Thierry Neuville closes in the best possible way one of the most incredible stages not only in the history of Rally Italia Sardegna, but also in the last World Rally Championships by winning the PS15, the 9.04 km Tempio Pausania 2.
The Belgian of Hyundai Motorsport won his sixth round in this event with another exceptional time: 7’23″1 obtained in the rain and with a surface that presented several flooded areas that could have created aquaplaning problems.
Neuville, on the other hand, did not want to manage his already considerable lead. He pushed safely and inflicted very heavy detachments on all the others. Dani Sordo, second in the stage, finished 10″8 behind, while Elfyn Evans – third – 12″3 behind.
It should be underlined that none of the other riders had any reason to push brutally, but the Belgian’s time remained and this had value, because now there are 36″4s between him and the first of his pursuers in the general classification.
Hyundai Motorsport will only have to manage a precious one-two for both title chases, especially after Sébastien Ogier went off the road and was forced to retire in SS14.
Kalle Rovanpera preferred to manage his tyres, having used them in several tests. The Softs he brought for the afternoon lap held up well, but having already been used previously, they were treated with respect also due to Kalle’s inability to gain positions purely for performance.
Elfyn Evans is now certain of fourth place after one of the toughest days of this season. Despite having had to deal with several engine power problems after crossing several fords, the Welshman was good at resisting and ending the day without any particular mistakes. It is also true that this Evans seems distantly related to the surgical and very fast one we admired in 2020.
Dani Sordo, second in SS15 and fifth in the general standings, closes the row of Rally1 cars after completing the comeback that first brought him back to the Top 10, then to the Top 5 following the accident that saw him protagonist on the day of yesterday.
As for WRC2, Adrien Fourmaux was the star of the day with a series of excellent times that led him to lead the general classification of the category.
For M-Sport this first place is a partial consolation, considering the retirements of Pierre-Louis Loubet yesterday and Ott Tanak today. Behind Fourmaux is Andreas Mikkelsen’s Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The Norwegian from TokSport team is 25″7 behind the class leader, while Teemu Suninen is in third place with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
The second stage of Rally Italia Sardegna 2023 ends here. The drivers will be able to take advantage of the end-of-stage Service to prepare the cars for tomorrow. The third and final stage will start tomorrow morning with the SS16, the Arzachena – Braniatogghiu 1 of 15.22 kilometres. The first car will enter the test at 07:05.
Rally Italia Sardegna – WRC 2023 – General classification after SS15
pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment | Penalty |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai 20N Rally2 | 3h10’36”9 | |
2 | Lappi/Ferm | Hyundai 20N Rally2 | +36″4 | |
3 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1’50″7 | |
4 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +5’36″5 | |
5 | Deaf/Carrera | Hyundai 20N Rally2 | +6’27″9 | +1’20” |
6 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Fiesta Rally2 | +8’11″7 | |
7 | Mikkelsen/Eriksen | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +8’37″4 | |
8 | Suninen/Markkula | Hyundai i20N Rally2 | +10’46″4 | |
9 | Lindholm/Hamalainen | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +11’08″3 | |
10 | Kajetanowicz/Szczpaniak | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +11’40″5 |
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