Sébastien Ogier held a slender in a single day lead at Rally Italia Sardegna after a punishing Friday leg carved via the FIA World Rally Championship discipline.
The eight-time world champion vaulted from third to first general on the ultimate stage of the day, overhauling Hyundai pair Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux to finish the leg 2.9sec clear in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
Ogier had opened the rally with a stage win however dropped as little as fourth by mid-afternoon, battling low grip ranges from his third place within the street order. Crucially, although, he stayed out of hassle on Sardinia’s sun-scorched gravel tracks – capitalising late on as others faltered.
Fourmaux led on the midpoint by 2.9sec over team-mate Thierry Neuville, however the tide turned after lunch. Neuville snatched the lead on SS4, solely to retire on the following stage after putting a financial institution in Telti – Calangianus – Berchidda and damaging the rear-left nook of his i20 N Rally1.
Fourmaux retook first place however was unable to fend off Ogier’s late cost. He dropped 6.7sec on the ultimate check, citing points together with his automotive’s capacity to soak up bumps, and slipped to second in a single day. Tänak was third, 5.2sec additional again, having accomplished the stage with a broken shock absorber.
“It’s been a great day, for positive,” stated Ogier. “I’ve carried out every little thing I might at present, so I’m proud of that.”
The newly-introduced Telti – Calangianus – Berchidda stage proved decisive – and damaging. Neuville wasn’t its solely sufferer: M-Sport Ford trio Mārtiņš Sesks, Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster all retired on the primary cross. Sesks rolled at excessive pace, whereas McErlean and Munster have been sidelined by suspension harm.
The second run noticed much more drama. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Puma privateer Jourdan Serderidis each rolled on the similar hairpin however managed to proceed, albeit with time loss.
“That stage the place all of the drama occurred was very tough,” Ogier added. “It’s tremendous slender and very quick. It’s all the time a shock to see that many incidents, however it may possibly occur very simply there.”
Sami Pajari continued to impress together with his maturity and consistency. The Toyota teenager ended the day fourth, 9.5sec behind Tänak, regardless of clipping a rock and damaging a front-right tyre on SS3.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä was fifth after enduring free situations from second on the street, whereas championship chief Elfyn Evans – tasked with opening the street – struggled much more and languished in sixth.
Katsuta introduced his battered GR Yaris house in seventh, greater than two minutes adrift of the lead, whereas Rally2 runners crammed out the remainder of the highest 10. Oliver Solberg overcame an early overshoot to carry eighth, with WRC2 frontrunners Yohan Rossel and Roberto Daprá rounding out the leaderboard.
Saturday’s itinerary options greater than 120km of aggressive motion, together with the return of the legendary Lerno–Su Filigosu stage – house to the enduring Micky’s Bounce.
