The first stage of the Rally Portugal has, so far, been a disaster for Elfyn Evans. But things got worse in Special Stage 7, the 14.30 kilometer Gois 2.
The vice leader of the World Championship found himself taking part in the test without his navigator Scott Martin having the note book to tackle the special. The block must have been forgotten between the previous special stage and this one.
The incident cost the Toyota Gazoo Racing crew a few seconds, although Martin managed to remedy the situation using spare notes stored on his mobile phone. We remind you that in cases like these the crews are allowed to use their mobile phones to read the notes of the special stage in which they are taking part.
But that’s not all, because Evans and Martin lost further precious seconds due to a tire coming off the rim. We’re talking about the right front, which created a further problem for them from the middle of the test onwards. It is difficult to say what and how the tire was damaged, but the image of the rim suggests that there was a collision with something.
The special was won by Dani Sordo who reopened the comeback and, after overtaking teammate Thierry Neuville, is now in fifth position, just 8 tenths of a second from teammate Ott Tanak who is in fourth.
The Spanish driver preceded the other three Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in testing, those who are fighting for the top three positions in the event’s general classification. Ogier was the second fastest on the stage, but Rovanpera once again put the first of his rivals, Takamoto Katsuta, behind him.
Be careful though, because the margin between the two has doubled compared to the previous test, but it is still only 2 tenths of a second. As for the World Championship leader Thierry Neuville, as expected he slipped further in the general classification and is now sixth, but just 6.3 seconds off the top.
The alternation of leadership in WRC2 between Oliver Solberg and Gus Greensmith continues. This time it was the Briton who snatched first place in the category from his teammate but, even in this case, the two remain close to each other. Just 3 tenths separate them. Yohan Rossel also makes a strong comeback with the first Citroen C3 Rally2. The Frenchman is 1″5 from second place and 1″8 from the top.
WRC 2024 – Rally Portugal – Ranking after SS7
| Pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 1h01’57”0 |
| 2 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +0″2 |
| 3 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1″7 |
| 4 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +3″6 |
| 5 | Sordo/Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +4″4 |
| 6 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +6″3 |
| 7 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +19″3 |
| 8 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1’14″1 |
| 9 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1’49″4 |
| 10 | Greensmith/Andersson | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +2’32″9 |
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