The first stage of the Rally Poland, the seventh round of the World Rally Championship, was archived this evening, but it gave the impression of not being an event up to the standards required by the FIA and the WRC. We are certainly not talking about the route, which is very beautiful, fast and at times even complicated, but about the difficulty in managing the large amount of spectators who came to the tests.
2 specials cancelled, others stopped for a long time. All due to undisciplined spectators who forced the race management to take serious measures, ruining the competition. A real shame, because Poland would have everything to guarantee a show of international level.
Having said this, it is also good to focus on the sporting aspect, because today’s stage still guaranteed uncertainty, leadership changes and top-level entertainment. Andreas Mikkelsen ends the day as leader of the Polish Rally and resists the attacks brought by the Toyotas of Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans in the afternoon.
Mikkelsen will have the opportunity to enter the test last tomorrow, but he will have to give his all in every test because his margin over his rivals is very small to say the least. Rovanpera, the first driver chasing him, is just 1″8 behind him, and Evans is also one step away, because at the end of the day he was overall slower than Rovanpera by just two tenths. This means that the top three are enclosed in just 2 seconds.
Behind the top three, there are two drivers who duelled for the first place outside the podium and we are talking about Adrien Fourmaux and Martins Sesks. The Frenchman from the M-Sport team managed to overtake the Latvian in extremis and is now in fourth position, 7″5 behind Mikkelsen who is in charge of operations. Martin Sesks, making his debut in the top class of the WRC on a non-hybrid Ford Puma Rally1, finished fifth, but only 2 tenths slower than Fourmaux.
Outside the Top 5 we find a more convincing Gregoire Munster than usual, sixth, 20″8 off the top. The Dutchman showed good times and tomorrow he will have to give his all to try to keep Thierry Neuville behind him who will try to make a comeback .
The world championship leader was forced to open all of today’s tests, losing several seconds due to the very soft surface, which with his passage he cleaned up, providing the others with better grip and the opportunity to set more competitive times.
Today he finished seventh, ahead of Takamoto Katsuta by a few seconds. A small consolation, but tomorrow he will have a better starting position to try a comeback that can take him to at least sixth place, then hoping for some inconvenience from other riders to climb into the Top 5 and not lose too many points from Elfyn Evans.
As for WRC2, Sami Pajari ends the day as leader at the wheel of the first Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. The young Finn precedes his home idol, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, and Josh McErlean, both on Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Robert Virves finished fourth after managing to repair a suspension damaged at the arrival of SS6.
The first stage of the Rally Poland ends here. It will resume tomorrow morning with the second stage, which has 7 special stages on its calendar. The first of these, namely the 18.50-kilometer SS9 Swietajno 1, will start at 08:30, when the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid of Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja will enter the special stage.
WRC 2024 – Rally Poland – Ranking after SS8
Pos. | Pilot/Navigator | Car | Time/Detachment |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | 59’43”7 |
2 | Mikkelsen/Eriksen | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +1″8 |
3 | Seks/Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 | +2″0 |
4 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +7″5 |
5 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +7″7 |
6 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +21″3 |
7 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +29″8 |
8 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +32″3 |
9 | Pajari/Malkonen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +2’15″6 |
10 | Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +2’24″5 |
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