The Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Shakedown stage has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi topped the shakedown stage to kick off the weekend.
Rally1
Esapekka Lappi kicked off the weekend by setting the fastest time on the events shakedown stage. As the Finnish driver set a time 5.6 seconds faster than Martins Sesks. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 6.1 seconds slower than Lappi and 0.5 seconds slower than Sesks. Kalle Rovanperä was fourth fastest, 1.3 seconds slower than Pajari. Two-time Rally Chile winner Ott Tänak rounded out the top five, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
WRC2
Nikolay Gryazin was the fastest WRC2 driver on the shakedown stage. As the Citroen driver set a time one second faster than Jan Solans. Fabrizio Zaldivar finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 5.1 seconds slower than Gryazin and 4.- seconds slower than Solans. Jorge Martinez was fourth fastest in the WRC2 class, with a time 1.4 seconds slower than Zaldivar. Yohan Rossel rounded out the root vie on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Martinez.
Drivers Playing It Safe
It seems a fair few of the Rally1 front-runners took it easy on the shakedown stage, but why? Well, the answer is kind of simple, they want to preserve their tyres. As between shakedown and SS1, there is no area to change tyres. Taking a look at last season, tire management was an issue for seemingly everyone not named Ott Tänak. Drivers are hoping to learn from last year and give themselves as close to fresh tyres for the opening loop tomorrow.
What To Expect From Rally Chile Day One
The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio will see drivers contest 112.76 km across 6 stages. The longest of these stages is the 23.32 km San Rosendo stage which will serve as SS3 and SS6. The shortest stage is the 13.34 km Rere stage, which serves as SS2 and SS5. Drivers will have a little room for error, as there is a 30-minute midday service.