End of day in incomprehension in Sardinia, Tänak still in charge

Funny end of the day on the Rally of Sardinia while we seemed to be heading towards a general classification dominated by Ott Tänak (Hyundai) in front Craig Breen (M-Sport). Lancé dans la dernière spéciale du jour, Adrien fourmaux (M-Sport) lost control of his Ford Puma and ended his race on the shoulder of a tree. With the Northerner blocking the road, the race management immediately waved the red flag forcing Dani Sordo (Hyundai) to slow down and finish SS17 at low speed.

The moment it all went wrong for @AdrienFourmaux 😞 ⤵️#RallyItaliaSardegna | #WRC | #WRCLive | #JumpingInTheDust

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 4, 2022

Finally, the special was restarted after Adrien Fourmaux's Puma was evacuated by the tow truck. Waiting at the starting point, Craig Breen could therefore start his time and attack SS17. While on the attack, the Irishman saw a commissioner waving a red flag. As required by the regulations, he slowed down considerably to reach the finish line in slow motion, hoping to be credited with a fixed time. But during this time, his teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet did not reduce the pace, undoubtedly not warned by the new neutralization, and completed his special without incident. Everything then suggested that Breen had been the collateral victim of poor communication on the part of race management.

Tänak asked to slow down

But in the process, Ott Tänak was seen slowing down in the last stretch of SS17. However, his i20 did not appear damaged and did not make any strange noises suggesting a mechanical failure. It was with a time of 11'49"1 that he crossed the finish line. Questioned immediately, the Estonian indicated that the red flag had been indicated to him on his dashboard. Nothing to panic the 2019 world champion who kept the lead of the Rally of Sardinia ahead of… Pierre-Louis Loubet since Craig Breen and Dani Sordo drove in step.

Après concertation, le collège des commissaires à décidé d’attribuer un temps forfaitaire à Ott Tänak, Craig Breen et Dani Sordo identique par ailleurs à celui de Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) à savoir 11’18″3. De ce fait, l’Estonien reste aux commandes de ce Rallye de Sardaigne avec 46 secondes d’avance sur Breen et 1’46″8 sur Sordo. Un temps 2e en attendant la délibération de la direction de course, Pierre-Louis Loubet retombe logiquement à la 4e place à 1’31″8 du leader.

General classification after SS17

The complete general classification