Ott Tänak has retired on SS2 of Rally Poland 2024. Find out more about why the Estonian retired below.
Oh Deer
Ott Tänak was leading Rally Poland 2024 to kick off the second day. However, 18km into SS2, the first full stage of the weekend a deer ended Tänak’s event early. Tänak can still restart, as he only stopped to ensure his brand-new engine didn’t get damaged beyond repair which would’ve fully ended his event. Luckily the damage only looked minor. Unlike the incident, Ken Block had in an i20 WRC back in 2022 at the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood in the American Rally Association.
What Does This Mean For Tänak?
Well in short it means he probably got another potential Rally Poland win stolen from him. In the long term, this could be the difference between winning and losing the championship for Tänak who just got back into the battle. Tänak is at his best on fast gravel. Which is what made the next three events so critical for the Estonian. If Tänak restarts he will have to go all out on Super Sunday and the powerstage to salvage what he can from this weekend. Then he will have to be in tip-top shape in both Latvia and Finland to try and take the championship lead. This won’t be easy. As Tänak will have to battle off Kalle Rovanperä who is equally as fast at fast gravel events. Everything that could’ve gone wrong for Tänak and his championship hopes has. The 2019 World Rally Champion sat just 18 points behind Neuville in a tie for second with Elfyn Evans. Evans and Neuville will both now have to take advantage of Tänak’s misfortune to take a sizeable lead over Tänak for Neuville and a lead of some kind of Evans.
The first day of Rally Poland 2024 has come to an end. Oliver Solberg leads the WRC2 class after the days lone stage.
Shakedown
Nikolay Grayzin topped the WRC2 class in the Rally Poland 2024 shakedown stage. Gryazin set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Roope Korhonen to top the shakedown stage. Miko Marczyk finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Gryazin and 0.4 seconds slower than Korhonen at his home event. Georg Linnamäe was fourth fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Marczyk. Josh McErlean rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Linnamäe.
SS1, Mikolajki Arena 1
Oliver Solberg kicked off Rally Poland 2024 with a stage win after going head-to-head with the Rally1 car of Martins Sesks. Solberg was 1.4 seconds faster than Roberto Diapra to top the stage. Nikolay Grayzin was third fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Solberg and 0.2 seconds slower than Diapra. Gus Greensmith and Sami Pajari tied for fifth fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Gryazin. Miko Marczyk was the fastest of the Polish drivers, finishing 6th, 0.5 seconds slower than Greensmith and Pajari and 0.3 seconds ahead of Koltun and Kajetanwoicz.
Rally Poland 2024 Day Two Rundown
The first full day of action will see drivers contest 113.5 km across 7 stages. Including the 29.4 km Stanczyki stage. As previously mentioned the day will not feature a service until the end of the day. The teams will then get 45 minutes to service the cars. The day does feature a midpoint tire fitting zone. The day will end with another running of the same SuperSpecial stage as day one. Thierry Neuville will be on road sweeping duties. Followed by championship rivals Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans.
The first day of Rally Poland 2024 has come to an end. Ott Tänak leads the event after the days lone stage.
Shakedown
Ott Tänak kicked off the weekend by setting the fastest time on the shakedown stage. As the Estonian was 0.7 seconds faster than reigning Rally Poland winner Thierry Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak and 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville. 2016 Rally Poland winner Andreas Mikkelsen posted the fourth fastest time on the shakedown stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Martins Sesks rounded out the top five on the Rally Poland 2024 shakedown stage. The reigning event winner finished 0.2 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
SS1, Mikolajki Arena 1
Ott Tänak took home the stage win on the first stage of Rally Poland 2024. As Tänak posted a time one second faster than championship leader Thierry Neuville. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the opening stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta was the next fastest driver on the stage, as the Japanese driver was 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta.
Rally Poland 2024 Day Two Rundown
The first full day of action will see drivers contest 113.5 km across 7 stages. Including the 29.4 km Stanczyki stage. As previously mentioned the day will not feature a service until the end of the day. The teams will then get 45 minutes to service the cars. The day does feature a midpoint tire fitting zone. The day will end with another running of the same SuperSpecial stage as day one. Thierry Neuville will be on road sweeping duties. Followed by championship rivals Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 7 Orlen 80th Rally Poland.
Championship Rundown
Yohan Rossel holds the WRC2 championship lead heading into the midpoint of the season. Rossel won’t be in attendance this weekend, so his 23-point lead over Jan Solans will likely be much smaller by the end of the weekend. Although not because of Solans who is also absent this weekend. Championship hopeful, Oliver Solberg will look to take advantage of both the returning event and Rossel and Solans absences. As Solberg sits just 5 points behind Solans and 28 points behind Rossel, with one round in hand. Sami Pajari sits tied with Solberg for third, and will likely look to take the same advantage as Solberg. Nikolay Gryazin, who has only scored at two rounds this season sits fifth, three points behind Solberg and Pajari.
First Time Since 2017
Rally Poland will make its return to the WRC for the first time since 2017 this weekend. The reigning event winner at the WRC level is Thierry Neuville. Other previous winners of the historic event include Andreas Mikkelsen and Sebastien Ogier. Both Mikkelsen and Ogier will be in attendance this weekend. Mikkelsen will be making his gravel debut in the Rally1 car. While Ogier will be looking for his third win at the event or yet another podium finish.
Day Breakdowns
Day One
The first day of Rally Poland kicks off with a lone SuperSpecial stage. The stage is 2.5 km in distance. Not much time should be gained or lost during the stage. However, crews will have to be careful as there is no service until the end of the second day of the event.
Day Two
The first full day of action will see drivers contest 113.5 km across 7 stages. Including the 29.4 km Stanczyki stage. As previously mentioned the day will not feature a service until the end of the day. The teams will then get 45 minutes to service the cars. The day does feature a midpoint tire fitting zone. The day will end with another running of the same SuperSpecial stage as day one.
Day Three
The third day of Rally Poland will see drivers contest 124.1 km across 7 more stages. Including the 22.4 km Czarne stage. The day will feature two service points, including one 40-minute at the day’s midpoint and one after the day has been completed.
Day Four
The fourth and final day of Rally Poland will see teams contest 63.06 km across 4 stages. Including the 20.8 km Gmina Mragowo stage. The 10.73 km Mikolajki stage will serve as the Wolf Powerstage. There is no midpoint service or tire fitting zone on the day. Meaning drivers will have to both preserve the car and tires as much as possible on Super Sunday.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 7 Orlen 80th Rally Poland.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville still holds the championship lead. The Belgian has led the championship since his win at the Rallye-Monte Carlo to kick off the season. The 4-time vice world rally champion takes an 18-point lead into Rally Poland. Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans sit tied for second in the championship after Tänak’s win in Italy earlier this month. Sebastien Ogier sits fourth in the championship. With two wins and two additional podiums under his belt, the Frenchman sits just 12 points behind Tänak and Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting 18 points behind Ogier. Overall the championship is still up for grabs and doesn’t have a clear frontrunner. Especially when the next three events favour Tänak and Evans.
First Time Since 2017
Rally Poland will make its return to the WRC for the first time since 2017 this weekend. The reigning event winner at the WRC level is Thierry Neuville. Other previous winners of the historic event include Andreas Mikkelsen and Sebastien Ogier. Both Mikkelsen and Ogier will be in attendance this weekend. Mikkelsen will be making his gravel debut in the Rally1 car. While Ogier will be looking for his third win at the event or yet another podium finish.
Day Breakdowns
Day One
The first day of Rally Poland kicks off with a lone SuperSpecial stage. The stage is 2.5 km in distance. Not much time should be gained or lost during the stage. However, crews will have to be careful as there is no service until the end of the second day of the event.
Day Two
The first full day of action will see drivers contest 113.5 km across 7 stages. Including the 29.4 km Stanczyki stage. As previously mentioned the day will not feature a service until the end of the day. The teams will then get 45 minutes to service the cars. The day does feature a midpoint tire fitting zone. The day will end with another running of the same SuperSpecial stage as day one.
Day Three
The third day of Rally Poland will see drivers contest 124.1 km across 7 more stages. Including the 22.4 km Czarne stage. The day will feature two service points, including one 40-minute at the day’s midpoint and one after the day has been completed.
Day Four
The fourth and final day of Rally Poland will see teams contest 63.06 km across 4 stages. Including the 20.8 km Gmina Mragowo stage. The 10.73 km Mikolajki stage will serve as the Wolf Powerstage. There is no midpoint service or tire fitting zone on the day. Meaning drivers will have to both preserve the car and tires as much as possible on Super Sunday.
Sebastien Ogier has been injured in a car accident before the start of Rally Poland. Find out more below.
The Crash
Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were preparing for recce on a stage earlier this week. When they had a collision with a civilian vehicle. Both Ogier and the civilian driving the second car were airlifted to hospital. Ogier and Landais have both reported they have minor injuries due to the collision.
A statement from the Toyota Gazoo World Rally Team said the following “TGR-WRT crew Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais were taken to hospital for checks following a road traffic collision during reconnaissance for Rally Poland on Tuesday morning. Two occupants of the other vehicle involved, members of the public, were also taken to hospital for medical checks. The incident took place while Ogier and Landais were preparing for the Goldap special stage, which forms SS10 and SS14 of the rally this Saturday. Ogier and Landais were driving a road car as is the standard practice for rally reconnaissance. All recce cars have GPS tracking, which shows the speeds were within the limits set. All involved have underdone scans which showed no serious injuries. While Landais has been discharged, Ogier will remain under medical observation overnight and will not be able to participate in the event. The safety and wellbeing of all involved remains the upmost priority of the team. Alongside this, the team is considering its options regarding any replacement and will provide an update in due course.
Ogier’s Replacement
Due to Ogier being forced to miss Rally Poland, an event he has won twice before, he will be replaced. Who is that replacement? Some guy named Kalle Rovanperä. Rovanperä will have to fly into Poland as he was not scheduled to contest the event. This change only gives the two-time World Champion two days to prepare for the new test. This will add an entirely new challenge to the event as preparations for events normally begin weeks before. Both Ogier and Rovanperä are set to contest Rally Latvia next month, alongside Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.
The Junior World Rally Championship season is halfway through. Let’s check in on the championship and see where everything sits.
Championship Rundown
Estonian Romet Jürgenson leads the Junior WRC championship with two events to go in the season. Jürgenson has one event win under his belt, winning in Croatia. He also finished second in Sweden to kick off the year. Diego Dominguez Jr. sits second in the championship. Dominguez finished second in the championship last year and has one win under his belt so far this season. Taking the class win in Sardinia earlier this month. Dominguez sits just 25 points behind Jürgenson. Australian Taylor Gill is third in the championship, just one point behind Dominguez. Gill has yet to win an event although he finished second in Croatia.
A Close Battle
Once again this Junior World Rally Championship season will be a close battle until the end. As just 26 points separate first from third in the championship and all three drivers have the skill to win. Rally Finland and EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be the final events for the Junior Championship. Both will push drivers to their limits for different reasons. Finland’s speed often catches drivers out with its unforgiving nature. While the rough gravel stages of Greece reward those who respect the stages. It is also worth mentioning only 4 of the 5 events count towards the championship, only one of the top three drivers in the championship has scored at every event. That lone driver is Taylor Gill. Jürgenson finished fourteenth in Sardinia and Domiquiez retired in Sweden.
Are There Any Dark Horse Contenders?
After the top three, the championship really starts to spread out. Sure Millie Johanson sits one point behind Gill, but Johanson has only competed in Rally Sweden. Norbert Maior sits fifth in the championship, 5 points behind Gill and 31 points behind Jürgenson. Outside of that nobody sits in a realistic spot to take the championship lead and ultimately the championship.
Reigning Junior World Rally Champion William Creighton has made the move up to the WRC2 category, but how has he done so far this season?
Finding Pace
William Creighton has contested four of his seven WRC2 scoring rounds. However, he has only managed to take home points in one of those events. That event was the Croatia Rally where he finished 10th in class. This isn’t much of a concern for the young Irishman. As the WRC2 championship is arguably the most difficult championship in the WRC. As a large entry list of drivers is at every European event. Which makes it hard to get into a scoring position, especially for a young driver with little experience in a WRC2 car. Creighton’s main priority this season is getting comfortable in the WRC2 car. Next season he can begin to focus more on the results. It is worth mentioning that Creighton does have a handful of top-five stage times under his belt already.
What To Expect From Creighton
The 26-year-old Irishman as previously mentioned shouldn’t be overly concerned with results at this point in time. His top priority should be getting comfortable in the car and finding pace based on that. No driver has jumped into a WRC2 car and put up great results instantly. Next season will be the bigger question for Creighton. As it will be his sophomore year in the car and results will be expected after a certain point. The M-Sport team behind Creighton knows not to push the youngster too far this early on. They may start pushing him a bit around the end of the season, but it wouldn’t be a large push. Just something like setting a slightly higher expectation. Overall there’s nothing to be concerned about at this point with Creighton, he is still the same driver who won the Junior World Rally Championship.
Hyundai actively leads the Manufacturers’ Championship, but what could we expect from the team in the next three events?
A Fast Tänak
It’s no secret Ott Tänak is at his best during fast gravel events. Which is exactly what Rally Poland, Latvia and Finland are. Tänak is a three-time winner on the legendary stages of Finland. He was also expected to challenge for the event win with M-Sport last season. That was until the oil pan on his Puma broke. This year Tänak will be back behind the wheel of the same car he won with in Finland back in 2022 the Hyundai i20 Rally1. As far as Poland and Latvia go, Tänak finished third in 2015 and second in 2016 at the event. Latvia will be a new test for every driver involved. This means those with plenty of experience at fast events and those who can learn quickly will succeed. Latvia and Finland should give us a much-anticipated battle between Tänak and 2-time World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä.
Looking To Build
Thierry Neuville leads the Drivers’ Championship heading into the 2024 season’s midpoint. The driver who sits second is Elfyn Evans, who won Rally Finland last season. While Neuville finished second at the event. Neuville will likely be looking to build off the speed he showed in both Estonia and Finland last season. The Belgian has two podiums at Rally Poland already under his belt, including a win back in 2017. Neuville will also have to remain cautious, as one mistake at any of these fast and unforgiving events could put his championship hopes in jeopardy. It will be a game of risk versus reward for Neuville at all three events.
Making Gravel Debut
Andreas Mikkelsen, who is driving his first season in the Rally1 class will make his gravel debut in Poland at the end of the month. The reigning WRC2 champion has managed to take sixth-place finishes at both the Rallye-Monte Carlo and the Croatia Rally. However, gravel is a completely different beast compared to sealed surfaces. This is something the 34-year-old knows all too well. What better event for Mikkelsen to make his gravel debut at than an event he has previously won? This being Rally Poland which he won with Volkswagen back in 2016. In recent memory, Mikkelsen has won the last three editions of Rally Estonia in the WRC2 class.
Looking For More
Esapekka Lappi has only contested two events this season. He’s won one of those two events, that being Rally Sweden. Lappi likely won’t be hunting for the win in either Latvia or Finland, but he will likely be looking to take a step on the podium. Lappi is the last Finnish driver the win Rally Finland winning it back in 2017. Last season with Hyundai Lappi finished third at Rally Estonia and retired from Rally Finland after an accident.
M-Sport Ford has shocked many to start the 2024 season, but what could we expect from the team in the next three events?
Fast Gravel
The midpoint of the 2024 World Rally Championship will see the drivers contest some classic stages in Poland at the end of the month, a new event in Rally Latvia and the legendary Rally Finland in July and August respectively. Adrien Fourmaux has taken two podiums already this season, could we see more from the Frenchman at these events? Personally, I wouldn’t be shocked if we do. Fourmaux has yet to take a top-five finish at any gravel event in the sports top class. However, all season long he’s been proving he’s a changed driver. His best finish at a fast gravel event came in Estonia 2022 and Finland 2021 where he finished 7th.
Overcoming The Odds
It has been years since M-Sport has had a top-three finish at a fast event. However, last season that probably would’ve changed if Ott Tänak’s oil pan hadn’t broken. Which forced the Estonian to retire and robbed the fans of the epic battle between Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä on the fast Finnish stages, anyway, back to Fourmaux. Overall I wouldn’t expect a straight-up podium from Fourmaux, but I would be shocked if he was competing for somewhere between 4th and 6th throughout the weekend and happened to slide into a podium battle when another driver retires. Obviously, you never hope a driver retires but we are talking about fast gravel events which almost always catch at least one driver out. Where do I think this is most likely to happen? Finland. In Finland anything can happen, look at last year the machine that is Kalle Rovanperä made an extremely rare mistake. Which ultimately cost him what would’ve surely been a win at his home event.
To Learn
Up to this point I have only talked about Fourmaux and have yet to mention Grégoire Munster, but why? Simply put I don’t expect much from Munster. As, much like every other event, he will be looking to learn throughout every event. Add that to his overall pace just being slower than everyone else and he’s surely not going to finish high. Which is an alright thing for a young driver trying to learn the ropes of a Rally1 beast.