Safari Rally Kenya Preview: WRC1

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round seven Safari Rally Kenya.

Drivers’ Championship Rundown

Reigning World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä leads the 2023 Driver’s’ Championship currently. Rovanperä sits 25 points ahead of Thierry Neuville heading into Safari Rally Kenya. Ott Tänak sits third in the championship, eight points behind his former teammate. Elfyn Evans sits fourth in the championship, three points behind Tänak. Sebastien Ogier rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting 13 points behind Evans. The 2023 Drivers’ Championship is still a tight battle, as 25 points isn’t all that much. By Safari Rally Kenya last season we kinda already knew who was going to win the championship. This season we really don’t, Neuville still has a chance to take home his first, and Hyundai’s first drivers’ championship. Tänak also still has a chance to take home another championship. Chances are Rovanperä will win his second championship this season, but anything is possible.

Manufactures’ Championship Rundown

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team currently leads this year’s Manufactures’ Championship. Toyota currently sits 23 points ahead of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team heading into this weekend. The M-Sport Ford World Rally team currently sits 64 points behind Hyundai. M-Sport Ford will have a tough time getting back into the race for the Manufactures’ Championship, as they only have two drivers competing for points and one of them is regularly below fifth place. 

Itinerary

Safari Rally Kenya will see drivers race 19 stages totalling 356.98 kilometres. Throughout these 356.98km drivers will face a multitude of challenges, with the biggest being weather. One rainfall turns the dry Kenyan roads into a muddy mess. Teams and drivers know this all too well, as it happened last year. Safari Rally Kenya is probably the most difficult challenge for drivers, as if it does rain the rally turns into a drive to survive. The first day of the rally will see drivers compete in a 4.84km SuperSpecial. On the second day, drivers will be met with six stages, totalling 125.54km. Day three will see drivers face six more stages, totalling 150.88km. The fourth and final day will see drivers compete in six stages once again, this time totalling 75.72km. 

Earlier today the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team announced Teemu Suninen and Emil Lindholm have joined the team. 

Suninen Gets A Call-Up

Teemu Suninen has spent the 2 WRC seasons in a WRC2 car for Hyundai. This comes after Suninen moved from M-Sport Ford to Hyundai in 2021. Suninen was probably one of the better candidates to take over the empty seat on the third Hyundai i20. As Suninen has previous WRC1 experience, although not in a Hybrid car. Suninen has made 39 WRC1 appearances so far in his career. Placing top five at 8 of those events. His highest WRC1 finish came at the 2020 running of Rally Mexico where he would place third, 10.1 seconds behind Ott Tänak. In WRC2 Suninen has appeared in 31 rallies. Splitting time between Hyundai, M-Sport Ford and Team Oreca. Suninen has won 7 events at the WRC2 level and podiumed 17 times. He has also finished top three in the WRC2 championship twice, once in 2016 and again in 2017. 

Lindholm Changes Team

Reigning WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm will also be joining Hyundai, but not as a Rally1 driver. As Lindholm has joined the Hyundai Motorsport Driver Development Programme. This is a bit of a change of pace for Hyundai, who got rid of the Driver Development Programme last season. A programme which included 21-year-old Oliver Solberg, who is currently sitting second in the WRC2 championship, 13 points behind Yohan Rossel. Lindholm currently sits fourth in this year’s WRC2 championship, 18 points behind Gus Greensmith. Lindholm would finish third in WRC3 in the 2021 season, finishing 54 points behind Kajetan Kajetanowicz. Lindholm has spent most of his WRC2/WRC3 career in a Sköda Fabia F5 Evo. With his only season out of a Sköda coming in 2019 when he drove a Volkswagen for three events. 

Where Will They Debut?

Both Suninen and Lindholm will make their Hyundai debuts at Rally Estonia next month. Both drivers will also compete at their home rally in Finland in August. Other than those two events it’s unknown where Suninen and Lindholm will compete. Suninen will likely contest most of the remaining WRC rounds as Dani Sordo has already competed in 4 rounds so far this season. 

The World Rally Championship can be improved as can many things in the world, but there are a few that stand out above the rest.

Lack Of Manufacturers

The World Rally Championship in recent years has had a lack of manufacturers. As the championship only has three different teams to choose from at the top level. Those three being Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hyundai Shell Mobis and M-Sport Ford. It is worth noting early Toyota and Hyundai sit above M-Sport Ford in many ways, including budget. As the M-Sport Ford team spent most of their driver budget this season on bringing back Ott Tänak. The lack of manufacturers had made it harder for drivers to get a seat, with this season having only 10 drivers with a seat in WRC1 this season. Which is 3 less than last season, which saw 13 with a seat. Although the average amount of entrants per event has stayed the same for a while now, with about 10 drivers entering per event. 

Why Is This An Issue?

The main issue with this is it forces drivers who should be in a WRC1 seat into WRC2. Yes, this does make WRC2 more interesting, but it’s also limiting drivers’ potential in the WRC as well. With WRC2 being more competitive, and often having tighter finishes than WRC1 it has taken some people’s focus off the WRC1 class and turned the focus to the WRC2 class. Especially during events that aren’t close after the first day in the WRC1 class. Thankfully Rally Italia Sardegna was a battle right till the end pretty much. This kept things interesting throughout the event. The lack of competition has also made the title fight uninteresting to watch for about two decades now. As every season besides last WRC season, 2019, and 2020 you pretty much expected who would win. It was either Sebastien Loeb or Sebastien Ogier. With WRC2 it’s constantly interesting, you don’t know who’s going to likely win heading into the season. 

The Fix To This Issue

Well, there isn’t a simple fix for this issue. As it relies a lot on not only manufacturers but also drivers. Although adding another manufacturer would allow more drivers the opportunity to compete at the WRC1 level. It wouldn’t solve the competition issue immediately. It would take some time for the competition issue to potentially be solved. As it’ll take some time for a new set of drivers to get used to the Rally1 cars. Even after getting used to the Rally1 cars, there’s no guarantee that the drivers can compete with Rovanperä or whoever is at the top. There’s also no guarantee a new manufacturers’ car will be able to compete with the Toyota’s or Hyundai’s. The only real potential way to fix the manufacturer issue is to make the WRC more appealing to manufacturers. Right now competing in WRC1 or even WRC2 is really expensive for teams. With teams relying heavily on sponsorships. 

The fourth and final day of Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Thierry Neuville would take home the win. 

SS16, ARZACHENA – BRANIATOGGHIU 1

Stage 16 would see a returning Ott Tänak take the stage win. With Tänak setting a time 4.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans who tied for second on the stage. WRC2 driver Sammy Pajari would take third on the stage, finishing 4.2 seconds slower than Neuville and Evans. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Pajari. 

SS17, SARDEGNA 1

Ott Tänak would also take the stage win on SS17 of Rally Italia Sardegna. With Tänak setting a time 2.3 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to take the stage win this time. Sebastien Ogier would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 3.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Thierry Neuville would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 3 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Neuville. 

SS18, ARZACHENA – BRANIATOGGHIU 2

Takamoto Katsuta would take the stage win on SS18. With Katsuta setting a time 4.4 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville would take the third fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans would finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 2.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Sammy Pajari would round out the top five on the stage, finishing 1 second slower than Evans on the stage. 

SS19, SARDEGNA 2 – WOLF POWER STAGE

Kalle Rovanperä would take the final stage win of Rally Italia Sardegna. As Rovanperä would set a time 4.7 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take the stage win. Takamoto Katsuta would take home third on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier would tie for fourth on the stage, with both finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Katsuta. 

Rally Italia Sardegna Day One Recap
Rally Italia Sardegna Day Two Recap
Rally Italia Sardegna Day Three Recap

Day three of the Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Thierry Neuville would take the lead from Esapekka Lappi. 

SS8, COILUNA-LOELLE 1

Stage eight would see Thierry Neuville take the stage win. Neuville would set a time 1.1 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier who set the second-fastest time on the stage. Kalle Rovanperä would set the third fastest time on the stage, setting a time 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier. Esapekka Lappi would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 6.6 seconds slower than Lappi. 

SS9, FILIGOSU 1

Stage nine of Rally Italia Sardegna would once again see Thierry Neuville take the stage win. Neuville would finish with a time 2.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi who set the second-fastest time on the stage. Sebastien Ogier would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 2 seconds slower than Lappi. Kalle Rovanperä would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 2.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 7.5 seconds slower than Rovanperä. 

SS10, ERULA – TULA 1

Stage 10 would see Sebastien Ogier top the stage. With Ogier setting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Dani Sordo who would set the second-fastest time on the stage. Esapekka Lappi would finish with the third fastest time on the stage, with a time 8.1 seconds slower than Sordo. Kalle Rovanperä would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 1.3 seconds slower than Lappi. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. 

SS11, TEMPIO PAUSANIA 1

Stage 11 of Rally Italia Sardegna would see Thierry Neuville back on top. With Neuville setting a time 3 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to take the stage win. Kalle Rovanperä would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 3.7 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo would finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five, setting a time 3.5 seconds slower than Sordo. 

SS12, COILUNA-LOELLE 2

Stage 12 would see Esapekka Lappi take the stage win. With Lappi setting a time 3 seconds faster than his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville who placed second on the stage. Sebastien Ogier would place third on the stage, setting a time 4.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 2 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. 

SS13, SU FILIGOSU 2

Stage 13 of Rally Italia Sardegna would see Thierry Neuville take his fourth stage win of the day. As Neuville would set a time 3.7 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take the stage win. Esapekka Lappi would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 2.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 6.2 seconds slower than Lappi. Dani Sordo would round out the top five on the stage, with a time 25.3 seconds slower than Ogier. 

SS14, ERULA – TULA 2

Stage 14 would see Dani Sordo take home the stage win. As Sordo would set a time 5.7 seconds faster than his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville to take home the stage win. Esapekka Lappi would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 26.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä would finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 19.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 9.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. 

SS15, TEMPIO PAUSANIA 2

Stage 15 of Rally Italia Sardegna would see Thierry Neuville take his fifth stage win of the day. Neuville would set a time 10.8 seconds faster than Dani Sordo who finished second on the stage. Eflyn Evans would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 1.5 seconds slower than Sordo. Esapekka Lappi would finish with the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.3 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 2.4 seconds slower than Lappi. 

Chaos Ensues

Day three would see three of the remaining eight WRC1 drivers retire during the day. First would be Takamoto Katsuta who would retire on SS8 due to a mechanical issue caused by water damage. Ott Tänak would retire on SS9 also due to a mechanical issue caused by water damage. Sebastien Ogier would be the final driver to retire. With Ogier retiring on SS14 due to going off road. 

Rally Italia Sardegna Day One Recap

Rally Italia Sardegna Day Two Recap

Day two of Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi maintained his lead, now leading Sebastien Ogier by 0.1 seconds. 

SS2, TANTARILES 20RIS 1

Sebastien Ogier finished with the fastest time on the stage. Ogier was 1.7 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi who set the second fastest time on the stage. Pierre-Louis Loubet would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 3 seconds slower than Lappi’s time. Takamoto Katsuta finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Loubet’s time. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Katsuta’s time. 

SS3, TERRANOVA 1

Stage three of Rally Italia Sardegna saw Takamoto Katsuta take the stage win, setting a time 1.1 seconds faster than Dani Sordo who placed second on the stage. Thierry Neuville was the third fastest time on the stage, setting a time 0.3 seconds slower than Sordo’s time. Pierre-Louis Loubet set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville’s time. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Loubet’s time. 

SS4, MONTE LERNO – SA CONCHEDDA 1

Stage four would see Sebastien Ogier take the stage win. Ogier would set a time 12.7 seconds faster than Eflyn Evans who would set the second-fastest time on the stage. Esapekka Lappi would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 4 seconds slower than Evans time. Pierre-Louis Loubet would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 0.8 seconds slower than Lappi’s time. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 8.4 seconds slower than Loubet’s time. 

SS5, TANTARILES 20RIS 2

Stage five of Rally Italia Sardegna would see Esapekka Lappi take the stage win. Lappi would set a time 6.4 seconds faster than Pierre-Louis Loubet who placed second on the stage. Thierry Neuville would set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.3 seconds slower than Loubet. Sebastien Ogier would set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 1.3 seconds slower than Ogier. 

SS6, TERRANOVA 2

Thierry Neuville took the stage win. Neuville set a time 2.6 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi who set the second-fastest time on the stage. Takamoto Katsuta ran the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Lappi. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Katsuta. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. 

SS7, MONTE LERNO – SA CONCHEDDA 2

Kalle Rovanperä took the stage win. Rovanperä set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi who set the second fastest time on the stage. Thierry Neuville set the third fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, setting a time 6.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Dani Sordo completed the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 13.5 seconds slower than Ogier. 

Stages 8-15 will take place on Saturday. Lappi currently holds an overall 0.1s lead over Ogier so it could be anyone’s day.

Rally Italia Sardegna Day One Recap

Check out more at WRC+.

The first day of Rally Italia Sardegna has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads Ott Tänak by 0.2 seconds after the day. 

Shakedown

Esapekka Lappi set the fastest time on the Rally Italia Sardegna shakedown. Finishing the shakedown stage 0.6 seconds faster than his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville who set the second-quickest time. Sebastien Ogier and Pierre-Louis Loubet tied for the third quickest time on the shakedown stage. With both Ogier and Loubet posting a time 0.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Dani Sordo would set the fifth fastest time on the shakedown, setting a time 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier and Loubet. Kalle Rovanperä set the sixth fastest time on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo. Rovanperä’s teammate Takamoto Katsuta was seventh fastest on the stage, setting a time a mere 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak had the eighth fastest time on the shakedown stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans would finish with the slowest time of the Rally1 class on the shakedown stage. With Evans setting a time 0.9 seconds slower than Tänak.

SS1 OLBIA-CABU ABBAS

The first stage of Rally Italia Sardegna would see Esapekka Lappi take the stage win. Lappi set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Ott Tänak who set the second fastest time on the stage. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, with a time 0.3 seconds slower than his former Hyundai teammate Ott Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta was fourth fastest, finishing with a time 0.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.3 seconds slower than Katsuta. 

Rally Italia Sardegna Preview: WRC1

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with the sixth round Rally Italia Sardegna. 

Drivers’ Championship Rundown

Reigning WRC Drivers Champion Kalle Rovanperä would take first in the Drivers’ Championship after winning Vodafone Rally De Portugal last month. Rovanperä now holds the largest points lead in the top five of the championship so far this season. As Rovanperä now leads Ott Tänak by 17 points heading into Rally Italia Sardegna. Tänak would move from fourth to second after finishing fourth at Vodafone Rally De Portugal last month. Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans who were tied for first heading into Rally Portugal have fallen to a tie for third. With both drivers having 69 points under their belts. Thierry Neuville rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting a mere point behind Ogier and Evans. Neuville’s teammate Esapekka Lappi sits sixth in the championship, 19 points behind Neuville. This gives Neuville a decent gap between him and sixth place, but this is rally and 19 points isn’t a lot. As one retirement from an event can make that 19-point gap turn into some amount of points behind. All of the drivers in the top five will be competing at Rally Italia Sardegna this weekend. 

Championship Points Heading Into Rally Italia Sardegna 

1. K. Rovanperä 98
2. O. Tänak 81
3. S. Ogier 69
4. E. Evans 69
5. T. Neuville 68
6. E. Lappi 49
7. D. Sordo 36
8. T. Katsuta 20
9. C. Breen 19
10. G. Greensmith 16

Teams Rundown

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will have four cars competing this weekend. That list of drivers includes two World Champions in Kalle Rovanperä and Sebastien Ogier. Joining Rovanperä and Ogier will be Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. Toyota will look to continue the success they’ve had so far this season this weekend. Toyota has won 4 out of 5 events so far this season. With Sebastien Ogier winning two of those and is so far the only driver to win more than one event this season. 

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team

The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will look to get back on track in the drivers’ championship. As the three Hyundai drivers sit fifth, sixth and seventh in the championship. With the team as a whole sitting second in the Manufacturers’ championship, 32 points behind Toyota. Hyundai is also the only team to not have a driver win an event so far this season. This isn’t much different from last season for Hyundai however. As last season Hyundai also hadn’t won an event before Rally Italia Sardegna. The team would take their first win of the season at the event last season. Unfortunately, there is one major difference for Hyundai between this season and last. The driver who won the event for Hyundai last season now drives for M-Sport and their name is Ott Tänak. Hopefully, this won’t make much of a difference for Hyundai and they can take their first win of the season this weekend. 

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team will come into this weekend sitting third in the manufacturers’ championship. The team sits 35 points behind the Hyundai crew. This may seem like a large gap, and it is, but it’s also impressive how close it is as they’ve only had one driver scoring substantial points this season. Ott Tänak will come into the event looking to take his second straight win at the Rally Italia Sardegna, and his second win of the season. Pierre-Louis Loubet will look to build off what would’ve been a strong Vodafone Rally De Portugal if he wasn’t forced to temporarily retire from the event. 

The following is from a WRC Press Release.

The FIA World Rally Championship has announced that Portugal will remain on the calendar through the 2025 season. The WRC has come to an agreement with Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) to run Rally de Portugal on the WRC Calendar in 2024 with a further option to extend to 2025. Over 300,000 spectators attended the race this past weekend.

“The signing of this contract demonstrates the confidence that the WRC promoter has in the organization and is recognition of the effort we have made to organize one of the signature rallies on the World Championship calendar,” -Carlos Barbosa, President of the ACP.

Upon the signing WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel said: “This past weekend, we were once again reminded of the passion this region holds for rallying. We were greeted with loud fans, spectacular competitive stages and exceptional hospitality everywhere we went in the past four days.

“In the ACP we have a strong partner, and we now begin working on planning with them for 2024.”

For more information on our coverage of the Rally De Portugal check out the following links:

Rally de Portugal 2023 Coverage
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap
Day 3 Recap

For more exclusive content check out WRC+

The third day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal has come to an end, marking the end of the event. Kalle Rovanperä would take home the event win. 

SS16, PAREDES

The sixteenth stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal and the first of the third day would see Takamoto Katsuta top the stage. Katsuta set a time 1.8 seconds faster than his Toyota teammate and Rally leader Kalle Rovanperä. Dani Sordo would finish with the third quickest time on the stage, with a time 0.5 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Sordo’s time. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five on the stage, setting a time 5.7 seconds slower than Tänak. 

SS17, FAFE 1

Stage 17 would see Kalle Rovanperä back on top. With Rovanperä setting a time 0.2 seconds faster than Esapekka Lappi who finished with the second fastest time. Ott Tänak would finish the stage with the third quickest time, 0.2 seconds slower than Lappi’s time. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Tänak’s time. Dani Sordo would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta’s time. 

SS18, CABECEIRAS DE BASTO

Stage 18 saw Ott Tänak take the stage win. Tänak set a time 9.7 seconds faster than Dani Sordo who set the second-fastest time on the stage. Takamoto Katsuta set the third fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Sordo. WRC2 Driver Oliver Solberg would finish with the fourth quickest time on the stage. Solberg’s time would be 7.6 seconds slower than Katsuta’s. Esapekka Lappi would round out the top five on the stage, finishing with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Solberg. 

SS19, FAFE 2 (WOLF POWER STAGE)

Stage 19 would be the Powerstage meaning extra points are on the line. Kalle Rovanperä would take the Powerstage win and claim a perfect 30-point event. OTT Tänak would finish second on the stage with a time 0.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi would take third on the stage, finishing with a time 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta would finish the stage fourth, setting a time 0.4 seconds slower than Lappi. Dani Sordo would round out the top five on the stage, setting a time 3.8 seconds slower than Katsuta. 

Vodafone Rally De Portugal Day Two Recap
Vodafone Rally De Portugal Day One Recap

Vodafone Rally De Portugal Preview WRC1