Rally Estonia 2020
07h
The general ranking does not change:
07h
Here is the ranking of this ES:
07h
The leader of the event Ott Tänak finished with the 3rd time, 1″6 behind Elfyn Evans. He leads the rally by 13″1 ahead of Craig Breen.
07h
Craig Breen pays 3″ all round to Elfyn Evans. The Hyundai's lead over Sébastien Ogier's Toyoat is 16″3 overall.
07h
Ogier: “I didn't make a mistake but it wasn't a perfect stage. »
07h
Sébastien Ogier loses 2″3 on Elfyn Evans! The Frenchman is under pressure, he only has a 5″8 lead over the Welshman overall.
07h
Overall, Kalle Rovanperä is sailing around thirty seconds behind Takamoto Katsuta.
06h
Kalle Rovanperä starts the day with a 2nd provisional time, 4 tenths behind Elfyn Evans.
06h
Elfyn Evans raises the level with a better time, 3″6 ahead of Takamoto Katsuta.
06h
Freed from Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans can calmly move towards 4th place. The Welshman is in the lead at the first intermediate.
06h
Katsuta: “The next stage promises to be more technical, I will be careful. »
06h
The first times fall. Teemu Suninen set the provisional best time ahead of Takamoto Katsuta by 1 tenth and Esapekka Lappi by 1″5.
06h
WRC 2, in fact, is led by the Citroën C3 of Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian has more than half a minute ahead of Nikolay Gryazin. Adrien Fourmaux is 3rd at 45″.
06h
While the M-Sport Ford drivers follow Thierry Neuville, let's take an update on WRC 3. The class is dominated by Oliver Solberg, with around twenty seconds ahead of stage local Egon Kaur. The son of Petter Solberg is even the fastest R5, ahead of the WRC 2 entrants!
06h
Saturday evening's downpour was not enough to change road conditions. Scattered puddles lurk in the shaded areas but the rain has stopped.
06h
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul lead the way this Sunday due to their accident yesterday. They have fallen to 47th overall and will focus on the Power Stage points.
06h
Bad news for Kalle Rovanperä: the Finn received a one-minute penalty for removing the radiator blanking plate from their Toyota Yaris WRC in the start control zone of SS10 yesterday. However, the regulations only allow such an act on the connecting route.
The rookie goes from 4th to 6th place in the general classification.
06h
In the lead on Saturday morning, still ahead at the end of the day; the stage was quiet or almost quiet for Ott Tänak (Hyundai). The wearer of number 1 experienced no slump while this first stage of the Estonian Rally offered a copious menu (146 km over 10 SS).
The Estonian has a brief but sufficient lead over Craig Breen at the halfway point, who is not aiming for the world title due to his role as third driver for Hyundai Motorsport. The Irishman could, however, replace his leader in the event of mechanical damage or driving error, as was the case with their teammate Thierry Neuville.
The Belgian, then present on the virtual podium, tore the right rear end of his mount when hitting an embankment. Unable to continue this Saturday, he will leave again on Sunday to recover some points in the Power Stage.
“I tried to recover the car but the rear went off,” explained Thierry Neuville. We knew instantly that the rally was over for us.
Our title chances are now much slimmer. But let's say that we will not lower our heads and that we look forward to the rallies to come. »
The other entertainer of the day was the youngest competitor in the service park, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota). The 19-year-old Finn started the day with a scratch time, but saw his race slowed down by a puncture.
Never mind, the son of Harri Rovanperä began an effective comeback from the bottom of the top 10. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota), then Elfyn Evans (Toyota) were unable to do anything against the explosive rookie. Sunday, Sébastien Ogier will be in the crosshairs.
Indeed, the Gapençais spent several seconds slowly but surely throughout the day. The final bouquet was overly optimistic braking and engine stalling in a right-angle turn at the end of the 2nd loop.
“It was not a pleasant afternoon,” said the former Citroën, Volkswagen and M-Sport driver. Just before the last timed sector, we spotted a delaminated tire on the car. »
Tire delaminations are the last central element of this stage. All the Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers suffered this damage during the effort, as well as Craig Breen's Hyundai. The jumps, worthy of Finland, as well as the heavy stones present on the ground like in Turkey or Sardinia form a cocktail that Michelin envelopes hardly appreciate
06h
Hello! No lying in this Sunday morning for the crews of the World Rally Championship, with the start of the Arula 1 special scheduled for 6:35 a.m.!
