s possible.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“I’m really happy to be going back to Portugal. It has always been an event that I have liked quite a lot, and last year we were able to win it even though we were starting as the first car on the road. It’s a rally that as drivers we all know fairly well with some legendary stages, so the pace is always high and it should be quite an equal fight. The start of our year has not been perfect – I was aiming for bigger results – but we are still very much in this close championship fight: I don’t think it has been so tight after four rounds for a very long time. This series of gravel events will not be easy but we’re going to continue to push hard and hopefully get good results.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I’m really looking forward to Portugal. In the last two years I finished fourth there, and last year especially I was very close to the podium. In the end, I wasn’t able to take it – we missed out by just two seconds – so this year I will try to achieve that. It will be a big challenge, but I think it’s possible. The beginning of this year has not been what I wanted, but I have always had a good feeling with the car. It’s developing every single time and we had a good test, so hopefully our hard work pays off for these next rallies. In Portugal I like the stages and I feel very comfortable there, so I just need to push myself and I’m sure we can have a good weekend.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It is easier to prepare for a rally where you know what is coming, especially with years of experience – we’ve had dry and very hot conditions, but also faced cold and rain there too. Often you have done most of the stages both ways and many times. However even the rallies we know well always have new elements, which requires a lot of preparation and work ahead of the event. We need to know what awaits us, exactly where we are going and most of the time, we need to have this before the pre-event test to make it as efficient as possible. I do expect Portugal to be one of the easier gravel, rallies we will go to this year. The atmosphere first and foremost really stands out, there is always a huge amount, of spectators. We have the iconic Fafe jump, some really sandy roads, hard-based stages around Amarante, and it’s great to have so many enthusiastic fans there with us.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Whenever you think of Portugal, you might think it’s not that difficult or such a challenge for the car, but you always end up in a situation on the second pass where it is really, really rough. You fall into the mindset that it is a smooth rally, and it isn’t and it can catch you out. On the second run of a stage there are a lot of loose rocks and big ruts in some places. It’s definitely an event that I enjoy – it is what I would call ‘medium fast’, so not as slow as Sardinia for example. There is also some tarmac sections in this rally that are quite fast, and of course Sunday in Fafe is always a highlight with the gravel banks next to you. It’s a unique rally. It was emotional to finish on the podium in Croatia, but it was special to do it for Craig. We hope we can carry that momentum forward with us into Portugal.”

Dani Sordo

“Rally de Portugal is always special. The roads have always been really nice, and the spectators travel from all over Portugal and Spain; they make the event really special. Last year we saw that the roads had become a little bit more rough and we were suffering a lot with the temperatures, it was really hot in the rally. The rally is known for a good evolution of the stages between the first and second pass, you have more grip, but they are more rough, which was risky for the cars, tyres and even the rims last year. It would be amazing to finish on the podium again next weekend; we felt we had the pace and potential in Mexico, so we want to be back in the fight for the top-three in Portugal.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tänak

“We are going now into gravel season where things are starting to get more serious in terms of championship competition. After our pre-event test we are still a bit behind in a few places, but guys are working hard to find ways for improvements, and we still have shakedown to test the final details.

We did see in Mexico that our competitors are strong on gravel, and we have some areas where we need to improve over the next few races. Portugal is generally a fast event with quite a sandy surface. Some of the second loops of stages can be very rough and demanding. We are looking to reduce our gap to the fastest guys and let’s give it a go to stay in the championship fight!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“I’m very happy to be going to Portugal, it’s my favourite rally where I have better experience, I’ve already done it quite a few times! The target will be to get a good result there, last year this was my first rally on gravel with the team and the speed was there without the experience. I’m sure we can do some great things this year.”

WRC2 Category

Hyundai

Teemu Suninen

“I am really looking forward to getting back to behind wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. It has been a long time since Rally Sweden and a lot has happened during that time, but I feel even more that when we have chance to drive, I want to do it well. Rally de Portugal has always been one of my favourite events. It was where I got my first podium in only my sixth WRC event. It is the first gravel rally where we can start to see our performance compared to others. The stages are well known, conditions are normally really good, and we can push to the absolute limit and enjoy rallying. The top of the WRC2 championship is very tight, and there are so many good drivers. It will be a fight for tenths of seconds and tyre choices will be extremely important; there is no room to give away any time. I hope we can deliver a win for me and the team.”

Fabrizio Zaldivar

“I think Rally de Portugal and I have some unfinished business. The Hyundai i20 N Rally2 was very strong at this event last year, so we know we have a competitive car heading into the event. My mission is to pull everything together in Portugal and demonstrate the potential we have and bring home a strong result. We are up against some very talented competitors, and it won’t be easy, but we are determined to fight and bring home important championship points.”

M-Sport

Adrien Fourmaux, WRC2 driver

“This will be my third time in Portugal, but my first in a Rally2 car. It’s a really nice rally, very famous with a lot of spectators coming to watch; I really love the atmosphere of this rally. We will be back out on gravel, which is a good thing because I like the surface and I hope we will see some good pace like we did in Mexico. We’re hoping for a good result and we’re working very hard to achieve it.”

Grégoire Munster, WRC2 driver

“We are heading into a series of events that Louis and I have never done before, Portugal followed by Sardinia and Kenya. So, it’ll be a period of discovery and quite interesting. Portugal will be our first WRC2 event on gravel with the Fiesta Rally2, so we’re looking forward to it. We will do a small event in the south of France to prepare this weekend. I’m looking forward to making our first proper outing on gravel, and we hope to enjoy it.”

Robert Virves, WRC2 driver

“I’m excited to do my second rally with M-Sport in the Fiesta Rally2 this season, we set some good groundwork in Sweden and hope to do the same in Portugal. We have some experience here already, competing in the ERC round back in March, so we have the opportunity to set competitive times and develop our learning with the car.”

Toksport Skoda

Oliver Solberg

“I love this place, the spectators are just incredible, there are always so many of them and they bring such a nice atmosphere. The place where we are competing, around Porto and in the north of the country, rallying is such a big thing. Everywhere we go, everybody is waving and cheering us on. It’s super-cool.

“Winning in Sweden was a great way to start our WRC2 season in our Toksport Škoda,” said Oliver. “And that’s what we have to be aiming for in Portugal, but it’s going to be tough. I think the entry for next week is probably the strongest I’ve ever seen for a WRC2 round. There are so many big names around!

“The fight for the championship is already really tight with Yohan [Rossel] and my Toksport team-mates, but then we have Andreas [Mikkelsen], Kris [Meeke] and Nasser [Al-Attiyah] coming as well. I think there’s more than 40 cars on the entry list in WRC2 – that’s amazing!”

The route for the event includes the usual classic stages like Lousã, Amarante and, of course, the final day challenge that is Fafe.

“Fafe is special, to come over those famous jumps and see so many people is crazy. It’s one of the most special sections we drive in the season. The stages in Portugal are tough though. The road’s usually quite soft, which means they can get a little bit rutted – but we also get some rocks being pulled out into the road. You have to take care, that’s for sure.

Summary

If the stages are dry, then a good result for Elfyn will be to score a podium. It’s fair to say that opening the road on Friday will be a huge challenge, but the Welshman has the experience to know when to push and when to get through the stages. His teammate and the world champion knows how to win this rally and will definitely be on the pace as well.

Ott Tanak will also be right there I suspect, and it will be interesting to see if his younger teammate can set some good pace and stage times.

Thierry is a former winner as well and has taken a number of podiums over the years. He will hope to be on the pace from the start and if that is the case, then he will definitely be in the top positions. His teammate, Dani took third last year behind the two Toyota’s as well and will definitely be on the pace if he is comfortable. Their Finnish teammate has also gone well in Portugal in the past and of course was leading in Mexico before the crash that took them out of the fight.

Enjoy the rally!

Well, day two would see the crew tackle 116km’s over eight stages. Thierry held a small 5.7 second lead over Elfyn following Friday’s stages. The top ten would be reversed with Thierry starting the stage last of all.

First up was SS9 Kostanjevac – Petruš Vrh 1 – 23.76 km in which Kalle as fastest from Ott and Seb. The Frenchman was now fighting back up the leader board following getting a one-minute penalty for moving away after the tyre change. Thierry was 4.8 faster than Elfyn, therefore taking his lead to over 10 seconds. There was a change in positions between Takamoto and Pierre-Louis as the Japanese star was passed by the young Frenchman. In the WRC2 category, Adrien was fastest from Emil and Yohan.

Kalle made it two from two, winning SS10 Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 1 – 8.78 km from Seb and Ott. The top two duo of Thierry and Elfyn were fourth and fifth respectively separated by just three tenths of a second and they continued their battle for the lead, the advantage going to the Hyundai driver. Yohan continued to lead WRC2 with a thirty second lead over Nikolay.

There was drama in SS11 Ravna Gora – Skrad 1 – 10.13 km as last through the stage Thierry lost control of his car on a long right hander and slid into large rock on the outside of the corner and was spun into the trees. He knew immediately that they could not continue. Elfyn was now in the lead.

Into SS12 Platak 1 – 15.63 km and Seb was fastest from Kalle and Elfyn. The Welshman held a 22 second lead over his former M-Sport teammate. Meanwhile, Seb had moved up into fifth place, pushing his teammate Takamoto down to sixth. In WRC2 there was a change for second place, with Nicolas Ciamin passing Nikolay, whilst Yohan continued to hold a big lead.

After the midday service the second run of SS13 Kostanjevac – Petruš Vrh 2 – 23.76 km was won by Seb, with Ott and Kalle second and third fastest. With the pace of Seb and Kalle out there, they both moved up to fourth and sixth respectively, with Pierre-Louis falling to fifth and Takamoto to seventh. There was drama in WRC2 with Nicolas rolling out of second place.

Ott won SS14 Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 2 – 8.78 km from Kalle and Seb, whilst Elfyn saw his lead over Ott fall to twelve and a half seconds. Kalle also passed Pierre-Louis for fifth overall as the Frenchman struggled with his hard compound tyres.

Kalle won SS15 Ravna Gora – Skrad 2 – 10.13 km and closed the gap to Seb for fourth overall to just 1.3 seconds, whilst Elfyn was third fastest and increased his lead over Ott. This was part in due to the Estonian getting technical problems with his Puma, mainly with his handbrake. Further back, Takamoto passed Pierre-Louis for sixth overall.

The final stage of the day, SS16 Platak 2 – 15.63 km saw Seb again leading the way from Kalle and Esapekka. Elfyn was fourth, whilst Ott could only manage sixth fastest and 8.6 seconds slower than the leader, who now had a 25.6 second lead over Ott.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a long day but a good one in terms of our position tonight. I was maybe taking a bit too much care in the dirty places to begin with, but I felt things were getting better as the morning went on and things were working quite well in the car. I wasn’t completely happy with my afternoon; we were losing some time compared to Ott but then he had some issues which has given us some breathing space. But it’s also a big part of the game on this rally to stay on the road and avoid trouble. It’s not a huge lead on a rally like this, so we still need to drive well tomorrow while managing the risks.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“Today we were fighting really hard to gain some positions back, and we were able to gain three places and we also had a close fight with Seb. It’s always tough to fight with Seb, so it’s been a proper push today and we were fast during the whole day. After yesterday afternoon I knew that I now had a good feeling with the car and the setup, so I was more confident starting today. We also had a good road position this morning, starting first with a clean road, although for the second pass this afternoon it was still quite dirty and slippery. Tomorrow we’ll see what happens and try to score as many points as we can.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It has been nice to be fighting with Kalle and for us to both climb some positions today. OK, it’s not really the position that either of us want to be fighting for, but at least it’s working towards scoring more and more points for the team. It’s been enjoyable in the car and at least I could have a trouble-free loop this afternoon. This morning we had to fix an issue on the road section, and we were just a little bit too late to avoid another penalty. But at least we could keep going, and after that we had good pace. Now we will try to carry on like this for the four remaining stages.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Esapekka Lappi

“Of course, it’s nice to be in a podium position even though we have been lacking a bit of pace today; it’s been a different feeling compared to what we had yesterday, but I know I have never been perfect on the dirty tarmac. I have been trying to reproduce the driving we had on Friday, but it was difficult to match the times at the front. The conditions have felt more slippery, and if you feel like there’s no grip then the confidence just goes. We knew that the new stage would be tricky, but it was crazy how dirty it was. We have benefitted in terms of our position because unfortunately Thierry went off this morning, so we will have to concentrate, try to find some improvements in the car for the final day, and aim to complete the rally on the podium. That would at least be something to take away for the whole team.”

Thierry Neuville

“We were trying to maintain defence of our lead over Elfyn, which we had done well on the two opening stages with good pace. In SS11, we were a bit late braking into a third gear right-hander, we entered the cut and just lost the rear of the car upon corner entry. We hit some concrete on the outside and our day was over; we broke the rear left damper and upright, so there was no chance to continue. I didn’t feel too comfortable up to that point. Even though we were slightly down on the splits, I had expected to continue my rhythm, but it wasn’t to be. When you are battling for victory sometimes small mistakes can happen. I want to apologise to the team. We were all dreaming about the victory this weekend for the reasons that we all know about. We were close, we were doing our best, we kept believing but unfortunately our efforts were not rewarded.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“There were many things (referring to problems that started in stage three), some hydraulic and transmission issues and the handbrake in the last stage, quite a few things at the moment. It’s tricky and for sure we will keep going for tomorrow with a short day.”

Summary

Well with just 54km’s over four stages, it will be interesting to see if Ott can close the gap again to Elfyn and take victory or will the two-time championship runner up take his first win since Rally Finland 2021. I know this would be a very popular win.

The first full day of competitive action in Croatia saw some incredible drama out there. Here’s the round-up of the first eight stages from Friday.

First up, SS1 Mali Lipovec – Grdanjci 1 – 19.20 km and with the crew starting in championship order, Seb was first in and would ultimately set the fastest time from Thierry and Ott. At this stage, Kalle and Elfyn were holding fourth and fifth overall, a little over ten seconds from the leader. In the WRC2 category, Yohan held the lead From Emil and Gus with third.

It was all change in SS2 Stojdraga – Hartje 1 – 25.67 km with both Seb and Kalle suffering punctures at the same point and on the same side in the stage and having to change their wheels. Seb lost over a minute and Kalle over two minutes changing their wheels. Thierry also had some drama, colliding with a bale in a chicane and damaging the right front bumper and splitter. Once Elfyn completed the stage he now held second overall, whilst Esapekka moved into third, and just 5.6 seconds covered the top three.

Into SS3 Krašić – Vrškovac 1 – 11.11 km and Seb was back to the fastest time, but of course was holding seventh overall, now a minute and thirty seconds from Thierry. The Belgian was second fastest and opened up the gap to Elfyn a little to over 15 seconds.

The final stage of the morning loop SS4 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 1 – 9.11 km and Seb was making the most of still being first on the road and took another stage win, whilst Ott and Elfyn were second and third respectively. In WRC2, Yohan continued to lead, from Nikolay who gained two places overall and moved into ninth overall.

After the service break, Seb was fastest in SS5 Mali Lipovec – Grdanjci 2 – 19.20 km from Elfyn who was starting to close the gap to Thierry, whilst Ott was third fastest. There was a change in positions further back, with Pierre-Louis moving into fifth place.

Esapekka took his first stage win in SS6 Stojdraga – Hartje 2 – 25.67 km from Elfyn whilst Seb was third. The former champion was now up into fifth overall, whilst Elfyn had now closed the gap to Thierry to just eight seconds. Kalle was also on the move up the leader board gaining one position and moving into eighth overall.

We had another new stage winner with Ott winning SS7 Krašić – Vrškovac 2 – 11.11 km from Thierry and Elfyn. Ott moved ahead of Esapekka and into third overall, just 1.5 seconds ahead now of the Hyundai driver.

The final stage of the day, SS8 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 2 – 9.11 km was won by Elfyn from Kalle and Ott was third fastest. Thierry was fifth and lost a further few seconds of his lead to Elfyn, the gap just 5.7 seconds at the end of the stage.

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

Classification after Day One

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“First of all, I am happy to get to the end of the day in the lead of the rally; this is the best result we could expect especially after the incredibly tough week we have had as a team. It was a big relief as we passed the final stage end and saw we were still in front. It has not been an easy day; this morning, it was tough and more challenging than we were expecting. We changed the dampers on the car and felt more comfortable, but I still don’t feel that I can commit 100%. We were fast but we weren’t chasing those final tenths of a second which make all the difference. The next two days will also be challenging; we have a new stage which was dirty in the recce, and we must remember we will be starting from the back of the field, so it could be tough.”

Esapekka Lappi

“This morning, we didn’t have the greatest pace, but we also carried a disadvantage that we didn’t do these stages last year. We were lacking a bit on the pace notes as a result, particularly on the high-speed parts; we needed to make sure they were correct so we could commit more. There were lots of places where I know I could gain on the second pass, and we made good progress. The conditions in the afternoon were much better and more equal for everyone. The gravel crew notes were also more precise which gave me extra confidence. It was quite an enjoyable afternoon. Tomorrow could be a bit ‘easier’ for me as I have done all but one of the stages before. I’m looking forward to it.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“It’s not been easy out there today. The grip was changing almost with every corner and the amount of dirt brought onto the road from the cars in front of us was varying quite a lot. It maybe wasn’t the strongest start to the day, with a lot of pollution on the road with our road position in the first stage this morning. But after that we kept building and building. This afternoon we had some rain showers, and it was a bit of a lottery, but we actually managed to make the right tyre calls at the right time. So, it’s been a pretty positive day overall. There’s a long way to go, but it’s hopefully going to be an interesting fight for the rest of the weekend.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“This morning was more difficult than I expected. The conditions were tricky with more loose gravel and less grip than anticipated. The setup we started with was not so good for me in these conditions, so I was struggling a bit with the balance. Then in the second stage we had the same thing happen as Seb: I had this compression in my pacenotes but it seems the bump was bigger than expected. This afternoon was definitely much better. In mid-day service we could make some changes to the setup, and it was much easier to enjoy the driving and to be on the pace. Hopefully we can continue with a good feeling tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier

“The pace was good this morning but unfortunately, we lost a lot of time when we had to stop in SS2 and change the wheel. It happened in a compression on the road in a high-speed section, which is difficult to see in the recce at slower speeds. I was trying be safe and avoid the cut on the inside of the road, but the impact in this compression was too hard. After that, we just needed to keep pushing and try to catch back as many positions as we can. The gap in front now is pretty big so it will be tough to gain more, but we have nothing to lose so we need to keep trying and see what happens.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“The afternoon was better than the morning, although we didn’t make a good choice in one stage, which was tricky, but other than that the last two were more positive. It’s been quite an improvement since Monte, and also to get reliability and to have a bit of fun actually. Everything is open, we need to keep doing own, and I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen the full potential of this car and there’s still a few things to do, so let’s go step by step.”

Summary

Well, after a full day of rallying, the leader board is interesting. It should be noted that Seb was given a one-minute penalty for moving away with the safety belts not done up after the tyre change and therefore dropped two positions to seventh overall. That means that Takamoto and Pierre-Louis both gain a position each and hold fifth and sixth respectively.

Saturday will see the crews take on 116km’s over eight stages. Can Elfyn close the gap further and take the lead? We shall see.

The event will run but with the loss of Craig Breen during a test day for the rally on the 13^th of April, the fourth round of the championship will be a very low-key event and the teams, drivers and fans will look to celebrate the life of the popular Irishman.

Here’s what the team principles of Hyundai Motorsport and Toyota World Rally team had to say ahead of the event.

Hyundai Motorsport

Cyril Abiteboul

“After careful consideration involving all stakeholders, we have decided to participate in Croatia Rally. We will do this in memory of Craig, to honour him, his passion for rallying and his competitive spirit. We will enter two cars and withdraw the third entry as a mark of respect. Both cars will run with a special livery for Craig, his family, friends and fans. It is clear from speaking to everyone that the best way to honour Craig’s legacy was not to withdraw our entry, so we participate mindful of our lost team-mate, friend and incredible competitor.”

How much consideration was given to withdrawing from Croatia Rally?

“Very careful consideration was given when making this decision. It was clear from the feedback given by all who knew Craig well that participating would be the best way to honour him. We consulted with the family, and they have endorsed this approach.”

What is the reasoning for the special livery?

“We are contesting this rally primarily to honour Craig and his incredible life and talent. Craig was a proud Irishman and passionate representative of the Irish rally community so the livery will represent the colours of the Irish flag in his memory.”

Toyota World Rally Team

Jari-Matti Latvala

“Along with the rest of the WRC family, we are truly saddened following the sudden loss of Craig Breen. As well as being a top driver, Craig was a real enthusiast for rallying, and we shared the same passion for old rally cars and for the history of our sport. As we prepare for the next rally, our thoughts are with Craig’s family, friends and his colleagues within the service park.

We know that the Croatia Rally can be a very challenging event: last year the conditions were extremely difficult, and even in the dry there is still a lot of dirt brought onto the road. It has been a good rally for us on our previous two visits and, together with our drivers, we will try our best to make it another successful weekend. As championship leader, Seb will be first on the road and this is a good starting point. Kalle had one of his best performances last year in Croatia, showing how good he is when the conditions get difficult, and we know Elfyn can also be strong whenever grip levels are changing a lot.”

Stage information

There will be 302km’s over twenty stages for the crews to tackle this year. Friday is the longest day with 130km’s over eight stages.

Summary

Well, I hope that the event passes with no problems. I suspect that we won’t see a normal celebration at the end and that it will be a respectful celebration of Craig Breen and his passion for the sport.