Thierry Neuville has moved into a sizable lead after a series of punctures caused by rocks shook up the World Rally Championship leaderboard in Croatia.
The Hyundai driver started Saturday sitting 13.8s behind leader Toyota’s Sami Pajari but ended the day with a 1m14.5s lead over Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta heading in Sunday’s four asphalt stages.
“It just clicked this weekend,” said Neuville,”The car from the beginning was feeling better than the other rallies. We were able to go step by step improving during the event and now I have something I’m more or less comfortable with.”
Neuville moved into the lead after being one of only three Rally1 drivers to avoid picking up a puncture in stage 14 (Generalski Stol – Zdihovo), which had become littered with sharp rocks that had been dragged onto the surface from the many cuts.
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Hyundai
Long-time rally leader Pajari was among those that suffered as the Toyota driver lost more than two minutes changing a wheel. As a result, the Finn dropped from the lead, which he had held since stage three, to third overal
“We are still on the podium, we should be happy for that. I’m not able to find many positives about this afternoon. Tomorrow is another day. You never know, but of course I’m gutted,” said Pajari, who ended the day 1m46.4s adrift of the lead and 31.9s behind second-placed Katsuta.
Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
In conditions that the drivers felt was more akin to a gravel rally at times, Katsuta, Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon and the M-Sport-Ford duo of Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong all picked up punctures in the stage.
Katsuta was able to nurse his front left puncture to the stage end, losing 1m28.3s, and with fourth-placed Paddon also losing time to a front left puncture, Katsuta actually moved up a position to second due to Pajari’s stoppage.
The leading group managed to complete the remaining two stages of the day puncture-free, leaving Paddon sitting a comfortable fourth, 3m28.2s from the lead.
Sami Pajari, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Above and below: Punctures cost rally leader Sami Pajari a significant amount of time, the former rally leader showing the less glamorous side of WRC – searching for a cellular connection.
Sami Pajari, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Hyundai ended Saturday with only two of its drivers in the top five after Adrien Fourmaux retired from fifth in stage 12. The Frenchman, who was in no man’s land after suffering a puncture on Friday, lost the rear of his i20 N and clattered a telegraph pole. The impact caused terminal damage to the left rear corner of his car.
“It was quite a stupid mistake I would say,” said Fourmaux. “In the previous left there is a small crest after that and I did not see that the tarmac was disappearing, and I went too early into the corner so I went into the gravel. By going in the gravel I just cannot brake. It was a shame.”
There was plenty of drama in the M-Sport-Ford camp too. Josh McErlean had to extinguish a cockpit fire stemming from a wiring loom in stage 10, and then suffered an engine problem that required help from mechanics and team-mate Armstrong to bump start the car twice at the midday tyre fitting zone.
Joshua Mcerlean, Eoin Treacy, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
“Basically we got smoke halfway through the stage and it got worse, and then there were flames,” said McErlean. “It seems like some wires from the cooling fans were touching each other and shorting out so we had to stop and we lost a lot of time.
“It was a big team effort to get out of the tyre fitting zone. The mechanics were pushing, we were jumping in and out of the car to try and start it. Jon and [co-driver Shane Byrne] helped us on the liaison too. And then we had the punctures, I don’t know what to say about that.”
Jon Armstrong, Shane Byrne, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
Apart from the puncture in stage 14, Armstrong once again showed impressive pace, posting three top three stage times as he attempted to record his first WRC stage win.
“It [a stage win] has been close a few times but it seems not to be today, but overall we had some really good stage times compared to the Toyotas and I think that is important to show the speed. The fact we are so close is brilliant,” said Armstrong.
Oliver Solberg, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
When it came to stage wins, Oliver Solberg led the way as the Swede claimed six of the day’s eight stages after rejoining the rally following Friday’s stage one retirement. The only stages he didn’t claim were tests where he picked up punctures. The pace on show was ominous ahead of the battle for Super Sunday points.
Likewise, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans used the day to prepare for Sunday following his stage three retirement. The Welshman struggled to match Solberg in the morning but ended the day with the fastest time on Stage 16.
In WRC2, Lancia remained on course for a first victory since it rejoined the championship, with Yohan Rossel leading the class, sitting fifth overall. The Frenchman held a 1m03.2s lead over his younger brother Leo, piloting a Citroen C3 Rally2.
Roope Korhonen ended the day in third 13.0s ahead of Lancia’s Nikolay Gryazin, who dropped from second to fourth due to a loose turbo boost pipe.
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