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. Oliver Solberg took the WRC2 class lead after the day’s eight stages.
SS2, Mortágua 1
Oliver Solberg kicked off the first full day of action with a stage win. As the Swede set a time 7.3 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take his first stage win of the weekend. Sami Pajari was third fastest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith finished fourth quickest on the stage, 5.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Lauri Joona rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Greensmith.
SS3, Lousã 1
Pierre-Louis Loubet took home the stage win on the third stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. With a time 0.1 seconds faster than Josh McErlean to win the stage. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than McErlean. Oliver Solberg set the fourth fastest time, 0.9 seconds slower than Greensmith. Kris Meeke rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS4, Góis 1
Gus Greensmith topped the fourth stage of the weekend. Setting a time 2.5 seconds faster than teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet. Yohan Rossel and Teemu Suninen tied for the third fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Loubet. Oliver Solberg rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.7 seconds slower than Rossel and Suninen.
SS5, Arganil 1
Oliver Solberg capped off the morning loop in the same fashion he started it in, with a stage win. As the championship co-leader set a time 5.1 seconds faster than Pierre-Louis Loubet to take the stage win. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Loubet. Gus Greensmith posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 4.9 seconds slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.1 seconds slower than Greensmith.
SS6, Lousã 2
Pierre-Louis Loubet claimed the stage win on the sixth stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. With a time 0.5 seconds faster than fellow countryman Yohan Rossel. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, one second slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Greensmith. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.6 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS7, Góis 2
Gus Greensmith claimed the stage win on the seventh stage of the event. Posting a time 0.6 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take the stage win. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Rossel. Oliver Solberg set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Pajari. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS8, Arganil 2
Oliver Solberg took home the stage win on the penultimate stage of the day. With a time 0.4 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith. Yohan Rossel set the third fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. Georg Linnamäe finished fourth fastest on the stage, 6.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Lauri Joona and Roope Korhonen rounded out the top five times on the stage. With both drivers finishing two seconds slower than Linnamäe.
SS9, Mortágua 2
Oliver Solberg capped off the second day of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024 with a stage win. Solberg set a time 5.2 seconds faster than Sami Pajari. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Pajari. Lauri Joona posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.6 seconds slower than Joona.
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.
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
Gus Greensmith topped the shakedown stage in the WRC2 category. With a time 0.3 seconds faster than fellow Toksport teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest, 0.8 seconds slower than Greensmith and 0.5 seconds slower than Loubet. Sami Pajari posted the fourth fastest time in the shakedown stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Solberg. Roope Korhenon rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS1, Figueira da Foz
WRC2 championship leader Yohan Rossel took home an early advantage on SS1 with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.5 seconds faster than fellow countryman Pierre-Louis Loubet. Kris Meeke finished third fastest on the opening stage of Vodafone Rally De Portugal 2024. Finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Rossel and 0.6 seconds slower than Loubet. Oliver Solberg was fourth quickest on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Meeke. Armindo Araújo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg.
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. Yohan Rossel will be the first WRC2 car on the road, followed by Oliver Solberg and Nikolay Gryazin.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round five Vodafone Rally De Portugal.
Championship Rundown
Yohan Rossel and Oliver Solberg sit tied for the WRC2 championship lead heading into the fifth round of the season. Both drivers sit just three points ahead of Nikolay Gryazin. Solberg, Rossel and Gryazin have each used two-point scoring rounds. Rossel and Solberg have elected to score points this weekend. While Gryazin is only scoring team points. Niclas Ciamin who is absent this weekend sits fourth in the championship, 4 points behind Grayzin. Pepe López who is scoring points this weekend rounds out the top five in the championship, sitting 3 points behind Ciamin.
Stacked Entry List
Several drivers will make their season debuts this weekend. Including Teemu Suninen, Pierre-Louis Loubet, Kris Meeke Josh McErlean and Marco Bulicia. Joining them will be championship contenders Oliver Solberg, Yohan Rossel, Sami Pajari and Gus Greensmith. Australian Lewis Bates will also make his WRC2 debut this weekend behind the wheel of a Toyota Yaris. All things considered, it should be a close race in WRC2
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. 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 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 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.
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 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 fourth round of the 2024 WRC season, the Croatia Rally is upon us. Find out all you need to know about the event below.
Drivers’ Championship Rundown
Toksport’s Oliver Solberg holds an 18-point lead over Citroen’s Yohan Rossel and fellow Toksport driver Gus Greensmith. Solberg has used two of his seven-point scoring rounds whilst Rossel and Greensmith have only used one. Rossel will use his second this weekend while Greensmith will not score points this weekend, and Solberg is not contesting the event. Niclas Ciamin sits fourth in the championship a single point behind Rossel and Greensmith. Ciamin has also used two of his point-scoring rounds, this weekend will be his third. Sami Pajari and Pepe López sit tied for fifth in the championship, as both drivers are 6 points behind Ciamin. Both Pajari and López have used one point scoring round and López will use his second this weekend.
Event Rundown
Conditions
Conditions at the Croatia Rally are expected to vary throughout the weekend. As Friday is expected to be clear and dry for the most part. On Saturday it is expected to rain which would make the stages wet during the day, and they will likely be wet again on Sunday. It is worth noting this could entirely change, as conditions during recce were similar to Monte-Carlo’s. Anything is possible, drivers and teams will have to adapt on the fly as they do every weekend.
Day One
The first day of the Croatia Rally 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.
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.
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.
The fourth round of the 2024 WRC season the Croatia Rally is upon us, below I will give some predictions for the event.
Neuville Wins
It’s no secret that Thierry Neuville is one of the best if not the best driver on tarmac in the WRC. Elfyn Evans may have won two of the four tarmac events last season, including the Croatia Rally. Neuville has been much more consistent on tarmac throughout his career. As the Belgian has won 10 events on tarmac since 2014. Whilst Evans has only on two since 2014. Predicting a Neuville win may seem like a low-risk prediction, and for the most part, it is. However, the 35-year-old has never won the event. Neuville’s best finish at the event is third in both 2021 and 2022. Neuville has had a spectacular start to the 2024 season. Winning the Rallye Monte-Carlo to kick off the season and then finishing fourth and fifth in Sweden and Kenya respectively.
Tänak Bounces Back
Ott Tänak has had a rather disappointing start to his 2024 season compared to his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville. As the 2019 World Champion has yet to complete an event without an incident costing him loads of time. In Monte-Carlo, it was a simple slide off the road which cost him a decent chunk of time. In Sweden an off forced Tänak to retire early into the event. Finally in Kenya, a rock sent Tänak’s i20 flying into a berm. Tänak isn’t out of the championship race yet despite him sitting 34 points behind Neuville and 28 behind Elfyn Evans, his two biggest championship rivals this season. That being said Tänak will need a strong result in Croatia to maintain a decent chance at the championship heading into the middle of the season. I wouldn’t be shocked if Tänak finishes on the podium this weekend.
Munster Will Impress
Grégoire Munster hasn’t had a great start to the 2024 season. This isn’t much of a surprise, however. As this is Munster’s first full season in a Rally1 car. Granted the 25-year-old did contest two events in a Rally1 car last season. Nevertheless, a slow start for Munster isn’t much of a surprise. Munster was doing good in Monte-Carlo before he got stuck on the side of the road and was forced into a Super Rally. There is a reason I believe Munster will shine this weekend. That reason is because Munster has always been relatively good on Tarmac. I’m not expecting a podium finish from Munster, however, a top-five finish could be in the cards.
Rossel Takes WRC2 Win
Yohan Rossel has won the WRC2 class at the Croatia Rally every time it’s been a part of the championship excluding 2021 when Mads Østberg won the event. Due to this picking Rossel to win the WRC2 class again this weekend isn’t a hard choice. Especially when the start of this season has been identical to the start of last season. Rossel took home the win in Monte-Carlo once again, Solberg won in Sweden and Greensmith won the third event of the year. This also makes Rossel an easy choice to predict as the winner for this weekend’s event. Much like Monte-Carlo, Rossel will have to fend off Nikolay Gryazin and Pepe López. This is in addition to names such as Sami Pajari, Gus Greensmith, Niclas Ciamin and Emil Lindholm, all of which can hold their own on Tarmac.