A touching start
It opened this morning, in Croatiathe fourth round of the 2023 WRC season, unfortunately the first without Craig Breen. The Irishman from Hyundai, who died last week during a test session in Croatia, was remembered not only by the South Korean team with the adoption of a livery that recalls the colors of the Irish flag, but also and above all by the whole world of the WRC. In fact, when his test should have started, a minute of silence was observed, with the general emotion of the public and the other riders in memory of the 33-year-old, whose death left an indelible mark.
The record
The start of the Croatian Rally immediately seems to smile at the world leader, Sebastien Ogier, already author of the best time in SS1 with a considerable advantage over Thierry Neuville. However, during the SS2the music changes immediately for both the eight-time world champion and the reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä: the two Toyota drivers, in fact, they pierce curiously at the same curve in the section between Stojdraga and Hartje, slipping to the bottom of the standings. In any case, contrary to the Finn, Ogier manages to replace the tire quickly, starting a formidable comeback. However, Neuville takes full advantage of the off-programme, with the Belgian from Hyundai taking the lead in the standings ahead of Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak.
While the number 11 manages to manage the gap on his pursuers from SS3 to SS5, the same tests see Ogier as the absolute protagonist, in all cases author of the best time. The furious recovery attempt therefore didn’t stop even during the Croatian afternoon, also favored by the continuation of the sporting ‘curse’ at Toyota, with Katsuta making a mistake giving away the top-5 to Pierre-Louis Loubet. Next, Evans tries to put pressure on Neuville in SS6, won by Esapekka Lappi, while Tänak redeems himself from a wrong choice of tires in this stage by setting the best time in the following one. However, the Welshman’s comeback attempts on Neuville were skillfully rejected by the Belgian, who thus closed the first day of the Croatian Rally in the lead ahead of the Toyota standard bearer and Tänak’s Ford, delayed by just under 6 seconds and half a minute respectively. .
WRC | Rally Croatia: classification after SS8 – Top 10
POS. | PILOT | CAR | TIME/GAP |
1 | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 1:16:02.4 |
2 | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +5.7 |
3 | Ott Tanak | Ford | +30.0 |
4 | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +33.4 |
5 | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1:23.7 |
6 | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:52.1 |
7 | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Ford | +1:52.9 |
8 | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +2:40.3 |
9 | Yohan Rossel | Citroën (WRC2) | +3:20.0 |
10 | Nikolai Gryazin | Skoda (WRC2) | +3:49.9 |
Upcoming events
Thus ended the first day of special stages, the Rally of Croatia will start again tomorrow morning from 07:54, time of the ninth stage. Afterwards, from 09:05, the first of the four total rehearsals will also be staged, broadcast live on television, specifically by Sky Sports One (channel 201). A total of eight rounds will also take place tomorrow, with the SS14 which will instead always be offered live by Sky, but in this case by Sky Sports Arenachannel 204.
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