The fifth round of the 2024 WRC season Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 takes place this weekend. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s event.
Tänak Wins
Ott Tänak has had a rough start to the year. As the 2019 World Champion is without a podium so far this season. Tänak is hoping to use Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 to get back into the championship picture for this season. Currently, Tänak sits over 20 points behind his championship rivals in Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans. Tänak won the event back in 2019 with Toyota. The Estonian will have to fend off Kalle Rovanperä who will be hungry for his second win of the season.
Rovanperä Wins Over 10 Stages
Reigning Rally Portugal winner Kalle Rovaneprä will be in the fight for the event win as per usual this weekend. Rovanperä has won the last two editions of the event. Taking home 9 stage wins in 2022 and 11 in 2023. This makes predicting Rovanperä winning more than 10 stages an easy thing. There’s a reason he’s a two-time champion, it’s because he’s fast. Obviously, things can go wrong over the course of the weekend. As this is rally after all. That being said Rovanperä makes very few costly mistakes. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Tänak and Rovanperä exchange stage wins this weekend, and I still believe Tänak will come out on top.
Sordo Finishes On The Podium
The Spanish driver has done really well at Rally Portugal in recent years and nothing suggests the 2024 edition will be any different. Over the last three years, Sordo has finished second twice and third once. The 41-year-old will look to step on the podium once again this weekend. It won’t be an easy feat, especially when you consider Sordo’s last WRC appearance was in Japan last season.
Solberg Takes WRC2 Win
Oliver Solberg is arguably the fastest driver in the WRC2 class this season. Last season Solberg led the event until the end of day three when he received a penalty for doing donuts during the SuperSpecial stage. This handed Gus Greensmith the event lead and eventual win. However, Solberg was able to claw back time and nearly take the lead back on the event’s final stage. The Swede ended the event 1.2 seconds behind Greensmith. I wouldn’t be surprised if Solberg takes the win this year.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with Vodafone Rally De Portugal.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville still holds the drivers’ championship lead heading into the fifth round of the season. Neuville has held the championship lead since his win in Rallye Monte-Carlo to kick off the season. The Belgian holds a 6-point lead over last year’s championship runner-up Elfyn Evans heading into Vodafone Rally De Portugal. Adrien Fourmaux sits third in the championship 27 points behind Neuville and 21 points behind Evans. Ott Tänak is fourth in the championship, 6 points behind Fourmaux. Sebastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta round out the top five in the championship, with both sitting 8 points behind Tänak.
Team Rundowns
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Toyota currently leads the manufacturers’ championship heading into the fifth round of the season. The team holds a 7-point lead over Hyundai. The Japanese Manufacturer heads into Portugal looking to maintain their momentum from the previous two events. Historically Toyota has done good at the event since returning to the WRC in 2017. Winning the event four times since 2017 (the event was not run in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Toyota will roster a four-car team for the first time this season. With full-timers, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta being joined by five-time Rally Portugal winner Sebastien Ogier and reigning Rally Portugal winner Kalle Rovanperä. The team has elected for Katsuta to not score points this weekend.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Hyundai sits second in the manufacturers’ championship after a strong start to the season with wins at both the Rallye Monte-Carlo and Rally Sweden. Since Sweden, the team only has one podium. This was achieved by Thierry Neuville last time out in Croatia. The Korean manufacturer will run a three-car team as per usual this weekend. With regulars Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak being joined by Dani Sordo for the first time this season. Ott Tänak who has had a rough start to the season is hoping to put himself back in the championship picture this weekend. The Estonian won the event back in 2019 on the way to winning his first and only world championship.
M-Sport Ford WRT
M-Sport Ford has surprised many to start the year. As many thought the team wouldn’t be able to achieve any podiums this season. A rejuvenated Adrien Fourmuax has proven them wrong. As the Frenchman has finished on the podium twice so far this season. Fourmaux will head into this weekend looking to take home another podium. On the flip side, Grégoire Munster has had a rough start to the season. Only achieving a handful of top five stage times through this point.
What To Expect From Vodafone Rally De Portugal
Drivers will contest a total of 337.04 km across 22 special stages.
Day One
The first day of the event will see drivers take on a 2.94 km SuperSpecial stage to kick off the event. Nothing much should come from this stage, at most only a couple of seconds are lost.
Day Two
The second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal is where the action truly gets underway. As drivers will contest 126.90 km across eight stages. Thierry Neuville will get road sweeping honours on the day unless he has an issue before or during the day. The day’s longest stage will be the 18.72 km Agranil stage. While the shortest is the 12.28 km Lousã stage. Drivers may opt to drive more on the side of caution. As the day doesn’t feature a midday service.
Day Three
The third day of the event is also the longest, as drivers will contest 145.02 km across another eight stages. The third day’s longest stage is the monster 37.24 km Amarante stage which will push drivers to their limits. While the shortest stage is the 8.69 km Montim stage. The day will feature a single 44-minute service between the two loops.
Day Four
The fourth and final day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal will see drivers contest 62.18 km across 4 stages. The longest of these stages is the 19.91 km Cabeceiras de Basto stage. While the shortest is the famed 11.18 Fafe stage, which will serve as the Wolf Powerstage.
The fourth and final day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier took home the event win.
SS17, Trakošćan – Vrbno 1
Takamoto Katsuta kicked off the final day with his first stage win of the weekend. Katsuta set a time 1.8 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux to top the stage. Elfyn Evans was third fastest on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Katsuta and one second slower than Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished fourth quickest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Evans. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS18, Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec 1
Ott Tänak claimed the stage win on the second stage of Croatia Rally 2024’s final day. With a time 1.1 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Andreas Mikkelsen set the fourth-fastest time, 3.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.5 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
SS19, Trakošćan – Vrbno 2
Takamoto Katsuta also took the stage win on the second running of the Trakošcan – Vrbno stage. This time around Katsuta was 0.6 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Ott Tänak was third fastest, 0.8 seconds slower than Katsuta and 0.2 seconds slower than Evans. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.4 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS20, Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec 2
Adrien Fourmaux took home the stage win on the powerstage of Croatia Rally 2024. As Fourmaux set a time 3.8 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage five seconds slower than Fourmaux and 1.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta posted the fourth fastest time, 1.6 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Katsuta.
Chaotic SS18
For the most part, Croatia Rally 2024 was drama-free, that was until SS18. When all but one of the top five drivers had an issue. Fourmaux broke his steering rack, luckily he was able to get it fixed and secure both his Saturday points and the Powerstage win. Thierry Neuville wasn’t so lucky. As a crash on SS18 left the Belgian without half of his rear wing. Add that to a Hybrid issue on SS19 and Neuville was out of the running for the event win. Elfyn Evans had a spin on SS18 losing just under 20 seconds to Ogier. Finally, Ott Tänak went off the road slightly after a jump, luckily no major damage was caused.
The fourth and final day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier took home the event win.
SS17, Trakošćan – Vrbno 1
Nikolay Gryazin kicked off the final day of Croatia Rally 2024 with a stage win. As Gryazin set a time 1.1 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 4.8 seconds slower than Gryazin and 3.7 seconds slower than Rossel. Eyvind Brynildsen posted the fourth fastest time, 5.4 seconds slower than López. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Brynildsen.
SS18, Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec 1
Yohan Rossel took the stage win on the second stage of the day. With a time 0.2 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin. Niclas Ciamin finished third fastest on the stage, 10 seconds slower than Rossel and 9.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. Pepe López set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Ciamin. William Creighton rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.8 seconds slower than López.
SS19, Trakošćan – Vrbno 2
Yohan Rossel also took the stage win on the penultimate stage of Rally Croatia 2024. Setting a time 0.6 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to take the stage win. Pepe López was third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Rossel and 1.5 seconds slower than Gryazin. Lauri Joona finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than López. Niclas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.7 seconds slower than Joona.
SS20, Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec 2
Yohan Rossel took home the stage win on the final stage win of the weekend. With a time 0.6 seconds faster than Niclas Ciamin to top the stage. Nikolay Gryazin sealed the event win with the third fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Rossel and 0.9 seconds slower than Ciamin. Pepe López set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Gryazin. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 14.9 seconds slower than López.
Earlier today it was confirmed that Mārtiņš Sesks will contest Rally Poland and Rally Latvia in a Rally1 Puma.
A Golden Ticket
2023 European Rally Championship Vice-Champion Mārtiņš Sesks will get an opportunity to drive a Rally1 Puma in Rally Poland and his home event of Rally Latvia. Sesks has been one of the top stars in the ERC in recent years. As previously mentioned he finished second in the championship last season, between two former WRC stars Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg. This opportunity for Sesks has been partially funded by the WRC Promotor. This is a part of the championship’s attempt to get more drivers into a Rally1 car. Sesks is expected to join M-Sport regulars Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster at the two events.
Sesks History
Mārtiņš Sesks began his rally career in 2013 in Latvia. Since then Sesks has worked his way through the ranks in Latvia and surrounding countries like Estonia. In 2017 Sesks made a one-off appearance in the ERC Junior category where he placed 2nd in class at his home event of Rally Latvia. In 2018 he contested a full Junior ERC season, winning the Junior and ERC3 championships. Between 2019 and 2021, Sesks contested the full WRC Junior championship, finishing 10th in 2019, 2nd in 2020 and 3rd in 2021. In 2022 Sesks made his top-flight ERC debut and took home his first ERC event win at none other than Rally Latvia.
A Hybrid-Less Car
Mārtiņš Sesks will drive a hybrid-less Rally1 Puma at Rally Poland. This is for him to learn the car without the added hybrid boost before getting a full hybrid car in Latvia. This will be the first time a hybrid-less Rally1 car will contest a WRC event since it was allowed before the season. However, it is worth noting Alberto Heller ran with the hybrid unit disconnected for part of Rally Chile Bio Bio last season.
What To Expect From Sesks
It’s unlikely Sesks will be one of the top runners at Rally Latvia. As he will still have a huge experience deficit in the car. However, he will have much more experience with the roads and the event. This likely won’t offset the lack of experience in the car. Nevertheless, Sesks could surprise and set some top five or top three stage times at the event. It’s also worth noting that Sesks has won Rally Latvia in the ERC the past two seasons. As far as Rally Poland goes, Sesks will be the slowest Rally1 car. This is because of the previously mentioned hybrid-less car. How much slower the car will be without the hybrid is unknown. In a fast-flowing event like Poland, the lack of hybrid boost will be much more noticeable than in a more technical event like Greece.
The second day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to a close. Nikolay Gryazin retained the lead after the day’s eight stages.
SS9, Smerovišće – Grdanjci 1
Yohan Rossel kicked off the second day with a stage win. As Rossel set a time 1.6 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top the stage. Pepe López was third fastest on the opening stage, two seconds slower than Gryazin. Niclas Ciamin finished fourth quickest on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than López. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS10, Stojdraga – Gornja Vas 1
Yohan Rossel also took home the stage win on the second stage of the day. With a time 7.1 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin. Eyvind Brynildsen finished third fastest on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Gryazin. Emil Lindholm posted the fourth fastest time, one second slower than Brynildsen. Niclas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.5 seconds slower than Lindholm.
SS11, Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 1
Yohan Rossel also claimed the stage win on the third stage of the morning loop. As Rossel set a time 1.2 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to win his third consecutive stage. Niclas Ciamin and Emil Lindholm tied for third fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Gryazin. Eyvind Brynildsen rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Ciamin and Lindholm.
SS12, Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novak 1
Nikolay Gryazin finally took his first stage win of the day on the final stage of the morning loop. With a time 3.6 seconds faster than Niclas Ciamin to top the stage. Eyvind Brynildsen finished third fastest on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Ciamin. Pepe López set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Brynildsen. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing three seconds slower than López.
SS13, Smerovišće – Grdanjci 2
Yohan Rossel took home the stage win on the thirteenth stage of Croatia Rally 2024. With a time 10.2 seconds faster than Pepe López. Niclas Ciamin finished third fastest on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than López. Emil Lindholm posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Ciamin. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.3 seconds slower than Lindholm.
SS14, Stojdraga – Gornja Vas 2
Yohan Rossel also took the stage win on SS14. As Rossel set a time 11.6 seconds faster than Niclas Ciamin to win the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Ciamin. Emil Lindholm posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Roberto Daprà rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Lindholm.
SS15, Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 2
Nikolay Gryazin claimed the stage win on the penultimate stage of Croatia Rally 2024’s penultimate day. With a time 0.8 seconds faster than Pepe López. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than López. Niclas Ciamin was fourth fastest on the stage, setting a time 0.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 3.6 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS16, Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novak 2
Nikolay Gryazin capped off the second day with a stage win. As Gryazin set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Niclas Ciamin to top the stage. Pepe López was third fastest on the stage, two seconds slower than Ciamin. Yohan Rossel finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than López. Roberto Daprà rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.7 seconds slower than Rossel.
The second day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to a close. Thierry Neuville has taken sole lead of the event after the day’s eight stages.
SS9, Smerovišće – Grdanjci 1
Adrien Fourmaux kicked off the day with his first stage win of the weekend. As the Frenchman set a time 0.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier was the third fastest on the stage, one second slower than Fourmaux and 0.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the day’s opening stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS10, Stojdraga – Gornja Vas 1
Sebastien Ogier took home the stage win on the tenth stage of Croatia Rally 2024. Ogier posted a time 0.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans who tied for second on the stage. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville and Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.7 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS11, Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 1
Thierry Neuville took his first stage win of the day on SS11. Neuville set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS12, Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novak 1
Thierry Neuville also claimed the stage win on the final stage of the morning loop. As Neuville posted a time 2.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak tied for third fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing three seconds slower than Neuville and 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.1 seconds slower than Evans and Tänak.
SS13, Smerovišće – Grdanjci 2
Elfyn Evans ended Neuville’s stage win streak with a stage win of his own on SS13 of Croatia Rally 2024. As Evans set a time one second faster than Sebastien Ogier to claim the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 6.7 seconds slower than Evans and 5.7 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.1 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS14, Stojdraga – Gornja Vas 2
Thierry Neuville answered Evans stage win with a stage win of his own. As the Belgian posted a time 3.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to claim the stage win. Elfyn Evans was third fastest on the stage, 4.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished fourth quickest on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS15, Vinski Vrh – Duga Resa 2
Thierry Neuville also took home the stage win on the penultimate stage of the day. With a time 1.6 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top his second consecutive stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS16, Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novak 2
Thierry Neuville capped off the penultimate day with yet another stage win. As Neuville set a time 0.5 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to win the stage. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest, 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five, finishing with a time 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak.
What To Expect From Croatia Rally 2024 Day Three
The third and final day of the Croatia Rally will see drivers contest 54.78 km across four stages. The longest stage of the day is the 14.24 km Zagorska Sela-Kumrovec stage which is the second stage of each loop and will serve as the Powerstage. While the shortest stage of the day is the 13.15 km Trakošćan-Vrbno stage which is the first stage of each loop. Thierry Neuville takes a 4.9-second lead over Eflyn Evans into the final day. Sebastien Ogier is third overall, 11.6 seconds behind Neuville and 6.7 seconds behind Evans. Ott Tänak is a minute and 3.9 seconds out of a podium spot. While Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five 19.9 seconds behind Tänak. Grégoire Munster will once again be the first car on the road followed by Andreas Mikkelsen and Takamoto Katsuta.
A Close Battle
Just 11.6 seconds separate first and third overall. Heading into the final day’s four stages there is no clear-cut winner. Thierry Neuville could win, Eflyn Evans could win the event again and Sebastien Ogier could have his 100th career podium be an event win. This could very well come down to the Powerstage. Something we have yet to see this season and something we haven’t seen happen in a while. Croatia Rally 2024 has been an incredibly close battle throughout the first two days and nothing is saying the final day won’t be the same.
The first day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to an end. Nikolay Gryazin leads the event after the day’s eight stages.
SS1, Krašić – Sošic 1
Nikolay Gryazin kicked off the weekend with a stage win on the opening stage. As Gryazin posted a time 10.8 seconds faster than teammate Yohan Rossel. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Rossel. Lauri Joona was fourth fastest on the stage, 27.2 seconds slower than López. Niclas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.5 seconds slower than Joona.
SS2, Jaškovo – Mali Modruš Potok 1
Nikolay Gryazin also took the stage win on the second stage of Croatia Rally 2024. As the Bulgarian set a time 2.3 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take the stage win. Lauri Joona finished third fastest on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than Rossel. Pepe López posted the fourth-fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Joona. William Creighton rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.7 seconds slower than López.
SS3, Ravna Gora – Skrad 1
Yohan Rossel ended his Gryazin’s stage win streak on SS3. As the Frenchman posted a time 1.7 seconds faster than Gryazin to take his first stage win of the weekend. Pepe López finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Gryazin. Niclas Ciamin was fourth fastest on the outing, 4.4 seconds slower than López. William Creighton rounded out the top five on the stage once again, 0.8 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS4, Platak 1
Nikolay Gryazin was right back to his winning ways on the fourth stage of Croatia Rally 2024. As the Citroen driver set a time one second faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Pepe López was the third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Rossel. Emil Lindholm finished fourth fastest on the final stage of the morning loop, with a time 0.5 seconds slower than López. Niclas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.4 seconds slower than Lindholm.
SS5, Platak 2
Nikolay Gryazin also claimed the stage win on the first stage of the afternoon loop. Gryazin posted a time 0.8 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to win the stage. William Creighton was third fastest on the stage, 6.6 seconds slower than Rossel. Roberto Daprà was fourth fastest on the stage, 5.1 seconds slower than Creighton. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.4 seconds slower than Daprà.
SS6, Ravna Gora – Skrad 2
Nikolay Gryazin kept his streak of dominance going on the sixth stage of Croatia Rally 2024. As Gryazin set a time 1.9 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to claim the stage win. Niclas Ciamin was third fastest on the stage, posting a time 0.8 seconds slower than Rossel. William Creighton finished fourth fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Ciamin. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Creighton.
SS7, Jaškovo – Mali Modruš Potok 2
The penultimate stage of the first day was once again won by Nikolay Gryazin. With a time 3.1 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to win his sixth stage of the day. Eyvind Brynildsen finished third fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Rossel. Niclas Ciamin was fourth fastest on the stage 0.3 seconds slower than Brynildsen. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Ciamin.
SS8, Krašić – Sošic 2
Nikolay Gryazin also took home the stage win on the final stage of the day. Gryazin set a time 12.9 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel. Emil Lindholm was third fastest on the stage, 8.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Pepe López finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Lindholm. Niclas Ciamin rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than López.
The first day of Croatia Rally 2024 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville lead the event after the day’s eight stages.
SS1, Krašić – Sošic 1
Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville topped the first stage of the weekend. As the championship leader set a time 6.6 seconds faster than Toyota driver Elfyn Evans. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 14.5 seconds slower than Neuville and 7.9 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak was the fourth fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS2, Jaškovo – Mali Modruš Potok 1
Elfyn Evans answered Thierry Neuvile’s push with a stage win of his own on the second stage of Croatia Rally 2024. As the Welshman posted a time 1.7 seconds faster than Neuville to win his first stage of the weekend. Ott Tänak finished third fastest, 2.4 seconds slower than Evans and 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the event’s second stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville retained the event lead despite Evans winning the stage. Neuville now has a 4.9-second lead over Evans after the first two stages. Sebastien Ogier sits third overall, 17.6 seconds behind Neuville and 12.7 seconds behind Evans. Ott Tänak sits 0.9 seconds out of a top-three spot in fourth.
SS3, Ravna Gora – Skrad 1
Thierry Neuville claimed his second stage win of the day on the first run of the Ravna Gora-Skrad stage. Neuville set a time 3.5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to claim the stage win. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 3.6
seconds slower than Neuville and 0.1 seconds slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux posted the fourth fastest time on the stage 4.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville expanded his event lead to 8.4 seconds over Elfyn Evans after winning the stage. Sebastien Ogier retained third overall, now sitting 21.2 seconds behind Neuville and 12.8 behind Evans.
SS4, Platak 1
Thierry Neuville also claimed the stage win on the final stage of the morning loop. As the championship leader posted a time 0.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to claim his third stage win of the day. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the outing, 0.3 seconds slower than Neuville and a mere 0.1 seconds behind his teammate Elfyn Evans. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, as Tänak set a time 6.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing three seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville once again expanded his lead over Elfyn Evans. As Neuville ended the morning loop with an 8.6-second lead over Evans. Sebastien Ogier retained third to end the loop, with the Frenchman now sitting 21.5 seconds behind Neuville and 12.9 seconds behind Evans.
SS5, Platak 2
Thierry Neuville kicked off the afternoon loop of Croatia Rally 2024’s first day in the same fashion as the morning loop, with a stage win. This time around Neuville set a time 1.5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to win his third consecutive stage. Sebastien Ogier was once again third fastest on the stage, 5.4 seconds slower than Neuville’s benchmark and 3.9 seconds behind Evans. Adrien Fourmaux posted the fourth-fastest time on the stage, five seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville expanded his lead to 10.1 seconds over Evans after the stage. Sebastien Ogier maintained his position after the stage, now sitting 26.9 seconds behind Neuville and 16.8 seconds behind Evans.
SS6, Ravna Gora – Skrad 2
Elfyn Evans brought Neuville’s stage win streak to an end on the sixth stage of Croatia Rally 2024. As the reigning event winner posted a time 1.1 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to claim the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the outing, two seconds slower than Evans and 0.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, setting a time 3.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans was able to cut Thierry Neuville’s lead down to just 0.1 seconds from 10.1 seconds. All advantage Neuville had is gone and it’s basically back to square one. Sebastien Ogier did retain his position yet again, with the former event winner now sitting 18 seconds behind Neuville and 17.9 seconds behind Evans.
SS7, Jaškovo – Mali Modruš Potok 2
The penultimate stage of the first and longest day of Croatia Rally 2024 saw Sebastien Ogier take his first stage win of the weekend. As the Frenchman set a time 0.3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to claim the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 1.7 seconds behind Ogier and 1.4 behind Evans. Thierry Neuville posted the fourth fastest time, 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans was able to take the event lead despite not winning the stage. Evans now holds a 1.6-second lead over Neuville heading into the day’s final stage. Ogier was once again able to cut the gap between him and second and now sits 17.6 seconds behind Evans and 16 behind Neuville.
SS8, Krašić – Sošic 2
Sebastien Ogier ended the first day with his second stage win of the weekend. Ogier posted a time 9.2 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux to top the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 9.4 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta. Thierry Neuville was able to close the lead between himself and Elfyn Evans to tie for the lead at the end of the day. Ogier ended the day 6.6 seconds behind in third.
What To Expect From Croatia Rally 2024 Day Two
The second of three days will see drivers contest 108.76 km across another eight stages. The longest stage on the day is the 20.77 km Stojdraga-Gornja Vas stage which is the second stage of each loop. While the shortest stage of the day is the 8.78 km Vinski-Duga Resa stage which is the third stage of each loop. Unlike the first day the second day will feature one midday service for the drivers, the length of this service is 40 minutes. As previously mentioned Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans head into the second day in a tie for the lead. Ogier sits 6.6 seconds behind the pair. Ott Tänak sits fourth overall heading into the second day, 41.1 seconds behind Neuville and Evans and 34.5 seconds behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five overall. As the Frenchman sits 11.6 seconds behind Tänak. Grégoire Munster will be first on the road, Andreas Mikkelsen will be second and Takamoto Katsuta third.
The Croatia Rally 2024 shakedown stage has come to a close. Sebastien Ogier was the fastest driver in the Rally1 class.
Shakedown Run One
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak kicked off his event with the fastest time on the first run of shakedown. The Estonian posted a time 0.4 seconds faster than his teammate and championship leader Thierry Neuville. Toyota drivers Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans tied for third on the first run of shakedown. As both Ogier and Evans finished 2.1 seconds slower than Tänak and 1.7 seconds slower than Neuville. M-Sport driver Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the first run, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier and Evans.
Shakedown Run Two
Eight-time World Champion Sebastien Ogier was fastest on the second run of the Croatia Rally 2024 shakedown stage. As the Frenchman set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak. Elfyn Evans finished with the fourth fastest one second slower than Neuville and Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux once again rounded out the top five, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Evans.
Shakedown Run 3/4
Only a handful of drivers did a third and fourth run of shakedown. Therefore I am going to put them both in the same section, otherwise, there would only be one driver in the fourth run slot. Elfyn Evans was fastest on the third run of the shakedown stage. As the 2023 Croatia Rally winner set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Andreas Mikkelsen finished third fastest, 1.6 seconds slower than Tänak and 2.5 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta was the slowest on the third and fourth runs of shakedown. As the Japanese driver finished 4.6 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
What To Expect From Day One
The first day of Croatia Rally 2024 will see drivers contest 119.74 km across eight stages. The longest of the day’s stages is the 23.63 km Krašić-Sošice stage which is the final stage of each loop. While the shortest is the 9.48 km Jaškovo-Mali Morduš Potok stage which is the third stage of each loop. Day one will feature a single tire fitting zone between the two loops and no service. Thierry Neuville will be first on the road as he leads the championship. Normally this would be a disadvantage to drivers. However, due to the Croatia Rally being a tarmac event, it can actually be an advantage. This is a result of having a clean road. As more cars contest the stage the more mud, dirt and gravel will get pulled out onto the road due to cutting. Elfyn Evans is second on the road, followed by Adrien Fourmaux.