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Rovanpera closes on WRC Rally Portugal win after Saturday charge

Just four stages stand between reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera and his first win of 2023 after the Finn obliterated his rivals on Rally Portugal’s Saturday leg. Unyielding and unstoppable, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver (above) unleashed an …

Just four stages stand between reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera and his first win of 2023 after the Finn obliterated his rivals on Rally Portugal’s Saturday leg.

Unyielding and unstoppable, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver (above) unleashed an onslaught of raw speed as he romped to fastest times on five of the day’s seven grueling gravel special stages. What started as a modest overnight lead of 10.7s was transformed into a mighty advantage of almost one minute by the end of the leg on the penultimate day.

Rovanpera launched his attack from the morning’s first stage, more than quadrupling his lead before the mid-leg service halt. He delivered further blows when the classic roads of Vieira do Minho and Amarante were repeated in the afternoon, widening the gap further in rough and dusty conditions more reminiscent of Safari Rally Kenya than Portugal. Even a loss of intercom — and pace notes from co-driver Jonne Halttunen — before the day’s short final stage couldn’t put the 22-year-old Finn off his stride.

“My headphones broke on the last stage of the day, so we were lucky it was here and not in the forest!” he quipped. “But, yes, a good day for me, so let’s see how tomorrow goes.”

Rovanpera, who’s only managed one podium in the first four rounds of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship, enters Sunday’s short closing leg 57.5s ahead of Hyundai Motorsport’s Dani Sordo.

Part-season driver Sordo, starting his third WRC round of the campaign, quickly diverted his attention to the chasing i20 N Rally 1 cars of his teammates, Esapekka Lappi and Thierry Neuville.

Lappi closed in on the Spaniard early in the day, climbing from fifth to third overall on the first pass of Vieira do Minho. But the Finn’s pace faded in the afternoon and he was passed by Belgian Neuville, who finished just 2.3s ahead of him and 11.1s adrift of Sordo. If Hyundai lets its drivers fight it out, it should make for an interesting Sunday.

Esapekka Lappi heads into Sunday’s final leg just 2.3s behind Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford’s Pierre-Louis Loubet retired close to the finish of Amarante 1 when a heavy impact damaged his Puma Rally1’s steering, allowing his teammate, Ott Tanak, to profit by seizing fifth overall. The Estonian dropped time with wheel damage on Friday and languishes 2m21.8s back from the lead after an off-the-pace Saturday.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg remains in control despite Saturday’s stages serving up some drama for the Skoda Fabia RS driver.

The 21-year-old Swede finished Friday with a comfortable 50.2s advantage over Gus Greensmith’s similar Skoda, but he saw that margin whittled down to 35.4s by close of play.

Solberg gave away more than 10s with a spin in the Vieira do Minho opener and he found it difficult to manage the wear of his Pirelli tires. A mystery issue which sapped engine power also struck in the afternoon’s first stage, while Greensmith posted a string of top-three stage times aboard his Fabia RS to whittle down the gap.

“It’s great to be here,” Solberg said after the final stage. “It’s been a good day — consistent, but also super-rough this afternoon, so we were just taking it steady.”

Oliver Solberg retains his WRC2 lead, despite some dramas for the Skoda driver. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

After suffering a puncture in his Skoda on Friday, WRC2 returnee and former champ Andreas Mikkelsen made major gains in his comeback mission. The Norwegian grabbed third in the class from Citroen C3 pilot Yohan Rossel in Vieira do Minho 2, going on to trail Greensmith by 53.0s at close of play.

Sunday’s final leg is all about the spectacular Fafe stage, its big jump before the finish and its massive and enthusiastic crowds. Four tests, including two hits of Fafe, make for a total of 33.44 competitive miles, with the second blast through Fafe as the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Portugal, leading positions after Day Two, SS15
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h59m48.6s
2 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +57.5s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m08.6s
4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m10.9s
5 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +2m21.8s
6 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +8m08.3s
7 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m43.7s
8 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +9m36.7s
9 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +9m58.1s
10 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N – WRC2) +11m13.2s

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

Rovanpera ahead after punishing WRC Rally Portugal Friday

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera mastered a brutal opening leg on WRC Rally Portugal to head Hyundai rival Dani Sordo overnight. A thrilling fight in the morning became a matter of survival in the afternoon as heat, dust and punishing rock-strewn roads took …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera mastered a brutal opening leg on WRC Rally Portugal to head Hyundai rival Dani Sordo overnight.

A thrilling fight in the morning became a matter of survival in the afternoon as heat, dust and punishing rock-strewn roads took a heavy toll in the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

While several of his rivals faltered, reigning WRC champ Rovanpera won three of the eight special stages in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 (above) to head Sordo’s Hyundai i20 N Rally1 by 10.7s after more than 75 miles of action during which three different drivers led.

Rovanpera was plagued by excessive understeer in the opening two stages, but setup adjustments later in the morning transformed his car.

The 22-year-old Finn eased ahead of Sordo, who’d inherited the top spot when Ott Tanak’s Ford Puma Rally1 sustained wheel damage, in the fourth of the day’s special stages, Lousa 2, and extended his advantage further when the Spaniard overshot a junction in the penultimate stage.

“It has been a really good day,” said Rovanpera. “Lots of cleaning (of the road surface by the early-starting cars), but still we did a steady day. We were fast, but we also took care of the car and the tires.”

Sordo’s Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville finished the day third, 15.2s behind. The Belgian reclaimed the final podium spot in the leg-ending Figueira da Foz super special, leapfrogging Esapekka Lappi in the third of the Hyundais and M-Sport Ford youngster Pierre-Louis Loubet in the process. Just 1.3s blanketed the three drivers at the end of the day, with Loubet edging Lappi in the super special to take fourth overall by a scant 0.4s.

Pierre-Louis Loubet put out a fire, then turned up the heat to finish the day fourth. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Fourth was well deserved for Loubet. After winning the day’s opening stage, the Frenchman then looked on the verge of retirement when his car caught fire on the stop line of the morning’s third test, Arganil 1. He and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul were able to continue after extinguishing the flames, later tracing the cause to their Puma’s exhaust.

“The car started to have fire, one kilometer (0.6 miles) before the end of the stage,” Loubet said. “We don’t have any luck this year, it’s crazy.”

Tanak recovered to end the day sixth overall, but Elfyn Evans, who came to Portugal as the WRC points leader, retired after crashing his Toyota on the penultimate test. His teammate, Takamoto Katsuta, had bowed out earlier in the day with alternator failure.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg finds himself leading by over a minute after the opening leg decimated the field.

Survival was the name of the game as the rough gravel terrain in the Portuguese hills claimed several front-running contenders. Solberg, driving a Skoda Fabia RS, avoided trouble to build a 50.2s advantage over Gus Greensmith’s similar car at the end of the leg.

The Swede had moved into the class lead when early pacesetter Adrien Fourmaux pulled over to change a wheel on his Ford Fiesta in the day’s second stage, Gois 1, and his buffer was extended further when closest challenger Teemu Suninen ran into identical trouble in his Hyundai i20 N.

“It’s been a very good day, but also very difficult,” Solberg admitted. “So rough with so many rocks and things going on. We’ve had a clean day — fast as well — but as least no problems.”

Oliver Solberg leads WRC2 after keeping it clean (figuratively speaking) in his Skoda. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Greensmith, winner of the previous gravel round in Mexico, headed third-placed Yohan Rossel’s Citroen C3 by 10.0s at the end of the leg. The Frenchman faced issues of his own, however, as a technical problem led to him receiving a 40-second time penalty for arriving late to the penultimate stage.

“My wheel was completely broken,” said Rossel, winner of WRC2 on the previous round in Croatia. “I don’t know why. Maybe because the stage before it was really rough? It’s like that — it was my first technical issue in one year, so no problem.”

Championship returnee and former WRC2 champ Andreas Mikkelsen brought his Skoda to the overnight halt in fourth overall, despite also carrying out a wheel change.

If Friday was tough, Saturday is just as daunting. More than 90 miles of action is packed into two loops of three special stages. Crews have the respite of mid-leg service, and a short super special stage at Lousada rounds out the day’s action.

WRC Rally Portugal, leading positions after Day One, SS8
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h22m27.7s
2 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +10.8s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +26.0s
4 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Nicola Gilsoul (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +26.9s
5 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +27.3s
6 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +1m04.7s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +3m48.2s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +4m38.4s
9 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +4m48.4s
10 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +5m29.3s

Evans back to winning ways with WRC Rally Croatia dominance

Elfyn Evans stormed to victory at Rally Croatia on Sunday afternoon, moving the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings in the process. An error from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville on Saturday morning had …

Elfyn Evans stormed to victory at Rally Croatia on Sunday afternoon, moving the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver to the top of the FIA World Rally Championship standings in the process.

An error from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville on Saturday morning had propelled the Welshman to first overall. After that, he distanced himself from M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver Ott Tanak to win by 27.0s in his GR Yaris Rally1.

The triumph, his first since Rally Finland in the fall of 2021 and the first of his career on an all-asphalt WRC round, elevated Evans from fifth to first in the drivers’ championship standings. After round four of 13, he leads Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier by three points, with Tanak just one point further back in third.

After taking the win, Evans reflected on the loss of his friend and rival, Ireland’s Craig Breen, who was killed testing his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 in a pre-Rally Croatia test.

“Obviously we’ve been working towards this for a long time, but it all feels so insignificant at the moment — that’s the bottom line,” said Evans. “After the focus of the weekend, we’re all back to missing our friend now. Straightaway after coming across the finish line, that’s all we can think about. We promised Craig’s family we would enjoy the weekend, and we’ve done that. We’re all thinking of them right now.”

Winners Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin pay tribute to Ireland’s Craig Breen. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Evans’ Toyota Gazoo Racing team preserved its unbeaten Rally Croatia record, making it three wins in three events, while also increasing its WRC manufacturers’ championship lead over Hyundai Motorsport to 29 points.

The 2023 WRC season’s first all-asphalt rally delivered tremendous action, and Tanak looked set to become a real threat to Evans as he set a furious pace early on Saturday afternoon. However, a transmission issue toward the end of the penultimate leg obstructed the Estonian’s charge and he cruised to Sunday’s finish 31.6s clear of Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi.

Lappi lacked confidence on some of the dirtier sections of road, but consistency rewarded him with his first podium for Hyundai — a welcome boost after crashing out from the lead in the previous round in Mexico.

Esapekka Lappi bounced back from his Mexico crash to finish third for Hyundai. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Behind Lappi were a trio of Toyotas headed by defending WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera, 19.7s in arrears. The Finn had fallen outside of the overall top 10 after changing a wheel in Friday’s second stage, but hauled himself back up the leaderboard with an impressive recovery drive. He passed Ogier during Sunday’s final morning to claim fourth overall, edging his teammate by just 9.7s.

Ogier, who led the points before this rally, despite choosing to run only a limited WRC campaign this season, was left to rue what could have been. Although he trailed winner Evans by 1min28.0s at the finish, he’d also stopped to change a wheel while leading on Friday and received further blows in the form of time penalties. In total, the eight-time champ’s time loss amounted to roughly two-and-a-half minutes, ending his chances of making it three wins from his three 2023 starts so far.

Takamoto Katsuta made it four Toyotas in the top six, ahead of seventh-placed Pierre-Louis Loubet, who nursed his Puma to the finish with bent steering.

Completing the runners in the WRC’s headlining hybrid Rally1 class, Thierry Neuville, who’d led after Friday, then crashed out on Saturday, restarted with the aim of grabbing maximum bonus points on the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage — a mission the Belgian duly accomplished after gambling on carrying no spare tires in his Hyundai i20 N to save weight.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel secured his second victory in as many 2023 starts, having led the class from Friday’s opening stage.

The Frenchman took control from the get-go and never faltered in his Citroen C3. He did, however, come under some pressure from Skoda Fabia RS driver Nikolay Gryazin, whose Saturday afternoon charge ate into his lead. The pair entered Sunday’s four-stage finale just 11.5s apart, but Rossel, who also won WRC2 at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, delivered a faultless drive to keep his rival 16.1s behind at the finish.

Oliver Solberg finished third on the road in his Skoda, but was not registered for WRC2 points in Croatia (WRC2 drivers nominate seven rounds to secure championship points). That left Emil Lindholm to complete the podium in his Fabia after fighting back from a broken transmission linkage on Friday. The Finn was a hefty 1m11.4sec adrift of the front-running pair, although he did have 51.0s in hand over fourth-placed Adrien Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford Fiesta.

Yohan Rossel made it two WRC2 wins from two 2023 starts in his Citroen C3. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Next event for the WRC is Rally Portugal, May 11-14. Running over fast and technical gravel roads inland from Porto, it’s one of the oldest and most popular rounds in the championship. Reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera was last year’s winner, and will be looking to take his title defense up a gear with a repeat this time around.

WRC Rally Croatia, final positions after Day Three, SS20
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h50m54.3s
2 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +27.0s
3 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +58.6s
4 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m18.3s
5 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m28.0s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m22.5s
7 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Nicola Gilsoul (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +4m22.6s
8 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2 winner) +7m51.3s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m07.4s
10 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS) +9m16.7s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 4 rounds
1 Evans 69 points
2 Ogier 66
3 Tanak 65
4 Rovanpera 64
5 Neuville 53

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 4 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 154 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 126
3 M-Sport Ford 108

Evans closes in on WRC Rally Croatia win after Neuville crashes

Elfyn Evans is closing in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory since the fall of 2021 after seizing the Rally Croatia lead during Saturday’s penultimate leg. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver ( above) assumed control of the challenging …

Elfyn Evans is closing in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory since the fall of 2021 after seizing the Rally Croatia lead during Saturday’s penultimate leg.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver (above) assumed control of the challenging asphalt event early in the day when Thierry Neuville, who had led by 5.7s on Friday evening, crashed into retirement on the second stage.

Neuville’s Hyundai i20 N Rally1 stepped out of line and collided with a concrete block, which caused severe damage to the car’s rear suspension. With the Belgian going no further, that handed Evans’ GR Yaris Rally1 a healthy lead of 22.6s at Saturday’s halfway point.

But the dynamic changed when M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak cranked up the heat after the mid-leg service in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, and slashed Welshman Evans’ buffer by almost half with just two of the day’s stages remaining. However, the Estonian was impeded by a technical fault which cost valuable time late in the day and he ended the leg 25.4s off the lead.

Second-placed Ott Tanak turned up the pressure, but was impeded by a late technical issue. M-Sport photo

A victory for Evans, should he succeed in keeping Tanak’s Puma Rally 1 at bay, would be his first since the 2021 Rally Finland, more than 18 months ago.

“If Ott had problems, I wouldn’t wish that on him,” the Welshman said after the day’s final stage. “It’s not nice to exploit a gap like that, but OK, there’s still a long way to go.”

Esapekka Lappi brought his Hyundai to the overnight halt in third overall, despite lacking confidence in some of the sections where corner cutting from the earlier cars had thrown gravel onto the asphalt. A half spin in the afternoon’s first stage didn’t help matters, although the Finn pressed harder in the afternoon and trailed Tanak by just a half minute at close of day.

Eight-time WRC champ Sebastien Ogier started Saturday on the back foot, having been handed a one-minute time penalty for a safety breach — an incorrectly fastened safety harness on Friday’s second stage. The Frenchman, who is running only selected events in 2023, was then lumbered with a further 10-second penalty after a technical issue on the road section caused him to make his own repairs and check in late to the first stage.

But the GR Yaris driver, winner here in 2021, climbed from seventh to fourth overall after taking three fastest stage times. Behind him were Toyota teammates Kalle Rovanpera and Takamoto Katsuta, both of whom leapfrogged M-Sport Ford’s Pierre-Louis Loubet as he struggled to find traction on hard compound tires.

Sebastien Ogier fought back to fourth overall after a spate of penalties. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, overnight leader Yohan Rossel saw his buffer reduced by almost two-thirds as a charging Nikolay Gryazin turned up the heat.

Rossel is aiming for back-to-back Croatia WRC2 victories in his Citroen C3, but struggled to come up with a response to the furious pace set by Gryazin throughout Saturday’s second leg.

Having started the day with a half-minute lead, Rossel was on the receiving end of several Gryazin blows as the Skoda Fabia RS driver stormed to fastest WRC2 times on four of the day’s eight stages.

“The conditions are not the same as yesterday,” said Rossel, who enters Sunday’s final leg a mere 11.5s ahead of Gryazin. “It’s quite similar to a gravel rally! The feeling is quite good when the road is completely dry, but when we have a lot of mud and gravel [from the cuts], it’s impossible to drive for me. But the rally is not finished — we will see tomorrow.”

Nikolay Gryazin went on a Saturday tear, finishing just 11.5s off of the WRC2 lead. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday’s final leg north of Zagreb features the widest roads of the weekend. The opening 8.17-mile Trakoscan-Vrbno stage starts close to a 13th-century lakeside castle amid stunning scenery and is followed by the 8.76-mile Zagorska Sela-Kumrovec test. Both are driven twice, taking the day’s total to 33.85 competitive miles, with the second run through Zagorska Sela-Kumrovec as the rally-closing, points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Croatia, leading positions after Day Two, SS16
1 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h20m05.7s
2 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +25.4s
3 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +55.4s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m49.4s
5 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m51.4s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m25.9s
7 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Nicola Gilsoul (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +2m32.1s
8 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +6m40.2s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +6m51.7s
10 Emil Lindholm/Rita Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m02.4s

Consistent Neuville leads tricky Friday on WRC Rally Croatia

Thierry Neuville led throughout Friday’s treacherous opening leg of WRC Rally Croatia, despite only winning one stage of the all-asphalt event. It was the Hyundai driver’s consistency which ultimately came to the fore as the roads in the hills west …

Thierry Neuville led throughout Friday’s treacherous opening leg of WRC Rally Croatia, despite only winning one stage of the all-asphalt event.

It was the Hyundai driver’s consistency which ultimately came to the fore as the roads in the hills west of capital city Zagreb tested the mettle of the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading crews. Running a special paint scheme on his i20 N Rally1 (above) to commemorate his teammate, Ireland’s Craig Breen, who died in a pre-event testing crash last week, Neuville ended the grueling day just 5.7s clear of second-placed challenger Elfyn Evans’ Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.

Neuville was unhappy with his car’s morning setup, but took the lead after the day’s second stage when Sebastien Ogier, winner of the day’s opener, dropped over one and a half minutes carrying out a mid-stage wheel change on his GR Yaris.

The Belgian remained at the helm throughout the afternoon, although Evans cut his advantage by more than half as scattered rain clouds loomed over the stages. Both drivers stuck to a mixed combination of hard and soft compound Pirelli tires, which proved to be the optimum choice.

“We’ve done a decent job, but it hasn’t been easy at all,” Neuville admitted after the leg’s eighth and final stage. “It was a bit better at the end of the day and I am really happy that we had a bit more fun in the car this afternoon. Hopefully we can finish in first place at the end — that would be a great achievement for the team and for us.”

One driver for whom tire gambles did not pay off was Ott Tanak. The Estonian bolted wet-weather rubber onto his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 for the second run through the Stojdraga-Hartje test, but conditions remained mostly dry and he fell behind Esapekka Lappi’s Hyundai after dropping 17.0s.

Tanak responded in the penultimate stage by besting Lappi to reclaim third overall, reaching the overnight halt 3.4s clear of his Finnish rival and 24.3s adrift of second-placed Evans.

Despite his wet-weather tire gamble backfiring, Ott Tanak fought back to an overnight third. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ogier, meanwhile, valiantly fought his way back up to fifth, 50.3s in arrears of Lappi. The eight-time champ came to Croatia as the WRC points leader, despite running only a limited program of rallies in 2023, but will be hard-pressed to stay there if Neuville continues at the sharp end and comes away with a significant haul of points.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta overtook M-Sport Ford driver Pierre-Louis Loubet in the final stage to grab sixth, while reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera languished in eighth overall. The GR Yaris driver won last year’s Rally Croatia, but currently trails the front-runners by more than two minutes after he, too, stopped to change a wheel at the same location as teammate Ogier.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel left his opponents floundering to build a convincing lead over Nikolay Gryazin.

Rossel, who’s running his first event since January’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, announced his return to the series by punching in a trio of fastest stage times aboard his Citroen C3.

The car received a number of technical upgrades ahead of Rally Croatia and those tweaks seem to be suiting the Frenchman. He cleared the day without errors and carried a sizeable 29.9s advantage over Gryazin’s Skoda Fabia RS at the end of the leg.

“It has not been easy, but it’s been a good day for us,” said Rossel, who held second in the WRC2 points before the rally. “We will see how it goes tomorrow.”

Yohan Rossel took Citroen’s upgraded C3 to a comfortable early WRC2 lead. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Saturday’s second leg follows a similar format to Friday’s opener, with four stages, driven morning and afternoon, adding up to 72.45 competitive miles

WRC Rally Croatia, leading positions after Day One, SS8
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h16m02.4s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5.7s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +30.0s
4 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +33.4s
5 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m23.7s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m52.1s
7 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Nicola Gilsoul (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +1m52.9s
8 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m40.3s
9 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +3m20.0s
10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +3m49.9s

WRC driver Craig Breen dies in testing accident

World Rally Championship driver Craig Breen has died following a testing accident ahead of next week’s Croatia Rally. He was 33. Breen, an eight-time podium finisher and 30-time stage winner in the WRC, has been sharing a third Hyundai i20 WRC …

World Rally Championship driver Craig Breen has died following a testing accident ahead of next week’s Croatia Rally. He was 33.

Breen, an eight-time podium finisher and 30-time stage winner in the WRC, has been sharing a third Hyundai i20 WRC Rally1 with Dani Sordo for the Korean brand’s factory team this season and was set to make his second start of the campaign in Croatia after previously finishing second in Sweden in February.

In a statement, the Hyundai Motorsport team confirmed that Breen’s co-driver James Fulton was uninjured in the crash.

“Hyundai Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that driver Craig Breen today lost his life following an accident during the pre-event test for Croatia Rally,” read the statement. “Co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the incident that occurred just after midday local time.

“Hyundai Motorsport sends its sincerest condolences to Craig’s family, friends and his many fans. Hyundai Motorsport will make no further comment at this time.”

Breen, who also competed for M-Sport Ford and Citroen in his 81 WRC starts, won the 2011 WRC Academy and the 2012 SWRC on his rise up the rallying ranks, and finished in the top three of the European Rally Championship between 2013-15.

Breen was also set to contest this year’s Portuguese Rally Championship — he won the opening round of the season, Rally Serras de Fafe, which was also an ERC round (where he was scored sixth).

A popular driver in the rallying community, he often competed in other events outside the WRC and ERC, including a number of historic rallies, most notably in an MG Metro 6R4. Breen also sampled rallycross in 2019, making five starts in the short-lived TitansRX Europe series, where he impressed with his overtaking ability despite his overall lack of racing experience.

Ogier rewrites records with seventh WRC Rally Mexico win

Sebastien Ogier added another FIA World Rally Championship record to his already impressive tally with a seventh victory at Rally Mexico on Sunday afternoon. The eight-time WRC champion, competing in the second event of his part-time 2023 campaign …

Sebastien Ogier added another FIA World Rally Championship record to his already impressive tally with a seventh victory at Rally Mexico on Sunday afternoon.

The eight-time WRC champion, competing in the second event of his part-time 2023 campaign with Toyota Gazoo Racing, moved to the top of the Rally Mexico roll of honor with his record-extending triumph – breaking a six-win tie with nine-time WRC champ and fellow Frenchman Sebastien Loeb.

With a sizeable 35.8s advantage going into the final leg of four special stages, it was a relatively straightforward Sunday for the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 pilot (above).

Ogier negotiated the first three tests well within his comfort zone, but turned it on for the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, setting fastest time and collecting maximum bonus points. In the end, he finished 27.5s clear of Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville at the event where he made his FIA World Rally Championship debut in 2008.

Sebastien Ogier’s seventh Rally Mexico win also moved him into the WRC points lead.

“The car was great this weekend and it was a faultless rally for us and the team,” said Ogier, who now leads the drivers’ championship by three points from Neuville.

“As I am doing the next rally, it’s important to start first on the road there and it was important to get the points for the team as well,” he added, referencing the all-asphalt WRC Rally Croatia, where an early staring position delivers the cleanest road surfaces.

Neuville’s stubborn spirit behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 took the battle for second with Ogier’s Toyota teammate, Elfyn Evans, all the way to the wire. Having started the day 5.3s in arrears, Neuville closed in on the Welshman, who was impeded by a bent suspension arm on his GR Yaris.

The Belgian’s perseverance paid off as he overtook Evans in the final stage, claiming second overall by just four-tenths of a second and providing an exhilarating end to the first full gravel event of the season.

Thierry Neuville left it late to grab second place after a hard-charging drive.

Reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera struggled to match the pace of the front-running trio and settled for a lonely fourth overall in his Toyota. Still, he continued to pull further away from Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, who finished more than one minute further back in fifth.

The rough gravel terrain and power-sapping altitude took its toll on several of the leading Rally1 crews, enabling Gus Greensmith to finish an impressive sixth overall in his first outing in his WRC2-spec Skoda Fabia RS.

WRC2 winner Gus Greensmith finished an impressive sixth overall in his new Skoda Fabia RS.

Filling the other podium spots in international rallying’s second-tier class, and seventh and eight overall, were Emil Lindholm (Fabio Evo) and Oliver Solberg (Fabia RS), following the final-leg retirement of M-Sport Ford Fiesta driver Adrien Fourmaux from his overnight runner-up spot in WRC2.

Ninth overall was the best that erstwhile WRC points leader Ott Tanak could manage after turbocharger issues cost the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver more than 14 minutes on Friday morning, while WRC2 driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz completed the overall top 10.

The WRC returns to asphalt for next month’s Rally Croatia, April 20-23, based in capital city Zagreb. With Ogier on the entry list and looking for a perfect start of three wins from three starts for his part-time campaign, can any of the full-season crews beat the on-form Frenchman and kickstart their own title chances?

WRC Rally Mexico, final positions after Day Three, SS23

1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h16m09.4s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +27.5s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +27.9s
4 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m55.3s
5 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m58.8s
6 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson ((Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +12m31.5s
7 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia Evo – WRC2) +13m04.4s
8 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +13m37.7s
9 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) +15m19.6s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia Evo – WRC2) +15m56.6s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 3 rounds

1 Ogier 56 points
2 Neuville 53
3 Rovanpera 52
4 Tanak 47
5 Evans 44

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 3 rounds

1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 127 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 100
3 M-Sport Ford 73

Ogier on verge of record seventh WRC Rally Mexico win

Sebastien Ogier is within touching distance of a record-breaking seventh WRC Rally Mexico victory after establishing a commanding lead on Saturday’s second leg. The eight-time FIA World Rally Champion, who’s elected to run a part-time program with …

Sebastien Ogier is within touching distance of a record-breaking seventh WRC Rally Mexico victory after establishing a commanding lead on Saturday’s second leg.

The eight-time FIA World Rally Champion, who’s elected to run a part-time program with Toyota Gazoo Racing, moved into the lead of the grueling gravel event when Esapekka Lappi — who led Ogier by 5.3s after Friday’s opening leg — crashed his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 into a concrete electricity pole during Saturday’s opening stage stage.

Overnight leader Esapekka Lappi lost his fight with an electricity pole on the opening stage. Game over for the Finn… Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

From that moment on, GR Yaris Rally1 driver Ogier never looked back. Armed with an advantage of almost half a minute over Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans at the day’s midpoint, the 39-year-old Frenchman was in no mood to compromise.

He managed his speed — and his hard compound Pirelli tires — flawlessly over the afternoon’s stages, taking a dominant win on El Mosquito 2 to end the day 35.8s clear of the field.

Victory on the third round of the championship would be particularly special for Ogier, since Mexico was where he made his WRC debut back in 2008. A win on Sunday would also make it two wins from two 2023 starts for Ogier, after he dominated January’s season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.

“I think this lead is good,” said Ogier. “It’s been another strong day for me. We had a little bit of a different approach after Esapekka went off in the first stage this morning. We didn’t need to go for too much risk, but still we managed to set some good times and increase our lead. Tomorrow is still long which means we cannot afford to relax.”

Evans’ position in second overall was much less secure, thanks to a charging Thierry Neuville breathing down his neck. The Belgian Hyundai driver reeled in his rival, grabbing four fastest times to trail the Welshman’s Yaris by just 4.3s heading into Sunday’s four-stage final leg.

A run of fastest times have put Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville within striking distance of second place. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Toyota’s reigning WRC champ, Kalle Rovanpera, found himself sitting almost one minute adrift of Neuville in fourth overall. A stall in the Derramadero 2 stage cost the 22-year-old Finn a handful of seconds, but thanks to a hefty 47.2s gap to Dani Sordo behind, he had no reason to be alarmed.

Sordo, a lonely fifth, was unwilling to take any unnecessary risks. The Spaniard focused instead on testing new setups throughout the day, but despite the ongoing tweaks he still found it difficult to keep the rear end of his Hyundai under control in the loose conditions.

WRC points leader Ott Tanak recovered from Friday morning’s turbo failure to haul his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally 1 back up to 11th overall. Pierre-Louis Loubet, driving a similar car, retired for the second time in as many days with damaged rear suspension in the afternoon’s third stage.

Such was the high rate of the attrition among the Rally1 entries that cars from international rallying’s second tier, WRC2, filled out the rest of the top 10 behind Sordo and ahead of Tanak.

Gus Greensmith preserved his lead at the front of the WRC2 pack on a shortened Saturday leg. The WRC2 crews waited until the final stage of the morning loop for their day to get fully underway after the opener was red-flagged following Lappi’s altercation with the power pole. As a result, all WRC2 crews were redirected to the beginning of the morning’s fourth stage, Las Dunas Super Special 2.

Despite the delayed start, there was some good news for Greensmith when the Skoda Fabia RS driver saw his lead extended from 8.5s to 18.5s as a result of his closest rival, M-Sport Ford Fiesta pilot Adrien Fourmaux, starting the leg with a 10s time penalty for a late check in the day before.

Greensmith could afford to relax and opted to trial different setups on his new car during the afternoon. While the changes didn’t have the impact he’d hoped for, he still managed to strengthen his advantage over Fourmaux, ending the day 31.6s in front going into Sunday’s four-stage finale.

Gus Greensmith extended his WRC2 lead after a time penalty for rival Adrien Fourmaux. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday may be shorter than Saturday’s leg, but it’s set to be no less challenging. It opens with another blast through Las Dunas, which is followed by Otates — the longest stage of the rally at a daunting 22.14 miles. San Diego is up next, before the event ends with the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage in 5.95-mile El Brinco stage.

WRC Rally Mexico, leading positions after Day Two, SS19
1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h35m37.6s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +35.8s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +40.1s
4 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m34.0s
5 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m21.2s
6 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson ((Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +10m33.4s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – WRC2) +11m05.0s
8 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia Evo – WRC2) +11m11.0s
9 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +11m52.2s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia Evo – WRC2) +12m54.3s

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

Flawless Lappi edges Ogier in WRC Rally Mexico’s dramatic day one

Esapekka Lappi put in a faultless performance in the scorching heat and power-sapping altitude of WRC Rally Mexico to fend off six-time winner Sebastien Ogier during Friday’s dramatic opening leg. Despite several of the FIA World Rally …

Esapekka Lappi put in a faultless performance in the scorching heat and power-sapping altitude of WRC Rally Mexico to fend off six-time winner Sebastien Ogier during Friday’s dramatic opening leg.

Despite several of the FIA World Rally Championship’s leading crews running into trouble on the grueling, dust-clogged stages in the mountains around Leon, Hyundai driver Lappi (above) steered clear of drama to head Ogier’s Toyota on the first gravel round of the season.

Lappi’s i20 N Rally1 led from the outset after grabbing the top spot in the morning’s opener. But eight-time WRC champ Ogier, who’s chosen to run only a limited program of rallies with Toyota, stayed right on his tail in his GR Yaris Rally1, with the duo exchanging times for much of the day.

But it was Lappi’s impressive performances in the afternoon’s closing run of special stages which made all the difference. Back-to-back stage wins in Las Minas and Las Dunas gave the Finn some much-needed breathing space and, while Ogier clawed back some time in the Distrito Leon super special, 5.3s split the pair at close of play.

Sebastien Ogier is seeking a seventh Rally Mexico win, but trails Esapekka Lappi after day one.

“I am a bit surprised, but I take it as it is,” Lappi said at day’s end. “This was probably one of the best days of my rallying career.

“I always hoped that I could fight at the top, but to be leading and fighting against Seb was never in my mind. I didn’t really think about how this day would go, but I was just confident that our pace would be good.”

Elfyn Evans filled the final podium spot, finishing 24.8s behind his Toyota GR Yaris teammate, Ogier. As temperatures neared 85 degrees F and sections on some stages reached 9,000ft in altitude, it was a trying day for crews and cars alike, with the thin air sapping engine power by as much as 20 percent. But the Welshman’s struggles were limited to a lack of traction on some of the tests.

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was hampered by hybrid unit failure in the morning, followed by a seized rear-right damper and damaged driveshaft boot in the afternoon. He pressed on regardless, reaching the overnight halt just 9.7s adrift of the podium in his i20 N.

Starting second on the road, reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera was severely affected by the loose conditions – the early runners effectively road sweepers for the cars starting further down the running order. As a result, the Yaris driver lost time in almost every test, ending the day fifth and a sizable 19.9s down on Neuville.

Meanwhile, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo leaked around a minute when he limped through the day’s fifth test with left-rear tire damage, dropping from fourth to sixth overall.

Championship leader Ott Tanak languishes more than 14 minutes back from the lead after crawling through the morning loop with turbocharger failure and starting first on the road – a double whammy of challenges. In fact, it was a disastrous day for the Estonian’s M-Sport Ford team all around, as both teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet and privateer entry Jourdan Serderidis retired their Pumas in the opening stage.

Starting first on the road was bad enough, but a turbo issue destroyed Ott Tanak’s chances.

In WRC2, Gus Greensmith wasted no time in getting to grips with his all-new Skoda Fabia RS, building an 8.5s advantage over former teammate Adrien Fourmaux.

Despite having limited testing time prior to the event, Greensmith appeared comfortable with his Toksport-prepared machine. He consistently posted top-three stage times throughout the morning and reached the mid-leg service just 3.0s down on overnight leader Emil Lindholm’s Skoda Fabia Evo.

That put Greensmith in prime position to pounce in the afternoon when Lindholm dropped 14s on the second passage of the iconic El Chocolate stage, demoting the Finn four positions and leaving Greensmith as the WRC2 leader, where he remained for the rest of the day.

“The morning was a little bit tricky because the tires were overheating, but I knew that once we put the hard tires on I could go much quicker,” said Greensmith, who’s dropped down to the WRC2 class after a frustrating season with M-Sport Ford’s Rally1 Puma in 2022. “It’s a nice lead, but not a massive one. It’s all about managing risks and the pace here, and trying to be tidy.”

Gus Greensmith’s first rally in a WRC2-spec Skoda Fabia RS is working out so far…

Lindholm’s demotion lifted Adrien Fourmaux to second in his Ford Fiesta Rally2. The Frenchman – also regrouping in WRC2 after a trying campaign in an M-Sport Ford Puma last season – is within striking distance of former teammate Greensmith, setting up an exciting second day.

Saturday’s leg is the longest of the event and features nine more challenging stages adding up to 78.62 competitive miles.

WRC Rally Mexico, leading positions after Day One, SS10
1 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h25m12.0s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5.3s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +30.1s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +39.8s
5 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +59.7s
6 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m27.2s
7 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson ((Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +3m50.1s
8 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – WRC2) +3m58.6s

WRC leader Tanak faces tough test on Rally Mexico gravel

The heat, dust and power-sapping altitude of Rally Mexico provide a tough challenge for the WRC’s first pure gravel rally of 2023. Back on the calendar for the first time since 2020, the FIA World Rally Championship’s third round could see …

The heat, dust and power-sapping altitude of Rally Mexico provide a tough challenge for the WRC’s first pure gravel rally of 2023.

Back on the calendar for the first time since 2020, the FIA World Rally Championship’s third round could see temperatures hitting 85 degrees F — and considerably hotter in the cars — as M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak attempts to increase his WRC points lead, despite facing the worst of the road conditions in Friday’s first full day of stages.

The Estonian grabbed the championship lead with victory on the ice and snow of Sweden last time out, but must pay his dues in the mountains around Leon when he opens the road in his hybrid Puma Rally1 on stages coated in dry and slippery gravel. Those tracks become cleaner and faster with each car that passes as the loose dirt is swept aside.

Tanak, a two-time Rally Mexico runner-up, will be praying for rain to bind the loose gravel together, but his wish will likely be in vain as the event is forecast to have sunny skies through to the finish on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m not sure I’m that good a (rain) dancer to get the rain in a place where it almost never rains!” joked the 2019 WRC champ, who’s joined by factory teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet and privateer Jourdan Serderidis in a three-car M-Sport attack.

This will be only Tanak’s third WRC start since joining M-Sport Ford from Hyundai this season, and despite hoping for a strong result, he knows Mexico will be a learning curve.

“During testing it was my very first time on gravel in the Puma Rally1 and it was very important to discover as much as possible,” he said. “The team is working hard to keep improving, but to really understand where we are now, we need to do a gravel rally first.”

Second and third in the points, and hence starting second and third on the road behind Tanak, Toyota’s reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera and Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville are also likely to struggle on Friday. But one driver who’s ready to take advantage is Rovanpera’s teammate Sebastien Ogier, a six-time Mexico winner who starts fifth in his GR Yaris Rally1.

Eight-time WRC champ Ogier has chosen a part-time program for the Japanese marque and returns to action for the first time since his season-opening Monte Carlo Rally win in January.

“When I knew that Mexico was coming back, I had to mark it in my calendar as an event that would be nice to do again,” said the Frenchman. “It’s where everything started for me in the WRC, as it’s actually where I made my debut in 2008.”

Ogier’s had this one marked on his calendar for a while…which could be bad news for everyone else. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT photo

Elfyn Evans, fourth in the WRC standings, and Takamoto Katsuta complete Toyota Gazoo Racing’s four-car fleet — although Katsuta won’t score manufacturers’ championship points with Ogier in attendance this week.

Dani Sordo joins Neuville and Esapekka Lappi in a three-strong Hyundai i20 N lineup and will be the last of the frontrunners onto the road. The Spaniard will be keen to make the most of the extra grip to put himself in a strong position for the last two legs, when competitors start in reverse order of classification.

“If we get it right, we believe we can be in the battle for victory, but we want to be on the podium as a minimum,” said Sordo.

Lappi starts sixth on the road in Friday’s first leg, and he can’t be ruled out for a strong result after matching fellow Finn Rovanpera’s time in Thursday morning’s pre-rally Shakedown stage. Ogier, Sordo and Evans completed the top five on a 3.42-mile test stage that each driver is allowed to complete multiple times.

The rally route climbs to almost 9,000 feet above sea level, where engines traditionally struggle to breathe in the thinner air and lose around 20 percent of their power. However, the headlining Rally1 cars’ hybrid specification includes a battery-powered boost that’s less impacted by the thinner air, which could make this the fastest ever Rally Mexico.

The rally starts tonight (Thursday) with two short street stages through Guanajuato’s former mining tunnels. Three more days of action follow in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains, before Sunday afternoon’s finish in Leon after 23 stages covering a total of 198.98 competitive miles.