Rallying – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Neuville edges Ogier in to-and-fro Saturday duel at WRC Monte Carlo Rally

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has set up a Sunday showdown at the WRC’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally after demoting Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier in Saturday’s final stage. Neuville (above) was undoubtedly the man to beat in his i20 N Rally1 during the …

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has set up a Sunday showdown at the WRC’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally after demoting Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier in Saturday’s final stage.

Neuville (above) was undoubtedly the man to beat in his i20 N Rally1 during the Saturday morning loop. Having held third at the Friday evening halt, the Belgian grabbed second place from nine-time Monte winner Ogier on the day’s first ice-patched stage and stormed into the top spot before midday as overnight leader Elfyn Evans shipped time in his GR Yaris Rally1.

Ogier seized back control by reeling off back-to-back stage wins early in the repeated afternoon loop, but Neuville retaliated by outpacing the Yaris-driving Frenchman in the closing miles to carry a 3.3s advantage into Sunday.

With the Monte Carlo Rally marking the debut of the FIA World Rally Championship’s new points structure, Neuville’s late charge will earn him 18 points providing he completes Sunday’s stages. Eight-time WRC champ Ogier, who’s running only a limited schedule in 2024, would receive 15, while Evans, who ended the day 34.9s off the lead in third, would bank 13.

“It was perfection,” Neuville said of his drive on Saturday’s closing stage, the 13.29-mile Pellafol/Agnieres-en-Devoluy 2 test. “Everything went well and I really enjoyed the car — it was incredible.

“It was important to take the points tonight, but we also needed to keep the car on the road,” he added. “I had a good feeling, so I went for it and it seems like it paid off.”

Ogier’s stage win on the second run through the 12.45-mile Les Nonieres/Chichilianne was the 700th of his WRC career. That feat moved him ahead of Finnish legend Juha Kankkunen (699 stage wins) into fourth on the all-time list of stage winners.

“I have been trying since the beginning of the rally, basically,” admitted Ogier, who is far more focused on grabbing a record-stretching 10th Monte win than on moving up the all-time stage winners’ list. “The [final stage] was no different, but Thierry did a good stage. It looks like we need to try harder tomorrow…”

Sebastien Ogier (ABOVE) dueled with Thierry Neuville through Saturday’s tests, ending the day just 3.3s in arrears.Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT photo

Sunday brings the opportunity for the top performers over the course of the final leg to collect up to seven points in addition to the five bonus points also up for grabs in the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.

Evans completed SS10 with no hybrid boost on his GR Yaris. Even with the issue fixed, he could not find an answer to the sudden speed of Neuville and Ogier. “I don’t know what’s going on,” the Welshman admitted after yielding 16.9s in the afternoon’s first stage. “It didn’t feel great, but that [time is] chronic.”

Ott Tanak — back with Hyundai after a season at M-Sport Ford — strengthened his hold on fourth place as he pulled away from his closest challenger, M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux, helped by a stage win on the first run through Pellafol/Agnieres-en-Devoluy. The two were split by more than one minute at close of play, with Fourmaux doubling down on his conservative approach after seeing his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 teammate Gregoire Munster go off the road in the afternoon’s opening stage.

Adrien Fourmaux has been playing it safe on his return to an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, but holds fifth overall. M-Sport photo

Munster’s demise allowed Hyundai debutant Andreas Mikkelsen to consolidate sixth, while Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta climbed up to seventh following his costly ditch excursion on Friday.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin holds on to the class lead in his Citroen C3, but by the slimmest of margins. Skoda Fabia RS driver Pepe Lopez traded stage times and the top spot with the Bulgarian throughout Saturday’s six tests and finished the day just 0.2s in arrears.

Frenchman Yohan Rossel completes the top three in his Citroen C3, just 6.7s back from second-placed Spaniard Lopez and certainly not out of contention for the class win heading into Sunday’s short, but potentially decisive final leg.

Nikolay Gryazin clung on to his WRC2 lead after a to-and-fro duel with Pepe Lopez. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Sunday’s final leg features three stages as crews journey south to Monaco and the podium ceremony in the center of Monte Carlo. The trio add up to 32.39 competitive miles, with plenty of points still on offer before the rally finishes in the principality.

WRC Monte Carlo Rally, positions after Leg Two, SS14
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2h37m58.5s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3.3s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +34.9s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m46.9s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m54.0s
6 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +4m21.2s
7 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +7m34.0s
8 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +8m55.7s
9 Pepe Lopez/David Vazquez (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m55.9s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +9m02.6s

Check out WRC.com, the official home of the FIA World Rally Championship. And for the ultimate WRC experience, sign up for a Rally.TV subscription to watch all stages of every rally live and on demand, whenever and wherever.

Ogier hunts down Evans in intense WRC Monte Carlo Rally Friday

Elfyn Evans leads the FIA World Championship’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally after Friday’s leg, but is under increasing pressure from his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Sebastien Ogier. Welshman Evans ( above) is one of the favorites to land the …

Elfyn Evans leads the FIA World Championship’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally after Friday’s leg, but is under increasing pressure from his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Sebastien Ogier.

Welshman Evans (above) is one of the favorites to land the 2024 title, thanks to reigning champ and Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera electing to run only a limited program this season. But his prospects of starting the year with a victory on the WRC’s most storied event are far from certain with nine-time winner Ogier on a charge.

Evans had been 21.6s clear of Ogier’s similar GR Yaris Rally 1 after Thursday’s pair of curtain-raising night stages, but Ogier is now looming large in the Welshman’s rearview mirror after a stunning drive over the French Alps roads near Gap saw him reduce that deficit down to just 4.5s at the end of the leg

The Frenchman won two of Friday morning’s three stages and climbed from third to second after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville spun his i20 N Rally in the day’s second test.

Ogier, who is also running only a limited program for Toyota in 2024, had moved to within 10.7s of Evans by the day’s midpoint, with the bulk of the time being gained over the 11.38-mile, ice patch-effected stage from La Breole to Selonnet.

The Toyota duo were closely matched for much of the repeated afternoon loop, but it was again at La Bréole/Selonnet — held in darkness on its second, leg-closing run — where Ogier shone, outpacing Evans by 4.1s to set up a showdown going into Saturday’s penultimate leg.

Sebastien Ogier is in attack mode, now trailing rally leader and Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans by just 4.5s. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT photo

“It was a difficult start to the rally, but we expected that with our start position,” said Gap-born Ogier, who started fourth on the road, making for dirtier conditions than lead-off man Evans, but is looking for a record-stretching 10^th win on his home event. “Now I am glad that we managed to be very close — tomorrow will be fun.”

Evans, who was never outside the top three times on any of the opening eight stages, admitted that conditions had been difficult to read.

“It never gets easier, this rally,” he explained. “[The last stage was] very difficult in the dark. I had a lot of information, but I couldn’t see a lot of it, to be honest — I just had to trust it. It’s very difficult to read the conditions on the road. I’m happy to get through today without any issues.”

Neuville’s Hyundai remained very much in the fight at the sharp end, too, trailing Ogier by 11.6s in third. The Belgian won three of Friday’s six special stages and enjoyed a trouble-free run aside from his early-morning spin.

Third-placed Thierry Neuville is 11.6s behind Ogier’s Toyota after winning three of Friday’s stages. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ott Tanak, who’s back with Hyundai after a single season with M-Sport Ford, was lucky to end the day only 57.5s further back in fourth after ice on a right-hander sent his i20 N Rally1 sliding into a ditch during the morning’s opening test. It took spectators only 40s to push the Estonian back on to the road. M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta also went off at the same location, with the latter dropping more than five minutes.

Adrien Fourmaux repaid M-Sport Ford’s faith in him by delivering an impressive third-best time in the morning’s third stage. The 28-year-old Frenchman is returning to the WRC’s top level having contested WRC2 for M-Sport in 2023, and he completed the top five aboard a Puma Rally1.

Andreas Mikkelsen, also returning to the WRC’s top class for the first time since 2019, ended the day more than one minute back from Fourmaux in sixth overall. Driving a Hyundai, the Norwegian found it difficult to trust the information in his pace notes with surface conditions changing constantly. He’s 28.2s ahead of the seventh-placed Munster.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin is heading a three-way fight for supremacy, besting Pepe Lopez on Friday’s final stage to secure the overnight lead by just 1.3s.

Starting Friday with a 14.2s advantage following a formidable effort in his Skoda Fabia RS on Thursday’s two night stages, Lopez saw his lead vanish in changeable conditions on Friday morning. Possibly unsettled by the challenges faced by top-level cars further up the road, the 28-year-old Spaniard opted for a more cautious approach.

In stark contrast, Gryazin threw caution to the wind in his first WRC start in a Citroen C3 Rally2, going 16.1s quicker than Lopez to seize the lead. However, after regaining the confidence he’d displayed the evening before, Lopez reclaimed the lead before midday by setting the fastest time on the morning’s remaining stages.

Repeating his performance from the morning’s opening run at St-Leger-les-Melezes/La Batie-Neuve, Gryazin once again took back the top spot only to lose 5.6s to Lopez on the day’s penultimate stage. However, Gryazin swiftly retaliated, going 4.3s quicker than anyone else as darkness descended and retaking the lead to set the stage for a tense Saturday.

Nikolay Gryazin (ABOVE) enjoyed a back-and-forth battle with Pepe Lopez for the WRC2 lead. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Completing the top three after a strong Friday showing was 2023 WRC2 winner and Gryazin’s teammate Yvan Rossel. The Frenchman is only 4.9s behind second-placed Lopez, with everything still to play for.

Saturday brings another full-on schedule with Esparron/Ozenet launching the day at 08.05 local time. Les Nonieres/Chichilianne and Pellafol/Agnieres-en-Devoluy follow before the trio are repeated in the afternoon, bringing the day’s total competitive distance to 74.81 miles.

WRC Monte Carlo Rally, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h25m28.9s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4.5s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +16.1s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m13.6s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m38.0s
6 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m58.9s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m27.1s
8 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +5m18.9s
9 Pepe Lopez/David Vazquez (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +5m20.2s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +5m25.1s

Interview: Oliver Solberg on WRC2, winning and the importance of donuts

World Rally Championship WRC2 challenger Oliver Solberg is eager for to build on the strengths he showed in his first season in the second tier of international rallying, “The same as this year,” the 22 year-old Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver said …

World Rally Championship WRC2 challenger Oliver Solberg is eager for to build on the strengths he showed in his first season in the second tier of international rallying,

“The same as this year,” the 22 year-old Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver said confidently when asked about his expectations. “The speed and the experience is definitely there. I want to try and be world champion. It’s simple.”

Solberg en route to victory on home ground in Rally Sweden. McKlein photo

Ranking sixth in this year’s WRC2 standings, Solberg — son of 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg — bookended his season with victories in the season-opening Rally Sweden as well as Rally Chile. Keen to prove to the world that he was, in fact, the fastest driver in the classification, Solberg did just that, easily winning the most stages in 2023 WRC2 competition.

Now he’s looking to build on that…after a stint playing Santa.

“Well, right now I’m in Sweden and in the workshop making Christmas gifts for all of the sponsors and everyone,” he related. “The sponsors help me and then I can do something nice back for them.”

Solberg has admitted boredom sets in for him during the offseason, but says he’s learning to make the most of the time away.

“It’s OK. Offseason is the most hectic season. Obviously, that’s when all the work starts for the future. It’s boring because you can’t drive, but it’s fun in another way. It’s a lot of work and it’s good fun in that way.”

One item Solberg was able to attend to immediately after Rally Chile was the 350-mile Roger Albert Clark Rally. Climbing into his father’s restored Ford Escort RS1800, Solberg charged through Wales, Scotland, the north of England and the Kielder forest before sliding off and getting stuck in the mud on SS29.

“Ah, it was amazing,” sighed Solberg of the RAC rally he is so passionate of. “It has always been a dream of mine to do the rally. It was a proper adventure. Five days of classic rallying with classic and proper rally cars, 10,700rpm and driving half of the rally in the dark. It was amazing. It was really, really, really amazing.

“You know, my grandfather did the rally back in the 1970s. His best finish was exactly 50 years ago. He did the rally in 1973. It’s a cool story. It was exactly 50 years in-between rallies for him. It was hardcore rallying. It was proper old school rally. The car that I competed in was from 1976, so you can imagine that it was proper shifting and no power steering. Yeah, the car was absolutely fantastic to drive.”

Taking a step back and a long look at his 2023 body of work, Solberg finds a lot to take satisfaction in.

“I have to say it has been fantastic, to be honest. I was really, really happy with the year,” said the Swede. “I was the fastest overall this year and I’m still young, so I’m very happy. Obviously, I was leading the world championship early on in the year, but then having some technical issues early in the year was not optimal. That’s just how it is. Otherwise, it has been an absolutely amazing year with a lot of wins and a lot of positives. We traveled the world. It was amazing.

“You know, the dream was to be world champion, but otherwise and on the other side, being the quickest overall at every rally and on every surface this year was definitely all part of the goal,” he reasoned. “Getting back to the top and working on it and getting confidence back was what I wanted and I 100-percent achieved that goal. I have to be very happy.”

While displaying straight-up speed was his primary objective, Solberg also worked on managing the contests he competed in, at times almost slowing down and calming down to go, well, faster.

“Yeah, for sure I learned a lot with that,” said Solberg. “You know, getting older and getting more mature is helpful, and of course you’re learning a lot year by year and race by race. I was pushing when I could push. I was pushing when I knew the speed was good. I could also back off a little bit sometimes. It was definitely a big learning curve in that sense, as well.

“I won two championship races; I won the European race, as well. I also won the Race of Champions with my dad again this year — obviously a fantastic moment. We did that for the second year in a row and that is always special.

Ironically, though, Solberg says one of the highlights of his year was a race he didn’t win. The Swede was handily leading Rally Portugal when he was assessed a penalty for performing a donut for the fans at the Lousada stage superspecial.

“Wins are always excellent and the very highest, but I think the highest and coolest point was probably the Rally of Portugal,” he admitted. “I was in the lead and I did some donuts and I got a penalty. I was almost able to catch back up to the win — I was only one second behind. It was definitely very bittersweet, but still a big highlight. It was great fun and a lot of fans and atmosphere and the buzz around it all was absolutely crazy, so I think that was a cool highlight.”

While the Portuguese result stung a bit, down deep, Solberg was thrilled to stoke out the fans that afternoon.

“Yeah, that’s what I love. I love to share the passion with people and when people have the same passion that I do, it’s fantastic,” he said. “That’s what makes it fun, you know? After Ken Block passed away, I learned a lot by trying to enjoy life while you can. I try and engage with people. I try to reach out to the fans. There are few drivers who do that these days. I really want to connect with the people that make the sport so big. Sharing the passion with the people. I think that’s what makes it the most fun.

“I try to be myself and Ken was really helpful with me when I was young. He was always a big idol to me and he was my first-ever sponsor with DC Shoes when I was a kid. We also did Gymkhana TEN together. He obviously was a big, big inspiration to me, so I just tried to learn from that by doing what you love and doing what you believe. I want to bring the fans into the sport because that is what makes it so good. That’s a lot of inspiration from Ken, obviously.”

All things considered, Solberg has been quite pleased with the Skoda team and its Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

“Yeah, definitely it has been great with both the car and the team. The car was brand-new for this year and it performed really well so early on at the early rallies,” he noted. “That was definitely a positive. We worked hard over the year trying to develop everything together. There has been a great vibe inside the team trying to have that passion and enjoyment between the people. That is very important and that’s what I’m trying to push inside the team. I want us to have fun together.

Solberg is still ironing out what his 2024 WRC campaign will look like.

“Nothing is done yet for 2024 — it is starting to evolve” Solberg said. “We’re starting to get meetings and contracts and everything going, you know?

That evolution will apparently not include Solberg graduating to the premiere WRC division for 2024, though.

“It will not be WRC,” he said. “I got a few offers, actually, but it appears that I will compete in WRC2 in 2024.”

Evans heads Toyota 1-2-3 with dominant WRC Rally Japan win

Elfyn Evans secured a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday at WRC Rally Japan as his Toyota Gazoo Racing team locked out the top three positions on home asphalt. The Welshman (above) clinched his eighth career win, and third of the season, by finishing …

Elfyn Evans secured a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday at WRC Rally Japan as his Toyota Gazoo Racing team locked out the top three positions on home asphalt.

The Welshman (above) clinched his eighth career win, and third of the season, by finishing a dominant 1m17.7s ahead of teammate Sebastien Ogier at the final round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship. The result confirmed Evans as the runner-up in WRC points for the third time in four seasons.

Evans laid the foundations for victory early in the all-asphalt fixture when he charged to a near-two-minute advantage in Friday’s rain-soaked opening leg in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. From then on, he was able to control the rally by adapting his risk level to suit the ever-changing conditions.

Kalle Rovanpera took the final podium spot, capping off a near-perfect season for Toyota which includes repeat WRC titles for Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen, plus a third successive manufacturers’ championship victory for the Japanese marque.

Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin headed a 1-2-3 for Toyota on its home asphalt. Toyota Gazoo Racing photo

“It was not easy with the conditions we had this week, even though we had a massive gap already after Friday night,” said Evans. “A massive thanks to the team — the car’s been great and a 1-2-3 for Toyota is a fantastic result.”

Eight-time WRC champ Ogier, who’s taken in a part-time program in 2023, damaged his GR Yaris’s chassis when he slid into a barrier on Saturday. The required repairs meant he exceeded his allocated service time, collecting a one-minute time penalty which ultimately prevented him from threatening Evans’ advantage.

Ogier finished 28.8s ahead of Rovanpera, while Esapekka Lappi, driving a Hyundai i20 Rally1, held off Toyota’s fourth entry, home hero Takamoto Katsuta, to claim fourth by 20.0s.

Katsuta was fastest through nine of the rally’s 21 stages, but ended just over three minutes adrift of winner Evans due to a car-damaging and time-losing incident on Friday morning. Without that misdemeanor, the 30-year-old could well have celebrated his first WRC victory.

Ott Tanak was unable to find a decent balance with his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, and sixth place was all the Estonian could manage on his final outing for the British-based team. The 2019 WRC champ returns to Hyundai Motorsport’s lineup next season.

Ott Tanak ended his single-season detour to M-Sport Ford with an out-of-sorts sixth-place finish. M-Sport photo

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Andreas Mikkelsen was in a league of his own and took victory by more than a minute. Mikkelsen wrapped up the class title a fortnight ago at Central European Rally, and the win here in Japan was his fourth of the season.

“This one was really nice,” Mikkelsen said. “It’s been a really challenging weekend and I think our experience was key here. We made the difference on the first two stages and then from then on we tried to control it.”

Newly-crowned WRC2 champ Andreas Mikkelsen took his fourth class win of the season. McKlein/Motorsport Images

The Norwegian headed home Nikolay Gryazin and Kajetan Kajetanowicz for an all-Skoda Fabia RS WRC2 podium.

Pole Kajetanowicz’s podium secured the WRC2 Challenger crown, an accolade introduced this season for WRC2-registered crews who have not previously won a title with Rally2 machinery at WRC level.

The WRC returns in a little over two months from now, with the asphalt Alpine stages — and possible ice and snow — of the Monte Carlo Rally opening the 2024 season, Jan 25-28.

WRC Rally Japan, final positions after Leg Three, SS21
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h32m08.8s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m17.7s
3 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m46.5s
4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m50.3s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3m10.3s
6 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m28.3s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +7m33.7s
8 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Sloda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m49.6s
9 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +19m25.9s
10 Hiroki Arai/Hiroki Tachikui (Peugeot 208 Rally 4 – RC4) +22m22.7s

Final WRC Drivers’ Championship after 13 rounds
1 Rovanpera 250 points
2 Evans 216
3 Thierry Neuville 189
4 Tanak 174
5 Sebastien Ogier 133

Final WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 13 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 548 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 432
3 M-Sport Ford 287

Evans puts Toyota on brink of first WRC Rally Japan victory

Elfyn Evans (above) is poised to deliver Toyota Gazoo Racing its first home WRC after maintaining a commanding lead over teammate Sebastien Ogier on Rally Japan’s penultimate leg. The early lead built by Evans when he dominated Friday’s soaking-wet …

Elfyn Evans (above) is poised to deliver Toyota Gazoo Racing its first home WRC after maintaining a commanding lead over teammate Sebastien Ogier on Rally Japan’s penultimate leg.

The early lead built by Evans when he dominated Friday’s soaking-wet leg of the FIA World Rally Championship’s all-asphalt finale meant he could avoid taking unnecessary risks on the drier, but still treacherously slippery, roads faced on Saturday. It even began to snow at one point late in the day but, to the competitors’ relief, the shower was short lived.

Evans’ vigilant approach in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 allowed Ogier to slash his lead by almost 40 seconds over the course of the day, but the Welshman still has 1m15.0s in hand over the eight-time WRC champ heading into Sunday’s six-stage final leg.

Taking a victory here would be sweet revenge for the 34-year-old Evans after wheel damage in 2022 gifted Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville the victory. Neuville crashed on Friday, restarted the Saturday leg in his repaired i20 N Rally1, but is no longer in contention.

“It’s been pretty OK,” said Evans. “Getting caught in some rain in the penultimate stage was not so nice, and we were maybe too careful in some places, but it was always going to be a bit tricky to judge our speed today with such a big gap.”

Newly-crowned WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera completed a GR Yaris-dominated overnight top three, trailing Ogier by 25.6s at the end of Saturday’s leg. The 23-year-old Finn should have nothing to worry about on Sunday as his closest challenger, Esapekka Lappi, languishes more than one minute behind him in his Hyundai.

Having been hindered by technical gremlins on Friday, Ott Tanak clawed himself and his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 up the leaderboard to reach the overnight halt in fifth overall. But the Estonian, driving his last rally for M-Sport before returning to Hyundai, will be keeping a keen eye on his rear-view mirrors, with Takamoto Katsuta only 14.9s behind.

Ott Tanak has clawed his way to fifth in his final rally in an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. M Sport photo

Local hero Katsuta lost a large chunk of time when he crashed his GR Yaris early in the rally, but the Japanese ace has been on an upward trajectory ever since, racking up seven fastest stage times so far.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, newly-crowned champ Andreas Mikkelsen expanded his class lead, but fell down the rally’s overall leaderboard from fourth to seventh as drier conditions allowed the more powerful Rally1 cars to assert themselves.

The Skoda Fabia RS driver is 8.3s ahead of Gregoire Munster’s M-Sport Ford Fiesta MkII. But with Munster not registered for WRC2 points in Japan, Mikkelsen’s nearest competitor for the official class win is fellow Skoda driver Nikolay Gryazin, who sits 43.3s behind.

Newly-crowned WRC2 champ Andreas Mikkelsen extended his class lead on the Japanese asphalt. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Mikkelsen secured the overall WRC2 title at the Central European Rally two weeks ago, and while a victory at this final round of the season would be an additional feather in the Norwegian driver’s cap, he faces no pressure to perform.

“We’ve put on a new setup for tomorrow,” revealed Mikkelsen, “so let’s see how it works and what the day will bring — probably a new big challenge!”

Sunday’s final leg consists of six special stages – a loop of three tests repeated twice — and culminates with the second run through the 4.67-mile Asahi Kougen test as the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Japan, positions after Leg Two, SS16
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h28m20.8s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m15.0s
3 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m40.6s
4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m09.3s
5 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m35.3s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3m50.3s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +5m11.3s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Fiesta Mk II – WRC2, non-points) +5m19.6s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Sloda Fabia RS – WRC2) +5m54.6s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +12m51.6s

Faultless Evans leads after soaking, dramatic WRC Rally Japan Friday

Elfyn Evans led Rally Japan by 1m49.9s overnight after streaming-wet conditions in Friday’s opening leg caught out several of his FIA World Rally Championship rivals. Torrential rainfall, thick fog and roads covered with damp leaves were just some …

Elfyn Evans led Rally Japan by 1m49.9s overnight after streaming-wet conditions in Friday’s opening leg caught out several of his FIA World Rally Championship rivals.

Torrential rainfall, thick fog and roads covered with damp leaves were just some of the challenges faced by crews on the first full day of action at the WRC’s 2023 season finale. Survival was the aim of the game and, while several of his rivals faltered, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 driver Evans (above) barely put a wheel wrong.

A minor overshoot in the second stage of the day did not prevent the Welshman from reaching the lunchtime service halt with a 26s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, his main rival for the runner-up spot in this year’s drivers’ championship.

Neuville, winner of last year’s Rally Japan, responded in the afternoon’s repeated stages by cutting Evans’ advantage by more than half with a blistering run through Isegami’s Tunnel 2. But his comeback was cut short when he crashed his i20 N Rally1 into a tree on the first corner of the following stage, Inabu Dam 2.

The Belgian wasn’t the only driver to be caught out by the conditions and joined Hyundai teammate Dani Sordo as well as M-Sport Ford Puma Rally 1driver Adrien Fourmaux on the retirements list after both drivers left the road at the same location in the morning’s treacherous opening stage.

Adrien Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford Puma and Dani Sordo’s Hyundai i20 N found the same picturesque resting place… Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

With Neuville out, Evans had breathing space at the top of the leader board, and with two of his Hyundai rivals sidelined, he heads a GR Yaris podium lockout for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

“It’s been tough, obviously,” confirmed the leader. “This morning, especially, was quite bad — but the afternoon was also not easy to adapt to after going from the zero-grip situation of the morning to having something you can actually drive a bit with.”

After Neuville’s exit, Sebastien Ogier became Evans’ nearest challenger — although the eight-time world champion conceded that catching up with his Toyota teammate would be a tall order.

Ogier, who’s running a part-time WRC program in 2023, slid sideways into a barrier on the afternoon’s opening stage, but was able to continue with minimal time loss. The impact did, however, damage the chassis of his GR Yaris. With the required repairs causing him to check out late from the final service of the day, he collected a one-minute time penalty.

“You are always happy when you survive this kind of day because so many things can happen — and so many things did happen,” Ogier said. “The moment this afternoon cost us a bit of time, but we are happy to still be here because it could have cost us a lot more.”

Running first on the road, newly-crowned WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera was hindered by lingering leaves, so he took a cautious approach in his GR Yaris as he carved a cleaner line for those behind. The 23-year-old Finn’s consistency paid off as he finished the day error free in third overall, just 16.7s back from teammate Ogier.

Two-time and newly-crowned WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera took a cautious approach to hold third overall. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Toyota could have enjoyed a clean sweep of the top-four positions were it not for an error by Takamoto Katsuta on the same corner which caught out Sordo and Fourmaux. His Yaris brushed a tree and sustained radiator damage, but the local star was able to make it back to service after completing the stage in EV mode and carrying out repairs on the liaison section.

That incident, combined with the time penalties for lateness after his roadside fix, cost Katsuta more than four minutes. He languished in ninth overall as a result, although the three fastest stage times he posted throughout the day were clear signs of what could have been.

Just ahead of Katsuta, Ott Tanak was eighth on a day which saw his Puma Rally1 plagued by gremlins. Making his last start for M-Sport Ford before returning to Hyundai for 2024, the Estonian dropped almost three minutes when the car’s windows misted up on the day’s second stage and he leaked more time in the afternoon with a performance-sapping electrical issue.

Such was the rate of attrition among the Rally1 entries that several crews from the WRC2 field, the second tier of international rallying, got their chance to shine on the soaking Japanese aspahalt.

Newly-crowned WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen, driving a Rally2-spec Skoda Fabia RS, sat fourth overall at the overnight halt. Behind him was M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster, also competing in Rally2 machinery again after getting behind the wheel of a Rally1 Puma for the previous two WRC rounds.

Mikkelsen and co-driver Torstein Eriksen arrived in Japan under no pressure to perform, having sealed the coveted WRC2 crown two weeks ago at Central European Rally. Nevertheless, the duo led the category by 29.4s at the end of the leg and — even more impressive — sat just 53.6s behind the overall WRC champ, third-placed Rovanpera.

“It’s been a very good day,” said Mikkelsen. “Before lunch we had a good push and after that I tried to drive clever in the afternoon. Tricky conditions, but so far, so good.”

With the pressure off, new WRC2 champ Andreas Mikkelsen mixed it with the Rally1 crews in the torrid conditions. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Munster, who isn’t registered for WRC2 points in Japan, finished the day a mere 4.8s behind Mikkelsen, with Nikolay Gryazin a further 24.6s further back and holding sixth overall in his Skoda.

Making it four Rally2-spec cars in the top 10, former Formula 1 race winner Heikki Kovalainen proved he’s no slouch behind the wheel of a rally car, bringing his ex-Esapekka Lappi Fabia R5 10th overall at the overnight halt.

Saturday is shorter, but certainly no less challenging. Eight stages lie in store with a combined total of 52.62 miles.

WRC Rally Japan, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h25m22.7s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m49.9s
3 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m06.6s
4 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +3m00.2s
5 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Fiesta Mk II – WRC2, non-points) +3m05.0s
6 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Sloda Fabia RS – WRC2) +3m29.6s
7 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m44.3s
8 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m42.8s
9 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5m07.9s
10 Heikki Kovalainen/Sae Kitagawa (Skoda Fabia – WRC2) +5m56.0s

Ken Block’s final Gymkhana film set for December release

Almost a year after his death in a snowmobile accident, Hoonigan and Audi will release the final Ken Block film, Electrikhana TWO. Following on from 2022’s Electrikhana (pictured), which until now was believed to be the final Ken Block film, …

Almost a year after his death in a snowmobile accident, Hoonigan and Audi will release the final Ken Block film, Electrikhana TWO.

Following on from 2022’s Electrikhana (pictured), which until now was believed to be the final Ken Block film, Electrikhana TWO will feature the World Rally and Rallycross veteran tearing up Mexico City in the all-electric Audi S1 Hoonitron.

[lawrence-related id=315070]

In a trailer video posted on YouTube, Block can be seen launching from the Plaza de Toros, drifting around roundabouts, and charging around the grounds of Mexico City International Airport in a nod to the early Gymkhana films.

It is the second Block film to be shot in Mexico after Gymkhana TEN, which featured a Ford Focus RS RX (and a Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS turbo in a spin-off video) on the streets of Guanajuato, and comes after the Hoonitron’s debut last year, in which Block took to Las Vegas.

Electrikhana in Vegas was Block’s first collaboration with Audi, with which he joined forces to work on electric projects after his 11-year relationship with Ford came to an end. The Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron was the first car to result from the collaboration, and followed in the footsteps of the Projekt E Ford Fiesta he raced in 2020 and the Extreme E Odyssey 21 which he tested in the same year.

After Electrikhana – and now Electrikhana TWO – the car made its public debut in the hands of nine-times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

But nearly two years after the car was revealed for the first time, Audi is still keeping its cards close to its chest, although we know it can launch into a 93 mph donut from a standstill in an instant – because Ken Block – while Block himself speculated that development of the car cost eight figures, its laser headlights alone are said to have cost $300,000.

Electrikhana TWO will arrive in December. You can watch the trailer below.

Rovanpera clinches second WRC title on Central European Rally

Kalle Rovanpera is a two-time FIA World Rally Champion after clinching his second consecutive title on Sunday with a runner-up finish on the inaugural Central European Rally. The 23-year-old Finn came home 57.6s behind rally winner Thierry Neuville …

Kalle Rovanpera is a two-time FIA World Rally Champion after clinching his second consecutive title on Sunday with a runner-up finish on the inaugural Central European Rally.

The 23-year-old Finn came home 57.6s behind rally winner Thierry Neuville after a measured performance on Sunday’s short final leg of an all-asphalt event that featured stages in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. And with one WRC round still to go, he can’t now be caught by his nearest rival, Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans.

Entering this rally with a 31-point lead over Evans, reigning champ Rovanpera simply needed to maintain that advantage to claim back-to-back crowns. When Evans suffered a dramatic crash in his GR Yaris Rally1 on Saturday morning, the path to victory was all but assured.

Following a steady start to the season, Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen hit their stride in May by winning Rally Portugal. From that moment on, the pair have only finished outside of the podium twice, adding victories in Estonia and Greece.

“I am feeling really good,” said Rovanpera. “I think this year was, for me personally, more important than last year. The competition was tighter, and we did a really good job. The biggest thank you of course goes to Jonne — he is also the world’s best co-driver. I am going to enjoy this one more than the first one.”

Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen celebrate clinching back-to-back WRC crowns. Red Bull Content Pool

Neuville’s outright rally victory may have been overshadowed by the champions’ celebrations, but the Belgian’s drive was a masterclass in precision through three days of often treacherous road conditions.

Driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Neuville took control on Saturday morning, started Sunday’s final leg with a 26.2s lead, and extended that to almost a minute at the finish to claim his 19th outright WRC career victory on the slippery asphalt roads across Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.

“Overall, we did a good job,” Neuville said. “We had good consistency which ultimately paid off. It was a team effort this weekend and we did it, so we can be proud of that.”

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville took his second outright win of 2023 — the 19th of his WRC career. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak overcame a hydraulic failure on the penultimate day to complete the podium, but almost two minutes back from the front-running pace in his Puma Rally1.

Eight-time WRC champ Sebastien Ogier, making one of his occasional 2023 WRC appearances, fought back from wheel damage on Friday to claim fourth ahead of his Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta.

Teemu Suninen’s Hyundai finished sixth overall, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster, with Pierre-Louis Loubet Puma the only other Rally1 car in the top 10.

Evans did restart Sunday’s final leg after Saturday’s off, and at least had the consolation of setting fastest time in the bonus points-paying, rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Torsten Eriksen are the 2023 champions thanks to their last-gasp Wolf Power Stage victory.

In perhaps one of the most remarkable turnarounds the Norwegian has experienced in his career, Mickelsen clinched the title despite finishing in 13th place in the class, more than 13 minutes behind WRC2 winner Nicolas Ciamin.

Andreas Mikkelsen (right) and co-driver Torsten Eriksen needed Power Stage victory to secure their 2023 WRC2 title. Red Bull Content Pool

Mikkelsen’s chances of wrapping up the title on pace alone vanished on Friday morning when his Skoda Fabia RS left the road, a mishap which cost around 10 minutes. But, with his closest championship rival — Citroen’s Yohan Rossel — out after hitting a tree, fellow Skoda pilot Gus Greensmith was the only remaining driver who stood a realistic chance of preventing Mikkelsen’s celebrations at this penultimate round of the season.

Greensmith’s own struggles, including a puncture on day one, limited him to fourth place in the class results. Crucially, his failure to score any Wolf Power Stage bonus points, coupled with Mikkelsen’s benchmark time through the finale, meant that both he and Mikkelsen ended the rally with 111 points apiece.

Mikkelsen, unlike his rival, still has one scoring round remaining. His three victories so far this season, compared with Greensmith’s two, earned him the title on countback. Regardless of his result at Rally Japan next month, the 34-year-old can no longer be beaten.

The 2023 WRC season comes to a close in Asia next month at Rally Japan. Another all-asphalt event, the rally runs on the tight, twisty roads around Aichi, Nov. 16-19.

WRC Central European Rally, final positions after Leg Three, SS18
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h52m39.9s
2 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +57.6s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m52.8s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m08.6s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m48.3s
6 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m06.3s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m22.3s
8 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – RC2, non-points) +11m35.8s
9 Nicolas Ciamin/Yannick Roche (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +11m53.1s
10 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Puma Rally1) +12m04.3s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 12 rounds
1 Rovanpera 235 points (2023 champion)
2 Evans 191
3 Neuville 184
4 Tanak 162
5 Sebastien Ogier 114

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 12 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 504 points (2023 champion)
2 Hyundai Motorsport 399
3 M-Sport Ford 271

Rovanpera on verge of WRC crown as Evans exits Central European Rally

Just four stages stand between Kalle Rovanpera (above) and back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship crowns after his only remaining title rival, Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans, crashed out of the Central European Rally on Saturday. Having …

Having dominated Thursday’s treacherous stages, run over muddy asphalt in the Czech Republic, to build a commanding lead on the WRC’s newest event, 23-year-old Rovanpera was already doing more than enough to successfully defend his 2022 drivers’ crown.

With the action moving to Austria and Germany for Saturday, a spin on the morning’s second stage allowed Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville to slash the Finn’s advantage by more than half. But the dynamic completely changed later in the morning when Evans, who’d been sitting third overall in his GR Yaris Rally1, crashed out of contention.

Evans needed to outscore his teammate by at least one point on this penultimate round to keep the fight going to the WRC’s Japan finale next month, but he came unstuck on a slippery right-hand bend and slid into a wooden barn (see video below), damaging the left-rear suspension and going no further.

The Welshman will restart on Sunday in a desperate bid to salvage bonus points from the Wolf Power Stage. But even then, Rovanpera would need to post a non-finish — a seemingly unlikely scenario as things stand — for Evans’ long-shot title bid to continue.

Sacrificing his chances of the outright rally win to focus on his championship prospects, Rovanpera dialed back his speed following Evans’ exit. Neuville, as a result, was left to build a 26.2s lead in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 at the conclusion of the penultimate leg of the all-asphalt counter.

“It’s good to be at the finish of the day,” said Rovanpera, who simply needs a drama-free run through the closing stages to clinch the title. “It’s tough out there. I think these are the most tough [asphalt] rally conditions I have ever seen.”

Neuville, who’s in line to become the first ever Central European Rally winner, added: “All afternoon we tried to manage the gap and I am happy to finish the day in the lead of the rally. We are following our target.”

With Kalle Rovanpera easing off, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville looks set for victory on the inaugural Central European Rally. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ott Tanak ensured that all three Rally1 manufacturers ended the day on the provisional podium, bringing his M-Sport Ford Puma to the overnight halt in a lonely third overall. A non-functioning handbrake caused the Estonian some frustrations in the day’s final stage and he trails Rovanpera by more than one minute, with Sebastien Ogier’s GR Yaris another 31.1s behind in fourth.

The battle for fifth place continues to rage between Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen. Katsuta struggled to feel confident on the greasy asphalt roads in the morning, but upped his pace in the afternoon to claim the overnight position by 10.9s.

Completing the Rally1 runners, M-Sport young gun hotshot Gregoire Munster was seventh overall, ahead of the similar Puma of Pierre-Louis Loubet.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, M-Sport Fiesta driver Adrien Fourmaux is the leading runner in Rally 2-spec equipment, holding ninth overall, but isn’t registered for WRC2 championship points this weekend. Instead, one place behind the Frenchman, Emil Lindholm’s Hyundai i20 N leads the class.

Emil Lindholm’s Hyundai i20 N continues to lead in WRC2. Behind him, the title drama is building… McKlein/Motorsport Images)

Behind Lindholm — as in, way behind — Andreas Mikkelsen is within touching distance of clinching the WRC2 title, despite trailing the class leader by more than 13 minutes after Saturday’s stages.

Mikkelsen’s weekend on the all-new, all-asphalt event has not gone to plan so far. The Norwegian driver languishes 16th overall among the WRC2 runners after pitching his Skoda Fabia RS into the undergrowth on Friday morning.

He then suffered another time-consuming spin on Saturday morning, but the demise of Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel and Gus Greensmith’s current standing of fifth in class means that Mikkelsen can still wrap up the title on Sunday. As it stands, he must outscore fellow Skoda driver Greensmith in the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage to seal the deal.

Should Greensmith climb to fourth, it gets more complicated. Mikkelsen would then need to win the Power Stage, at the same time being reliant on Greensmith not scoring any bonus points. And, if Greensmith makes it inside the top three, the title will be decided in Japan next month.

Sunday’s final leg consists of two stages, each run twice, across two countries. Bohmerwald in Austria is first up, before the cars cross the border for Passauer Land in Germany, the second pass of which forms the Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Central European Rally, positions after Leg Two, SS14
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h18m34.5s
2 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +26.2s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m49.1s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m20.2s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m47.9s
6 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m58.8s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m52.2s
8 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Puma Rally1) +9m05.8s
9 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – RC2, non-points) +9m12.3s
10 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Hyundai i20 N – WRC2 leader) +9m18.8s

Rovanpera tops treacherous Friday at WRC Central European Rally

Kalle Rovanpera appeared oblivious to Friday’s punishing conditions on the WRC’s Central European Rally as he stormed to a commanding 36.4s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. The 23-year-old Finn (above) sits on the verge of claiming his second …

Kalle Rovanpera appeared oblivious to Friday’s punishing conditions on the WRC’s Central European Rally as he stormed to a commanding 36.4s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.

The 23-year-old Finn (above) sits on the verge of claiming his second consecutive FIA World Rally Championship, with Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans the only other driver still mathematically in contention.

If Rovanpera matches or betters Evans’ score at this 12th and penultimate round, title number two is guaranteed — and after Friday’s wet-weather masterclass, who’d bet against him?

A brand-new event for 2023, the all-asphalt Central European Rally includes stages spread across three countries — Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, with the latter taking center stage on Friday.

Heavy rain and perilous mud thrown on to the road by corner-cutting cars challenged the crews as they tackled six special stages on the rally’s first full day.

Running first on the road courtesy of his WRC points lead, Rovanpera took full advantage of the less polluted surface offered by his starting position. He reached the mid-leg tire-fitting zone 29.2s clear of the field after winning all three of the morning’s treacherously slippy tests in his GR Yaris Rally1.

His domination continued into the repeated afternoon loop when, in conditions more consistent for drivers throughout the field — as in, everyone now had to contend with the mud thrown on the roads during the morning loop — he widened the gap further.

As it stands, Rovanpera is poised to claim the title unless he makes a major error during the remaining two days, or Evans, who languishes 47.2s behind him in third overall, can stage a remarkable comeback.

Sitting third overall, Elfyn Evans will need to ramp it up to keep his WRC title hopes alive. Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool

“It has been super tricky today,” Rovanpera said. “Luckily, the weather was on our side for once with the starting position — it was good to be the first car on the road. We can be happy with our day.”

Neuville initially led after Thursday’s pair of short super special stages, but fell to third on Friday morning after struggling with his car’s setup. The Belgian felt his i20 N Rally1 would have benefited from softer suspension springs but, with no opportunity for service between loops, changes were not possible.

Nevertheless, he maintained the pressure on Evans and, after passing the Welshman to claim the runner-up spot in the final stage, ended the day 10.8s in front.

Also feeling at odds with his car’s handling was M-Sport Ford Puma driver Ott Tanak, who ended the leg a lonely fourth overall — 43.2s adrift of Evans, but with 56.4s in hand over fifth-placed Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta.

M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak, who won last time out in Chile, sits in a lonely fourth position. M-Sport photo

Sebastien Ogier’s hopes of winning his “home” rally disintegrated early in the day when the Munich-based Frenchman limped through the opening stage with tire damage caused by a broken wheel. The eight-time WRC champ, who is running a limited schedule with Toyota this season, fought back to hold an overnight sixth, just 3.2s ahead of Teemu Suninen’s Hyundai.

Aside from Neuville, Suninen was the only other Hyundai Rally1 driver remaining after fellow Finn Esapekka Lappi crashed heavily from third overall on the day’s third stage. Suninen, starting his first asphalt rally in the i20 N Rally1, placed seventh overall ahead of M-Sport Puma youngster Gregoire Munster.

Also having his patience tested was Pierre-Louis Loubet, who dropped more than five minutes on the day’s final stage when he went off the road and picked up wheel damage on his Puma.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Emil Lindholm topped the standings after Friday’s action — but there was trouble for all three of the main title protagonists.

Current WRC2 points leader Andreas Mikkelsen began this rally with a realistic opportunity to wrap up the title, and all was going well for the Norwegian driver as he led after Friday’s opener at Vlachovo Brezi.

But he plummeted down the order after going off the road in the very next test, losing more than 10 minutes as spectators desperately tried to free his Skoda Fabia RS from the Czech undergrowth. His problems handed Hyundai i20 N Rally2 driver Lindholm the rally lead and also means that the title will most likely be decided at next month’s season finale in Japan.

Things started well for WRC2 points leader Andreas Mikkelsen, but quickly went downhill. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Yohan Rossel, second in the points before this round, saw his victory hopes shattered when he crashed his Citroen C3 Rally2 into trees in the day’s first stage, while Gus Greensmith, another driver locked into the title fight, languished down in eighth in class after struggling with his Skoda’s setup.

Saturday’s action begins with two stages in Austria, before a quick hop across the border for the Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald stage in Germany. After service in Passau, Germany, the cars head back to Austria and the loop is repeated once more.

WRC Central European Rally, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h13m05.1s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +36.4s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +47.2s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m30.4s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m26.8s
6 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m35.9s
7 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m39.1s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m59.1s
9 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Hyundai i20 N – WRC2 leader) +5m36.3s
10 Erik Cais/Daniel Trunkat (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +5m51.2s