Category: Tin Top Racing

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.

We head back to Mexico three years after the pandemic cut the 2020 edition short at the end of that events Saturday’s stages.

With 315km’s over twenty-three stages this season, there has been some talk about the number of short stages in this year’s event, with eight stages of less than 5km in length and five of them being the exactly the same stage. Not really rallying in my book, but the organisers say it is the way to bring the sport close to the fans.

We do see some true classic stages as well, with El Chocolate being run on Friday and the longest stage of the whole rally, Otates being run on Sunday. This a big one at over 35kms and a big challenge on the final day.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tänak

“During testing it was my very first time on gravel in the Puma Rally1 and it was very important to discover as much as possible. As most of the rallies are on gravel, we decided to do two test days in Spain. The team is working hard to keep improving, but to really understand where we are now, we need to do a gravel rally first.

“The key challenge for Mexico is the altitude and temperature together. Because of high altitude, the power is reduced which makes the behaviour of the car quite different. The roads in Mexico are actually fun, there are stages which are very technical, and it feels like we are driving them forever in the high temperatures, but there are also faster sections with big compressions and jumps. As we are leading the championship, we need to start first on the road on Rally México, it could be a good place to start if it rains, but not sure I’m that good a (rain) dancer to get the rain in a place where it almost never rains!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“It will be the first time I am competing on a rally outside of Europe, that will be a new experience again for me. It’s exciting to be going back on gravel as my pace on gravel is good so my aim is for a strong result in Mexico.

“I think my experience of Greece and Sardinia last year will help me; things change rally to rally but experience always helps massively. The preparation for this rally has been good as it has been running for such a long time and there is a lot of material out there to help me study the roads. The test was fine, I am really happy about it because I re-found the feeling that I had in Greece last year and the car felt really strong. I think we have everything we need to do some good things and have the pace so let’s see.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s nice to be going back onto gravel after quite a long time, and it’s been especially long since we were last in Mexico. I’m sure it’s going to be a tricky event like always; with the high altitude it’s one of the most specialised gravel rallies on the calendar. But it’s really exciting to go back there. As a team we have been doing a lot of work to improve the car and the pace for rough gravel conditions, and it was nice to see already in our recent test in Spain that we’re definitely moving in the right direction. I’m quite happy not to be starting first on the road in Mexico – just one position can make a big difference. It might still be tough compared to those starting behind us, but we will of course do our best.”

Elfyn Evans

“It is good to have Mexico back on the calendar this year. It’s an event that always provides a bit of a culture shock in terms of the climate compared to the first two rounds, and it’s always a big challenge. This will be our first time back at that really high altitude for a few years, and we can always expect a lot of heat and dry gravel. It’s very difficult to replicate those conditions when testing in Europe at this time of year, but we tried to simulate it as much as possible. When the roads are dry and loose then traction is key, and we’ve worked on all areas of the car to try and optimise every aspect and be as ready as we can be.”

Sébastien Ogier

“When I knew that Rally México was coming back, I straightaway had to mark it in my calendar as an event that would be nice to do again. It’s where everything started for me in the WRC, as it’s actually where I made my debut in 2008, and since then there have been many good memories and a lot of success there. The atmosphere is always nice, with beautiful stages too. I hadn’t really driven on this type of gravel since Portugal last year, so the recent test in Spain was important for me to find the best possible feeling. It will be interesting to see how the hybrid can help against the usual loss of power we feel at high altitude. More than ever it could be important to use it as efficiently as possible because it could make a big difference to the performance.”

Hyundai Motorsport 

Thierry Neuville

“Rally México is a lovely event and is always one of my highlights of the season. It is a beautiful country with fantastic roads, and there is always a lot of support there. However, it will be challenging for a number of reasons: it is the first gravel rally of the season, it will be hot, and the high altitude is tough on the cars. This year it will be important to get the hybrid mapping correct and take advantage of that extra power. Setting up the car to have good traction and then driving precisely will be also very important to us performing well. Our target for the weekend is to be amongst the fastest crews and fight for another podium.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Mexico is always a special rally. Engine performance usually drops due to the high altitude and hot temperatures, so it will be interesting to see how that will feel with the new hybrid systems. The stages are almost the opposite to Sweden; they are a lot slower and very technical. It can also be quite slippery because of the small layer of loose gravel, meaning rear grip is particularly important. Our road position of sixth should be an advantage, as there should be some cleaner lines after the first cars have cleared the way. We want to have a consistent and strong weekend, as I feel we deserve it after the first two events. With that in mind, we should be firmly in the fight for the podium.”

Dani Sordo

“Rally México is an amazing event with really nice roads. The fans and spectators there have a lot of energy and passion which creates a great atmosphere for rallying. It is also unique as the high altitude causes the cars to have less power, making them feel a little bit different. Physically you have to be ready as the lack of oxygen and heat makes it very demanding on the body; it definitely makes you more tired. Our target for the rally is to finish as high as possible and we hope that is near the top. If we get it right, we believe we can be in the battle for victory, but we want to be on the podium as a minimum.”

In the WRC2 category there are a lot of cars running once again! Two of the main protagonists are running in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Skoda Fabia Evo.

M-Sport Ford WRC2

Adrien Fourmaux

“It will be my second time in Mexico, last year I competed there in the Rally of Nations and finished second, so I am happy to be back there in a rally car. After our Monte-Carlo result our expectation is to fight for the best result as possible as we need the points for the championship. We know it’s always a tough rally in Mexico because it is really rough for the cars so it will be a big challenge for everybody. I am really pleased to be driving the Fiesta Rally2 again and can’t wait to get back on gravel stages!”

Toksport Škoda

Oliver Solberg

“After Monte and Sweden, you really have the feeling of coming a little bit to the summer.” “The temperatures are quite high, and the place is just fantastic. The atmosphere around this rally is always one of the best of the season. And the ceremonial start on Thursday night is totally amazing.”

“The altitude is a challenge we are competing as high as 2700 metres and that has an impact on the performance of the car. The air is thinner up there and that means less oxygen going into the engine. It also means less oxygen going into Elliott and I – it’s definitely a little bit more physical competing in México.

“I did this event for the first time in 2020, just before the world started to shut down with the global pandemic. I’m excited to be back there again, like I said the fans are some of the best in the world and I want to build on the great start to the year that we’ve had.”

Summary

Well, time then for round three of this season’s championship, and road position will be hugely important! It’s fair to say that the top three will find things very tricky with the amount of road cleaning that will be needed.

Best position should be fourth on the road onwards which puts Elfyn and Seb in a good position to benefit. Of course, the former champion has won this rally the last three years for his current team and also M-Sport Ford and Citroen Racing in 2018 and 2019. Elfyn has taken a podium in 2019 as well and has shown good pace throughout his career on gravel.

The question that may arise is how big will the super special stages affect the overall standings? Time will tell for sure, but my hope is the big stages will have the biggest impact on the standings and the ultimate result.

Enjoy!

The final day then of this epic rally and the action started at six in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise. The dark conditions meant that most of the top-class cars had their light pods fitted.

Once again, Takamoto opened the road and headed into SS16 Västervik 1 – 26.48 km. The stage winner was Kalle from Ott and Thierry. The gap opened up between Ott and Craig as the Hyundai driver was fourth fastest, now more than 11 seconds between them. In WRC2 Ole Christian was fastest from Oliver, whilst Marco was third. The Bolivian was holding fifth overall in the category. Meanwhile Teemu was recovering positions after his problems from Saturday and moved up into sixth in category.

Into the second running of SS17 Västervik 2 – 26.48 km and Thierry was fastest from Craig and Kalle. The big change came at the front though, with Craig taking a 10 second penalty after clocking in a minute late, as the team looked to put Thierry ahead of his teammate and into second place overall. The gap between the two was half a second! The gap that Ott now had over Thierry was 18 seconds. In WRC2, Sami was fastest from Ole Christian and Georg.

The final stage then, SS18 Umeå 2[Power Stage] – 10.08 km and there was drama aplenty in this one! First of all Takamoto retired from the rally and didn’t start the stage. Then as Pierre-Louis was going through the stage he was clearly losing power and started to slow down. They stopped their car and briefly jumped out and opened their bonnet with a fire extinguisher ready. There was no fire though and they restarted after being stationary for a brief and short time. However, they restarted in EV mode and drove slowly to the end of the stage. Then came Thierry who having gained second place with team orders, then slid wide, hitting a snow bank and was stationary for a brief couple of seconds. Now Craig had already started the stage and would have no idea that his teammate had this problem. Ultimately the Irishman would retake second place! Now, who was the stage winner and the other points scorers? Well, Esapekka was fastest from Elfyn, Ott third, Kalle fourth and Craig fifth fastest! In WRC2 the top three get power stage points and it was Oliver who set the best time from Emil and Ole Christian was third.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Sweden

Let’s hear from the drivers

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tänak

“It’s quite impressive, not so bad at all. When we came into the rally, we didn’t really know what to expect. In the build-up to the rally, we understood that we were never going to be the fastest, but we’re happy to have kept our average pace pretty high and alongside the other guys.

“As a team, we made sure we didn’t have any bad stages and didn’t lose any time anywhere; that was the key. Sweden is unique, we only rally here once a year. It’s the same for Mexico, and opening the road there can’t be a big advantage! It’s a great start to the championship, probably more than we expected. For sure we can improve a lot, and the plan is to pick up the pace.”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“I first want to say a huge congratulations to Ott, Martin and the rest of the team. This weekend has been a huge achievement for M-Sport and I am very glad to be a part of it.

“I think I have a lot of positives to take from this weekend; Friday was a good day and we spent a lot of time on the pace of the guys at the front. We also achieved a second-fastest time, and considering I don’t have a lot of experience on snow-and-ice, I think we can be very happy with this. Sometimes we lacked the confidence to really push the car, and this is where we lost some time, but overall, I am happy. It was a challenge but we have learnt a lot, and now we look forward to a different challenge in Mexico.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Craig Breen

“To be back battling at the front of the WRC has been absolutely brilliant. I’ve said many times this weekend that I’ve missed that feeling but to come back after a difficult period with a podium is unreal. It’s James’s first podium, as well, which is fantastic for him. We can be very proud of what we’ve achieved here in Sweden. Massive thanks to the team for putting their faith in us, and to James for a faultless job. I am over the moon to be back with this amazing team and car.”

Thierry Neuville

“After a difficult Friday, in which we were one of the first on the road, I was not expecting this great result. Our preparations for the event were limited as I was sick for the pre-event test, so to come back to third place is incredible. It has been a strong rally for our team, with all three crews showing great performances and speed. With Craig/James taking second place and Esapekka/Janne grabbing five Power Stage points, there are excellent positives we can draw from the weekend.”

Esapekka Lappi

“There are many positives to take away from this weekend. We had good preparation for the rally and although the result wasn’t what we wanted; the pace was there. Second place would have been possible for us this weekend, so we need to be pleased with that, especially after what happened yesterday. We targeted the fastest time in the Power Stage. I didn’t think we had done enough, but in the end, we made it and gained some extra points. We need to build on this for Mexico, even if it will be an entirely different type of rally.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been quite a difficult weekend but at the end we can be fairly happy. On Friday opening the road we lost over 30s just in one tricky stage that we drove twice, and we are 25s behind at the finish so we did quite a good rally in the circumstances. This morning in the first stage we could straight away do a good time and be fighting with Thierry, but on the second pass we just lacked the pace with the car in those kinds of rutted conditions. We pushed hard the whole weekend but on the second passes of stages the times were not there. At least we won’t have to open the road in Mexico and we can go there with a fresh mind and hopefully have a good rally.”

Elfyn Evans

“This has been a tough weekend and not what we hoped and worked for. Personally, I have struggled to feel really confident in the car and on the back of that we made a couple of errors as well. In that sense I’m happy to at least come away with some points, but we come to rallies aiming for better performances and results than this. There are a few areas we will review after the event and work on for the future, but Sweden is always a very specific event. Now the focus needs to switch to gravel and I’m looking forward to Mexico.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I have felt really good with the car this weekend. Thanks to the team who fixed the car after my accident on Friday so that I was able to get a lot of experience from the Saturday and Sunday stages, which will help for the future. Unfortunately, we could not finish the rally today: I started to feel a lack of power and the engineers checked the data and saw there was an issue, so we couldn’t continue. I’m sorry for the team that we couldn’t get a good result here but I will try to perform well on the next rally.”

Oliver Solberg WRC2 Winner

“Really, it was,” smiled the 21-year-old. “This is such a nice result. I really feel we did a good job with this one. We were consistent, no mistakes, Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] did a fantastic job and so did the team. I’m very, very happy.

“OK, we were quite controlled in this rally, and when the road was really quick and nice and wide, we could make some margin and really push. I love those places. But it definitely wasn’t so easy. There was some understeer in the car on some of the twisty sections and we were running as the first car in the ruts from the Rally1 cars ahead.

Explaining the issue of following the Rally1 cars, Oliver added: “They are a little bit wider and they have more power, so they are making a set of lines and ruts in the road which we have to follow.

“But in some places, because our car is a little bit more-narrow, we have one set of wheels on the left or on the right side out of the ruts and jumping around. Basically, it makes the car a little bit unstable; this is no problem when you are in second or third gear, but when you have a lot of speed and you’re flat out in fifth then it’s not always making you smile!

“The main thing for me – the only thing for me – is that we came here, we took more experience from the car and we were able to win the event and take the maximum bonus points from the stage. I have to be very happy with that one.”

“I think it’s fair to say I am happy with everything in my life, right now,” he said. “The win, to be joint leading the championship and to be with this team and this car… it’s all good right now!”

2023 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’

After Round Two

2023 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’

After Round Two

Summary

Well, what an incredible rally we were treated to! What a victory for Ott and Martin, but he was made to work hard for it by Craig and James. Ott and Martin now lead the championship and are the first to lead for M-Sport Ford since Seb Ogier in 2018.

Craig made a great return to the Hyundai after a year at M-Sport Ford. It was also only the second time that Craig and James competed as a crew, the last time of course at Rally Japan last year.

Finally, Thierry and Martijn did really well to get on the pace after a difficult Friday that saw Thierry strugglingly with sickness and not able to get the best performance. There was of course a use of team orders to get them onto the second step on the podium, but due to the error near the end of the power stage, they scored a very good third place that puts them into third in the championship.

The championship fight is very nicely poised with just 12 points between Elfyn in fourth and championship leader Ott. Next up is Rally Mexico on the 16^th to 19^th of March.

The second day of this classic rally and we saw some amazing drama throughout the stages. This day would be the longest with over 126km’s of competitive stages. The good news was that Takamoto was back following his roll in the second afternoon stage yesterday. The Japanese star would now open the road.

First up was SS9 Norrby 1 – 12.54 km and Thierry was fastest from Kalle and Craig. Ott was a bit off the pace with the sixth best time and Craig’s lead was now 4.6 seconds. Despite opening the road, Takamoto was not far off the pace, just 1.1 slower than Ott. In WRC2 and Oliver was again fastest from Ole Christian and Jari was third. However, there was a change in the positions with Ole Christian moving into third overall in the category.

Next up, SS10 Floda 1 – 28.25 km and Craig was fastest from Kalle and Thierry. The Irishman was rebuilding his lead over Ott, who was just 1.1 seconds slower and fourth fastest. Kalle was on the move and went past Elfyn into third, whilst Kalle pace also brought him into fourth overall. In WRC2 Ole Christian was fastest from Egon and Emil. The Norwegian’s pace took him up into second overall and Jari followed him through to third overall in the category, whilst Sami dropped to fourth.

Into SS11 Sävar 1 – 17.28 km and Kalle was again fastest from Thierry and Ott. The Estonian was closing on Craig for the lead, the gap between the leaders just 3 seconds. Meanwhile Ole Christian made it two stage wins in the WRC2 category from erstwhile leader Oliver. The gap between them was still over 30 seconds.

After the service break it was the world champion again setting the pace in SS12 Norrby 2 – 12.54 km from Ott and Esapekka. In fact, Thierry set the same time as his Finnish teammate for fourth in the stage standings. The Belgian’s pace took him ahead of Elfyn who spun in this one early in the stage and losing around 18 seconds. Meanwhile in WRC2 it was Emil who was fastest from Ole Christian and Oliver third.

Thierry was fastest in SS13 Floda 2 – 28.25 km from Ott and Kalle who spun in the stage, but stayed out of the snowbanks. There was huge drama though for Esapekka who spun near the end of the stage. He lost over seven minutes being helped out of the snowbank by the spectators. They did an amazing job to get the car out. When he came to the end of the stage, his tyre was completely delaminated. Craig also suffered the same problem. Oliver was fastest in WRC2 from Ole Christian and Sami and this trio were the top three as well.

Thierry was also fastest in SS14 Sävar 2 – 17.28 km, but in fact Ott was on target to beat the Belgian’s time, by a huge seven seconds. However, he suffered a delamination as well, just like Craig and Esapekka on a straight, again just before the final corners, ultimately going third fastest behind Esapekka. However, the Estonian still took the lead as Craig was 2.8 seconds slower. In WRC2, Oliver was again setting the pace from Sami and Robert, the young Estonian going well in this tricky stage.

The final stage then of the day SS15 Umeå 1 – 10.08 km and Thierry made it three in a row from Esapekka and Takamoto. Amazingly the Belgian’s stealthy pace had now taken him ahead of Kalle and onto the final podium position. They were on the same overall time coming into this stage, and with the Finn going 3.8 seconds slower, meant he dropped to fourth. Oliver kept his control over WRC2 winning the stage from Teemu and Sami. His lead was now a huge 51.6 seconds over Ole Christian, with Sami a further 22.3 seconds back.

Classification after Day Two

Let’s hear from the drivers

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“A challenging day, quite challenging for tyres it seems, it was a shame that something outside is deciding results. But you know we had everything planned with the tyres and to take the time. The last stage was had to do with a tyre with no studs which was so tricky.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Craig Breen

“It was important for us to get this morning out of the way. There was a lot of talk yesterday about road position, but thankfully today we could keep a good rhythm, and were happy with the opening loop. We made it into service still in the lead of the rally. We all live for that feeling to be in the fight. I’ve missed it greatly, so I was soaking up every second. Unfortunately, we lost the hybrid quite early in the second stage of the afternoon. We carried that around with us for the rest of the loop, so it was a case of damage limitation. It’s a bit disappointing but that’s how it is. We will get everything back working again for tomorrow; the kilometres are few and the gap is relatively big, but we’ll keep at it and keep our shoulder to the wheel. Overall, it’s still been a good weekend so far, we just need to round it off in the best way we can.”

Thierry Neuville

“The main difference today has been our road position. Since we got better grip, we have been capable of showing our speed. The lack of pre-event testing probably didn’t help yesterday, but we made a few set-up changes overnight – not too many – and we had a clean run. There was no doubt that we were attacking yesterday, it’s just that our times were masked by the road position. Today, we could set several fastest times and close in on third place. It will continue to be a tough fight with Kalle; nobody will give up and we will certainly give everything we’ve got.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Like we all saw in the morning, we couldn’t match the times on the first two stages. The final one of the loop was improved, and in the afternoon we definitely had better pace. We drove fairly cleanly, and it felt like we could probably push a bit more. We were managing the tyres well, and it was generally OK. In the end, if you lose seven minutes stuck in a snowbank, it doesn’t help. We had a small vibration on the straight before, and I thought there was ice or something on the tyre. It seems the tyre delaminated; as I approached the final corner, I had no grip. There was too much snow under the car, and we were in the ditch on the other side, so we couldn’t get out easily. Now we must decide what our strategy will be for tomorrow – try to climb up the ranking or attack the Power Stage.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been a big fight today. In the first pass we did quite well. The feeling in the car was not perfect but still we could do some good times. The afternoon was not so good. I think we messed up a bit with our plan for the tyres. I don’t think we were necessarily wearing them more than our rivals but they were rotating them better between each stage; we ended up with worse tyres for the last two stages and lost too much time. But tomorrow there are still many kilometres to go with a new stage in the morning. We’ll try to do well on the first pass and see what we can do after that.”

Elfyn Evans

“Today has not been our day to be honest. I’ve struggled again to feel comfortable behind the wheel and I think that has shown in the times, and of course we had the spin this afternoon that has put us further behind. I’ve not been able to find the confidence needed so it’s been a disappointing weekend so far. With the pace we’ve had we’re too far away and now we just have to salvage what we can tomorrow; secure some points and see what’s possible on the Power Stage.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I was very happy to be back on the stages this morning. A big thank you to the team: they fixed the car perfectly. It looked and felt brand-new and I got back the good feeling that I had yesterday. The only thing that had changed was our road position. The conditions opening the road were quite difficult and a new experience for me on snow. There was a lot of learning and the pace was pretty fine when the conditions were OK, I was just losing time when there was a lot of snow and we needed to create the lines. Tomorrow I will focus on the Power Stage and try to push for some points there.”

Summary

Well, what a crazy second full day of competition! We had it all, spins, crews changing positions and sadly some tyre failures as well. The question now is, can Ott go on to take victory, or will Craig be able to fight back and retake the lead? Well, there are three stages and 63km’s left to run on the final day. In the WRC2 category, Oliver is on target to take victory and set him and Elliott with a good points haul for the category championship.

The first full day of stages would see the crews tackle 106km’s over seven stages. In terms of the starting list, the crews would enter the stage in championship order and meaning that Kalle would open the stages throughout the first full day. Between the stages, would be a 30-minute service break.

We’d already had one stage on Thursday evening and leading the way was Kalle from Ott and Elfyn.

First stage on Friday morning was SS2 Brattby 1 – 10.76 km and it was Craig that was fastest from Ott and Esapekka! Best of the Toyota crews was Takamoto. Craig’s time put him up to second overall, whilst Ott’s time put the Puma driver into the lead. Great to see! Also on the move was Esapekka, who’d jumped one place and into third place. In the WRC2 category Emil and Reeta were fastest from Teemu and Sami and therefore took the lead. Oliver Solberg was not happy with his run and was now in fifth place in the category.

Into SS3 Sarsjöliden 1 – 14.23 km and the conditions in the stage suited him and he was fastest from Esapekka and Takamoto. Elfyn went wide on a left hander, clipping the snowbank a little and losing some pace. He was only seventh fastest and dropped two places to seventh overall. Meanwhile it was all change in WRC2, with Oliver leaping up four positions to take the lead and we had a new driver in second place as well, Ole Christian Veiby taking that from Teemu who fell to third in the category.

Takamoto won SS4 Botsmark 1 – 25.81 km from Kalle and Ott whilst Elfyn started to climb the leader board, moving ahead of Thierry. The overall top three remained the same, whilst in WRC2, Oliver was second fastest in the stage from Sami, but remained in the category lead.

After the service break there was a few changes following SS5 Brattby 2 – 10.76 km with Craig winning the stage from Pierre-Louis and Esapekka! The Irishman’s pace took him into the lead, pushing Ott down to second place and Esapekka remained third overall. Unfortunately, Takamoto rolled his car in this one and dropped three positions to eighth overall. In WRC2 Oliver took another category win and was 10 seconds ahead of Sami, whilst Jari was climbing up the leader board and into third place overall.

Craig took another stage win in SS6 Sarsjöliden 2 – 14.23 km from Elfyn and Ott. The Irishman was increasing his lead over the Estonian, now up to 10.5 seconds ahead. In WRC2, Sami was quickest from Ole Christian, whilst the leader Oliver was fourth. The gap reduced just a little to 8.5 seconds.

Into SS7 Botsmark 2 – 25.81 km and Ott was fastest from Esapekka and Craig third. The gap between the leaders came down a little to 6.4 seconds. In WRC2 Sami took another stage win from Oliver, reducing his lead down to just 6.8 seconds. Crazy that at the top on both categories the gaps were so similar!

The final stage of the day then, SS8 Umeå Sprint 2 – 5.16 km and Kalle was fastest from Ott and Esapekka. Craig was sixth fastest and now his lead was just 2.6 seconds. He was pretty calm though and very happy with his day. Oliver was in a stronger position though having increased his lead to 13 seconds over Sami.

Classification after Day One

Hyundai Motorsport

Craig Breen

“It is hard to imagine that things would be as good as they have been today. We have had a good road position, of course, but we also have a good car. We tried to use both to take an advantage; to lead the rally overnight is a bit of a dream. I feel completely comfortable in the car, it feels soft and cuddly. For the moment, I am happy with it but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. I still don’t feel we are at the peak of where we need to be. It’s far from over. Tomorrow is a long day, and we’ve seen today that it’s hard to make much of a difference. I will give all I can, and whatever happens it won’t be for the want of trying. It’s like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in this rally – everyone is invited!”

Esapekka Lappi

“Today has not been too bad but I feel there is much more to come. I was quite satisfied this morning, and thought we were where we wanted to be. It’s always good to be further up but it was a solid start. Our preparation for the event was good, and I like these conditions. I thought we would have a better set-up for the second pass but that didn’t happen as we’d expected. We will have a think overnight to see what changes we might make. We don’t want to do anything too drastic, especially with the feeling we have now, otherwise we risk something going wrong. There are small things to perfect as we try to find more improvements in our pace.”

Thierry Neuville

“It has been a very challenging day out there. We knew that road conditions would not be great for us as one of the first cars on the road, but we still had hope. Despite the conditions, we were incredibly unlucky to lose the bumper twice, this morning and this afternoon, so we were handicapped by that. We started the day five seconds behind Kalle (Rovanperä) and ended it 5.7 seconds back; we would have loved to turn things around but with the missing aero we just couldn’t. We had to limit the damage. Tomorrow, the road position is better but we still have the front guys behind us so it will be another challenge; we will give it our best shot anyhow.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tanak

“It’s been a very positive day, we were not expecting this coming here and it was difficult to predict, but it’s been an okay day and let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 

Elfyn Evans

“It was not a strong morning at all from our side, as I was struggling with the balance and not able to find full confidence. This afternoon was better; we made some changes to the car setup at lunchtime that seem to have improved the feeling a bit. So overall I’m happy with how the afternoon went but still we are not really where we would have wanted to be. We’re definitely going to keep trying our all. The stages are technical and it’s easy to be caught out, so anything can happen. We just need to keep fighting and hopefully continue to climb the leaderboard tomorrow.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“This morning the conditions were surprisingly good. In the first stage we lost a lot of time as we had expected given the snow was really soft and loose. But after that we could do good times when the conditions were nicer, so the time loss was not too big this morning. This afternoon was a huge challenge: I think the first stage of the loop was the most difficult stage on snow any of us have ever done with huge ruts and a lot of loose snow. We lost a lot of time there and just tried to keep it clean and stay on the road. But when we had conditions where we could push, we were quite fast compared to our rivals, so I’m quite confident we can do more with our road position for tomorrow.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I felt really good with the car and very comfortable this morning. I was not pushing too much, but the feeling was there and the times were there also, so I was very happy. This afternoon I tried to keep a good speed without a crazy push, but the conditions were very difficult with lots of loose snow and deep ruts. In a fast corner near the end of SS5 I couldn’t slow down enough or turn the car fully because of the ruts and we went wide and hit the snowbank heavily, as we were way too fast. It was my mistake and I’m really sorry for the team. We had a really good start this morning so I’m very disappointed. Hopefully we can restart tomorrow and get that feeling back but let’s see.”

Saturday

What does tomorrow hold for the crews? Well with 126 km’s over six stages including the longest stage of the event at 28.25km’s.

Can Craig stay in the lead tomorrow, or will we see Ott get into his groove like we have seen in the past and go past his former Hyundai teammate? Can Oliver also do the same thing and stay ahead of Sami? One thing is for sure, it will be an amazing day on Sweden’s stages.

It’s time for round two already and the championship moves to Umeå. This year’s edition has 301km’s over 18 stages. It starts with a short stage on Thursday evening after shakedown. Saturday is the longest day of the rally with 126km’s over seven stages.

Of course, Seb Ogier leads the championship, but of course is not competing in this rally and this means that Kalle will open the road throughout Friday’s stages. We’ve seen in the past that he and Jonne can get great results on the loose surface rallies despite starting first on the road.

There are three drivers that would like to keep the world champion off the podium. One of them is his teammate and the other two are with Hyundai and M-Sport Ford. Any idea who I’m talking about? These drivers are Elfyn, Ott and Thierry and all three of them have stood on the podium and taken victory as well.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It was great to start the season well in Monte Carlo with a good feeling and with good points for the championship. We hope to continue the same way in Sweden and to enjoy the rally. We only have one event like this each year and it’s always cool, to have the studded tyres on the car and push hard between the snow-banks – it’s something special. We had a good result in Sweden last year and we will try to repeat it this time. It can be tricky to open the road on snow and it depends a lot on how the conditions will be. Our pre-event test went really well, with perfect conditions and a thick layer of ice on the road. Hopefully it’s like that for the rally too and we don’t suffer too much running first on Friday.”

Elfyn Evans

“Overall, Rallye Monte-Carlo was a good start to the year even if our result was disappointing with the pace that I think we had. Now we head to Sweden and a completely different challenge. Even with the snow and ice, it’s still one of the fastest rallies on the calendar and especially since the base moved a bit further north last year; I think the stages are even faster and we will have some new ones on this year’s route that we are yet to discover. It’s a rally where it’s almost impossible to have a perfect car all the time, because the grip you have can change a lot within one loop of stages, but we were able to work through various options in our test.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I’m really excited for Rally Sweden. Driving on snow feels very familiar and comfortable for me and I really like these conditions. Being one of the team’s three nominated drivers will maybe bring a little bit more pressure than I’m used to, but this position is where I have really wanted to be. I’m sure there will be challenging moments, but I will try to manage them and bring good points for the team. I will just do my best and this is no different to before. In testing on snow, the feeling in the car has been incredibly good; I would say the team has made quite a big step since, one year ago and hopefully this gives us more confidence in Sweden. Of course, the other teams are also improving and developing so we will need to be ‘full attack’!”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“The roads of Rally Sweden are very fast, so the key is to find a good line and carry as much speed as possible through the stages. We showed that we can be competitive on snow and ice last year, so it is our hope that we can be quick again in Sweden this time around. Consistency across the weekend will be vital, which is always easier when the car is comfortable to drive, meaning setup will be very important. Road position can also play a factor; if it is cold and icy, then it is best to be early in the starting order. However, if there has just been some fresh snow, then it is better to be on the stages later on. We want to be fighting for the podium positions from the start to finish, and of course we will try to beat as many of our main competitors in the championship as possible.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Rally Sweden has always felt like a second home event for me because it is very similar in profile and surface to the fast Finnish roads that I know best. I believe that we will be getting proper winter conditions this year, allowing us to have lots of fun between the big snowbanks. The second pass in Sweden is always special due to the narrow ruts that require you to quickly adapt your, driving. Preparations for the rally will be important, so we must make the most of the pre-event testing and our Finnish Rally Championship experience. If we can bring everything together, we will be back on the podium again like we were last year.”

Craig Breen

“Rally Sweden is always an event that I enjoy, and a place where I have been able to bring home some of my best results in the past. We only have one rally a year where we get to drive in true winter conditions with the studded tyres, so that makes Sweden even more special. The stages will be very straight and very fast, meaning you need to be committed to be quick. With quite a few stages taking place in the dark, it’s really important to make sure the pace notes are accurate. In an ideal world, I would love to leave Sweden having stood on the podium again, but with it being my first competitive event in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, this will be a challenge. Ultimately, my main goal is to enjoy the experience.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Ott Tänak

“This has been our first opportunity to try out the car on snow and ice. Some things seem to be there, and we are gradually growing in confidence. This is why it’s critical to do this rally in Estonia, to get some more experience across different conditions, and we’ll find out how far away we are from the right set-up.

“Personally, I feel much more confident on snow, so we’ll see how we compare to the other guys. If it’s icy it’s better to be out earlier on the road, and if its very snowy it’s the other way around. So, it really depends on the conditions, we’ll just have to see what the weather does. Either way we are ready for the action, we have no choice!”

Pierre-Louis Loubet

“I’m very happy to be going to Sweden. This will be my second time there, but my first time on the new event in Umeå. I’m looking forward to the experience and aim to deliver a good, clean rally which will be the most important thing for me next weekend.

“Everything is still very new for myself and Nicolas, so it is important to gather as much experience and knowledge as possible and use that to build confidence ahead of the upcoming gravel events. Let’s try our best to deliver a good result and enjoy this new experience!”

WRC2 overview

There is a good entry for the WRC2 class as well, with twenty-five cars from Skoda, M-Sport Ford, Citroen, Volkswagen and Hyundai.

Oliver Solberg will take to the wheel for the second time this year to his Toksport run Fabia RS, but the first event of his WRC2 title campaign.

Here is what he has to say following his test last week.

“So now, it’s Sweden and my home race, It’s special. We drove for two days in the north, working with the team to find a good set-up for this week. It was really, really cool – like minus 24 on the first day! On Sunday it was much warmer… it was only minus 12 Celsius! We had some really good ice on the roads. We’ve had two great test days with several roads to choose between to help us get the cars set up for the mission ahead.”

It’s my home event,” he said. “You want to go well on every event, but there’s always a little bit more incentive when you’re at home and you can see the flags and everybody waving. I love the winter rallies and this one can be a really special one. We know there’s a lot of really tough competition with some big names and fast drivers in WRC2. All we can do is our best and I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Hyundai WRC2 team

Teemu Suninen

“Ever since the beginning of my career, Rally Sweden has been one of my favourite events. As it is our first time on snow in this car, testing will be very important for us. However, I hope my previous experience in wintry conditions will help me find a good feeling in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2. The stages themselves are relatively technical but with fast sections. It will be very tight, so we must be on the limit from the start to be competitive. We will also need to be brave and confident if we want to end the rally on the podium, and that is our target.”

Fabrizio Zaldivar

“I am very excited to be driving in snow again! Coming from a country with no snow, competing on this surface is always very special to me and I have great confidence in our Hyundai i20 N Rally2. This will be my first time in Umeå; I have no previous experience of the stages. I just hope there is enough snow to be able to enjoy the stages on both the first and second passes. Our aim for the weekend is to improve stage by stage and above all gain more confidence on this surface, which will surely allow me to obtain better times between each runs.”

Summary

Expect a big fight for victory this weekend between the three drivers that have taken victory in the past. For some there will be a fight for the final podium spots, and I suspect that we can look to Craig to be right in the fight for this.

Enjoy the rally!!