Rally

2nd June 2023

Rally Italia Sardegna 2023, Day One Report

The first full day of competition tackled 141km over six stages and to celebrate the 20^th edition of this rally the stages featured a huge 49.9km stage, Monte Lerno, which included the famous Mickey’s Jump!

Esapekka led following the first stage on Thursday evening from Ott and Thierry. The start list for the first full day looked like this – Rovanperä, Tänak, Ogier, Evans, Neuville, Lappi, Sordo, Katsuta, Loubet.

Into the first stage of the day then, SS2 Tantariles 20Ris 1 – 10.71 km and the overnight leader Esapekka was second fastest behind new overall leader Seb, whilst Pierre-Louis was third fastest and climbed up six positions and into third overall. In WRC2 Oliver held the lead from Andreas and Teemu.

Takamoto made it two stage wins in a row for the Toyota team as he set the fastest time from Dani and Thierry. There was a change for the lead with EP passing Seb who could only manage the seventh best time. In addition to that, Takamoto after setting the fastest time also gained some positions, moving into third overall. There was a change within the WRC2 leader, with Andreas moving ahead of Oliver. The Swede had a huge problem at the end of the stage that featured a really challenging final section that still had large standing water following the rain earlier in the week. Somehow the front right suspension spring ended up becoming detached and was sticking outside the top of the wing!

The first run then of SS4 Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda 1 – 49.90 km and Kalle who of course was opening the road could only manage the eighth best time and over 40 seconds slower than his teammate, Seb who won the stage from Elfyn and Esapekka. There were a few changes in the overall standings with Elfyn moving into fourth, Pierre-Louis into third. Takamoto’s brief third place came to an end as the Japanese driver slid straight onto some rocks. He finished the stage though dropping two places into fifth. It was not as big as Dani’s moment though! He went off the side of the road nose first and the car rolled as well. However, he got going again and finished the stage with huge damage to the front and a heavily damaged rear wing.

After lunch time service the second run of SS5 Tantariles 20Ris 2 – 10.71 km was won by EP from Pierre-Louis and Thierry. However, it’s important to report the Frenchman was given a notional time with a number of other competitors. This was done due to some safety issues in the stage and therefore the stage not being able to be run in full leading to the notional times for the later crews. This is where it was really strange for the Frenchman to be given a time as he was not allowed to start the stage due to being unable to engage any gears. In the WRC2 category Gus Greensmith went off the stage and into a bush.

Into SS6 Terranova 2 – 8.41 km and Thierry was fastest from EP with Takamoto third. With the Belgian setting the best time and Elfyn only ninth fastest the Hyundai crew moved into third overall. In WRC2 Teemu was leading from Andreas and Adrien.

The challenge of SS7 Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda 2 – 49.90 km remained as the final stage of the day and the rain was falling at different points in the stage. Top three fastest were Kalle, EP and Thierry. As you can tell the best place to be was either first on the road or driving a Hyundai. EP took the lead by just one tenth of a second over Seb and Kalle’s pace brought him into fourth overall with both Elfyn and Ott falling down the leader board to sixth and seventh overall. We also had a new WRC2 top three with Sami gaining three positions, Adrien one place and Emil two places.

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

Classification after Day One

1	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	1:31:48.8
2	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+0.1
3	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+18.6
4	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+46.1
5	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+47.4
6	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:05.6
7	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+1:09.8

Hyundai Motorsport

Esapekka Lappi

“Today was a day of survival. There was a lot of surprises on that final stage with muddy braking points or corners that were hidden behind bushes. The mixed conditions meant you couldn’t really fully commit because you didn’t know what to expect, but on the other hand you had to commit in order to keep the speed, but we managed. You knew as soon as you entered the forest sections it was going to be muddy and slippery, but there were also some puddles in the open air which was a surprise – it was not easy at all. I hope to have a better start tomorrow than I did in Mexico, but first of all we have to make the right tyre choice in the morning. After that, we need to continue what we did today and see where we are after the final stage.”

Thierry Neuville

“It was a bit of a struggle out there; the confidence wasn’t that high in the tighter corners, but we managed to get into a good rhythm. I’m feeling a little bit better in the car as well in those conditions, and in the end, we had some good stage times this afternoon to finish in third, which is a good position for tomorrow. The weather is going to make it challenging tomorrow as well; anything can happen and we’re going to see a lot of changes in the stage times for everybody. Today we were lucky that we all had more or less similar weather conditions, but with a few minutes’ gap between the cars it can be a huge difference. Our tyre strategy this afternoon was good, and it paid off.”

Dani Sordo

“It was a little bit difficult today, to be honest. On the first pass of the longest stage we went a bit safe with the tyres, and at one of the corners I went wide, and after that we rolled. We managed to bring the car to service and to the mechanics to repair it. There was not a lot of time, so Cándido and I did our best to help. I want to say thanks to them, they did an amazing job at midday, and I’m really sorry for my mistake. Thank you so much for your efforts. For sure it will be difficult now, there was some really tricky conditions this afternoon and it was challenging to drive, but let’s see what the weather does. If it rains a lot, we have an advantage with our early road order, but we have already lost a lot of time.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m happy with my day and to be in the position we’re in tonight. I was surprised with the gap we made in the first stage this morning and in Monte Lerno, but the car was working well, and I think we made the right tyre call which helped us to be fast this morning. It was a bit more difficult this afternoon, but it was still an OK loop. I was happy with my driving, a bit less with the decision we made in service; we had a bit the wrong tyre choice and setup. But we still managed to get through without any drama in the slippery conditions and without taking too many risks. We are still where we wanted to be, in the fight for the win. The gap is very close and tomorrow we will push again.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s been quite a good day overall. This morning the first two stages were actually quite OK. There was a bit of dampness, and we were losing less time opening the road than I was expecting. But Monte Lerno was drier, and we lost a lot of time, and there was a lot of action for us in that stage. This afternoon it was still quite tricky even on the second pass, as the lines from the smaller cars were not really suitable for us. Then finally some rain came properly on Monte Lerno, and I tried to push hard and keep at it. I always seem to enjoy the rain and the muddy conditions, and we could take some time back. Now we’ll have a better starting place for tomorrow and we’ll try to push more.”

Elfyn Evans

“We started the day with a tricky couple of stages with the rocks lining the road and I was keen to get through cleanly and have a good car for Monte Lerno. We had a clean run through there also; it was nothing spectacular, but we seemed to manage everything quite well and got to the end without trouble and made up some places overall. It was a difficult afternoon and pretty rough; the first one was quite OK, then we gave away far too much on the second one. Unfortunately, at the end of Monte Lerno we picked up a puncture with a fair bit of time lost. But the gap is not huge to the guys in front, and we have Ott [Tänak] close behind so there’s plenty still to fight for.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“We had some issues on the first stage that affected the engine quite a bit, some electric thing as we lost the hybrid as well. We also lost the water pressure and thought it was game over, but then the pump came back, and we slowly started to go again, and we in safe mode and I was able to bring it home.”

Day Two – Saturday

Tomorrow has 133km’s over eight stages and although the longest stage is the Erula – Tula stage at 21km’s in length but the challenge remains big. Let’s see who will be leading at the end of the second day. Pop back to read my report later in the day.

30th May 2023

Rally Italia Sardegna 2023 Preview

Time for round six of this season’s championship and we come to the Island of Sardegna for the Italian round! Known for its extreme dusty roads and jumps this event is a favourite on the calendar.

Kalle and Jonne won the last round and come to this as championship leaders. They are joined as always in the Toyota team with their usual teammates, whilst Seb and Vincent are also entered. They will look to use their good starting position to set the pace throughout Friday’s stages and hope to hold on and take victory. However, Elfyn and Scott will want to do the same and it will be interesting to see how they get on.

Thierry and Martijn will have the same idea though and of course Thierry won this round in 2018. There is another Hyundai crew that will have the same idea. Yep, Dani won this round twice in recent years, taking victory in 2019 and also 2020. Let’s see what they can do this year! In fact, Esapekka and Janne will also be I believe challenging for victory. They showed great pace in Mexico and could do the same this weekend.

Meanwhile Ott and Martin at M-Sport Ford will definitely be in the fight this weekend. They took victory last year when at Hyundai and the Puma showed great pace in the hands of Craig Breen co-driven by Paul Nagle who of course took second place last year. For Pierre-Louis and Nicolas in the other Puma, the young Frenchman who has shown very good pace on gravel this year, they will want to take a great result and if things go well, could claim a top five finishing position. Of course, Nicolas won the event as co-driver in 2018 when with Thierry at Hyundai. Could he guide the young Puma driver to a podium this year? It will be interesting to watch!

Craig and Paul took second last year when at M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Photo credit M-Sport Ford

Stage information

There is 320km’s over nineteen stages this year. Here’s the detail of what lies ahead throughout the weekend.

Following a shakedown in the morning, Rally Italia Sardinia officially begins on Thursday evening with the 3.23km Olbia – Cabu Abbas stage.

Friday is the longest day of the event with a total distance of 138.04km, which includes two passes of the mammoth test that is Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda (49.90km).

Saturday’s itinerary consists of two loops of the four stages: Coiluna – Loelle (16.28km), Su Filigosu (19.57km), Erula – Tula (21.92km) and Tempio Pausania (9.96km).

Two passes each of Arzachena – Braniatogghiu (15.22km) and Sardegna (7.79km) bring the event to a close on Sunday.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Kalle Rovanperä

“Portugal was a great weekend for us, and it was nice to get a victory again. We will try to continue like this in the next events, but we know that Sardinia will be a much more difficult job. Of all the rallies in the calendar, I think this one has maybe been the trickiest for me, and if the weather is dry and hot like it usually is in Sardinia, it can be very difficult to be the first car on the road there; perhaps even more so this year with the 50-kilometre stage to be driven on Friday. It will be a demanding weekend but, like always, we will push together with the team to get the best result that we can.”

Elfyn Evans

“Portugal was a disappointing weekend on my side, but we have to put that behind us now, move forward to Sardinia and see what’s possible there. Our road position will be more favourable than what we started with on the last rally, but we know that it’s a challenging event regardless and one of the rougher rallies of the year. It definitely needs a smart approach but I’m looking forward to it, nonetheless. Like always in Sardinia, they mix up the stages every year. A lot of the route is known from before but some of it has not been driven for many years, so there will be a lot of new pacenotes to write during the recce – and this very long stage on Friday will of course be key.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Sardinia is a rally that I have learned to love. At first, I used to struggle going there, but over the years I started to master it more and more. The most recent memories I have of Sardinia are really good from when we managed to win in 2021 after starting first on the road, which is not normally possible on this event. Having missed Portugal, we will have a bit of a better starting position this time, but it will still be a difficult challenge, especially with this very long stage of 50 kilometres that the organisers have made for this year. I quite like that challenge, honestly; it adds some spice to the rally and the need for tyre management. It will certainly be an interesting rally.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Sardinia presents a lot of challenges, but the biggest are the heat and tyre wear. The stages are also difficult as the surface is rough, and they are quite narrow and technical too, so there is not much room for mistakes. Our target is to deal with the conditions as best we can and fight hard for a good result. Portugal was a tough weekend for us. I had a different set-up from Dani and Esapekka which we think is one of the reasons why I was struggling with traction and car balance. Switching my car to similar settings to those of my team-mates should be beneficial in the quest for improved performance and I’m looking forward to putting this to the test.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Sardinia is generally quite a slow rally with very technical stages. The second pass is particularly demanding for the tyres and car as there’s some bedrock and lots of loose rocks that get pulled onto the road. The usual high temperatures of around 30 degrees also add to the challenge. Personally, I sweat quite easily, so as a driver I need to concentrate more on nutrition and keeping myself well hydrated. At dry gravel rallies, Friday is always very crucial in terms of making a successful weekend, so that will be the key focus for us. Our hope is that we can deliver a consistent performance, avoid the rocks that could cause punctures, and bring home a podium for the team.”

Dani Sordo

“Sardinia offers a different challenge to previous gravel events this year, as the roads are narrower, more sandy and more slippery. Because of this, you cannot afford to make any mistakes. If you do so in Sardinia, you will pay. Road position can be very important at this event, as starting later in the order usually gives you a cleaner stage than those at the front. The almost 50km-long Monte Lerno stage will be a real challenge. We had one that was 37km in Portugal and even that was hard to stay fully concentrated the entire time. Our minimum goal for the weekend is to finish on the podium and hopefully we can be in a position to fight for the victory.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tänak

“Sardinia is a unique rally in many ways, the roads are demanding with very low grip conditions but at the same time very narrow and fast between trees and rock faces. I always enjoy driving there!

“All the M-Sport team, together with the Ford Performance guys in the US, have been on it to bring on the next steps in our performance and we have a busy test day before Sardinia. We are looking into everything to extract some extra speed.

“The target is to get another step closer to our competitors. Things will take a bit of time, but I’m sure that improving step by step we will be there one moment!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“I think with the pace we showed on Friday in Portugal we can expect to do something good in Sardinia. It will be very important to avoid any mistakes this time, as even small ones can have big consequences. We know that the pace is there, we just need to put it all together to get a good result and we’re hoping that will all happen in Sardinia.”

WRC2 Category

Once again there is a huge entry for this category. M-Sport will be running three Fiesta Rally2 cars for Adrien, Grégoire and Robert and of course Oliver Solberg will also be competing in a Skoda Fabia Evo. Also joining these crews will be two cars from Hyundai Motorsport.

Let’s hear from these drivers.

Adrien Fourmaux

“Sardinia is a really rough event, with hot conditions, and this year we have a nearly 50km stage to look forward to! It’ll be a huge challenge for everybody, for the crews and the mechanics. But I like the challenge, and this will be my fifth time in Sardinia, so we have a good base knowledge of the stages.

“This is a famously difficult event, there’s no margin for error with rocks everywhere! When you hit something, you hit it hard. Let’s see what we can achieve.”

Grégoire Munster

“Sardinia is a new event for us, just like Portugal, so it will all be about discovery and gaining experience. Portugal didn’t go so well for us, but it was our first time on gravel in the car, so we will try to use that experience in Sardinia and do better there.”

Robert Virves

“This will be my first time competing in Sardinia, so there will be a lot to learn as it is a very tough event. Luckily, we have had some good experience in Portugal, and we can use a lot of that information on the stages in Sardinia. This is a big opportunity to learn a lot, it’s a tough event and we will need to manage the car and the tyres. But the experience in the Rally2 is all about learning, and it’s all beneficial to us going forward. Let’s see what happens!”

Oliver Solberg

“We’re back based on the east side of the island in Olbia again this year. The roads here are not usually quite so rough, they’re more sandy over here. We need to have a look from the recce – the conditions depend a lot on how hard the winter has been.

“The approach for this event is going to be the same as for the other gravel rallies: we just try to do our job. The car has been nice, it’s been fast and comfortable for me. The key here is really that, you want a comfortable car that’s easy to follow – and you have to make sure the rear of the car’s not sliding too much.”

“The long stage on Friday will be tough,” said Oliver. “It will be tough on the car, the tyres and the body a little bit as well. But I’m looking forward to it. These are great roads and to sit on the start line and know you have to drive a car as cool as the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 as fast as I can for the next 50 kilometres is really something special.

“And, of course, it’s always nice to win a rally my Dad has already won. For me in Sardinia this week, I will try to do my job, like I have done all year. This has been enough so far.”

Teemu Suninen

“Sardinia is normally quite a lot warmer than other events, which makes the driving tougher and it can create higher levels of wear on the car and tyres. The surface is also hard and rough which can be more demanding for the suspension setups. It was clear in Portugal that the level in WRC2 is very high this year, so we must focus on every small detail and fight on every stage. We will also try to have a good pace and stay away from problems. If we do this, I believe we can get a good result. The goal is to win the rally, but with many top drivers in the class, it will be challenging.”

Fabrizio Zaldivar

“We travel to Sardinia looking for a better result than we achieved in Portugal. It will be a difficult challenge, but I am determined to keep pushing and improving. We know there is pace in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on this surface, hopefully we can find a good rhythm and show the car’s potential. The initial forecast shows it may not be as hot as last year, but we still expect the heat to play a part in the event. I hope we can come to the end of Rally Italia Sardegna without any incidents and having shown what we are capable of.”

Summary

Well, we are set for a cracking rally ahead this weekend! Keep an eye out for my daily reports!

22nd May 202322nd May 2023

Oregon Trail Rally Semenuk Wins

The Oregon Trail Rally has come to an end. Brandon Semenuk would take all the stage wins and win the event with a 8 minute and 52.3 second lead over Jeff Seehorn.

SS15, Boyd Loop Very Short

Stage 15 would see Brandon Semenuk take the win once again. Lia Block would finish with the second fastest time on the stage, setting a time 28.8 seconds slower than Semenuk. Jason Bailey would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.6 seconds slower than Block. Andy Miller would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, that time would be 4.3 seconds slower than Bailey. Todd Hartmann would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Miller.

SS16, Shadow Buck

Brandon Semenuk would once again take the win on SS16. Semenuk would finish the stage with a time 16.5 seconds faster than Lia Block who placed second on the stage. Jason Bailey would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.6 seconds slower than Block. Jacob Despain would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 5.2 seconds slower than Bailey. Matthew Dickinson would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 1.3 seconds slower than Despain.

SS17, Nagles Revenge

Stage 17 would once again see Brandon Semenuk on top. Semenuk would finish the stage with a time 18 seconds faster than Josh Bailey who would finish second on the stage. Lia Block would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing the stage with a time 2.6 seconds slower than Bailey. Javier Olivares would finish the stage with the fourth fastest time, finishing with a time 3.2 seconds slower than Block. Matthew Dickinson would round out the top five on the stage, setting a time 0.4 seconds slower than Olivares.

SS18, Starveout

Stage 18 would once again see Brandon Semenuk take the stage win. Jason Bailey would set the second fastest time on the stage, that time would be 50.6 seconds slower than Semenuk’s time. Lia Block would set the third fastest time on the stage, setting a time 4.6 seconds slower than Bailey. Andy Miller would finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Block. Jacob Despain would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Miller.

SS19, Starveout

Stage 19 would see Brandon Semenuk take his 19th consecutive stage win. Semenuk would finish the stage with a time 44.1 seconds faster than Jason Bailey who placed second on the stage. Matthew Dickinson would set the third fastest time on the stage, setting a time 11.8 seconds slower than Bailey. Jacob Despain would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 0.3 seconds slower than Dickinson. Lia Block and Dave Clark would tie for fifth on the stage, with both drivers setting a time 4.4 seconds slower than Despain.

Photography Credit:

Vlad Tyeryekhov: Facebook

21st May 202321st May 2023

Oregon Trail Rally Semenuk Maintains Lead Through SS14

The first four stages of the final day of the Oregon Trail Rally have come to an end. Brandon Semenuk maintained his lead and now leads Jeff Seehorn by 5 minutes and 19.9 seconds.

SS11, Boyd Loop Very Short

The eleventh stage of the Oregon Trail Rally and the first of day three would once again see Brandon Semenuk on top. Jeff Seehorn would set the second fastest time on the stage, 20.3 seconds slower than Semenuk’s time. Sam Albert would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 3.6 seconds slower than Seehorn. Jason Bailey would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 10.1 seconds slower than Albert’s time. Todd Hartmann would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.8 seconds slower than Bailey’s time.

SS12, Shadow Buck

Stage 12 would once again see Brandon Semenuk on top. Semenuk would set a time 12.9 seconds faster than Sam Albert who placed second on the stage. Jeff Seehorn would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.8 seconds slower than Albert. Lia Block would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 3.4 seconds slower than Seehorn. Steven Redd would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 2.1 seconds slower than Block.

SS13, Nagles Revenge

If you guessed Brandon Semenuk won SS14 you’d be correct. As Semenuk would set a time 7.7 seconds faster than Sam Albert to win the stage. Jeff Seehorn would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 9 seconds slower than Albert’s. Lia Block would once again finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 3.7 seconds slower than Seehorn. Matthew Dickinson would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Block.

SS14, Starveout

Stage 14 would once again see Brandon Semenuk take the stage win. Jeff Seehorn would set the second fastest time on the stage, setting a time 30.8 seconds slower than Semenuk. Sam Albert would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, with a time 13.1 seconds slower than Seehorn. Lia Block would once again finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 13 seconds slower than Albert’s. Matthew Dickinson would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 3 seconds slower than Block.

SS11 Times

B. Semenuk, 4:15.6
J. Seehorn, 4:35.9 (+20.3)
S. Albert, 4:39.5 (+3.6)
J. Bailey, 4:49.6 (+10.1)
T. Hartmann, 4:50.4 (+0.8)
A. Miller, 4:50.6 (+0.2)
S. Redd, 4:52.3 (+1.7)
L. Block, 4:54.9 (+2.6)
M. Dickinson, 4:55.1 (+0.2)
J. Despain, 4:55.2 (+0.1)

SS12 Times

B. Semenuk, 3:36.3
S. Albert, 3:49.2 (+12.9)
J. Seehorn, 3:51.0 (+1.8)
L. Block, 3:54.4 (+3.4)
S. Redd, 3:56.5 (+2.1)
J. Bailey, 3:59.7 (+3.2)
T. Hartmann, 4:01.9 (+2.2)
A. Miller, 4:02.4 (+0.5)
J. Olivares, 4:03.3 (+0.9)
J. Despain, 4:03.5 (+0.2)

SS13 Times

B. Semenuk, 4:12.1
S. Albert, 4:19.8 (+7.7
J. Seehorn, 4:28.8 (+9.0)
L. Block, 4:32.5 (+3.7)
M. Dickinson, 4:32.7 (+0.2)
S. Redd, 4:33.2 (+0.5)
J. Bailey, 4:33.7 (+0.5)
J. Olivares, 4:34.2 (+0.5)
T. Hartmann, 4:35.1 (+0.9)
D. Clark, 4:37.6 (+2.5)

SS14 Times

B. Semenuk, 6:21.5
J. Seehorn, 6:52.3 (+30.8)
S. Albert, 7:05.4 (+13.1)
L. Block, 7:18.4 (+13.0)
M. Dickinson, 7:21.4 (+3.0)
J. Bailey, 7:21.5 (+0.1)
A. Miller, 7:22.9 (+1.4)
S. Redd, 7:24.8 (+1.9)
T. Hartmann, 7:26.1 (+1.3)
J. Despain, 7:26.3 (+0.2)

Overall Times After SS14

B. Semenuk, 1:10:34.6
J. Seehorn, 1:15:54.5 (+5:19.9)
S. Albert, 1:16:19.3 (+5:44.7)
J. Olivares, 1:19:09.3 (+8:34.7)
A. Miller, 1:19:48.5 (+9:13.9)
M. Dickinson, 1:20:14.1 (+9:39.5)
J. Despain, 1:20:20.7 (+9:46.1)
L. Block, 1:20:32.3 (+9:57.7)
D. Clark, 1:21:02.3 (+10:27.7)
L. Block, 1:21:11.9 (+10:37.3)

Photography Credit:

Vlad Tyeryekhov: Facebook

14th May 2023

Rally Portugal 2023, Day Three Report – Kalle and Jonne secure Victory

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

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	3:35:11.7
2	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+54.7
3	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:20.3
4	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+2:04.1
5	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+8:22.5
6	G. Greensmith	J. Andersson	Škoda Fabia RS	+9:43.4
7	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Škoda Fabia RS	+9:44.6
8	A. Mikkelsen	T. Eriksen	Škoda Fabia RS	+10:26.4
9	Y. Rossell	A. Dunand	Citroën C3	+11:33.2
10	T. Suninen	M. Markkula	Hyundai i20 N Rally2	+12:16.3

2023 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 5, Rally de Portugal
11 – 14 Mai 2023
Dani Sordo – Esapekka Lappi
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

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

1	K. Rovanperä	98
2	O. Tänak	81
3	S. Ogier	69
4	E. Evans	69
5	T. Neuville	68
6	E. Lappi	49
7	D. Sordo	36
8	T. Katsuta	20

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

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	201
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	169
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	134

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.

14th May 2023

Rally Portugal 2023, Day Two Report

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

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:59:48.6
2	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+57.5
3	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:08.6
4	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:10.9
5	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+2:21.8

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.

12th May 2023

Rally Portugal 2023, Day One Report – Friday

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

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	1:22:27.7
2	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+10.8
3	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+26.0
4	P. L. Loubet	N. Gilsoul	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+26.9
5	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+27.3
6	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+1:04.7

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.

10th May 2023

Rally Portugal 2023 Preview

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!

5th May 20235th May 2023

Patrick Gruszka At Olympus Rally

Patrick Gruszka would race the Olympus Rally for the first time in his career two weeks ago. He would come out of the event third overall and first in the RC2 class. Find out about Gruszka’s time at the event below.

What Was Gruszka’s Favourite Moment At Olympus?

Patrick Gruszka would say his favourite moment of the Olympus Rally would be the railroad crossing on SS11 and SS12.

What Was Gruszka’s Biggest Challenge?

The length of the stages at Olympus would be Gruszka’s biggest challenge. As the stages were more of a marathon than what he has gotten used to.

Does Gruszka Have Any Regrets?

Patrick Gruszka would say he regrets not being brave enough at Olympus. He feels like he held back on some of the stages just to get the finish.

Did Gruszka Follow His Strategy?

Gruszka would follow his strategy pretty well. As the main goal at Olympus was to finish and get points for the RC2 and National championships.

Was Gruszka Happy With His Final Position?

Gruszka would be happy with his final position of third. Although he feels he could’ve gotten second if he was a little less cautious.

Gruszka’s Favourite Stage?

Patrick Gruszka’s favourite stages at Olympus would be SS8 and SS10 Dayton.

What Can We Expect From Gruszka For The Rest Of The Season?

He hopes to have more good finishes. As well as trying to maintain the points lead in the RC2 championship with the hope of winning the championship.

A Valley Of First Times

Patrick Gruszka’s first time competing at Olympus wasn’t the only first for him this weekend. As he would also break out the back window without touching anything, drove a 30km stage, and drove a stage with rain, mud and fog on one stage.

Launching A Protest

Patrick Gruszka would receive 3 minutes and 30 seconds in penalties at Olympus for speeding during transit. Gruszka would ultimately decide to protest this. As the speed limit wasn’t posted on the advanced event packet given to the drivers and a truck was parked in front of the speed limit sign. Normally if Gruszka doesn’t know the speed limit he sticks to recce speeds of about 30 mph. Gruszka alongside Michael Hooper and Lucy Block would win their protests for these penalties. Even with 3 minutes and 30 seconds removed from Gruszka’s time, he would still remain in third behind Jeff Seehorn.

Photography Credits:

Hunter Courtin, Coachworksphoto: Instagram

Travis Gallatin, Gallatin Images: Instagram

Jacob Worrall Photo: Instagram

Aj Barker, PurpleCynMedia: Instagram

Mike Boyd, Quad Time Media: Instagram

1st May 20231st May 2023

Olympus Rally Recap: Stories

The Olympus Rally has ended, marking the end of the third round of the 2023 Green APU American Rally Association season. Brandon Semenuk would take a dominant win once again.

Semenuk Wins His Third Straight

Brandon Semenuk would take home his third straight win of the 2023 Green APU American Rally Association season at Olympus. Semenuk now leads the championship by a 35-point lead. Now this may seem like a large points lead, and you’d be correct, but this is rally and anything is possible. Brandon Semenuk knows that better than anybody else, as he has had it happen to him in the past. If Semenuk continues to drive at this pace he should have the championship clinched by the end of the New England Forest Rally.

Lia Wins Her First

Lia Block would take her first O2WD class win at Olympus. This will likely be the first of many wins for the 16-year-old Block. This is only Lia’s second year of rallying and only her second event in the Subaru BRZ she’s running this season. She’s gonna have a fight on her hands the rest of the season if she wants to take the O2WD Championship home. As Lia will have to fend off more experienced drivers such as David Clark and Micah Nickelson to achieve this.

Two Blocks In The Top 10

Both Lia and Lucy Block would finish in the top 10 at Olympus. With Lia finishing seventh overall and Lucy finishing ninth. This is the first time this has happened this season and it likely won’t be the last. As both drivers have what it takes to consistently finish in the top 10 at every event in which they attend.

Bailey Came To Play

Jason Bailey would put on a show at the Olympus Rally. With the Canadian finishing fourth overall and first in the L4WD class. Bailey will be one to keep an eye on for the LN4 Drivers Championship, as he currently sits second, 10 points back from Matthew Dickinson who leads the championship. Although Bailey isn’t actively chasing the title as the ARA isn’t his primary focus.

Bad Luck Continues For Williams

Tom Williams would, unfortunately, be forced to retire from his second straight event. As Williams would be forced to retire from The Rally In The 100 Acre Wood due to a turbo issue. This would ultimately cost him what would’ve probably been a RC2 class win. At Olympus, Williams would be forced to retire on the final stage of the event. This would come as a result of Williams rolling his car after a 11G impact. Williams car would end up blocking the road causing both Patrick Gruszka and Jeff Seehorn to transit the rest of the stage, causing both drivers to get the same time as Brandon Semenuk. Therefore causing a three-way tie for first on the stage, meaning all three drivers would get the 5 extra championship points.

Living Up To Its Reputation

The Olympus Rally has gained a reputation for being one of the harder events on the American Rally Association calendar. As the event takes place through mostly forest and logging roads and are very technical in nature. It’s an event that can reward those willing to take a risk, but some risks may end your rally early. Olympus is an unforgiving event, as one wrong move could spell the end of your event. We saw this a few times this weekend, as 34 drivers would retire at the event at some point. With retirement reasons varying from a little mechanical failure to their car burning to the ground. Stage DNFs would cause 30 out of the total 38 retirements. The remaining 9 would be caused by 7 mechanical retirements and 1 MPL retirement. It’s worth noting a DNF retirement can mean basically anything, as it just means the driver didn’t finish the stage. In some cases, this could mean the DNF is due to an off while in other cases it could be caused by a mechanical issue, or in rare cases the car burning to the ground.

Photography Credits

Hunter Courtin, Coachworksphoto: Instagram

Travis Gallatin, Gallatin Images: Instagram