Ott Tanak just isn’t up for it and tries to make a comeback. The Estonian from Hyundai Motorsport achieved the best time in Special Stage 14 of the Rally Portugal, the 8.81 kilometer Felgueiras 2, nibbling away important seconds that separate him from event leader Sébastien Ogier.
Tanak led the Hyundai hat-trick on SS14, preceding Thierry Neuville by 2″4 and Dani Sordo by 3 seconds. An important result for Ott, because it brings him back to 10″4 behind the 8-time world champion who continues to lead the rally.
For his part, Ogier hinted not too subtly that he had managed the tires in view of the second pass on the long Amarante. It will probably be there where the fate of this Saturday and the overall victory of the event will be decided in a game of tires where Séb could emerge victorious. However, let’s remember that the “super Sunday” will be held tomorrow, which will make a separate ranking and assign the remaining points.
The fight for first place seems to still be open. At least at the moment. While – and it is a paradox – the challenge for third place is increasingly closed and firmly in the hands of Thierry Neuville. The Belgian is third and with an advantage of only 4″2 over teammate Dani Sordo, but the Spaniard will certainly not attack the world championship leader, thus taking away important points from him in the fight for the title.
Adrien Fourmaux, fifth, is unable to keep up with the two Hyundai i20 N Rally1s ahead of him. He has now slipped to 25″5 from the fourth place occupied by Sordo and to 29″7 from the third place of Neuville.
Occupying the first position in the ranking dedicated to the WRC2 class is becoming a real curse. Gus Greensmith, during the first part of the special, made a mistake when exiting a right-hand bend, ending up with his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 on an embankment slightly higher than the road level.
The British driver tried to get out of it only by engaging reverse gear, but the nose and front wheels were too high and the rear wheels alone were not useful for maneuvering and resuming the race. Furthermore, at that point, when Greensmith went off the road there were no spectators, so the former M-Sport driver was unable to receive the precious external help.
At this point Nikolay Gryazin finds himself unexpectedly leading the WRC2. The Russian from Citroen Racing now has a margin of 4″2 over the first of his rivals, the Irishman Josh McErlean in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, and 12″6 over Jan Solans at the wheel of the first Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in the standings. Yohan Rossel, fourth in category, returned to the overall Top 10 after the puncture that had ousted him from the WRC2 leadership.
WRC 2024 – Rally Portugal – Ranking after SS14
| Pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2h18’06”2 |
| 2 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +10″4 |
| 3 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +53″6 |
| 4 | Sordo/Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +57″8 |
| 5 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1’23″3 |
| 6 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2’44″0 |
| 7 | Gryazin/Aleksandrov | Citroen C3 Rally2 | +7’21″6 |
| 8 | McErlean/Fulton | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +7’25″8 |
| 9 | Solans/Sanjuan | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +7’34″2 |
| 10 | Rossel/Dunand | Citroen C3 Rally2 | +7’49″6 |
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