Elfyn Evans leads the Rally Biobio, Chile on Friday night after time corrections moved him ahead of Ott Tänak in round 11 of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship.
Tänak, of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, finished Friday’s final stage 0.4 seconds ahead of Evans, but only gave the lead back to Evans (Toyota Gazoo Racing) for a time correction in the day’s red-flagged opening stage. WRT).
Evans, who has been slow in recent events, made a more aggressive start in Chile but appeared to lack confidence on the afternoon loop, giving up the lead to rival Tänak.
However, after passing the red flag-suspended opening stage in road mode following a decision by course officials, the Welshman was given an updated conceptual time based on his afternoon performance on the same stage to race again. 3.0 seconds ahead. Sami Pajari and Adrien Fourmaux also updated their previous times.
“The afternoon was harder for us,” Evans said. “I didn’t feel good in the first two stages, but in the long stages it felt better to end the day. “
It was a day of contrasting good fortune for Tänak, who had previously won every WRC round held in Chile. The Estonian was fifth at lunchtime after struggling with a lack of confidence and balance aboard his Hyundai i20 Rally1 Hybrid during the first three gravel stages south of Concepción. However, setting-up adjustments during service revitalized his performance and helped him move all the way to the lead, pulling out Toyota rival Elfyn Evans in the second Rere stage.
Despite Tänak’s strong afternoon, Sébastien Ogier was the strongest performer throughout the first day. The Frenchman won three stages and would have led the rally by almost 30 seconds had he not gone wide in SS3 and stopped when he hit an embankment and had to change wheels.
But Tänak is ready to close the gap on championship-leading team-mate Thierry Neuville, who finished the first leg in sixth place.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top three, 10.1 seconds adrift of Evans in the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid. But he too expressed his frustration after overshooting on SS4 and crashing into the gate.
“I don’t feel comfortable on this road,” explains Rovanperä. “I don’t think it suits my usual driving style when it’s this dry. “I’m struggling with the car and driving.”
Grégoire Munster had his best performance of the season at an event where he debuted first last year, but tire damage in the final stage saw him drop to fifth behind Toyota rookie Sami Pajari. At the end of the day, only 1.4 seconds separated the two teams, with Pajari trailing Rovanperä by just 2.2 seconds.
It was an even tougher day for Munster’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 team-mates. Mārtiņš Sesks retired his non-hybrid car the morning after crashing into a bank with only the spare wheel and damaging two tires. Adrien Fourmaux dropped from 4th to 8th after receiving a one-minute time penalty for arriving late at SS5. The delays were due to roadside repairs, first to the alternator and then to the water lines.
Championship leader Neuville finished day six more than 30 seconds ahead. As the road opened he struggled with loose conditions but still led team-mate Esapekka Lappi by 5.8 seconds.
“There was nothing more I could do.” While Neuville admitted, Raffi described his performance as a “disaster of the day”.
Fourmaux took the Puma to eighth ahead of Ogier, while FIA WRC2 leader Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top ten despite a two-wheel moment in SS6. Diego Domińguez maintains a stable lead in FIA WRC3.
Saturday’s second leg, south of Concepción, is the longest of the rally at 139.20km, while the 28.31km Maria las Cruce stage is the longest of the rally. The two loops of the three stages are considered more twisty than the first and third legs, and Rota features a fan-friendly rally village.
