Rally Poland 2024, SS8: Mikkelsen back in the lead, two seconds ahead of Evans, 3rd | FP

The return to Poland

There was no shortage of twists and turns, both positive and negative, on the second day of the Rally Poland, the seventh round of the 2024 world championship and which coincides with the great and long-awaited return of this country to the calendar, which had been missing since 2017. A Friday that ended with Andreas Mikkelsen in the role of leader, and which placed the Norwegian Hyundai driver in command of the general classification for the first time in his career since 2019.

Sesks surprises everyone, Tänak immediately out

If the Polish Rally had started in the best way possible Oct Tänak On Thursday, the Hyundai driver had to immediately throw in the towel in the second overall stage, the first today, due to a bad accident. In a high-speed section, the Estonian unfortunately hit a deer, with the collision causing such damage to the car that the rally ended prematurely. At Hyundai, however, consolation came directly from Mikkelsen, who set the fastest time ahead of the real surprise of the day: Martins Sesks. The Latvian, at the wheel of the Ford, finished in 2nd place ahead of the reigning champion Rovanperä, called by Toyota to replace Ogier after the latter’s road accident on Tuesday morning. Story in itself SS3, cancelled after the participation of only four drivers due to incorrect behavior by the public. In this context, Thierry Neuville achieved the best performance, with all the other riders having access to the next stage with an officially assigned time. A stage, the last of the morning, which ended in the name of Mikkelsen, again in front of everyone and with Sesks surprisingly among the top three, allowed him to maintain second place in the general classification.

Hard-fought afternoon

The afternoon began with the world champion Rovanperä, who in addition to setting the best time thanks to an optimal choice of tyres, also jumped to the top of the general classification, with the first three drivers only one second apart. However, after a colourless morning, Neuville redeemed himself in SS6, allowing Mikkelsen to return to the top ahead of Evans and Rovanperä. A top-3 with very narrow gaps that remained unchanged also in SS7, characterised by the victory of Fourmaux, while in SS8, the last test of the day, the best time of the Finn allowed him to overtake the Welshman of Toyota, while Mikkelsen finished as leader, albeit still at 2 seconds from Evans. Further back, however, is the current world leader Neuville, only 7th.

Rally Poland, standings after SS8 (top-10)