Rally of Catalonia 2022

07h

It's been ages since the World Rally Championship (WRC) took place in the middle of the night. The first special of this last stage of the 2022 Rally of Catalonia produced beautiful images, and a scare for Elfyn Evans (Toyota). The Welshman hit an animal crossing the road and lost a few seconds.

The scratch time was set by the public's favorite Dani Sordo (Hyundai). After a timid start to the event, the Spanish veteran regained his sights with this second best time in two days. Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) remains comfortable leader and admitted not having teased the limits of his Yaris hybrid.

SS16 ranking:

General classification :

07h

Sébastien Ogier is conservative and sets the 8th time, 3″5 behind Sordo, who wins this nighttime ES. “We stay safe by avoiding all the ropes and rocks. »

07h

Kalle Rovanperä is on par with Neuville; the Finn only loses a tenth to the Belgian!

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Thierry Neuville is beaten by 3 tenths!

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Ott Tänak goes quietly and drops 2″8 on Sordo.

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Dani Sordo sets the best time by 6 tenths!

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Elfyn Evans is defeated by 1″2. “I hit an animal crossing the road! It slowed me down.”

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Craig Breen sets the best time: “Last night, we discovered a problem with the car, it is now resolved and the behavior is affected. »

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Takamoto Katsuta drops 5″5 on Fourmaux and the Frenchman gets closer to 9″6 in the general classification.

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Adrien Fourmaux attacks more. He finished with an 8″ margin over Loubet! “I love riding at night so much! It's just great. I don't want to overdo it. »

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Pierre-Louis Loubet finished 8 tenths ahead of Gus Greensmith. “The road is already a little dirty, with gravel in the bends. As it would be stupid to make a mistake in my position (10th), I am cautious. »

07h

Jourdan Serderidis reports a power steering failure during the special. The Greek still rolls.

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The special takes place at night but the tarmac is dry.

06h

Here is today's starting order, with Gus Greensmith starting again the day after his accident:

06h

The third and final stage of the 2022 Rally de Catalunya will include four special stages starting at 7 a.m. sharp this Sunday, October 23. Don't miss a minute of the penultimate meeting of the WRC season 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.

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General ranking at the end of Stage 2:

The summary of the day before…

At almost 39 years old (he will celebrate it on December 17), Sébastien Ogier is watching the youngsters. The Frenchman from the Toyota Gazoo Racing team cleaned up during the second day of the Rally de Catalunya (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.

" 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 Ott Tänak behind, 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 busier 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 party, unlike their teammate Gus Greensmith, guilty of going off the 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.

 

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