Those who expected a start to the day, the last race at the Rally of Sweden, with Craig Breen with a knife between his teeth will certainly be disappointed. Ott Tanak, leader of the second event of the 2023 WRC, managed to further extend the Irishman and probably secure the victory.
But let’s go in order. Kalle Rovanpera won SS16, Västervik 1 of 26.48 kilometers with a time of 12’41″0, beating the leader of the general classification of Rally Sweden by 1″5.
A flawless stage for the Toyota driver, in which he was able to push using new tires to try to reduce the margin that separated him from Thierry Neuville and get closer to the podium area.
Mission accomplished, because the reigning world champion nibbled most of the 3″8 he had behind his rival, bringing them to 1″1. Thierry Neuville, however, chose to use 2 used tires in the morning lap, made up only of this stage, and then keep the new tires for the two missing stages.
A risky choice, but which should then pay off in the last 2 rounds which will define the final classification of the first and only event held on snow in this 2023 World Rally Championship.
Ott Tanak, on the other hand, author of the second time of the race, did better than Breen by 3 seconds flat. This means that his lead has now increased to 11″6 with just 2 trials left.
The Estonian is getting closer, step by step, to bringing M-Sport Ford back to victory. A success that the Dovenby Hall team has been missing since the 2022 Rallye Monte-Carlo when Sébastien Loeb and Isabelle Galmiche triumphed in the debut race of the Ford Puma and the Rally1 cars.
Also noteworthy is Esapekka Lappi’s return to the Top 10. The Hyundai Motorsport driver, credited with the fifth time in the special, returned to the top 10 after yesterday’s accident caused by delamination of the front right tyre. A small smile for Lappi after yesterday’s bitter disappointment.
As for WRC2, Oliver Solberg is controlling his considerable margin over the first of his rivals, Ole Christian Veiby. The Norwegian won the class test, but Solberg is managing without taking any risks.
The short Sunday morning tour ends immediately here. Now the drivers will be able to take advantage of the Service to prepare the cars in view of the two final stages of the event. The PS17, the 26.48 kilometer Västervik 2, will start at 10:05 Italian time.
WRC 2023 – Rally Sweden – General classification after SS16
pos. | Pilot/navigator | Car | Time/detachment | Class |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tanak/Jarveoja | Ford Puma Rally1 | 2h07’27”9 | WRC extension |
2 | Breen/Fulton | Hyundai i20N Rally1 | +11″6 | WRC extension |
3 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20N Rally1 | +24″9 | WRC extension |
4 | Rovanpera/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +26″0 | WRC extension |
5 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1’12″4 | WRC extension |
6 | Loubet/Gilsoul | Ford Puma Rally1 | +3’06″4 | WRC extension |
7 | Solberg/Edmondson | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +6’47″4 | WRC2 |
8 | Veiby/Eriksen | Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 | +7’33″1 | WRC2 |
9 | Lappi/Ferm | Hyundai i20N Rally1 | +7’33″3 | WRC extension |
10 | Pajari/Malkonen | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +8’05″7 | WRC2 |
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