Ott Tanak closed in on back-to-back WRC Rally Chile victories after dominating Saturday’s stages to build a commanding lead heading into Sunday’s short final leg.
The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver (above) began the penultimate leg – the longest of the South American all-gravel event – with a small 4.2s advantage over Hyundai Motorsport’s Teemu Suninen, but ended the day’s six special stages a whopping 58.3s clear after a leg which delivered trouble for FIA World Rally Championship title contenders Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans.
Saturday’s stages were longer, twistier and much more abrasive than Friday’s six-stage affair. And while Tanak’s rivals leaned towards Pirelli’s soft compound rubber for the morning loop, the Estonian’s decision to take four hard tires with him made a world of difference. It was something of a reversal of his all-softs Friday strategy, but once again it proved mighty effective.
With their rubber worn down by the time they’d reached the final stage before the midday service halt, Suninen and Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 drivers Evans and Rovanpera all leaked chunks of time. Tanak, whose hard choice boasted a longer lifespan, took full advantage and extended his lead to 47.8s by service.
Tire preservation remained a key factor on the repeated afternoon loop but, with the hard work done, Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja were able to manage their lead over Suninen’s Hyundai i20N Rally1. Victory on Sunday would ensure the pair retain a 100-percent victory record in Chile, a rally which featured on the WRC calendar just once previously, back in 2019.
“It’s been an extremely good day,” Tanak admitted. “It’s been working in our favor. On the stages which were bad, we had the advantage to slow down, but when it was needed, we were able to speed up. It’s not finished yet, so we need to keep it going tomorrow.”
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was hindered by a slow puncture in the day’s opening stage, but passed Evans late in the morning to make it two i20 N Rally1 cars in the overall top three. He and teammate Suninen were split by 13.9s at the end of the leg, and their 2-3 position means that, barring any changes on Sunday, Toyota Gazoo Racing will be unable to win the WRC manufacturers’ crown on Sunday.
For reigning WRC champ and 2023 points leader Rovanpera, who ended the day 10.7s behind teammate Evans in fifth overall, the wait for a second drivers’ title is also likely to go on.
Finn Rovanpera, celebrates his 23rd birthday on Sunday, carried a commanding 33-point lead into this 11th round of the season, with a maximum of 90 available from the final three rounds. But he needs to bank a score 28 points higher than teammate Evans if he’s to secure the title with two rallies remaining – an unlikely proposition as things stand.
Takamoto Katsuta experienced tire troubles of his own in the final stage of the morning loop, but the Japanese driver remained a lonely sixth overall in another GR Yaris.
In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg Solberg headed the class by a reasonably comfortable 25.3s after a frustrating final stage for erstwhile leader Sami Pajari.
Finn Pajari, saw a 5.7s lead over fellow Skoda Fabia RS driver Solberg after the penultimate stage dissolve, and then some, through the final 17.84-mile Maria de las Cruces test as he struggled with debilitating tire wear.
Just to rub it in, Gus Greensmith also moved past Pajari in that final stage, making it three Skodas in the WRC2 top-three positions.
Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel was fourth in WRC2 and completed the overall top 10 after problems late in the day for a pair of Puma Rally1 debutants, Gregoire Munster and local hero Alberto Heller.
Sunday’s final leg consists of the 8.2-mile Las Pataguas and 8.61-mile El Ponen stages, each tackled twice and punctuated by a brief 15-minute service halt. The second pass of El Ponen is the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, where vital bonus points are up for grabs.
WRC Rally Chile, leading positions after Day Two, SS12
1 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) 2h36m16.2s
2 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +58.3s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m12.2s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m22.9s
5 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m24.0s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4m07.2s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +6m52.7s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andresson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +7m18.0s
9 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +7m36.6s
10 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +8m01.1s