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Rovanpera holds miniscule lead after WRC Rally Portugal’s tight opening leg

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera made the most of a favorable Friday starting spot to head a frenetic to-and-fro battle for the WRC Rally Portugal’s overnight lead. Rovanpera (above) ended the day a mere 1.0s ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Sebastien …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera made the most of a favorable Friday starting spot to head a frenetic to-and-fro battle for the WRC Rally Portugal’s overnight lead.

Rovanpera (above) ended the day a mere 1.0s ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Sebastien Ogier after an intense fight that saw five different winners from the nine stages making up the 80.68-mile Leg One, and a top four separated by just 5.4s.

Rovanpera is the two-time and reigning FIA World Rally Champion, but the 23-year-old Finn’s decision to run only a limited schedule in 2024 meant he’d start fifth on the road in Portugal, based on his current championship position. The four drivers above him in WRC points would start ahead of him on the road, effectively sweeping the dusty, rock-strewn stages for Rovanpera’s GR Yaris Rally1.

Initially, he didn’t make the most of it, languishing in fifth overall after a lackluster opener to the morning loop. But after that wakeup call, he earned top-three times in all the remaining stages, relentlessly climbing the leader board despite reporting excessive understeer in his GR Yaris.

He seized the lead after besting teammate and early pacesetter Takamoto Katsuta on the afternoon’s second test at Lousa, then went fastest on the penultimate stage at Arganil. But the blistering pace of eight-time WRC champ Ogier — another of Toyota’s 2024 part-time aces — through the Mortagua finale narrowed the gap and intensified the pressure.

Sebastien Ogier kept the pressure on Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera, finishing the day just 1.0s behind. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“It has been a great battle the whole day,” said Rovanpera. “I could not do much more [in the last stage] because my tires were in such bad condition at the rear and it was just about surviving.

“[The battle] is only fun if you are winning, so let’s see!”

Tire management played a crucial role. Pirelli’s soft-compound rubber was favored for the morning’s sandy surfaces, while hard tires came into play in the afternoon when the repeated loop of stages was rougher and temperatures higher.

Ogier’s late surge boosted him from fourth to second overall. And the winner of last month’s Croatia Rally could have potentially led overnight were it not for an intercom failure during the morning’s final stage and a loss of hybrid power on the afternoon’s penultimate test.

Katsuta lived up to his promise to push hard from the outset, winning the Mortagua 1 stage as well as setting top-three times on both runs of Arganil. He was relatively content to bring up the rear of an overnight Toyota 1-2-3, despite falling 3.7s behind Ogier.

Completing a super-close quartet, Ott Tanak ended the leg just 0.7s further back from Rovanpera and fastest of the factory Hyundais, despite admitting to a “not nice” feeling behind the wheel of his i20 N Rally1.

Ott Tanak was the first of the non-Toyotas at the overnight halt, holding fourth for Hyundai. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Although Toyota dominated the top spots on the leaderboard, it wasn’t all good news: misfortune befell its leading driver in the current WRC standings, Elfyn Evans, whose co-driver Scott Martin resorted to using his cell phone to access a digital copy of their pace notes after misplacing his actual notebook before the afternoon’s second stage. Their frustrations were compounded by a tire being pushed off the wheel rim in the same stage, costing the British pair almost a minute.

That turn of events was a boon for championship leader Thierry Neuville, who headed Evans by six points before starting Portugal’s fifth round of the 13-event WRC season.

Despite facing the challenge of opening the road and sweeping a line for those running behind in his Hyundai, Neuville managed to stay in touch with the leaders and ended 0.2s behind his teamate Dani Sordo in sixth. Sordo, starting his first WRC round of 2024, lost hybrid power for the morning’s final stage, but still managed to win three of the day’s tests — not a bad return to WRC competition…

M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver Adrien Fourmaux headed Evans on his return to the Matosinhos service park, while Puma teammate Gregoire Munster finished the leg ninth and last of the Rally1 entries.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux is seventh, 31.8s from the lead, after a drama-free Friday.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg showed his fighting spirit, shrugging off an engine issue in his Skoda Fabia RS to take a 7.3s overnight lead.

Entering Portugal tied for the WRC2 points lead with Citroen C3 rival Yohan Rossel, Solberg trailed the Frenchman after Thursday’s super special stage at Figueira da Foz. However, once the gravel road stages kicked off on Friday morning, the 22-year-old Swede wasted no time in asserting his dominance.

Solberg stormed into the lead on Friday’s opener, and despite being briefly overtaken by his Toksport teammate Gus Greensmith at Gois 1, he swiftly regained control with his run through the iconic Arganil stage before midday.

With soaring temperatures and the stages growing increasingly rocky and rutted, preserving tires was crucial during the afternoon loop. Solberg found himself grappling with a mysterious misfire which left his car’s engine running on three cylinders and even cutting out, but some committed driving meant he was able to limit the time loss and hold onto the lead.

Oliver Solberg didn’t led a mysterious misfire dampen his day, the Skoda driver heading WRC2. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Saturday hosts the longest leg of the rally, with 90.1 miles of action packed into two loops of four stages before the Lousada super special stage concludes the day.

WRC Rally Portugal, positions after Leg One, SS9
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h25m00.4s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1.0s
3 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4.7s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5.4s
5 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +17.9s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +18.1s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +31.8s
8 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m43.2s
9 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m27.3s
10 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoada Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +3m42.1s

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Neuville leads WRC Croatia Rally 3-way fight after Saturday twists

Thierry Neuville (above) holds the slightest of WRC Croatia Rally leads after Saturday’s enthralling, flat-out penultimate leg ended with Hyundai’s asphalt ace besting Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by just 4.9s, with Sebastien Ogier only 6.7s further back. …

After a day of multiple twists and turns – literally and metaphorically – Belgian Neuville was ecstatic to head to the overnight halt in his i20 N Rally1 holding that sub-five-second lead and provisionally scoring 18 points to boost his FIA World Rally Championship title lead over GR Yaris Rally1 driver Evans. Eight-time champ Ogier made it two Toyotas inside the top three, and is still very much in contention for his 59^th career WRC win.

The morning loop of four stages swung in Neuville’s favor thanks to his efforts in preserving his four soft-compound Pirelli P Zero tires. Evans, who’d ended Friday tied with the Belgian on overall time, conceded 4.7s to Neuville across the morning’s tests as he struggled to juggle only three softs, one hard and two wet-weather tires in the absence of forecasted rain.

Toyota’s Elfyn Evans struggled with his tire choices in Saturday’s morning loop, but is still within 4.9s of rally leader Thierry Neuville. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

All three Toyota Gazoo Racing crews opted to carry four soft and two wet-weather tires for the repeated afternoon loop, while Neuville chose a more diverse package comprising two hards, two softs and two wets.

Although Toyota’s strategy initially paid off when Evans reclaimed the lead after beating Neuville by 6.7s in the light drizzle of the afternoon’s opening test, 9.77-mile Smerovisce-Grdanjcl 2, the Hyundai man responded by winning the final three all-asphalt stages in predominantly dry conditions to go back in front.

Under the new-for-2024 WRC points system, Neuville’s Saturday finish will earn him those 18 points, providing he completes Super Sunday’s final four stages. Evans will receive 15, while Ogier, who’s running only a limited WRC schedule this season, will bank 13.

“It’s not a big lead, but we had a great day,” said Neuville. “Despite a not perfect tire choice this afternoon we were capable of defending our lead. It wasn’t easy when the weather wasn’t very easy to judge. Now we need to continue attacking and have a good tire choice [on Sunday].”

Ott Tanak ended Saturday still in fourth overall, more than a minute further back in the second factory Hyundai. The Estonian was lucky to escape with nothing more than slightly a bent rear wheel when he ran wide on a left-hander and clipped a curb early in the leg.

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak holds fourth, a minute out of the lead battle. Running wide and damaging a wheel didn’t help his cause. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Tanak had 19.9s in hand over Adrien Fourmaux’s fifth-placed M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. The Frenchman was again impressive in his long-shot quest for a third consecutive WRC podium, taking the fastest time on the Smerovisce-Grdanjci stage to stretch his advantage over Toyota’s third entry, Takamoto Katsuta.

Seventh-placed Andreas Mikkelsen suffered another time-consuming overshoot, but felt increasingly comfortable on asphalt aboard the third of the factory Hyundais, while Gregoire Munster gained more valuable experience in his Puma to end the day eighth overall.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin maintains a comfortable 39.5s lead over DG Sport Competition teammate Yohan Rossel. Similar to Friday’s opening leg, the Citroen C3 duo were a notch above the competition, now led by Finn Sami Pajari, albeit 26.3s behind Rossel in the final class podium spot.

Pajari’s climb up the order comes at the expense of Spain’s Pepe Lopez, the Skoda Fabia RS driver dropping time to lose his podium place and sit fifth in the WRC2 standings behind Gus Greensmith’s similar machine.

Nikolay Gryazin maintained his WRC2 lead, heading a Citroen C3 1-2 over teammate Yohan Rossel. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Four more all-asphalt stages comprise Sunday’s finale, with up to 12 championship points still up for grabs in the overall battle. Two tests are each tackled twice for a total of 34.04 competitive miles before the finish in Croatian capital Zagreb.

WRC Croatia Rally, positions after Leg Two, SS16
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h09m46.0s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4.9s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +11.6s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m15.5s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m35.4s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m14.2s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +4m00.8s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m56.3s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +7m41.4s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +8m20.9s

Neuville, Evans in dead heat after WRC Croatia Rally opening leg

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota ace Elfyn Evans ended the Croatia Rally’s opening leg level on times after a frantic Friday on the all-asphalt event. There was nothing to separate the duo after eight rough and slippery asphalt stages totaling …

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota ace Elfyn Evans ended the Croatia Rally’s opening leg level on times after a frantic Friday on the all-asphalt event.

There was nothing to separate the duo after eight rough and slippery asphalt stages totaling 74.4 competitive miles in the hills west of Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. However, Neuville (above), who entered round 4 of the FIA World Rally Championship season with the title lead and a six-point margin over Evans, was left to rue missed opportunities.

Neuville won four of the day’s first five special stages, building a useful 10.1s advantage. However, the Belgian’s efforts were thwarted when his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 struck a rock in the sixth stage and sustained front-right tire damage that cost him around 10s.

Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver Evans seized the lead by winning the following 5.9-mile blast from Jaskovo to Mali Modrus Potok. Still, a late resurgence from Neuville in the day’s final stage saw both drivers finish the day on exactly the same total time — 1h5m15.3s — with Evan’s Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier completing the top three positions just 6.6s behind.

Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier completed the podium spots after day one, 6.6s behind the ultra-close lead fight. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“We are really disappointed [about the damaged tire] because it’s something that couldn’t have been avoided,” Neuville admitted. “I did what I could, but it was not a great day for us.”

Muddy conditions, and even flurries of snow, led to changeable grip levels. Eight-time WRC champ Ogier, who is running only a limited WRC program in 2024 and started sixth on the road based on his points position, was one of the worst effected by dirt being dragged onto the road by cars in front cutting corners for the fastest line.

Despite suffering a slow puncture in the opening stage and being caught in a localized rain shower in the first stage after the midday regroup, the Frenchman’s strong performance in the final stage propelled him back into contention.

Anticipating wet weather on Saturday, Ogier noted: “Tomorrow is the start of another rally, I think — much slower and much slippier.”

Ott Tanak ended 41.1s adrift of the lead in fourth overall. After noting that his Hyundai felt “nervous” in the morning, the Estonian enjoyed a more consistent afternoon and edged out Adrien Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 by 11.6s at day’s end.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux is aiming for a third-straight WRC podium, but lies fifth after Friday’s stages.

Completing the overall victory-contending hybrid Rally1 runners, Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta claimed sixth place ahead of Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen, who lost time in the morning after overshooting a junction, with M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster heading back to Zagreb a steady eighth.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, it was an all-Citroen duel for class honors between Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel. The pair of C3 pilots were in a class of their own over the opening day, opening a commanding lead of more than two minutes over the remainder of the WRC2 field.

Gryazin, making just his second WRC start in a Citroen C3, set the tone early by going 10.8s faster than DG Sport Competition teammate Rossel on the opening stage, leaving his rivals playing catchup over the next seven stages.

He would complete Friday with seven stage wins, while Rossel, also on his second start of the season, claimed one stage win and is well-placed to match his Monte Carlo Rally podium finish, 31.1s behind Gryazin.

Monte Carlo Rally WRC2 runner-up Pepe Lopez is making his Croatian debut this weekend, and despite his limited knowledge of the broken asphalt stages, the Spaniard positioned his Skoda Fabia RS comfortably in the third spot on the class podium.

Citroen driver Nikolay Gryazin meant business, setting seven fastest WRC2 stage times for a 31.1s class lead by day’s end. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Saturday’s second leg follows a similar format to Friday. Four stages are driven in the morning, then repeated in the afternoon, covering 67.58 competitive miles in total.

WRC Croatia Rally, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h05m15.3s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +0.0s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +6.6s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +41.1s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +52.7s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m37.8s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m37.8s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m07.3s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +3m48.3s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +4m19.4s

Flawless Rovanpera seals WRC Safari Rally Kenya victory

Kalle Rovanpera (above) put on a flawless performance to become a two-time WRC Safari Rally Kenya winner, the Toyota Gazoo Racing ace ending the grueling African event on Sunday afternoon with a 1m37.8s victory margin after leading since Friday …

Kalle Rovanpera (above) put on a flawless performance to become a two-time WRC Safari Rally Kenya winner, the Toyota Gazoo Racing ace ending the grueling African event on Sunday afternoon with a 1m37.8s victory margin after leading since Friday morning’s opening stages.

In what was by far the most challenging FIA World Rally Championship round so far this season, it was the two-time and reigning champ’s meticulous balance of speed and maturity that ultimately secured his 12th career WRC victory.

The 23-year-old Finn, co-driven by Jonne Halttunen, built a lead of almost one minute after winning all of Friday’s rock-strewn stages around Lake Naivasha in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, then kept things clean to end Saturday’s second leg two minutes clear as the chasing pack ran into mechanical troubles and tire damage.

That buffer allowed Rovanpera, who has chosen to run only a part-time 2024 WRC campaign, to drive for a finish in Sunday’s final leg, which consisted of ix stages and culminated amid the stunning scenery and roaming wildlife of the 6.54-mile Hell’s Gate test.

Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen added a second Safari Rally win to the one the Toyota duo earned in 2022. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“It’s always special to win here,” said Rovanpera. “Also, it’s a legendary event for Toyota. We’ve always been so good here and that’s continuing.

“A big thanks to the team — everybody made a big effort to make the car work so well. I think me and Jonne did a good job; I don’t think you can have a better Safari Rally than we did. No issues, clever driving, and I think it was a good effort.”

Takamoto Katsuta completed a Toyota 1-2 as the Japanese marque extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to four points over Hyundai Motorsport.

Takamoto Katsuta earned his third career Safari Rally podium to complete a Toyota 1-2 in Kenya. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans ended Friday in contention for a podium, and a possible Toyota sweep, but a fraught Saturday, which saw the Welshman stop twice to carry out stage-side wheel changes, meant he finished over four minutes back from his teammate Rovanpera in fourth overall. He remains second in the WRC drivers’ championship behind leader Thierry Neuville, who trailed him by almost six minutes in fifth.

M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver Adrien Fourmaux headed home Evans to complete the podium after a clean and measured drive, the Frenchman grabbing his second consecutive third-place finish, albeit some 47.3s behind Katsuta’s Yaris.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux put in a clean and measured drive to secure his second consecutive WRC finish. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Neuville now heads Evans by six points in the WRC standings, but endured a troublesome week aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. Fuel pressure problems on Saturday cost the Belgian several minutes and suspension damage on Sunday, inflicted by a rock on the racing line, added insult to injury.

His teammates, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tanak, fared worse. Lappi’s problems included two broken gearboxes over the course of the week, while Tanak could only climb back to eighth overall after his car sustained broken suspension on Friday

In WRC2, Gus Greensmith got his campaign off to the perfect start after winning the WRC’s premier support category by a 1m23.1s margin in his Toksport Skoda Fabia RS.

The odds were stacked against the British driver early in the rally. He battled flu-like symptoms through Friday’s opening leg on rough gravel roads around Lake Naivasha, but charged to a commanding lead of more than three minutes after his main rival Oliver Solberg lost considerable time with punctures.

Solberg fought back to finish second in his Skoda, finishing fastest in class in 11 of the rally’s 19 stages, but the deficit was ultimately too large to overcome. Greensmith was able to cruise through the closing miles, earning a mighty sixth-place overall result in the process.

“It’s been a long week but I’m really, really happy,” said Greensmith. “Thank you to the [Toksport] team this weekend, they’ve been perfect.”

Gus Greensmith got his 2024 WRC2 campaign off to the best possible start with a Safari Rally class win. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

After the heat, clogging dust and rocks of the Kenyan stages, the WRC returns to asphalt for next month’s Zagreb-based Croatia Rally, April 18-21.

WRC Safari Rally Kenya, final positions after Leg Three, SS19
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h36m04.0s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m37.8s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m25.1s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4m20.2s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +10m17.5s
6 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Anedrsson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +18m05.4s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +19m28.5s
8 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +21m02.0s
9 Jordan Serderidis/Frederic Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1) +26m13.3s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +26m34.4s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 3 rounds
1 Neuville 67 points
2 Evans 61
3 Fourmaux 46
4 Tanak 33
5 Rovanpera 31

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 3 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 131 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 127
3 M-Sport Ford 72

Rovanpera avoids Saturday dramas, edges closer to WRC Safari Rally win

Kalle Rovanpera took a significant step toward clinching his second Safari Rally Kenya victory, the Toyota Gazoo Racing ace steering clear of trouble while his WRC rivals hit difficulties on Saturday’s second leg. In one of the most eventful days of …

In one of the most eventful days of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season so far — one which was marked by fluctuating conditions ranging from dry and dusty to wet and muddy — Rovanpera (above) was one of few contenders to enjoy a clean run. The two-time and reigning WRC champ, who’s chosen to run only a limited program this season, stretched his lead to an impressive 2m8.9s as rivals including Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, and his Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta encountered significant setbacks.

Despite dominating every stage the previous day, Rovanpera adopted a more conservative approach on Saturday’s stages near Lake Elmenteita, located south of the rally’s Naivasha base. The GR Yaris Rally1 driver initially headed teammates Evans and Katsuta until the pair fell behind after both sustaining punctures in the morning loop.

Neuville emerged as Rovanpera’s closest threat, but his challenge was short-lived after his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 encountered a fuel system issue during the afternoon’s first stage at Soysambu. Neuville dropped significant time as he nursed the problem through the remaining two stages, which opened the door for Katsuta to reclaim the runner-up spot, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux.

Despite losing time to a puncture, Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta finished Saturday’s leg in second as his podium rivals faltered. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT photo

Under the WRC’s new-for-2024 points system, Rovanpera’s Saturday standing will earn him 18 points provided he completes Sunday’s six remaining stages. Katsuta will receive 15, while Fourmaux, who ended the leg 3m13.3s off the lead, will get 13.

“The lead is now quite good,” said Rovanpera, “so of course we took it carefully. It’s not so enjoyable when you have a big lead and in a stage like [Sleeping Warrior] you just go around every rock — it’s scary. Tomorrow is still a tough day and we will try to finish the job.”

Fourmaux survived a front-left tire delamination in the final stage in his Puma Rally1 and is now on track to secure his second top-three finish in consecutive rallies, following his maiden podium in Sweden in February. The Frenchman led fourth-placed Evans, who suffered a total of four punctures during Saturday’s six stages, by over two minutes.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux stayed trouble-free until a puncture on Saturday’s final stage, but still holds third. M-Sport photo

A visibly upset Neuville completed the overall top five more than 11 minutes adrift of the leading pace, with his restarting Hyundai teammate, Ott Tanak, clawing his way back to 10^th overall, albeit more than 20 minutes off the lead, after a steering issue had ended his Friday early. One place ahead of the Estonian, Jordan Serderidis is enjoying a one-off WRC outing, but makes it two M-Sport Pumas in the top 10.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Gus Greensmith edged closer to the class victory after ending Saturday with a commanding buffer still intact.

Providing he can steer clear of any major dramas in Sunday’s upcoming final leg, the Skoda Fabia RS driver is poised to gain maximum points from his first scoring event of the season (WRC2 contenders are allowed to nominate only seven events for championship points). With his flu-like symptoms gradually improving, Saturday was a much more enjoyable day for the Brit.

Greensmith took full advantage of the sizeable lead he’d built over the previous day, taking minimal risks to avoid damaging his tires on Kenya’s rock-strewn roads. He dropped time to his Toksport Skoda teammate Oliver Solberg, who’d been hampered by tire troubles on Friday, across all but one of Saturday’s stages, but still reached the overnight halt 1m55.0s clear of the Swede.

“It’s been fine today, and I am feeling better now,” Greensmith said. “We took the last stage nice and easy because we knew it was going to be rough, and it made no sense to lose time changing a tire. Nothing was more physically demanding than yesterday — today, in comparison, was a walk in the park…”

Feeling better after battling flu-like symptons, Gus Greensmith took minimal risks to keep hold of the WRC2 lead. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday’s finale features two loops of three stages covering both sides of Lake Naivasha. Malewa, Oserengoni and Hell’s Gate are all run twice, making for a 46.22-mile closing leg. The second run through the 6.54-mile Hell’s Gate will be the bonus points-paying, rally-closing Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Safari Rally Kenya, positions after Leg Two, SS13
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h48m50.2s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m08.9s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m13.3s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5m35.6s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +11m48.6s
6 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Anedrsson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +15m02.0s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +16m57.0s
8 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +21m15.7s
9 Jordan Serderidis/Frederic Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1) +21m56.4s
10 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +21m58.1s

Rovanpera heads Toyota 1-2-3 on WRC Safari Rally after Friday charge

Kalle Rovanpera (above) dominated Friday’s opening leg of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya to build a 56.9s lead on a near-perfect day for the factory Toyota Gazoo Racing squad. The two-time and reigning WRC champ is recharging his batteries by running …

Kalle Rovanpera (above) dominated Friday’s opening leg of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya to build a 56.9s lead on a near-perfect day for the factory Toyota Gazoo Racing squad.

The two-time and reigning WRC champ is recharging his batteries by running only a limited FIA World Rally Championship in 2024, but was untouchable on his second start of the season as he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen romped to fastest times on all six of Friday’s rough, rock-strewn gravel stages around Lake Naivasha.

Rovanpera’s teammates, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, made it a GR Yaris Rally1 1-2-3, the Japanese marque capitalizing on what turned into a disastrous afternoon for WRC rivals Hyundai Motorsport after two of its three factory aces, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tanak, were forced to retire.

Lappi, winner last time out on the snow and ice of Sweden, had been fellow Finn Rovanpera’s nearest challenger at the day’s midpoint, but a transmission failure sidelined his i20 N Rally1 car in the first stage after service, Loldia 2. That elevated Tanak to second until his similar machine stopped in the following test, Geothermal 2, with broken steering after hitting a rock.

Evans and Katsuta were on hand to pick up the pieces and complete Toyota’s preliminary podium lockout, the duo split by just 3.9s after Evans moved ahead in the final stage of the day, the 19.57-mile Kedong 2.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta (above) held second for much of Friday, but lost the spot to teammate Elfyn Evans on the final test.

“I have to be happy with that,” said Rovanpera at the end of the leg. “For sure, on the last one the conditions were quite rough, and I think from every car [the ruts] get a bit deeper in places. I didn’t take any risks and I was going around all the stones to try and keep the car in one piece. I would have loved to go even faster, but at this point this is OK!”

WRC points leader Thierry Neuville became Hyundai’s only remaining hope after Lappi and Tanak’s demise, although the Belgian encountered troubles himself with a tire failure in the day’s second stage. The flailing Pirelli rubber punched a hole in his Hyundai’s bodywork, forcing the Belgian and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe to don goggles and dust masks for the final stage of the morning.

A more positive afternoon saw fourth-placed Neuville edge closer to a podium position. Beaten only by Rovanpera in Kedong 2, he trails Katsuta by just 6.5s heading into Saturday’s penultimate leg.

Fourth-placed Thierry Neuville (above) is Hyundai’s only bullet in the gun after a rough day for his teammates.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux had to contend with his Puma Rally1 surfing on its sump guard in some of the rougher sections, but he coped well to hold fifth after a relatively clean day. The Frenchman ended the leg almost two minutes back from the lead, with teammate Gregoire Munster – contesting his first Safari in Rally1 machinery – a similar distance behind.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Gus Greensmith led by more than three minutes despite experiencing flu-like symptoms throughout Friday.

With WRC2 competitors choosing a maximum of seven events to score points on, Skoda Fabia RS driver Greensmith waited until Kenya’s third round to kick off his 2024 campaign, and despite feeling less than 100 percent , things couldn’t have gone much better for the Brit.

Having opened up a slender advantage early on Friday morning, things were made a little easier for Greensmith when his nearest challenger, Oliver Solberg in a similar Fabia RS, stopped to change a wheel in the day’s second stage.

With Solberg dropping back and the rest of the field not posing any major threat, Greensmith could afford to manage his risk level on the rugged African stages. After ending the day 3m23.0s clear of second-placed Kajetan Kajetanicz’s Skoda, he was simply looking forward to getting some rest.

“This afternoon has been the toughest afternoon I’ve ever had in rallying,” Greensmith said. “I’m absolutely exhausted. I need a bed – and soon!”

Gus Greensmith battled flu-like symptons, but still built a significant WRC2 lead in his Skoda.

Saturday’s second of three legs is the longest day of the rally and features six stages totaling 100 competitive miles. Up first is the 18.22-mile Soysambu test, followed by 9.37-mile Elementeita and the iconic, 22.42-mile Sleeping Warrior stage. All three are repeated in the afternoon loop.

WRC Safari Rally Kenya, positions after Leg One, SS7
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h16m22.6s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +56.9s
3 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m00.8s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m07.3s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m46.6s
6 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m34.2s
7 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Anedrsson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +6m51.3s
8 Jordan Serderidis/Frederic Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1) +9m11.7s
9 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +10m14.3s
10 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +10m28.8s

Lappi breaks drought with Rally Sweden triumph

Esapekka Lappi is a winner again in the FIA World Rally Championship on the back of a controlled but fine fast-paced display of ice and snow driving aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. His Rally Sweden victory, alongside co-driver and fellow …

Esapekka Lappi is a winner again in the FIA World Rally Championship on the back of a controlled but fine fast-paced display of ice and snow driving aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.

His Rally Sweden victory, alongside co-driver and fellow Finn Janne Ferm, came six years, six months and 19 days since he won in the WRC for the first time on Rally Finland in 2017.

The 33-year-old breaks the record for the longest gap between WRC wins, which stood at five years and 359 days and was jointly held by Shekhar Mehta and Jean-Luc Therier.

Lappi is the fifth Hyundai-powered driver to win a WRC round, a result that gives the manufacturer its 29th triumph in the world championship on an event when Toyota and M-Sport Ford also finished on the podium.

Esapekka Lappi had a long wait for his second WRC trophy, which made it taste all the sweeter. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“It feels really good,” Lappi said. “I’ve been hunting for this second victory for quite a while. I would like to say a million things but probably I’ll forget many of them. But many thanks to Cyril [Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport president and team principal] — he kept me in the team after a very bad second half last year. It’s quite a massive contrast from that moment until now. So thanks to the team. And my family as well.”

Lappi started Rally Sweden’s deciding leg of three stages on Sunday morning leading by 1m06.3s and with 18 WRC points banked for topping the order at the end of Saturday’s running. While his rivals deployed full-attack mode, Lappi played it cool to reach the finish unscathed and with his lead intact. Although it meant his winning margin was trimmed to 29.6s, victory was all that mattered for Lappi, who is embarking on a partial campaign for the Hyundai Shell Mobis team in 2024.

It was good news/bad news for Elfyn Evans on Sunday, as he rebounded to take second overall for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT but also lost points to a snowbank strike. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Behind Lappi, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans snatched second from Adrien Fourmaux when the Frenchman lost time striking a snowbank on Sunday’s first test. Despite sliding his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid into a snowbank at high speed himself on SS17, Evans topped the Super Sunday classification to bag seven world championship points to add to the 13 he scored on Saturday under new rules for 2024. The Welshman, who also took four points on the Wolf Power Stage for an event total of 24, is now three points adrift of Thierry Neuville in the race to win the 2024 WRC title.

But he could have been two points behind Neuville had he not slid into another snowbank nearing the finish of the Wolf Power Stage, a moment that denied him the fastest time — and five bonus points — by 0.039s.

“We lost it all in the last couple of corners — not so good,” Evans said. “Overall I guess we can be relatively happy with this result after what happened on Friday, but there are still areas to work on.”

Although his own collision with a snowbank cost Fourmaux the runner-up spot, the M-Sport Ford Puma driver didn’t let that moment knock him off his stride as he clinched his first WRC podium place with third.

A snowbank caught out Adrien Fourmaux on Sunday too, but he held on to take third for M-Sport Ford. McKlein/Motorsport Images

“It’s really, really good for us to be on the podium, after coming back to Rally1,” said Fourmaux. “It’s been two really hard years but we never gave up and to be on the podium in Sweden is really special. Honestly, I have no words, it’s just so nice.”

Neuville, the winner of Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, fought back from fuel pressure issues and a few setup gripes to finish fourth, but with the rear of his Hyundai sporting significant cosmetic damage following a heavy Wolf Power Stage landing. While the Belgian’s title lead has been cut from six to three points, his efforts helped Hyundai draw level with Toyota at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers after two rounds.

Another home triumph for Sweden’s Oliver Solberg. McKlein/Motorsport Images

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg won on home ground in Sweden for the second year running, placing fifth overall followed by category rivals Sami Pajari, Georg Linnamae, Roope Korhonen and Mikko Heikkila. Italy’s Lorenzo Bertelli, making his second WRC start in as many years in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1, rounded out the top 10.

World champion Kalle Rovanpera claimed five points by setting the pace through the rally-deciding Wolf Power Stage following his Saturday morning restart. Ott Tanak, who also crashed out on Friday, scored six points via the Super Sunday classification and his Wolf Power Stage result.

Early rally leader Takamoto Katsuta’s bid to salvage championship points following his off on Saturday’s first stage suffered a setback when he spun at high-speed nearing the finish of SS17. The Japanese Toyota driver came away with three points.

Rally1 rookie Gregoire Munster achieved his goal of reaching the finish in the second M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Puma following myriad mishaps during what was a learning-first mission by the Luxembourg youngster.

The World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from March 27-31.

WRC Rally Sweden, final results:

1 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h33m04.9s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +29.6s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +47.9s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m46.3s
5 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +5m04.2s
6 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m23.9s
7 Georg Linnamae/James Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m26.4s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m48.1s
9 Mikko Heikkila/Kristian Temonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +7m25.7s
10 Lorenzo Bertelli/Simone Scattolin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +7m37.7s

Lappi extends Rally Sweden lead

Esapekka Lappi added to his hefty advantage with a clean run through Rally Sweden’s second leg on Saturday as he closed in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in six years. By completing leg two in front, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 …

Esapekka Lappi added to his hefty advantage with a clean run through Rally Sweden’s second leg on Saturday as he closed in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in six years.

By completing leg two in front, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid driver provisionally scored 18 WRC points, which will be added to his season tally providing he reaches the rally finish on Sunday afternoon under new rules for 2024.

Starting Saturday’s action leading the ice and snow event by 3.2s following Friday’s drama-packed first leg, Lappi came under early pressure when Takamoto Katsuta slashed his advantage to 0.9s with a determined charge through the day-opening run through Vannas. But Lappi was left in the clear when Katsuta plunged his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid into a snowbank 3.4km from the start of SS10 while pressing his Finnish rival for top spot.

Despite his comfortable margin, which stood at 1m31.6s after SS10, Lappi admitted that finding the balance between attacking and holding his lead was far from easy. Like his fellow drivers, Lappi also had to make preserving his tire studs on increasingly damaged roads a key focus. But the one-time WRC event winner completed Saturday’s running without incident and will take a lead of 1m06.3s into Sunday’s deciding three-stage leg.

“I’ve been trying to save the tires the whole afternoon and still be smart in terms of the pace,” Lappi said of his Saturday efforts. “I’m not so used to it so it’s not the easiest job in the world. But it’s all under control.”

Takamoto Katsuta pushed his luck a little too far on the treacherous Rally Sweden roads, but still hopes to score some points Sunday. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

While Lappi heads into Sunday with his sights fixed on victory, Katsuta will be hoping to avoid leaving Sweden empty handed. The Japanese driver’s target are the seven points up for grabs for topping leg three’s classification, plus the five points on offer for the Wolf Power Stage fastest time.

Of his Saturday morning exit, a dejected Katsuta said: “We did an OK time on the first one to gain the time and a much closer gap between me and EP [Lappi]. I wanted to continue pushing, maybe even more to gain more time but obviously I was trying very hard, and [in] one corner I carried a bit too much speed and snapped the rear and hit the snowbank. We were stuck and couldn’t get out.”

On a day that produced five stage winners from the seven scheduled stages and also marked M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson’s 68th birthday, the team’s Adrien Fourmaux excelled aboard his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.

After demoting WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg in the battle for third on SS9, Fourmaux moved into second when Katsuta stopped on the next stage. The Frenchman further underlined his potential by landing his fourth WRC career stage win on SS11 to cement second place in the overall order, which he maintained through the afternoon to land 15 interim points. That was despite a scare in the closing portion of SS15 when he charged a snowbank after being distracted by his teammate Gregoire Munster’s stricken Puma.

“I’ve seen the video [of Munster] and I thought it was the corner before,” Fourmaux said. “When I realized they were there it was too late. What a good day — a rollercoaster, up and down, but I’m happy, P2.”

Adrien Fourmaux put on a show for Ford in moving up to second overall. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Having been hampered by opening the road for much of Friday afternoon, Elfyn Evans missed out on winning SS9 by 0.3s before his third-fastest time on SS10 elevated him onto the final step of the provisional podium, 11.4s behind Fourmaux. But after the Toyota driver “scooped a snowbank on the inside of a corner” and “lost loads of power” as a result, he headed back to midday service 16.2s behind the flying Frenchman. With one eye on tire stud retention through stages 12-15, the Welshman is 16.7s down on Fourmaux in third.

Completing Friday’s running in 11th overall due to fuel pressure problems costing him 40 seconds in penalties, Thierry Neuville overtook Solberg for fourth on SS12 before setting the fastest time on SS13 during an afternoon spent perfecting the setup of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. He was fastest on the day’s final three stages.

Behind fifth-placed WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg, Sami Pajari took second in WRC’s second tier category and sixth overall when Georg Linnamae spun his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 nearing the finish of SS11. The Estonian slipped to fourth in class following his moment but demoted WRC3 champion Roope Korhonen on SS14 before closing to within 0.2s of Pajari on SS15. Mikko Heikkila, who recovered from a spin on SS15, and Lauri Joona complete the top 10.

Oliver Solberg stayed ahead in WRC2, while he and pursuer Sami Pajari are now fifth and sixth overall. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak and Toyota’s world champion Kalle Rovanpera restarted on Saturday morning after they crashed on Friday. Tanak won SS9 from first on the road, 1.2s faster than Rovanperä. The Finn set the pace on SS10, going 2.8s quicker than Tanak, who complained of a lack of visibility in a forest section. The duo found the road surface on the repeated stages a particular handful during the afternoon loop, with Rovanpera reporting a brake issue at the completion of SS14.

Sunday’s deciding leg begins with back-to-back visits to the significantly altered Vastervik test ahead of the Wolf Power Stage — the same layout as the Umea stage from Saturday evening. A separate classification for the Sunday stages awards points to the top seven (7-6-5-4-3-2-1). The fastest five drivers on the Wolf Power Stage also score points (5-4-3-2-1).

Leading positions after Saturday:
1. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Hyundai i20 N 2h 03m 52s
2. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 06.3s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1m 23.0s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +2m 22.1s
5. O Solberg / E Edmonson SWE / GBR Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +4m 01.1s
6. S Pajari / E Malkonen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5m 15.1s

Lappi leads, Solberg stars as favorites falter on WRC Rally Sweden

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi stayed out of the snow banks on a challenging and drama-filled opening leg of WRC Rally Sweden to lead by a slender 3.2s at Friday’s overnight halt. Lappi (above), making his first 2024 start in the third factory Hyundai i20 …

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi stayed out of the snow banks on a challenging and drama-filled opening leg of WRC Rally Sweden to lead by a slender 3.2s at Friday’s overnight halt.

Lappi (above), making his first 2024 start in the third factory Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, refocused after a lackluster run through Thursday evening’s short opening stage. Reveling in the super-fast stages of the FIA World Rally Championship’s only true snow and ice event, the Finn completed Friday morning’s loop of three stages trailing Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Takamoto Katsuta by 11.4s.

But Lappi wasted no time in his efforts to catch the first-placed GR Yaris Rally1 during the afternoon loop by taking 6.1s out of Katsuta’s lead on special stage 5 — a rerun of the #42 Brattby test — to close the gap to just 5.3s.

With the snowfall intensifying, Lappi outpaced Katsuta again on the afternoon’s second stage, this time by 5.0s, and snatched the rally lead following his table-topping run through the next test, the 17.55-mile Floda 2 stage.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta (above) led after the morning loop, but was reeled in by Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT photo

“For sure we need to take the confidence from today and start to concentrate for the rest of the rally,” Lappi said after winning Friday’s short closing stage, Umea Sprint 2. “I used the road position advantage clearly in the afternoon. OK, for sure in the morning as well, but I was not too slow against [Toyota’s reigning WRC champ] Kalle [Rovanpera] in the beginning, so I’m fairly satisfied with that.”

Behind the charging Katsuta, Adrien Fourmaux was on course to complete leg one on the provisional podium for M-Sport Ford on the back of a fine drive. But the Ford Puma Rally1-driving Frenchman was powerless to prevent WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg moving ahead in the afternoon snow, despite the power deficit the Swede faced in his Rally2-spec Skoda Fabia.

“Third place in a Rally2 [car] is incredible and in my home rally it’s a bit of a dream and I’m very happy,” Solberg said of his stunning performance. “But the main goal is WRC2 and we are leading that with quite a lot, so I’m happy with the day.”

Oliver Solberg put in a stunning drive to not only hold the WRC2 lead in his Skoda Fabia RS, but third overall. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

While the heavy snow created a picture-perfect backdrop to the WRC’s second round of the season, it made the task for the drivers — particularly those running at the head of the field who played unwitting snow plows for the following cars – even harder.

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, the WRC points leader after winning last month’s Monte Carlo Rally opener, was 40.5s off the pace in fifth position, two places behind Elfyn Evans’ GR Yaris, following the morning loop, having not only struggled for grip opening the road but for visibility, too, in the early morning fog.

Normally a fuel pressure issue would be the stuff of nightmares for a rally driver, but after completing the snow-heavy special stage 5 some 1m15.5s behind then-leader Katsuta, the engine fault Neuville detected prior to SS6 provided much needed, albeit unusual, respite for the Belgian, as he started the stage out of order behind Evans.

Although Neuville was a mere 3.7s quicker than Evans on SS6, he was more than 20s faster than the Toyota driver on SS7 after Evans charged a snowbank and was further delayed by a misting windshield.

“I guess the spirit of competition has gone out of the window,” said a disgruntled Evans. “The difference between being first and second on the road is huge. I’m not really sure what’s been going on this afternoon. I can’t even see from here to the sign in front of me, and we’re going so fast. It’s a bit bonkers, but we’re [still] here.”

“The engine was not running so we had to check it,” Neuville explained of his scare prior to SS6. “Elfyn was at the refuel earlier when our car didn’t fire up, so he should know [that’s true]. In the stage it’s not a problem. I could have gone a little bit faster at the end [of SS7], but it’s very easy to go off.”

Neuville’s earlier delay, which incurred a 40s penalty, means he’s outside the overall top 10 at the overnight halt, with Evans in fifth behind Fourmaux’s Puma.

Entries from WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, complete the rest of the overall top 10. Georg Linnamae, who sensationally claimed his maiden outright WRC stage win on SS5, is sixth in Toyota’s new-for-2024 GR Yaris Rally2, with rivals Sami Pajari, Roope Korhonen, Mikko Heikkila, and Lauri Joona holding sixth to 10th.

Reigning world champ Rovanpera, who’s elected to run only a partial WRC campaign in 2024, made his first start of the season for Toyota Gazoo Racing and bossed the opening stages. But a hard hit on one of the event’s defining snowbanks in the morning’s final stage saw his GR Yaris suffer serious rear-end damage, taking the 23-year-old Finn out of contention.

Reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera started strongly, before hitting a snowbank and damaging his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ott Tanak won last year’s Rally Sweden with M-Sport Ford, but the Estonian’s return to Hyundai for 2024 saw him spin off, hit a snow bank and extensively damage the front end of his i20 N Rally1 while holding third. He, too, is out of contention for any decent points haul.

The weather is set to improve a little for Saturday’s second leg. Two passes through the Vannas, Sarsjoliden and Bygdsiljum stages provide the bulk of the mileage. The day ends with a first run through the 6.26-mile Umea test, the venue for Sunday’s bonus points-paying and rally-closing Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Sweden, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 58m18.8s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3.2s
3 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +1m20.7s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m26.3s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m50.0s
6 Georg Linnamae/James Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +1m50.1s
7 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m05.8s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m08.6s
9 Mikko Heikkila/Kristian Temonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m19.0s
10 Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +2m45.7s
11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m46.0s

Neuville’s Sunday sweep secures WRC Monte Carlo Rally victory

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville opened his 2024 WRC title bid with a win on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally on Sunday. The Hyundai i20 N driver (above) racked up his 20th FIA World Rally Championship victory and his second on the Monte with an …

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville opened his 2024 WRC title bid with a win on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally on Sunday.

The Hyundai i20 N driver (above) racked up his 20th FIA World Rally Championship victory and his second on the Monte with an imposing performance in the French Alps, banking a perfect score of 30 points alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. The Belgian duo mastered the ice-patched mountain roads to head Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sebastien Ogier by 16.1s at the finish.

Neuville shrugged aside early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his Toyota teammate and early leader Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3s advantage at the end of the leg. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s three-stage finale cemented his position ahead of nine-time Monte Carlo winner Ogier.

Thierry Neuville kept up the pressure on Sunday’s final leg to secure his second Monte Carlo Rally win.

“I don’t have the words, to be honest,” said Neuville after finishing the final stage on the iconic Col de Turini. “It was just so great this weekend — I felt so comfortable in the car.

“The whole team was doing an amazing job and I think the whole package was working really well,” he added. “There are always things to improve, so of course we need to continue working, but we are very happy to win this rally.”

Ogier, who’s running only a limited WRC schedule this season, led for a single stage on Saturday afternoon, but the Frenchman could not hold off Neuville despite his best efforts.

“It’s been a nice battle with Thierry,” said eight-time WRC champ Ogier. “Well done to him, he’s been really fast this weekend.”

Sebastien Ogier enjoyed the battle with Thierry Neuville, but fell short of a 10th Monte Carlo Rally win. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Evans held the upper hand after Friday’s opening leg, but time ebbed away from him on Saturday, not helped by a hybrid unit problem on his GR Yaris Rally1. He eventually finished 29.1s behind his teammate, Ogier.

Ott Tanak, returning to Hyundai after a season with M-Sport Ford, placed fourth on his first rally back with the German-based squad. Mystery engine problems hindered the 2019 WRC champ throughout the rally, although a stage win for the Estonian on Saturday morning confirmed his potential with the i20 N Rally1 in 2024 guise.

Adrien Fourmaux equaled his career-best WRC result by finishing fifth overall in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. Behind him was Hyundai debutant Andreas Mikkelsen, with Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta almost three minutes further back in seventh after sliding off the road on Friday.

Adrien Fourmaux matched his best WRC finish with a fifth place for M-Sport Ford. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel stormed past Pepe Lopez and Nikolay Gryazin on Sunday’s short leg to claim back-to-back Monte Carlo Rally class wins.

Starting Sunday’s final leg 6.9s behind fellow Citroen C3 driver Gryazin, Rossel clawed back 3.9s from the Bulgarian in frosty conditions on the opening stage, matching Lopez’s time.

With the bit between his teeth, Rossel continued his charge, outpacing Lopez’s Skoda Fabia RS by 5.8s and Gryazin by 8.6s on the penultimate stage. That propelled the 28-year-old Frenchman to within two tenths of a second behind Lopez going into the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, and also relegated Gryazin to third.

Maintaining his momentum, Rossel completed a clean sweep of stage wins to claim victory by 4.0s over Lopez, despite having worn out his car’s tires.

“It’s crazy; it’s an incredible feeling,” said an elated Rossel.

Yohan Rossel pulled out all the stops on Sunday’s final leg to grab a WRC2 class win. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Round two of the WRC takes place on the snow and ice of Rally Sweden. The series’ only pure winter rally, based in Umea on Feb. 15-18, is one of the fastest events of the season.

WRC Monte Carlo Rally, final positions after Leg Three, SS17
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3h09m30.9s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +16.1s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +45.2s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m59.8s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m36.9s
6 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5m34.6s
7 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +8m28.5s
8 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2 winner) +10m29.8s
9 Pepe Lopez/David Vazquez (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +10m33.8s
10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +10m45.2s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 1 round
1 Neuville 30 points
2 Ogier 24
3 Evans 21
4 Tanak 15
5 Fourmaux 11