On board the Ford Puma M-Sport Rally1, the Estonian opens the ball in the first two stages, winning both. Friday at 15.48 the first real special over 29 km
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TeoSic58
In show trials, rallies are not won but they can be lost: the professionals of the Wrc World Championship are well aware of this, who on the first day of competition of the 2023 Mexico Rally are intent on not making mistakes, aware that in one stage (indeed, two tests) of 1.12 km are certainly not those two tenths of a second earned with enormous risks to make them win the event. And now Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) knows it too, the only author of a mistake that made him lose a few tenths. That’s why they all take it in a staid way, or rather: it’s certainly not a walk in the park, if anything a lengthened shakedown, waiting for the real race, the one on the dusty roads of Mexico, to really start.
Tanak in command, then rovanpera
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In any case, someone has to do the first half. And that someone answers to the name of Ott Tanak, leader of the championship classification with the Ford Puma Rally1 of the M-Sport team as well as winner of the last Rally Sweden. The Estonian signed the best time both on the first and on the second lap. At the end of the two stages the times are obviously very limited: Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota) is 1.7 seconds behind, Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) 2.2 seconds, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) 2.8 seconds just like Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) . And the latter, winner of 6 editions of the Mexico Rally, is chasing the seventh triumph in his career, not happy with the victory in the Monte Carlo Rally and the 8 World Championships won in his career.
rally mexico 2023: Day2
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The second day of competition includes 8 special stages, 3 of which to be repeated once. It starts immediately at 15.48 Italian time with the 29.07 km SS3 El Chocolate 1, the second longest stage of the 2023 Rally Mexico after the 35.63 km to be tackled on Sunday with the SS21 Otates. By the end of Friday the World Rally drivers will have completed 122.14 km of timed stretches. No live Sky scheduled for today: appointment on Saturday at 4.45 pm on channel 255.
Rally Mexico 2023: standings after Day1
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This is the race standings after the first two special stages.
- Ott Tanak (Est-Ford M-Sport Puma Rally1) in 1’54”2
- Kalle Rovanpera (Fin-Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) at 1”7
- Esapekka Lappi (Fin-Hyundai i20 N Rally1) at 2”2
- Thierry Neuville (Bel-Hyundai i20 N Rally1) at 2”8
- Sebastien Ogier (Fra-Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) at 2”8
- Elfyn Evans (Gb-Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) at 3”3
- Dani Sordo (Spa-Hyundai i20 N Rally1) at 3”4
- Pierre-Louis Loubet (Fra-Ford M-Sport Puma Rally1) at 3”7
- Takamoto Katsuta (Giap-Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) at 4”1
- Emil Lindholm (Fin-Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) at 6”1.
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