At the Rally of Portugal it was time for the first lap on the famous 11.18 kilometer Fafe, the PS19 which further created uncertainty for the top 4 positions of the general classification of the fourth event of the WRC 2022.
As in the previous round, Hyundai Motorsport scored a nice double thanks to Ott Tanak – winner of the special in 6’32 “3 – and Thierry Neuville, second at 1” 6 from the Estonian.
Both, however, no longer have great ambitions: too far from those behind them, too far from those preceding them to be able to hope to gain other positions (except for sensational errors in the last 2 tests that are missing at the end of the event).
The focus, also in this case, was on the fight for first place between Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanpera. The Welshman managed to recover several seconds against his teammate also thanks to the more favorable weather situation when he faced the test.
The last 4 drivers entered the stage had to deal with a path made complex by the rain, as well as visibility. Rovanpera had the worst, with the intensity of the precipitation increased just as he tackled the 11.18 kilometers of the special.
Now Evans is 6 “6 behind Rovanpera with 2 races left to go. The inertia is still all in favor of the 21-year-old Finn, but the weather could offer even more surprises.
The fight for third place continues to be exciting, with Takamoto Katsuta defending the position tooth and nail from Dani Sordo’s assaults. The Spaniard did better than the Japanese, but by just a tenth of a second. Now between the two there are 8 tenths.
Rally of Portugal – Ranking after SS19
Pos. | Pilot / navigator | Car | Time / posting |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rovanpera / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 3h31’56 “3 |
2 | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +6 “6 |
3 | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | + 2’06 “2 |
4 | Sordo / Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | + 2’07 “0 |
5 | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | + 2’28 “1 |
6 | Breen / Nagle | Ford Puma Rally1 | + 4’19 “3 |
7 | Loubet / Landais | Ford Puma Rally1 | + 4’39 “8 |
8 | Tanak / Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | + 5’01 “1 |
9 | Fourmaux / Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | + 7’41 “1 |
10 | Suninen / Markkula | Hyundai i20 N Rally2 | + 11’36 “2 |
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