The Croatian Rally did not disappoint expectations. The fast, technical and treacherous asphalt provided a close fight which saw the podium achieved in just under seven seconds. At the end of the first stage Thierry Neuville finished with the exact same time recorded by Elfyn Evans. However, even if by a non-existent margin, the Belgian from Hyundai is at the top of the ranking due to the greater number of races won during the day. The two containing players will, however, have to pay attention to Sebastien Ogier who made a furious comeback.
Neuville, as an asphalt specialist, immediately dictated the pace. Thanks to an advantageous starting order, the Belgian tackled the stages first and found a cleaner surface. This allowed him to sign three scratches leaving only the Jaskovo-Mali Modrus Potok to Evans. The Welshman from Toyota (pictured below) tried to contain the damage by closing the morning session with an 8.6″ gap.
A completely different story in the afternoon. Although he resumed dictating the pace, Neuville suffered a puncture during the repeat of Ravna Gora-Skrad. The Hyundai standard-bearer, in one fell swoop, lost ten seconds to Evans. The Welshman then took the opportunity to launch the decisive attack and take the lead in the following special stage. Neuville’s response was not long in coming and in the final round of Krasic-Sosice he re-established the hierarchies by pairing up his direct rival.
Ogier has the role of third wheel. Affected by a slow puncture in the first special stage of the day and an error in the following one, the Frenchman immediately lost contact with the leaders. The eight-time world champion didn’t give up, steadily closing the gap to the top. Signing the scratch in the last two stages, Ogier moved to 6″6 behind the leaders, becoming a serious threat to both Neuville and his teammate Evans.
On the edge of the podium Ott Tänak suffered a gap of more than half a minute from the leader. The Estonian complained about a poor feeling with the Hyundai i20N in the morning session, only to then slightly recover the gap on the leaders. Closing out the top 5 was Adrien Fourmaux who paid dearly for an incorrect choice of tyres. The Frenchman from M-Sport (in the photo above) preferred to mount the Pirelli Softs in the morning which did not prove to be up to the task. Fourmaux then lost ground, closing the day 11.6 seconds behind Tänak.
The other WRC drivers led by Takamoto Katsuta were slower. Subdued, compared to what was seen in Kenya, the Japanese preceded Andreas Mikkelsen. The Norwegian, called to drive the third Hyundai i20N, demonstrated a stage below expectations, finishing only ahead of the Ford Puma Rally1 of the less experienced Gregoire Munster.
The WRC2 seems to be a terrain for Citroën to conquer. The French manufacturer firmly has a double in its hands from Nikolay Gryazin (pictured above) and Yohan Rossel. The two double chevron riders are in fact separated by just over half a minute. Behind the two C3 Rally2s we find Gus Greensmith and Sami Pajari, both not entered to collect world championship points, and Pepe Lopez delayed by a puncture during SS8. The performance of the Italian crew Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti was decidedly good, eighteenth overall and in the top 10 among the Rally2.
Friday 19 April 2024, ranking after SS8 (top 15)
1 – Neuville-Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20N Rally1) – Hyundai – 1h05’15″3
2 – Evans-Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – Toyota – 00″0
3 – Ogier-Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – Toyota – 6″6
4 – Tanak-Jarveoja (Hyundai i20N Rally1) – Hyundai – 41″1
5 – Fourmaux-Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) – M Sport – 52″7
6 – Katsuta-Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – Toyota – 1’37″8
7 – Mikkelsen-Eriksen (Hyundai i20N Rally1) – Hyundai – 2’37″8
8 – Munster-Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) – M Sport – 3’07″3
9 – Gryazin-Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 WRC2) – Movisport – 3’48″3
10 – Rossel-Dunand (Citroen C3 WRC2) – DG Sport – 4’19″4
11 – Greensmith-Andersson (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Toksport – 4’24″7
12 – Pajari-Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris WRC2) – Printsport – 4’50″5
13 – López-Vázquez (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – López – 5’50″8
14 – Ciamin-Roche (Hyundai i20N WRC2) – Ciamin – 6’10″9
15 – Joona-Hussi (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Joona – 6’23″6
Tags: Rally Croatia #1st day NeuvilleEvans finish tied WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
