Relive the final stage of the Rally de Catalunya in live text

The last four stages of the Rally de Catalunya will be contested partly at night this Sunday. Follow the finale in live text!

Published on 23/10/2022 à 06:57

Medhi Casaurang

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Relive the final stage of the Rally de Catalunya in live text

Will Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) regain his 2nd place this Sunday? © Red Bull Content Pool

The third and final stage of Rally of Catalonia 2022 will include four special stages to be covered from 7 a.m. sharp this Sunday, October 23. Don't miss a minute of the penultimate meeting of the season WRC with our live commentary!

>>The Rally of Catalonia in live text<

Sunday program

SS16 Pratdip 1 (12,15 km) at 7 a.m.
SS17 Riudecanyes 1 (15,9 km) at 8:08 a.m.
SS18 Pratdip 2 (12,15 km) at 10:29 a.m.
SS19 Riudecanyes 2 (Power Stage, 15,9 km) at 12:18 p.m.

ALSO READ > Luca de Meo “dreams” of entering the electric Renault R5 in the WRC

General ranking at the end of Stage 2:

The summary of the day before…

See you soon at 39 (he will celebrate it on December 17), Sébastien Ogier watch the young people. The Frenchman of the team Toyota Gazoo Racing a fait le ménage durant la deuxième journée du Rallye de Catalogne (Espagne), ce samedi 22 octobre.

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.

" 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 the 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, 7th). The positions are fixed until the end of the top 10, and it is difficult to see how they could evolve without a twist of fate (mechanical) or a driving error during the final Sunday specials.

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.

 

Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

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