WRC – Advantage increased as Ott Tänak extends Chile lead

WRC – Advantage increased as Ott Tänak extends Chile lead

Sport news

Ott Tänak is 47.8 seconds in the clear in his bid to win for the second time in this season’s FIA World Rally Championship.

With nine stages of Rally Chile Biobío complete, the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver holds a comfortable margin following another inspired tyre choice.

The Estonian left service in Concepción this morning aboard his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid with four hard-compound Pirelli tyres and two softs, the only P1 driver to make such a selection.

In contrast with Friday’s fast and open route, Saturday morning’s stages south of Concepción were longer, twistier and much more abrasive. Tyre and speed management proved to be key – and Tänak excelled.

Second-fastest only to championship leader Kalle Rovanperä through the Chivilingo opener, the Estonian blitzed the following stage at Rio Lia by 6.8s as his rivals slowed down to preserve their tyres.

But Tänak had also saved two brand-new hard compound tyres for the pivotal 28.72-kilometre Maria de las Cruces run, which he duly bolted onto the car before setting the pace once again by 7.6s.

Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen, who carried just five tyres compared with Tänak’s six, fell to third overall behind Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid driver Elfyn Evans with his cautious approach to Chivilingo. But unlike Evans, who relied solely on soft compound rubber, three of Suninen’s tyres were hard.

That proved to be decisive in the last stage, where Evans suffered two tyre delaminations and plummeted to fourth. He dropped behind Suninen as well as the Finn’s team-mate Thierry Neuville, who ended 13.8s ahead of the Welshman despite a damaged tyre on SS7.

Rovanperä started too aggressively and, after winning SS7, was forced to nurse his Toyota’s soft tyres to the loop’s completion. The 22-year-old sits more than 40s behind Evans in fifth overall and his hopes of wrapping up a second drivers’ world title with two rounds to spare look increasingly slim.

Just like team-mate Evans, Takamoto Katsuta was another driver to encounter two tyre delaminations in Maria de las Cruces. The Japanese remained seventh overall, however, comfortably clear of Rally1 rookie Grégoire Munster.

Not even an early-morning spin could prevent Oliver Solberg from overtaking Sami Pajari to lead FIa WRC2 by 16.7s. The pair, both driving Toksport-prepared Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars, sit eighth and ninth overall while local ace Alberto Heller completed the top 10 despite also experiencing tyre dramas in his Puma.

SS10, the rerun of the Chivilingo test, is due to begin at 14h57 local time.

 

World Rally Championship

Rally ChileWRCSEASON 2023SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2023Rally Chile01Saturday, September 30, 2023 – 4:26pmSaturday, September 30, 2023 – 4:26pm

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WRC – Ott Tänak fastest on Friday in Chile

WRC – Ott Tänak fastest on Friday in Chile

Sport news

Ott Tänak leads Rally Chile Biobío this evening (Friday) after his clever tyre strategy proved to be decisive on the opening day of the FIA World Rally Championship event in South America.

The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid driver set the pace on the day’s first Pulperia stage but his fortunes soon took a dip when issues caused by a heavy landing dropped him to third. As well as winding co-driver Martin Järveoja, the impact caused minor suspension damage and the loss of hybrid boost. A spin late in the stage then led to further delay.

Nevertheless, it was Tänak’s strategic approach to the repeated afternoon loop of stages which helped him to reclaim top spot. In mild spring conditions, he was the only frontrunning driver to select a tyre package consisting exclusively of soft compound Pirelli rubber, known for its superior performance but shorter performance lifespan.

The 2019 world champion snatched the lead from Teemu Suninen on the penultimate test and, crucially, went fastest again on the 23.32-kilometre Rio Claro finale to extend his buffer to 4.2s at the overnight halt in Concepción.

“The first one and the last one [this afternoon] were extremely tough,” said Tänak, who has been without a WRC victory since Rally Sweden in February. “When it’s this hard base it’s moving so bad that you don’t find any stability. But we had a good clean run, so no trouble.”

In use in the WRC for the first time since 2019, Chile’s flowing roads provided more than challenging for the title-hunting trio of Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville. All three reported exceptionally low levels of grip in the loose conditions but it was Evans who fared the best, completing the day 8.5s back from Suninen in third.

The Welshman trails Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Rovanperä by 33 points in the drivers’ championship and a result of eighth or higher in Chile would ensure the battle continues beyond Sunday. Road opener Rovanperä suffered a half spin in the final stage and slipped to fifth overall, ending the day 11.0s behind Hyundai’s Neuville, who is behind Evans by 15.0s.

Takamoto Katsuta holds sixth overnight in the third Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, the Japanese driver comfortably clear of Grégoire Munster, who is making his Rally1 debut in a Ford Puma. Munster’s co-driver Louis Louka spent the morning reading pacenotes from a mobile phone after accidentally leaving the paper copies in his hotel room.

Esapekka Lappi rolled his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid on a fast left-hander in the very first stage before Pierre-Louis Loubet crashed his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid on SS3. Both drivers and their co-drivers were uninjured, testament to the extensive safety features adopted in the design and construction of the WRC’s headlining Rally1 category.

Sami Pajari is eighth overall and leading the FIA WRC2 category by 13.3s from Oliver Solberg while home hero Alberto Heller completed the top 10 on his debut in a Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid. Pajari, who drives a Toksport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, also heads the WRC Challenger ranking.

Diego Dominguez leads FIA WRC3 in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, while Eduardo Kovacs heads the WRC Masters category.

Crews embark on a journey south of Concepción for three repeated stages run either side of service in the host city on Saturday. Maria de las Cruces, the third of each loop, is the rally’s longest stage at 28.72 kilometres and finishes within sight of the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile Rio Lia, is the only stage unchanged from the 2019 edition of the rally.

 

World Rally Championship

Rally ChileWRCOtt TanakSEASON 2023SportRallies1SportWorld Rally ChampionshipRalliesWRCSEASON 2023Rally Chile01Saturday, September 30, 2023 – 1:50amSaturday, September 30, 2023 – 1:50am

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