Sébastien Ogier did the hardest at the Rally de Catalunya

See you soon at 39 (he will celebrate it on December 17), Sébastien Ogier mate les jeunots. Le Français de l’équipe Toyota Gazoo Racing a fait le ménage durant la deuxième journée du Rally from Catalonia (Spain), this Saturday October 22.

The eight-time world rally champion (WRC) always seemed to be a step above his opponents, setting three successive scratch times. The newly crowned Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota, 22 years old) had to face the facts: on the Catalan tarmac, Sébastien Ogier is too strong.

Head into the Querol stage with #RallyRACC leaders @SebOgier and Benjamin Veillas as they set the pace in this morning's first pass 🔥#ToyotaGAZOORacing #GRYaris #WRC pic.twitter.com/9CWNRio4YC

- TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT (@TGR_WRC) October 22, 2022

" I am delighted, said Sébastien Ogier. We had a lot of fun in the cockpit and the lap times followed. It's everything you can dream of when competing in a rally, it's a real joy to drive on these stages.

This year, on my rare appearances, I think I have been generally unlucky, with punctures in Portugal and at the Kenya Safari. I'm happy with my season but I would like to finally win. We will have to stay focused and avoid problems on Sunday because 20 seconds is a lead that can easily disappear. »

Neuville is coming back strong

The representatives of the Japanese brand have not received the slightest instruction from boss Jari-Matti Latvala, and that is good for the appeal of the discipline. In return, Kalle Rovanperä does not benefit from any help to preserve a second position which he lost during the Salou super-special to the benefit of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).

“It was a complicated day, explains Neuville. I had speed this morning, less in the afternoon. All the Hyundai drivers are struggling to find settings that allow them to compete on all the stages against the Toyotas. Tomorrow we will leave early, during the night there could be dangerous conditions. »

“I don’t take all the risks, continued Kalle Rovanperä. The car's settings were incorrect at the start of the penultimate stage of the day, and there were some problems adjusting the hybrid system. I also overheated the brakes. »

The Belgian left his teammate behind Ott Tänak, of whom we still do not know what his aspirations are for the 2023 season regarding the identity of his future employer in WRC. At Hyundai, there is one who continues to provide unspectacular but regular work, it is Dani Sordo. The Spanish veteran set the best time in the longest special of the event and is firmly in 5th place this Saturday evening.

Suninen boss of WRC2

Behind, Elfyn Evans (Toyota) is more busy managing the evolution of his duel with Craig Breen (M-Sport Ford, 7e). Les positions sont figées jusqu’au bout du top 10, et l’on voit mal comment elles pourraient évoluer sans un coup du sort (mécanique) ou une erreur de pilotage lors des ultimes spéciales dominicales.

The two other French people entered in Rally1, Adrien fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) and Pierre-Louis Loubet (M-Sport Ford) had an uneventful race, but at least have the merit of still being part of the celebration, unlike their teammate Gus Greensmith, guilty of a crash. road earlier in the morning.

In the additional rankings, everything is going well for Teemu Suninen (Hyundai) in WRC2. The Finn counted on the troubles of Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda) to maintain a margin of more than 20 seconds over his new pursuer, the Frenchman Yohan Rossel (Citroën). The latter continues to attack, but is it not too late for class victory? In any case, he will still be in WRC2 next year following the formalization of support from Citroën Racing earlier today.

ALSO READ > Didier Clément: “We will continue with Yohan Rossel in 2023”

In R-GT, the show Alpine continues without a shadow of a problempine. Manu Guigou prances more than three minutes ahead of Philippe Baffoun, also equipped with an A110. The Rally de Catalunya will begin its third and final stage on Sunday October 23 from 7 a.m. sharp. The event will be followed in live text on AUTOhebdo.fr.

Rally de Catalunya ranking at the end of Stage 2: