Thierry Neuville had already tried in the first pass at the beginning of the afternoon, but this time he succeeded. The World Championship leader won Special Stage 4 of the Rally Italia Sardegna, the Sedini – Castelsardo 2 of 13.26 kilometres, showing off a great performance.
Despite opening the 4 tests this afternoon, the Belgian from Hyundai Motorsport first gritted his teeth, then pushed in one of the tests he knows best and which – by his own admission – is among his favorites to win the first special of his weekend.
Neuville preceded Ott Tanak by 2″7 and Sébastien Ogier by 3″9, then inflicting very heavy gaps on all the others for a test of just 13 kilometers. The result obtained is not an end in itself, because it brought him into the fight for the podium.
Now the Belgian is fifth, but he is just 2″1 off fourth place and 3″4 off the lowest step of the podium. An important result especially from a World Championship perspective, because Elfyn Evans is behind him, sixth, a good 20.7 seconds behind him after another day to forget, in which he was slowed down by a slow puncture and a very low feeling with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
Ott Tanak, however, missed a great opportunity to further reduce the gap that separates him from the event leader, Sébastien Ogier. There is now a 4″5 gap between the two, but without an inconvenience at the start Tanak could have been much more treacherous for the 8-time world rally champion.
On the i20 N Rally1 number 8, shortly after starting the test, an error occurred on the display, signaling the failure to introduce the “stage mode” that the drivers enter before starting a special. This made Ott lose a few tenths of a precious second.
After the puncture in the previous test, Adrien Fourmaux had to stop in practice due to a problem – the nature of which has yet to be verified – on his Ford Puma Rally1. A real shame for the Frenchman, because he had started very well and was easily occupying third position behind the two contenders for the victory.
In WRC2 Sami Pajari overtook Pierre-Louis Loubet. The Finn, at the wheel of a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, won the last two races and is now first in the class ranking with a margin of 18″3 over the first of his rivals, Loubet, who races on a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 .
Third place for Jan Solans in the second Yaris Rally2, but the Spaniard is 10 seconds behind second place and is threatened by another Yaris Rally2, that of the Estonian Georg Linnamae and by the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Marco Bulacia, enclosed in 4 “6.
The first stage of the Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 ends here. The event will resume tomorrow morning with Special Test 5, Tempio Pausania 1 of 12.03 kilometers in a day that will see 8 special tests to be played but without mid-day Service (there will only be the Tire Fitting Zone after 4 tests). The first car will enter testing at 07:41 in the morning.
WRC 2024 – Rally Italia Sardegna – Ranking after PS4
| Pos | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 53’43”1 |
| 2 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +4″5 |
| 3 | Sordo/Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +33″2 |
| 4 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +34″5 |
| 5 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +36″6 |
| 6 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +57″3 |
| 7 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1’09″2 |
| 8 | Pajari/Malkonen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +1’34″6 |
| 9 | Loubet/Pascaud | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +1’52″9 |
| 10 | Solans/Sanjuan | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +2’03″2 |
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