The sixth round of the World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with Rally Italia Sardegna 2024.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville retained the championship lead after Rally Portugal. Expanding his lead from just 6 points to 24. Ott Tänak moves into third place in the championship, now sitting 31 points behind Neuville and 24 points behind Evans. Adrien Fourmaux dropped to fourth overall from third. With the Frenchman now sitting 8 points behind Tänak. Sebastien Ogier rounds out the top five, sitting just one point behind his fellow countryman Fourmaux. To this point, the championship has been pretty tight. However, a rough event from Evans has given Neuville a pretty nice lead heading into Rally Italia Sardegna 2024.
What To Expect From Rally Italia Sardegna 2024
Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 will see the debut of a new test format for the WRC. As the entire event will take place in just three days, including shakedown. Four stages will take place on the first day which will see drivers contest 77.82 km of stages. The second day will see drivers contest 149.00 km across eight stages. Super Sunday will see drivers contest the final 39.30 km across four stages. The shorter event will give drivers less time to recover from mistakes. Naturally, drivers will be pushed to their limits throughout the event.
Team Rundowns
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Toyota heads into Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 second overall in the manufacturers’ championship. Sitting just four points behind Hyundai in the championship. Toyota hasn’t had the best history in Sardegna, as they haven’t won the event since 2021 when Sebastien Ogier won the event. Toyota will roster a three-car team this weekend, with regulars Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, alongside part-timer Sebastien Ogier.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Hyundai tops the manufacturers’ championship heading into the sixth round of the season. With two event wins under the team’s belt to start the year. Hyundai has always done well in Sardegna. Winning the event six times since 2016. Between the three Hyundai drivers this weekend they’ve won the event seven times since 2016. This includes two wins from Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak and three from Thierry Neuville. All of which will be driving for Hyundai this weekend. Neuville will likely be looking to expand on his championship lead and win the event for the second consecutive year. While Tänak will be looking for his first win of the season.
M-Sport Ford WRT
M-Sport sits where everyone expected them to at this point, third in the manufacturers’ championship. However, nobody really expected M-Sport to have a driver fighting for third in the championship. As Adrien Fourmaux sits just eight points out of third in the championship. Fourmaux almost won the event in WRC2 last season. However, an off on the final day cost him the class win. Munster will use this weekend to once again gain experience. No real expectations are set on the team this weekend.
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier took home his second consecutive event win.
Drivers’ Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville retains the championship lead after Rally Portugal. Expanding his lead from just 6 points to 24. Ott Tänak moves into third place in the championship, now sitting 31 points behind Neuville and 24 points behind Evans. Adrien Fourmaux drops the fourth overall from third. With the Frenchman now sitting 8 points behind Tänak. Sebastien Ogier rounds out the top five, sitting just one point behind his fellow countryman Fourmaux. To this point, the championship has been pretty tight. However, a rough event from Evans has given Neuville a pretty nice lead heading into Sardinia at the end of the month.
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 Day One
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 kicked off with a lone SuperSpecial stage on the first day. Thierry Neuville took the stage win to take a 0.6-second lead over Sebastien Ogier into the first day of action. Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta tied for third, with both finishing two seconds slower than Neuville.
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 Day Two
Reigning Rally Portugal winner Kalle Rovanperä took the event lead after a non-eventful first full day of action. Rovanperä ended the day with a one-second lead over five-time Rally Portugal winner Sebastien Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta moved into sole possession of third, ending the day 4.7 seconds behind Rovanperä. Just 5.4 seconds separated first and fourth on the day. Dani Sordo who had the most stage wins on the day sat fifth overall, 17.9 seconds behind Rovanperä. Ogier, Sordo and Neuville also reported they had hybrid issues throughout the day. Elfyn Evans had his chances at a win in Portugal slashed after a puncture on SS7.
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 Day Three
Sebastien Ogier became the third driver to lead the event. Ogier took the event lead after Rovanperä rolled off the road on SS11. Takamoto Katsuta broke his right rear suspension on SS12 ending his event. Ogier ended the penultimate day with an 11.9-second lead over Ott Tänak. Thierry Neuville sat third overall over a minute behind Ogier. Tänak and Ogier traded stage wins all day, with Tänak winning three and Ogier winning four of the days nine stages.
Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 Day Four
The fourth and final day of Rally Portugal was set up to be a battle between Ogier and Tänak. With just four stages for Tänak to take the lead from Ogier, anything was possible. Ogier kicked off the day with a stage win expanding his lead to 18.1 seconds. Tänak won the next two stages closing the gap to just 10.1 seconds. 11.18 km would decide if Ogier took his record 6th Rally Portugal win and 60th career win, or if Tänak would take home his first win of the season. Ultimately Tänak beat out Ogier on the stage, however, Ogier was still able to take home the win. As Tänak only took 2.2 seconds out of Ogier’s lead.
Underwhelming Event For Evans
Elfyn Evans went into Rally Portugal just six points behind Thierry Neuville in the championship standings. However, Evans had his worst showing at an event in a while. A puncture on day two put Evans way out of contention for a win. He did manage to finish sixth on the Saturday standings. After both Rovanperä and Katsuta retired. Sunday wasn’t much better for the Welshman. As engine overheating issues on SS21 forced Evans to complete the stage in electric mode. Retirement was not an option for Evans who needed to finish the event to cash his Saturday points.
The fourth and final day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier held on to take the stage win.
SS19, Cabeceiras de Basto 1
Sebastien Ogier topped the first stage of the final day. Setting a time 3.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Ott Tänak was their fastest on the stage, finishing 6.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 2.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS20, Fafe 1
Ott Tänak took home the stage win on the twentieth stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. With a time four seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to top the stage. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 4.5 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing two seconds slower than Evans.
SS21, Cabeceiras de Basto 2
Ott Tänak also took home the stage win on the event’s penultimate stage. Setting a time 1.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his second stage win of Super Sunday and the Super Sunday lead. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 10.8 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS22, Fafe 2 Wolf Powerstage
Thierry Neuville took home the final stage win of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. With a time 0.1 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Kalle Rovanperä was third fastest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Neuville and two seconds slower than Tänak. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Ogier
Day Three Recap
The third day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 has come to an end. Sebastien Ogier took the event lead after a chaotic day.
SS10, Felgueiras 1
Kalle Rovanperä kicked off the penultimate day with a stage win. As the two-time Rally Portugal winner set a time 4.2 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville tied for third fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing 5.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä and 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier and Neuville.
SS11, Montim 1
Sebastien Ogier took home the stage win on the second stage of the day. With a time 0.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 6.5 seconds slower than Ogier and six seconds slower than Tänak. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Sordo.
SS12, Amarante 1
Ott Tänak claimed the stage win on the twelfth stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. Setting a time 3.6 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top his first stage of the day. Dani Sordo was third fastest on the stage, 15.4 seconds slower than Tänak and 11.8 seconds slower than Ogier. Thierry Neuville finished fourth fastest on the stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Sordo. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.3 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS13, Paredes 1
Sebastien Ogier capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the day. As the Frenchman posted a time 8.5 seconds faster than fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux to win the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 12 seconds slower than Ogier and 8.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Evans.
SS14, Felgueiras 2
Ott Tänak kicked off the afternoon loop of stages with his second stage win of the day. As the Estonian set a time 2.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, three seconds slower than Tänak and 0.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.7 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS15, Montim 2
Ott Tänak also took the stage win on the fifteenth stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. With a time 2.1 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmuax. Thierry Neuville set the third fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS16, Amarante 2
Sebastien Ogier set the fastest time on the sixteenth stage of the event. Setting a time 4.1 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 11 seconds slower than Ogier and 6.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Dani Sordo was fourth fastest on the stage, 3.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, with a time 4.3 seconds slower than Sordo.
SS17, Paredes 2
Sebastien Ogier also topped the penultimate stage of the day. With a time 0.4 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his second consecutive stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, one second slower than Ogier and 0.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.7 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS18, Lousada
Adrien Fourmaux capped off the penultimate day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 with his first stage win of the weekend. Setting a time 0.3 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Thierry Neuville was third fastest on the stage 0.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Dani Sordo posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo.
Chaotic Day
Compared to the WRC2 class, Rally1 was actually pretty calm. As few major incidents happened on the day. First Kalle Rovanperä rolled out of the event lead on SS11. Takamoto Katsuta broke his right rear suspension on SS12. Grégoire Munster had engine issues throughout the day, although the exact issue is unknown. Finally, Ott Tänak had a slow puncture in the afternoon which cost him the lead. Rovanperä will return for the final day to help Toyota chase valuable manufacturers’ championship points.
What To Expect From 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. Kalle Rovanperä will be first on the road tomorrow, followed by Takamoto Katsuta and Grégoire Munster. Being Super Sunday drivers will likely push to gain as many extra points as possible, especially Elfyn Evans who sits sixth overall heading into the final day. Thierry Neuville will also push to try to score more points than Evans. Ogier and Tänak will both push because they are battling for the event win.
Kalle Rovanperä and Oliver Solberg have retired from Vodafone Rally De Portugal on day three. Find out more about the retirements below.
Rolling Rovanperä
Kalle Rovanperä entered the penultimate day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 with a one-second lead over Sebastien Ogier. On the day’s opening stage, Rovanperä expanded his lead to 6.7 seconds over Ogier. Rovanperä’s expanded lead was short-lived, however. As I’m SS11 the two-time Rally Portugal winner rolled his Toyota Yaris Rally1 onto its side up against a tree. This left Rovanperä with no option but to retire as he couldn’t roll the car back over on his own to continue day three.
Will Rovanperä Return?
Chances are yes Rovanperä will return for Super Sunday tomorrow. However, this isn’t confirmed as at this moment it’s unknown what damage his car has, if any. All we know at this time is he’s out for the day. It’s an unfortunate end for Rovanperä who was looking to win his third consecutive Rally Portugal this weekend. Joining the likes of Hannu Mikkola and Miki Biasion with three wins at the legendary event. That hope will have to wait for another year. Sebastien Ogier now holds a 3.4-second lead over Ott Tänak.
Solberg Also Rolls
If you had told me before the start of day three that both the event leader and the WRC2 leader would roll a couple of hundred meters from each other I probably would’ve laughed. However, that is exactly what happened. As Oliver Solberg rolled his Škoda Fabia a couple of corners after where Rovanperä rolled. Solberg started the third day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal with a 7.3-second lead over Yohan Rossel who he co-leads the WRC2 championship with. After finishing third in the WRC2 category on the day’s opening stage, Solberg expanded his lead over Rossel to 10.2 seconds. Much like Rovanperä that expanded lead was short-lived.
Will Solberg Return?
Unlike Rovanperä, Solberg rolled his car multiple times after launching off a berm on the inside of a corner. Solberg rolled three or four times before landing. From the looks of it, his Škoda had suspension damage as the driver-side front wheel was down. It won’t be a quick fix and the Swede is definitely done for the day. Whether or not he returns for the final day tomorrow is up to his team’s mechanics. Yohan Rossel now holds a 5.9-second lead over Gus Greensmith.
The second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 has come to a close. Kalle Rovanperä took the event lead after the day’s eight stages.
SS2, Mortágua 1
Takamoto Katsuta kicked off the first full day of action with a stage win. As the Japanese driver set a time 1.2 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Katsuta and 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak. Kalle Rovanperä and Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, with both drivers finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Evans.
SS3, Lousã 1
Dani Sordo took home the stage win on the third stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. As the Spaniard posted a time 3.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to claim his first stage win of the weekend. Ott Tänak once again finished third fastest on the stage, 4.2 seconds slower than Sordo and one second slower than Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS4, Góis 1
Dani Sordo also claimed the stage win on the fourth stage of the event. With a time 1.8 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to become the first driver to win more than one stage this weekend. Adrien Fourmaux was third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Sordo and 0.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS5, Arganil 1
Thierry Neuville capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the day. As the championship leader set a time 2.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to win the stage. Takamoto Katsuta was third fastest on the stage, finishing 2.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier finished fourth quickest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.4 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS6, Lousã 2
Sebastien Ogier took his first stage win of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 on the sixth stage of the event. As the Frenchman posted a time 1.1 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to win the stage. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Sordo. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS7, Góis 2
Dani Sordo took his third stage win of the weekend on SS7. With a time 1.1 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Kalle Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Sordo and 1.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.9 seconds slower than Katsuta.
SS8, Arganil 2
Kalle Rovanperä took home his first stage win of the event on SS8. With a time 0.1 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to take the stage win. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä and 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Sebastien Ogier set the fourth fastest time, 2.5 seconds slower than Katsuta. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.1 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS9, Mortágua 2
Sebastien Ogier took home the stage win on the final stage of day one at Vodafone Rally De Portugal. With a time 3.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä on the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 4.9 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.4 seconds slower than Katsuta.
A Close Battle
Kalle Rovanperä ends the second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 with a one-second lead over Sebastien Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta sits third overall at the end of the day, 4.7 seconds behind Rovanperä and 3.7 behind Ogier. Ott Tänak sits just 0.7 seconds behind Katsuta in fourth. Dani Sordo rounds out the top five to tend the day, 17.9 seconds behind Rovanperä and 12.5 behind Tänak.
What To Expect From Day Three
The third day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 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. Grégoire Munster will be first on the road as he is last in the Rally1 class. Elfyn Evans will once again be second on the road after a puncture cost him valuable time. Adrien Fourmaux will be third on the road.
Day One Recap
The first day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 has come to a close. Thierry Neuville leads after the days lone stage.
Shakedown
Dani Sordo was right back into form for the shakedown stage. As the Spaniard set the fastest time, 0.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest, 0.9 seconds slower than Sordo and 0.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Sebastien Ogier posted the fourth fastest time, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the Vodafone Rally De Portugal shakedown stage. With a time 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS1, Figueira da Foz
Championship leader Thierry Neuville kicked off Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 with a stage win. As the Belgian posted a time 0.6 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta tied for third fastest on the stage, with both drivers finishing two seconds slower than Neuville and 1.4 seconds slower than Ogier. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five times on the opening stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Tänak and Katsuta.
What To Expect From Vodafone Rally De Portugal Day Two
The second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal is where the action truly gets underway. Drivers will contest 126.90 km across eight stages. 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. In addition to not having a midday service. Drivers will have to use the same tires as day one’s SuperSpecial stage for the morning loop. This will add an additional challenge for the drivers during the opening loop of four stages. Thierry Neuville will be on road sweeping duties as he leads the championship. Elfyn Evans will be second and Adrien Fourmuax third on the road.
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.