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Rovanpera extends lead as Mikkelsen suffers tyre issue

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


World rally champion Kalle Rovanpera extended his Rally Poland lead on Sunday morning, while drama for Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen shook up the leaderboard.

The last-minute replacement for injured Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier, Rovanpera opened up a comfortable 18.1s lead after Mikkelsen lost almost a minute when he knocked a tyre off the rim in stage 16.

This promoted Toyota’s Elfyn Evans to second, with M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux [+38.8s] third and Hyundai’s championship leader Thierry Neuville now fourth [+ 1m08.4s].

Mikkelsen was demoted to fifth [+1m21.6s], while WRC top-flight debutant Martins Sesks was sixth [+1m23.4s] ahead of M-Sport team-mate Gregoire Munster [+1m56.6s] and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta [+2m10.0s].

In the Super Sunday standings, the returning Ott Tanak, who retired his Hyundai on Friday and Saturday, topped the classification from Rovanpera, Fourmaux, Evans, Neuville, Sesks and Katsuta.

The opening test of the loop, Stage 16 [Gmina Mragowo, 20.80km], proved to be a particularly tricky, fast and narrow test.

Rally leader Rovanpera admitted he was concerned heading into Sunday’s stages, as these roads were the “worst” in terms of his limited preparation for the rally.

However, the Finn again showed his class to post the second fastest stage time which extended his rally lead to 17.4s.

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport

Rovanpera’s time was 1.2s slower than the returning Tanak, who stunned the opposition with a blistering time despite facing the disadvantage of opening the road.

“I surprised myself by the time,” said Tanak who took an early lead in the Super Sunday standings.

The time earned plenty of plaudits from his rivals, including Rovanpera, while Fourmaux described the Estonian driver as being on “another level”.

Evans and Fourmaux were third and fourth fastest on the stage, but climbed to second and third in the overall standings after drama struck Mikkelsen when he clipped a bank.

The Norwegian’s impact knocked the right-rear tyre off the rim. It then delaminated, ripping the bodywork from the car and resulting in a time loss of 54.7s.

“There’s so many banks here and we touched one and it caught a tyre off the rim,” he said. “We tried to keep the pressure on Kalle and keep the pace.”

Mikkelsen wasn’t the only driver to encounter drama, as a left-rear tyre came off the rim of Munster’s Ford Puma.

WRC2 runner Josh McErlean exited fourth in class when he hit a bale at the final corner. It took out the right rear suspension from his Skoda, which crossed the flying finish backwards.

Andreas Mikkelsen, Torstein Eriksen, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Andreas Mikkelsen, Torstein Eriksen, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

Neuville was 5.6s faster than Sesks, which resulted in the Belgian taking over fifth in the overall standings.

Tanak’s impressive start to Sunday continued with a victory on stage 17 [Mikolajki, 10.73km], which will host the rally-ending Power Stage.

Although unhappy with the man-made chicanes placed in the stage, he posted a time 0.7s faster than Fourmaux with Neuville a further two tenths back.

Rovanpera was frustrated by his run, which was 2.1s slower, but he was quicker than team-mate Evans by 0.7s.

Mikkelsen elected to back off after the tyre drama on the previous test, which dropped him behind Neuville in the overall standings.

Sami Pajari maintained the lead in the WRC2 standings, but his nearest rival is now Robert Virves after leapfrogging Oliver Solberg.

A repeat of the loop will conclude Rally Poland this afternoon.



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‘Supersub’ Rovanpera’s WRC champions drive surpassed Toyota’s expectations

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Kalle Rovanpera surpassed Toyota’s expectations by delivering a world rally champion’s performance to lead Rally Poland after limited event preparation as a last-minute substitute for Sebastien Ogier.

Rovanpera was servicing his jet ski on Tuesday when he received the call to stand in for Ogier after the eight-time world champion was ruled out of the event after being involved in road traffic accident during recce.

The 23-year-old headed to Poland without undergoing a pre-event test or conducting the usual process of analysing onboard stage videos leaving the Finn firmly on the back foot.

Rovanpera underwent a rushed recce of the stages that was completed just hours before the rally begun. Rovanpera reeled off six stages wins from seven tests on Saturday to lead the rally by 9.4s over Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen with four stages remaining.    

This performance has arrived despite frustrations by the lack of preparation and tiredness due to long nights analysing videos to hone the rushed pacenotes.

“World champions have something more than the others and they are capable of stretching themselves more,” Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala told Motorsport.com when asked to explain Rovanpera’s drive.

“We have seen it with [Sebastien] Loeb and with [Sebastien] Ogier and now with Kalle as I never expected he would be that strong here without the preparation.

“You could see that he was a little bit grumpy at the very beginning and then that is when a world champion can take things and later when he gets the confidence, he is able to attack.

“It is definitely a very, very strong performance. One of his best performances was when he was in difficult conditions in the rain like in Estonia [2023], but this [in Poland] the art of a world champion.”

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Latvala, an 18-time WRC rally winner, is well aware of the work that goes into prepare for rallies and was in awe by how well his driver has coped without heavily studying videos before the rally.

“You can see this morning he was annoyed as he couldn’t have the stage [mapped out] so well in his head, he added.

“You have the notes but what the difference is these days is when you watch a stage on the video you have that image [in your head] and how much you can use the road and how close to the edge of the road you can go.

“Without that image [from the videos] you can only rely on the notes and you have to take the risk to go to the edge of the road and you don’t know what that is going to be like. So you have to be 100% on the notes plus sometimes a little bit more than what the notes are saying.

“In the rally here, you have to be attacking a bit more and have to drive a little bit over the note and it is very risky and dangerous if you don’t remember how the road is.”

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Rovanpera on course for memorable win, tyre issue costs Evans

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Kalle Rovanpera produced a stunning drive in challenging circumstances to lead Rally Poland heading into the final day of the seventh round of the World Rally Championship.

The last-minute replacement for Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier, who suffered a pre-event reconnaissance crash, won six of the day’s seven stages to open up a 9.4s lead over Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen.

Rovanpera started Saturday 1.8s behind Mikkelsen and despite his limited event preparation he was able to overhaul the Hyundai driver in stage 10, before pulling clear of the Norwegian across the afternoon. The performance earned Rovanpera 18 provisional championship points for topping the standings, while Mikkelsen secured 15 points.

A right-rear tyre delamination cost title contender Elfyn Evans his grip on second place as the Toyota driver had to settle for third [+16.1s] for 13 points. M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux drove smartly to hold onto fourth [+37.0s] to pick up 10 points.

Rally1 debutant Martins Sesks [+58.2s] hung onto fifth by 0.1s from championship leader and Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville [+58.3s], who took a provisional eight points. M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster [+1m24.5s] and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta [+1m41.9s] rounded out the top eight.

Only eight Rally1 cars started the afternoon loop held in extreme heat after Hyundai elected to retire Tanak’s i20 N to focus on challenging for Super Sunday points tomorrow. The Estonian, who reported an engine issue across the morning, had nothing to fight in terms of Saturday points after retiring from the action on Friday after a collision with a deer.

Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport opted for differing tyre strategies to tackle the trio of stages, with rubber becoming a talking point on the afternoon’s first test, stage 13 [Swietajno, 18.50km].

Andreas Mikkelsen, Hyundai World Rally Team

Andreas Mikkelsen, Hyundai World Rally Team

Photo by: Tomasz Kaliński

Rally leader Rovanpera was unsure if Toyota’s decision to take one hard and four softs was the correct call, but on first reflection it seemed promising as the Finn won the stage to extend his rally lead.

That lead was now over Mikkelsen, after Evans suffered a strange issue with the soft tyre on his right rear. The tyre lost all of its tread in a partial delamination, which contributed to a loss of 8.9s, dropping the Welshman from 0.4s behind Rovanpera to 9.3s adrift in third overall.

“There was no warning the tyre just exploded,” said Evans.

After being cautious in Friday afternoon’s second pass through the stages, Mikkelsen took the opposite approach today, ending the stage only 2.8s behind Rovanpera.

“We are trying hard, it’s very rough. Yesterday on the second loop I was trying to adjust my driving, today I don’t care about the tyres or the rims, it looks like it’s working,” said Mikkelsen.

The other driver on the move was championship leader Neuville as his bid to leapfrog Sesks into fifth continued. The Belgian posted the third-fastest stage time, taking 7.1s out of Latvian, to close the gap to 8.7s. Neuville was helped when Sesks lost time when he briefly ran wide at a left-hander.

Neuville attacked on stage 14 [Goldap 19.90km] as he continued to slash the gap to Sesks, but was downbeat at the stage end, labelling his run a “disaster” due to the messy road conditions. However, his effort was 6.2s faster than Sesks, cutting the deficit to 2.4s in their battle over fifth.

Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

At the front, Rovanpera was also convinced he would lose time to his rivals as his soft tyres began to give up, but he won the stage by 2.2s from Neuville and extended his rally lead to 5.2s over Mikkelsen.

Despite this, Rovanpera was adamant that the tyre decision was “bad” and “hard tyres would have been faster”.

Rovanpera quashed any fears over his tyres by winning the day’s final stage [Czarne, 22.40km] by 2.8s from Evans, while Mikkelsen could only post a time for third, 4.2s adrift.

The stage did deliver drama as Sesks survived a wild moment over a jump to hold off Neuville by 0.1s in the overall standings, as the Hyundai driver rued a small mistake that he felt cost him a second.

In WRC2, Sami Pajari maintained the lead from a recovering Oliver Solberg, who sat seventh in the category on Friday.

Four stages await the crews on Sunday to conclude the event.



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Rovanpera snatches lead, 2.7s covers top three

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


World rally champion Kalle Rovanpera produced a stunning effort to lead Rally Poland by 0.4s from Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans as the top three were covered by 2.7s on Saturday morning.

Despite his limited and rushed preparation for the event, Rovanpera showed his class to overhaul overnight leader Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen across Saturday morning’s four gravel stages.

Rovanpera won three of the four tests while his full-time team-mate and title contender Evans pushed to trail the Finn by the most slender of margins.

Mikkelsen witnessed his 1.8s advantage evaporate but a push on the morning’s final stage brought the Norwegian to within 2.7s of Rovanpera, before dropping five tenths to the Finn in the loop ending super special.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux held onto fourth [+15.9s] to pull clear of fellow Ford runner and Rally1 debutant Martins Sesks [+30.7s]. Championship leader Thierry Neuville climbed to sixth [+46.5s] in front of Gregoire Munster [56.2s], with Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta in eighth [+1m06.8s].        

Overnight rain dampened the stages but by the time the crews headed to stage nine the roads were largely dry.

After two stages were cancelled, and another interrupted due to spectator controlling issues, the FIA confirmed that the police presence would be redeployed in a bid to avoid a repeat.

Authorities were sent to the forestry areas that have been identified as locations where a small minority of fans were standing in dangerous areas and disrupting proceedings. 

Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Photo by: M-Sport

The FIA reiterated that event organisers «have implemented a series of stringent safety measures in accordance with a detailed safety plan prepared and approved months in advance.»

However, officials were forced to red flag the opening test of the day, stage nine [Swietajno, 18.50km] due to spectator safety issues, after the returning Ott Tanak, following his retirement yesterday, Katsuta and Neuville passed through. Fortunately, the stage was restarted after approximately a 25-minute delay.

Once the action resumed, the battle for the rally lead intensified as Rovanpera reeled off a stage win, pipping team-mate Evans by 0.9s.

Rally leader Mikkelsen rose to the challenge at the front but the Hyundai driver dropped 1.3s reducing his rally lead over Rovanpera to 0.5s, with Evans only 1.6s adrift.

Fourmaux produced impressive pace to pull 6.1s clear of debutant Martins Sesks in their fight over fourth overall. Neuville managed to close to within 2.4s of Munster in the battle over sixth while Katsuta showed signs of improved pace after making set-up changes to his GR Yaris overnight.

The rally lead did however change hands on stage 10 [Goldap, 19,90km] when Rovanpera once again showed his class to post another fastest time.

The Finn edged Evans by 0.3s as Mikkelsen’s challenge faltered, conceding 5.1s to the world champion, who moved into a 1.4s lead. It meant Toyota surged into a one-two demoting Mikkelsen to third, 4.6s in arrears.

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport

A third-fastest stage time for Neuville moved the Belgian ahead of M-Sport’s Munster into fifth overall by 5.3s.

Stage 11 was delayed by 15 minutes but once it got underway it proved to be a favourite among the drivers thanks to its high speed and flowing corners.

It provided an intense battle at the front as Mikkelsen responded to losing the rally lead. The Norwegian won the stage by 1.1s from Evans, who also produced a committed effort.

«The pace is high, and we are trying hard. I was flat out,» said Mikkelsen. «I was a bit careful in the last three or four corners, that’s the only place we lost time I think. It’s a good fight, I’m enjoying it.»

Rovanpera was frustrated and scared after posting what was only the third fastest time as his lead reduced to a tenth of a second.

«It is not enough I need to be much quicker but I’m happy that we are at the end of the loop. But with this little preparation it is so f****** scary I don’t like it all,» said Rovanpera.

Rovanpera defeated Evans in the loop ending side-by-side Mikolajki super special by 0.3s to extend his lead and claim a personal reward. 

“It is really tight at the moment, such a difficult morning. I needed to win this stage because my mechanic in Finland said if I win this one and he will give me a picture of the livery of my drift car,» he said.

In WRC2, Sami Pajari extended his lead in the class after rival Kajetan Kajetanowicz went off the road and lost a wheel in stage 11. Robert Virves took over second as Oliver Solberg climbed to third.



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Sesks’ top fight WRC debut one of the strongest in a while

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Martins Sesks’ top-flight World Rally Championship debut at Rally Poland is “one of the strongest in a while” according to M-Sport team principal Richard Millener.

Last year’s European Rally Championship runner-up has stepped up to rallying’s top Rally1 class with M-Sport as part of two-round deal, supported by the WRC, that also includes his home WRC round in Latvia next month.

Sesks headed to Poland with having conducted only one test in the Ford Puma but has lit up the stages to end Friday in fifth only 7.7s adrift of the rally lead.

To add further gloss to his performance, Sesks is running a non-hybrid powered version of the car that is 130 horsepower down on his Rally1 rivals.

The 24-year-old stunned himself by clocking a second fastest stage time in stage two just 0.3s behind the benchmark set by rally leader Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen. It prompted a stage end reaction that has already gone viral on social media.

While Sesks was assisted by a strong road position, the Latvian consistently posted top five stage times.

When asked if he could believe what he had achieved, he said: “I don’t have anything to answer to this because for me, one of the things that would be fine for me for Saturday was not to be the last Rally1 car, so I have someone in front to see the lines. We have done that job.

“Let’s not talk about the podium just yet. It is all about finishing the rally and to learn. It is incredible.

“Everything is difficult in the car and that is what makes it easy because it is all difficult and you have to concentrate on everything.”

Martins Sesks, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

Martins Sesks, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

M-Sport team principal Millener labelled the performance as one the best first days for a driver in the WRC top-flight.

“It is definitely up there, I would say it is one of the strongest first day debuts we have seen in a while,” said Millener.

“Now the key bit is keeping his cool for the rest of the rally.

“If you look at his strengths, they are these type of roads, and he is not a slow driver anyway, and he had good road position.

“But on the other hand, he had never driven the car for more than a day and he is straight into a World Rally Championship and against the best there and doing what he has done on every stage is pretty fun to watch. It’s pretty impressive.”

Sesks ended Friday 0.2s behind M-Sport regular Adrien Fourmaux having been the top Ford runner until the day’s final stage.

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Evans demands action as spectator controlling issues cancel Rally Poland stages

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Elfyn Evans has led a call for action to be taken to address the spectator safety issues that have forced World Rally Championship organisers to cancel two Rally Poland stages.

Spectators standing in dangerous places to watch the cars pass through the stages forced officials to act on safety grounds to abandon stage three and stage seven. Stage six was also briefly red-flagged due to spectator safety before it was successfully restarted.

Controlling spectators had previously been an issue the last time the WRC visited Poland in 2017, which resulted in the nation dropping off the calendar the following year. Poland’s return to the calendar this year is a one-off.

As per normal WRC protocol, safety cars pass through the stages to ensure spectators are standing in safe areas before a stage can start. However, it appears small sections of fans have been moving into different and more dangerous locations once the vehicles have passed through.

The interruptions have caused plenty of frustration with Toyota’s title contender Evans urging for the issues to be addressed ahead of Saturday. Evans ended Friday sitting third, two seconds behind rally leader Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen.

“It is very annoying, but I don’t also know what anybody can do,” said Evans when asked about the stage cancellations. “The decision is the decision. Let’s say this was already a concern and it seems like it is still reality, but definitely something needs to be done for tomorrow.”

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Team-mate and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera has urged fans to stay safe on the stages.

“It is quite frustrating especially like this afternoon when we had the last forest stage and we had good tyres and a plan to catch some positions for tomorrow, we would have hoped to drive all the stages,” said Rovanpera. “It is always nice to see the fans, but they also need to be in a safe place.”

Hyundai WRC programme manager Christian Loriaux added: “It is not ideal, and it is frustrating but after that safety has to come first and the decision to cancel when you have to. But the measures should have been taken ahead of the rally.”

WRC event director Simon Larkin has reinforced that safety is paramount while confirming that it is a minority of fans that are causing the problem.

“There are a lot of marshals out there and what we have seen is, for want of a better word there are a lot of professional spectators out there that know where to hide when the safety cars come through and then they flood back out of the forest,” said Larkin.

“This is not a casual fan doing this, these people know what they are doing, they want to risk their lives, but we don’t want risk their lives.”

Following the comments, the FIA released a statement on the matter, while confirming to Motorsport.com that more police are set to be deployed in the forest areas of stages, which have been earmarked as the trouble spots. 

“The organisers have implemented a series of stringent safety measures in accordance with a detailed safety plan prepared and approved months in advance,» read the statement. 

«With the full support of the FIA’s on-event safety team, led by FIA WRC Safety Delegate Michele Mouton, every effort will continue to be made to ensure the safe running of Orlen 80th Rally Poland in partnership with local authorities, emergency services and volunteer marshals and officials.

«However, there will be no compromise on safety and the FIA will fully support the organisers if stages have to be cancelled or interrupted due to unacceptable behaviour by a small minority of spectators.”

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Mikkelsen leads as spectator issues cancels stage seven

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen ended Friday leading an interrupted Rally Poland after World Rally Championship organisers were forced to cancel two stages due to spectator controlling issues.

Mikkelsen won two of the three morning stages to open up a 7.4s lead before briefly losing the advantage to Toyota’s reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera. After recording his first stage wins since 2019, Mikkelsen managed to reclaim the advantage to end the day 1.8s ahead of the Finn.

Organisers were forced to step in to cancel stage three [Wieliczki] this morning and stage seven [Olecko] in the afternoon, after sections of spectators were standing in dangerous positions.

Amid the truncated proceedings, Toyota’s Evans managed to successfully limit the damage of his elevated road position to emerge as Mikkelsen’s nearest rival up until the final stage, where he fell to third, 0.2s behind Rovanpera

Rovanpera was frustrated for much of the day by a lack of refined pacenotes following a rushed preparation for the event as a last-minute stand in for injured team-mate Sebastien Ogier.

M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux will head into Satruday sititng foruth [+7.5s] after leapfrogging his Rally1 debutant team-mate Martins Sesks, who produced arguably the drive of the day to claim fifth [+7.7s], piloting a non-hybrid powered Ford Puma Rally1.

Gregoire Munster [+21.3s], championship leader Thierry Neuville [+29.8s], who opened the gravel roads, and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta [+32.3s] rounded out the top eight.

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak retired from the lead after a collision with a deer on stage two.

Friday afternoon began with the Mikolajki service park receiving a storm warning, but conditions remained hot and dry heading into stage five [Stanczyki 29.40km].

Tyre choice proved to be crucial as the second pass through the stage created a much more abrasive surface than expected.

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Tomasz Kalinski

Toyota appeared best set up for the stage after its drivers elected to take two hard tyres in their tyre packages. Rally leader Mikkelsen also opted for that strategy but it wasn’t enough for the Norwegian to protect his advantage at the front.

Mikkelsen struggled with soft tyres on the rear of his i20 N and dropped 14.4s which coincided with Rovanpera delivering his best drive of the rally to date to win the stage to leap from fourth to the rally lead by 0.2s.

The Finn, who had a rushed recce and not the most refined pacenotes, benefitted from having already made one pass through the stage.

«It’s definitely much more fun in the afternoon when I know where I’m going,» said Rovanpera.

Rovanpera claimed the stage win by a margin of 4.7s from Evans, who dropped to third overall, 2.4s adrift.

Sesks continued his charge posting the third quickest time, 8.1s slower than Rovanpera, to sit third overall.

Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Photo by: Tomasz Kalinski

Those running four soft tyres struggled to reach the stage end with visibly worn rubber. Fourmaux was fourth fastest ahead of the improving Katsuta, with Neuville dropping 12.2s in sixth having been affected by road cleaning.

The rally lead changed hands again after a red flag interrupted stage six [Wieliczki 12.90km]. Organisers were forced to cancel the same test in the morning due to spectator safety issues.

The stoppage came while Mikkelsen was in the stage which meant the former rally leader had to complete in road mode. Although frustrated by the red flag, the notional time actually put him back in the rally lead by two seconds from Evans.

Neuville lit up the timing screens to win the stage, replicating his stage-topping time before it was cancelled in the morning. The Belgian made the most of his cleanest run of the day to pip Katsuta and Evans by 0.2s. The time brought Neuville within 8.8s of Munster sitting in fifth overall.

Evans’ effort elevated the Welshman ahead of Rovanpera by a tenth, but the latter was again frustrated by his lack of refined pacenotes.

Organisers again had to intervene by cancelling stage seven [Olecko 13.20km] due to small sections of spectators standing in dangerous positions.

The stage was halted after Fourmaux, Evans and Neuville passed through the test with the former topping the times.

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Controlling spectators was an issue the last time the WRC visited Poland back in 2017 which resulted in the event dropping off the calendar. Poland’s return to the calendar this year is a one-off.

«Clear decisions are being made in the name of safety,» WRC event director Simon Larkin told Aotorsport.com.

«One of the unintended consequences of cancelling stages is that messaging does get out saying ‘don’t be an idiot’ otherwise you wreck it for everyone and yourself. These people that are standing in bad positions are wrecking their own day.

«There are a lot of marshals out there and what we have seen is, for want of a better word there are a lot of professional spectators out there that know where to hide when the safety cars come through and then they flood back out of the forest.

«This is not a casual fan doing this, these people know what they are doing they want to risk their lives, but we don’t want to risk their lives.»

Katsuta and Rovanpera set identical times to win the day’s final stage, a second run through the Mikolajki Arena Super Special. The time lifted Rovanpera to second ahead of Evans.

In WRC2, Sami Pajari led local hero Kajetan Kajetanowicz by 8.9s. Seven stages await the crews on Saturday.    



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Inside the mind of the WRC’s “Hollywood” showman

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Simply known as «Mr Hollywood» during his World Rally Championship pomp, Petter Solberg has always been a showman powered by an abundance of energy and a drive to achieve — whatever the challenge. These attributes, in addition to his skill behind the wheel, combined to help the Norwegian win the ultimate prize in rallying, the WRC title, in 2003 and secure back-to-back world rallycross titles run by his own team in 2014-2015.

But there have been hidden challenges too for the driver whose swashbuckling exploits driving a factory Subaru Impreza culminated in beating Sebastien Loeb to that famous breakthrough world title alongside Phil Mills in Wales more than two decades ago.

Few drivers have lit up the WRC scene in the way Solberg did. He always kept up his heart-on-sleeve approach that earned himlegions of fans throughout a WRC career that took off when he secured his first works contract with M-Sport Ford in 1999. They followed and — as a social media presence equivalent to, if not larger than the current WRC stars attests — continue to follow today a life described by his peers as «full action all of the time».

«I have fun every day and try to enjoy every day,» explains Solberg during a candid interview about his career on the latest episode of Autosport’s Gravel Notes Podcast. «I have seen over the years that having a character is not always positive sometimes.

«For myself, and when you have your own team, it is positive. But from other points of view, people can be intimidated. But you are the person you are when you are doing what you do. I’m pushing and it is not for everyone, for sure, but it has normally shown good success.

«When I commit to something and there is a deadline, the deadline will be reached whatever it takes, and you have to push the limit.»

Solberg's crowning glory came in 2003 when he won the world title for Subaru

Solberg’s crowning glory came in 2003 when he won the world title for Subaru

Photo by: Ralph Hardwick

To succeed at the highest level of any sport requires pushing to the limit, which seems to fit perfectly with Solberg’s persona and lifestyle. But when asked to reveal the coolest aspect of his life, the 49-year-old offers a rare insight into the challenges he’s faced competing in a discipline that counts on zen-like concentration.

Solberg says that unbeknownst to him at the time, he suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While this could be seen as a disadvantage by some, the stats bear out that he’s harnessed it successfully. A stellar WRC career spanning 1998 to 2019 includes 13 outright wins and a further 39 podiums. As Solberg explains, he is one of life’s problem solvers.

«It is very easy, I keep a simple life and I’m happy every day and I enjoy,» he says. «If I have an issue, I fix it straight away, I never go to bed unless everything is fixed.

«My mother got really mad! But also happy at the same time, because I never give up in anything»
Petter Solberg

«It sounds very easy, but it can be very complicated for me in my head with some ADHD, which for many years that I didn’t know about. I never see a problem to be honest. It is crazy, but it is true. That is the best thing about my life. I never worry and I keep on going.»

This revelation does go some way to explaining his determination to overcome any challenge set out in front of him. Take for instance how in 2009 he started up his own team as a response to Subaru’s withdrawal from the WRC. It mattered little that the Xsara was no longer Citroen’s current model. He missed the first round in Ireland, but was back in the service park for his home event in Norway and on the podium in just the team’s second event in Cyprus.

Even before this interview began, Solberg explains a plan to undertake some construction work at his Swedish residence that he is adamant will be completed by the end of the day. Perhaps on reflection, his WRC achievements that also include three title runner-up finishes to Marcus Gronholm [2002] and Loeb [in 2004-2005], should under the circumstances be viewed in another light.

This drive was present from an early age and is perhaps best portrayed when a teenage Solberg refused to give up on a chance to win the 1987 Norwegian Tamiya Radio Controlled Car Cup. Arguably, his first major title that he won at the age of 13 would not have happened had he not gone behind his parents’ backs…

Finishing third with his privateer Xsara in Cyprus 2009 on the second outing for his team exemplifies Solberg's determination

Finishing third with his privateer Xsara in Cyprus 2009 on the second outing for his team exemplifies Solberg’s determination

Photo by: Sutton Images

«I was the youngest ever champion in radio-controlled cars. The trophy I won, I couldn’t even lift it,» he explains. «The qualification round to get to this final was 82 drivers from all around Norway and I went to four places around Norway to qualify. Then I came home again, and my mother told me to stop as I didn’t qualify.

«I called my father’s friend to drive me to another place, without my mother knowing. We went there, took leave from school and I won it and I qualified. My mother got really mad! But also happy at the same time, because I never give up in anything.

«I came to the final race and I won the whole thing. It was a two-day race and me and my brother [Henning, who took six outright WRC podium finishes] were staying in a hotel room together as he qualified on the first race. The organisers paid for the hotel, as we didn’t have the money to do that.

 

«I qualified to the second day and my brother didn’t qualify, so he stayed in the hotel room. I took the radio-controlled car and a toothbrush and washed in the shower and put it back together and test drove it at two in the morning.

«I went to the race and I was leading and the engine broke. I had no money for an engine and my parents came on that day as a surprise and they bought me an engine. I think it would have been 30 euros. And I put it in, and I won the whole thing. It is never a straightforward story [with me]!»

Solberg called time on his full-time motorsport career at the end of 2018, but hasn’t lost any of his relentless energy. Along with wife Pernilla, currently the president of the WRC Commission, he’s still a big force in the rally scene and as vice president of the drivers’ commission played a part in getting recommendations from the WRC’s biggest stars for ways to improve the championship — triggered by comments made by Thierry Neuville last year.

And his days of driving, while less regular these days, are not entirely finished either. Still a regular in the annual Race of Champions invitational, a two-time winner of the Nations’ Cup alongside son Oliver, Solberg Sr came out of retirement earlier this month to compete in his first full rally since winning the WRC2 class of the 2019 Wales Rally GB.

Solberg father and son won the Race of Champions Nations' Cup in 2022 and 2023

Solberg father and son won the Race of Champions Nations’ Cup in 2022 and 2023

Photo by: Race of Champions

He rolled back the years to pilot the same car at the Royal Rally of Scandinavia round of the European Rally Championship, which was won by Oliver, who continues to fly the family flag on the WRC stages in WRC2. The elder Solberg finished 15th overall on his return, which highlighted to him how competitive the rally scene has become.

«I must say, if you want to be good, you have to test a lot and have the continuity,» he says. «I think this was maybe the best example of how much [work] you have to put in. Even if you are a winner from before, you cannot just step in. In rallycross and hillclimb, maybe you could do it no problem. But in rally? No chance.

«It was nothing for five years, that is tough. It [Royal Rally of Scandinavia] was a great experience and Oliver won, which was incredible to get that victory. I enjoyed every minute of it» Petter Solberg

«When I did Rally GB in 2019, I had been doing a lot of rallycross and testing and planning. I was driving a lot, so it was different. But now, it was nothing for five years, that is tough. It was a great experience and Oliver won, which was incredible to get that victory. I enjoyed every minute of it.»

While this may be his last rally for a while, Solberg’s zest for getting things done shows no signs of abating. And yes, in case you were wondering, he did get that DIY job finished before going to bed…

Solberg put on a show in the FIA European Rally Championship

Solberg put on a show in the FIA European Rally Championship

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool



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Impossible to avoid deer collision at Rally Poland with 0.26s to react

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ott Tanak says it was impossible to avoid a collision with a deer that put him out of the World Rally Championship’s Rally Poland, revealing he had only 0.26s to react.

The Hyundai driver was forced to retire from Friday’s gravel stages when a deer jumped out into the road on stage two [Stanczyki, 29.40km] which left the Estonian with an unavoidable accident.

Following the impact Tanak immediately pulled off the road 18.3km into the test with damage to the front of his i20 N. Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja were unscathed following the crash.

The 2019 world champion confirmed that the impact had ripped the entire cooling system from the car and that there was no time to react with his I20 N travelling at 117mph.

“It was on a straight actually and we have just checked that from the moment the head of deer came out of the bush and the impact was 0.26s, it was very short,” said Tanak. “There was no time to panic and really no time to react as well.”

Ott Tänak, Hyundai World Rally Team

Ott Tänak, Hyundai World Rally Team

Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport

The unfortunate incident dealt a cruel blow to Tanak who was tipped as the favourite to win this weekend as he aimed to close the 18-point gap to championship leader and team-mate Thierry Neuville. Tanak had held the overnight lead after winning Thursday’s super special stage.

It is the second dose of misfortune Tanak has suffered this year when he was forced out of Safari Rally Kenya following an impact with a rock in the middle of the road.

Tanak expects his Hyundai team will be able to fix the car in time to rejoin the rally on Saturday, but will likely face a tough road position to battle for the 12 championship points on offer on Super Sunday.

“We need to try [to attack for Sunday points] but we could see today that Thierry is losing a second per kilometre opening the road it seems difficult even for Sunday,” he added. “We need to start tomorrow though.”

Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen ended Friday morning with a 2.2s rally lead over WRC debutant Martins Sesks driving a non-hybrid powered M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 car.

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