Ott Tanak ends the first stage of the Chile Rally in the lead, but with a thrill. The Hyundai Motorsport driver, after having obtained the leadership in the previous test, almost lost it in today’s last stage, the 23.32 kilometer SS6 San Rosendo 2, but finished ahead of everyone with just 4 tenths of an advantage over Elfyn Evans.
The Welshman of Toyota Gazoo Racing set the third time in the special, while the 2019 world champion did not go beyond sixth, losing 2.1 seconds to his rival. However, this was enough to stay in front and so, tomorrow, he will enter testing last in all 6 tests on Saturday’s programme, to try to bring home another success in Chile and, above all, keep his title hopes open.
Behind the duels for first place, Kalle Rovanpera managed to defend third position from the attacks of the two drivers following him, namely the young compatriot Sami Pajari, in the second appearance of his career on a Rally1, and Gregoire Munster with the first Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid in the standings.
Pajari and Munster were the protagonists of the last overtaking of the day in the Top 10, with the Finn overtaking the Dutch at the last minute, even if there was just 1.4 seconds between the two.
Despite the great difficulties encountered today, Thierry Neuville finishes the stage in sixth position, even if almost 20 seconds behind the Top 5. Tomorrow catching up on those in front of him could prove to be a difficult task, but he will have to try to do so in order not to lose too many points from Tanak in the Drivers’ World Championship.
If the Estonian could represent a problem for the world championship leader, the mistake made today by Sébastien Ogier could have definitively taken the 8-time world champion out of the fight for the title. The mistake made by the Frenchman cost a tire and almost 2 minutes, too much to think about recovering enough to reopen the games.
Adrien Fourmaux, however, was unlucky. Despite an excellent day, the Frenchman from M-Sport finished eighth due to a 1 minute penalty imposed on him by the stewards for arriving 6 minutes late at the Time Control on PS5. The reason? An alternator failure and a further wiring problem that arose during the first repair. A mockery for a crew that is proving to be a worthy contender for a WRC that is in dire need of new and competitive faces.
As for WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin finishes in the lead with 10.2 seconds ahead of Oliver Solberg, but also after having played a considerable wildcard in SS6. The Russian, who races under a Bulgarian licence, almost overturned his Citroen C3 Rally2 in a driven section. Only a good maneuver saved him from what seemed to be the end of his race. In addition to Gryazin’s leadership, Citroen can also smile about Yohan Rossel’s third place, now one step away from the second step of the podium. category now only 1″3 away.
The first stage of the 2024 Chile Rally ends here. The second will begin tomorrow with Special Stage 7, the 15.65 kilometer Pelun 1. The first car will enter the special at 2.07pm Italian time.
WRC 2024 – Rally Chile – Ranking after SS6
| Pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 58’06”9 | |
| 2 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +0″4 | |
| 3 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +7″1 | |
| 4 | Pajari/Malkonen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +9″3 | |
| 5 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +10″7 | |
| 6 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +30″3 | |
| 7 | Lappi/Ferm | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +36″1 | |
| 8 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1’01″1 | +1’00” |
| 9 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1’24″9 | |
| 10 | Gryazin/Aleksandrov | Citroen C3 Rally2 | +2’14″9 |
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