With the sun and higher temperatures, the special stages of the Portuguese Rally return to being more classic and giving an advantage to those who start in the back positions. Special Stage 3, the 12.28 kilometer Lousa 1, presented precisely this scenario, what we had expected from the beginning of the competition for this first day of competition.
The humidity had almost completely disappeared, and those who entered the test first struggled quite a bit to find a rhythm. It is no coincidence that Dani Sordo set the absolute best time. The Spaniard from Hyundai Motorsport – after a very disappointing PS2 – changed pace by signing a noteworthy time of 8’59″4 which earned him the scratch in the test.
The Spaniard was 3.2 seconds behind Kalle Rovanpera, the first of his pursuers and the penultimate driver to enter testing. Thanks to this result, Sordo regains a position in the general classification, moving to 9.3 seconds from the top. The impression is that his comeback has just begun.
Good performance for the Hyundais, with Ott Tanak third at 4″2 and now second in the general classification. Ahead of everyone, however, was Takamoto Katsuta, now the new leader of the event with a 1″5 advantage over the Estonian Hyundai.
The special classification shows Thierry Neuville in seventh place, 8 seconds behind Sordo’s time. Yet the Belgian managed very well to contain the gap between him and his main title rivals who started behind him. it is no coincidence that he is still in third place in the general classification, 2″4 behind Katsuta.
The Belgian, however, is destined to lose other positions. He will have to try to minimize the time lost, without taking unnecessary risks given the toughness of the Portuguese rally.
If Katsuta took Toyota to the top and Rovanpera showed the first signs of awakening, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier struggled to change gear. At least for now. Evans enters testing just after Neuville, while Ogier, who has a more than good starting position, seems to have to get used to competing.
Racing part-time helps him find time for his family, but when he is employed he no longer seems like the relentless driver he was throughout his career, when he was still racing full seasons and was everyone’s bogeyman.
Even the Ford Puma Rally1s aren’t shining on dirt. Adrien Fourmaux did not go beyond the eighth time, which relegates him to eighth place also in the general classification. Gregoire Munster continues his apprenticeship, but is already 46 seconds off the top.
In WRC2 Oliver Solberg continues to give important signals thanks to another excellent time. This helped him increase his lead over the two Citroen C3 Rally2s, those of Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin. At the moment only the Frenchman seems to be able to bother Solberg, while the Russian is already 23 seconds behind the category leader after just 3 races.
WRC 2024 – Rally Portugal – Ranking after PS3
| Pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 23’00”8 |
| 2 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +1″5 |
| 3 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2″4 |
| 4 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +4″5 |
| 5 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +6″8 |
| 6 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +7″1 |
| 7 | Sordo/Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +9″3 |
| 8 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +11″5 |
| 9 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +45″9 |
| 10 | Solberg/Edmondson | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +47″0 |
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