Unstoppable Sebastien Ogier. After winning his sixtieth world championship rally in Portugal, the eight-time WRC champion has every intention of continuing his winning streak by trying to obtain his fifth victory in the Rally d’Italia Sardegna. The Frenchman had made things clear from the start, setting the best time in the first special stage on Friday, however he had to contend with a tough Ott Tänak. Having won the intense duel against the Estonian, the road to success now seems clear for Ogier.
The start of the afternoon lap, of the Saturday stage, coincided with another retirement. Having risen to third position after Thierry Neuville’s exit during the last stage of the morning, Takamoto Katusta was forced to stop on the side of the road in the Monte Lerno-Monti di Ala test betrayed by the transmission of his Toyota Yaris Rally1. Given what happened to the Japanese, Hyundai leaders asked their drivers not to force the pace while making sure to bring home fundamental points for the constructors’ championship.
Taking advantage of the team orders from the Hyundai team, Ogier thus regained the top of the Rally d’Italia Sardegna. The eight-time world champion was the fastest at the end of the Monte Lerno-Monti di Ala special, displacing Tänak from first place in the general classification. Ogier then repeated himself in the following Coiluna-Loelle, extending the margin in the comforts of the Estonian (pictured above) to almost ten seconds.
The music did not change on the second pass, with the Frenchman from Toyota scoring a further scratch in the repeat of the Monte Lerno-Monti di Ala. By obtaining the second time in the last special stage of the day, Ogier has therefore secured Saturday’s record which will only be converted into points if he reaches the finish line of tomorrow’s final Power Stege.
So fast and determined in the morning, Tänak proved to be decidedly more submissive in the afternoon session. The order imposed by the team forced the Estonian to bury the hatchet, missing the opportunity to win his first victory of the season and, consequently, move closer to the top of the drivers’ championship. Having reached the end of the stage, Tänak also complained about set-up problems on his i20N Rally1.
After Katsuta’s retirement, Dani Sordo climbed to the podium area. Third and very far from the top, the Spaniard from Hyundai therefore decided to consolidate his position by managing his advantage over Elfyn Evans. The task did not prove to be that onerous and, with the morning’s set-up problems resolved, Sordo managed to keep the Welshman from Toyota at bay. The only flash scored by Evans came at the end of the day with the scratch obtained in the repeat of Coiluna-Loelle.
Fifth, and last of the drivers behind the wheel of the Rally1 at full revs, was Gregoire Munster (in the photo above). Having solved the brake problems on his Ford Puma, the Luxembourger took advantage of the retirements of others to climb into the top 5. Having left the scene yesterday due to electrical problems on his car, Adrien Fourmaux returned to the fray starting an intense recovery which culminated in fifteenth place overall .
Sami Pajari’s journey continued undaunted in WRC2 (in the photo above). The Finn, at the wheel of the Toyota Yaris Rally2, further extended his lead over his pursuers led by Yohan Rossel. The Citroën driver, during the repeat of Monte Lerno-Monti di Ala, overtook Jan Solans who thus fell to the last step of the podium. Fourteenth overall, the Italian crew composed of Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti showed a consistent pace, closing the stage in ninth position in class.
Saturday 1 June 2024, ranking after SS12 (top 15)
1 – Ogier-Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – Toyota – 2h39’43″2
2 – Tanak-Jarveoja (Hyundai i20N Rally1) – Hyundai – 17″1
3 – Sordo-Carrera (Hyundai i20N Rally1) – Hyundai – 2’12″8
4 – Evans-Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – Toyota – 2’43″3
5 – Munster-Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) – M Sport – 5’28″8
6 – Pajari-Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris WRC2) – Printsport – 5’38″5
7 – Rossel-Dunand (Citroen C3 WRC2) – DG Sport – 6’33″2
8 – Solans-Sanjuan (Toyota GR Yaris WRC2) – Solans – 6’45″2
9 – Kajetanowicz-Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Kajetanowicz – 8’12″1
10 – Prokop-Ernst (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Prokop – 8’22″1
11 – Virves-Lesk (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Virves – 8’30″8
12 – Joona-Hussi (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Joona – 8’50″4
13 – McErlean-Fulton (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Toksport – 9’46″8
14 – Daprà-Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia WRC2) – Daprà – 11’50″8
15 – Fourmaux-Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) – M Sport – 16’06″3
