The Croatia Rally has come to an end. Eflyn Evans took the rally win, beating Ott Tänak by 27 seconds overall. This was a commanding performance by Evans as Tänak seemed to have found his form again.
SS17, TRAKOŠCAN – VRBNO 1
Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) Jonne Halttunen (FIN) of team TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WRT are seen racing during the World Rally Championship Croatia in Zagreb, Croatia on April 23, 2023, Jaanus Ree, Red Bull Content Pool
Adding some drama to the mix, Stage 17 would see Kalle Rovanperä take the win, beating two time 2023 raqlly winner Sebastien Ogier by 3.7 seconds. Elfyn Evans finished third on the stage, 1.1 seconds back from Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished fourth on the stage, 1 second back from Evans. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five finishing 1.4 seconds back from Katsuta.
SS18, ZAGORSKA SELA – KUMROVEC 1
Thierry Neuville (BEL) Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) of team HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM are seen racing during the World Rally Championship Croatia in Zagreb, Croatia on April 23, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
On Stage 18 Thierry Neuville beat Kalle Rovanperä by 0.9 seconds. Sebastien Ogier who seemingly was on pace to finish higher settle for third in the stage. Ogier fell 4.5 seconds back from Rovanperä after a few miscues that resulted in lost time. Ott Tänak finished fourth on the stage followed by Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five.
SS19, TRAKOŠCAN – VRBNO 2
Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) Jonne Halttunen (FIN) of team TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WRT are seen racing during the World Rally Championship Croatia in Zagreb, Croatia on April 23, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool //
Stage 19 saw Kalle Rovanperä take the stage win, beating Sebastien Ogier. Ott Tänak finished third on the stage behind Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished a well earned fourth on the stage, 1 second back from Tänak. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds back from Katsuta. Ultimately improving his overall time for the lead.
SS20, ZAGORSKA SELA – KUMROVEC 2 (WOLF POWER STAGE)
Thierry Neuville (BEL) Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) of team HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM are seen racing during the World Rally Championship Croatia in Zagreb, Croatia on April 23, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool //
Stage 20 saw Thierry Neuville take the Croatia Rally Powerstage win, beating Kalle Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier finished third on the stage, 3.3 seconds back from Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta would place 2.9 seconds back from Ogier. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five on the stage.
Neuville Returns
Thierry Neuville (BEL) Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) of team HYUNDAI SHELL MOBIS WORLD RALLY TEAM are seen racing during the World Rally Championship Croatia in Zagreb, Croatia on April 23, 2023 // Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool //
Thierry Neuville returned for day three of the event. This would come after Neuville crashed out of the lead on SS11 of the Croatia Rally. The team was able to turn the car around and get it back up to speed. The crash was caused by him losing rear-end traction; causing him to hit a tree. This would hand Elfyn Evans the event lead and ultimately the round win as a result. The crash proved to be a hole Neuville could not recover from.
Rovanperä Continues To Soar
Kalle Rovanperä would win two stages on day three. Rovanperä also finished all the stages in the top two, much like day two. Unfortunately, for Rovanperä this push wouldn’t help him gain back much of the time he lost due to a puncture on SS2. Rovanperä would’ve likely been in a battle with Sebastien Ogier all weekend for the event win. That is if both drivers didn’t get punctures on the same stage, forcing both drivers out of the race for first as a result.
Day One Recap
Day Two Recap
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