Метка: wrc

Ogier retires after hitting rock in stage eight

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Sebastien Ogier’s World Rally Championship title hopes have suffered a blow after retiring from Rally Chile on stage eight.

The eight-time world champion hit a rock with the front-right wheel of his GR Yaris, 400 metres from the finish of stage eight (Lota, 25.6km).

Ogier hit the rock on the entry to a slow left-hander but the impact seemingly broke something on his Yaris, which then slowly careered wide into a bank on the exit of the corner.

Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais quickly leapt out of the car to assess the damage but it appeared their day was over.

M-Sport-Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux was the first driver to come across Ogier’s stricken Toyota.

“He hit a rock on the inside of a braking, it was a really big rock,” said Fourmaux.

“It’s really a shame for him, definitely not his rally and we are really sorry for him.”

Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Ogier entered the event sitting 38 points behind championship leader Neuville, and was holding ninth overall in the rally standings after losing almost two minutes on Friday to a puncture caused by a run-in with a bank on stage three.

Neuville was unperturbed when asked about seeing his rival on the side of the road.

“I didn’t think about [Ogier], he was anyhow behind — we think about ourselves,” said Neuville.

Ogier had started Saturday by opting for a tyre gamble, taking four softs and two hards for the morning’s abrasive gravel stages.

The Frenchman posted a blistering second fastest time on the day’s opening stage despite starting second on the road.

Rally leader and team-mate Elfyn Evans was the only driver to surpass the time as the Welshman won the stage to extend his rally lead to 7.1s over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.

Evans managed to hang onto the rally lead at the end of stage eight but his margin was cut to 1.8s over Kalle Rovanpera, who won the test to leap from third to second overall.

Tanak dropped from second to third, 8.1s adrift, after suffering a half spin in the test.



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Elfyn Evans keeps WRC Rally Chile lead after Hyundai protest

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota’s Elfyn Evans has held onto the Rally Chile lead after stewards rejected a protest from the Hyundai World Rally Championship team against the reallocation of a notional stage time.

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak ended Friday’s six stages with a 0.4-second margin over Evans before stewards received a request to review the notional time issued to Evans following the cancellation of stage one.

Only Thierry Neuville, Tanak and Sebastien Ogier successfully navigated through stage one (Pulperia, 19.72km) before officials were forced to cancel the test on spectator safety grounds.

Notional times based on Neuville’s effort (the slowest time), were awarded to the rest of the Rally1 field, who were forced to complete the stage in road mode. This was, however, subject to revision after the second pass of the test later in the day (stage four).

Following these runs, the clerk of the course received a request to review the allocated time awarded to Evans.

After reviewing the times posted in the second pass of the stage, Evans, M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Sami Pajari have been issued new notional times for stage one.

As a result, Evans’ new time was two seconds faster than Tanak instead of being 1.4s slower, handing the Toyota driver a revised three-second rally lead.

Hyundai subsequently lodged a protest against the clerk of the course’s decision on Friday night. Following a hearing attended by representatives from Hyundai and Toyota, stewards elected to reject the protest, ensuring Evans’ reallocated notional time stands heading into Saturday’s six stages.

“The protester’s representative explained that the stages [SS1 and SS4] were conducted differently and this may have accounted for differences in the respective stage times,” read the stewards report.

“Mr. [Tolga] Ozakinci [Hyundai team manager] stated that, in their opinion, the ideal principle for allocating notional times should be based on the fastest stage time achieved by the crew to complete SS1 [crew of car no. 17 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais] rather than the slowest time achieved by the crew to complete SS1 [i.e. crew of car bo. 11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe].

“Mr. Ozakinci agreed with the chairperson that the authority judging fairness lies with the clerk of course’s determination, as stated within Article 52 of the 2024 FIA WRC sporting regulations.

“However, the competitor believed that the principle proposed by them was also fair and should be considered. Consequently, it was their opinion that the stewards should adopt their suggested principle as against that adopted by the clerk of the course.

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

“The FIA sporting delegate stated that the principle usually adopted within the WRC to allocate notional times has been to consider the time achieved for the stage by the slowest car in the class instead of the fastest car.“He also explained that there are other methods that could be used to calculate and establish a fair allocation of notional times based on different criteria.

“After SS4, the clerk of the course determined that only car no. 33 had improved its time on SS4 and as such decided not to consider the stage time of SS4 for allocation purposes. However, after receiving a request from the concerned party to reconsider the notional time allocated in COC Notification No. 1, the clerk of the course reviewed the stage times achieved on SS4 and issued COC Notification No. 2 to reallocate stage times for cars 33, 16, and 5 accordingly.

“The FIA sporting delegate stated that they viewed the allocation of notional times for SS1 to be in line with the established procedure.“He acknowledged that the procedure of allocating notional times is not an exact science and opens the door to alternative interpretations, with a possibility that each different party views fairness differently.

“In rebuttal, the protester considered that car no. 33 should be allocated a slower notional time than that allocated in COC Notification No. 2. They suggested that the setting of notional times should be conducted in a subjective way and not objectively.”

In response to Hyundai’s argument, the stewards admitted that the protestor’s “proposed method for calculating the notional times for the cars affected on SS1 as set out in their protest could be adopted, but consider that this is only one method for calculating the notional times”.

In summary, the stewards concluded that “the method adopted by the Clerk of the Course to allocate for SS1 notional times as specified in CoC Notification No. 2 was fair and reasonable.

“The protester has therefore failed to establish that the notional times allocated by the clerk of the course to the affected cars by CoC Notification No. 2 was unfair in an objective way.

“Accordingly, the notional times allocated to the cars remain as set out in CoC Notification No. 2.”



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Tanak surprised by WRC Rally Chile pace after Friday struggles

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ott Tanak admitted he was surprised to be fighting for the Rally Chile victory having initially written off his chances after Friday’s first stage.

The Hyundai driver delivered an impressive drive from second on the road to lead Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by 0.4 seconds at the end of Friday’s six stages.

Tanak will, however, head into Saturday’s stages trailing Evans by three seconds after officials issued an adjustment to Evans’ notional stage one time, which handed the Toyota driver the rally lead.

Tanak was never totally comfortable behind the wheel of his i20 N on the slippery gravel roads that led to the two-time Chile winner chasing set-up throughout Friday to tame his car.

Constant set-up changes in between stages helped Tanak find confidence to sit atop of the timesheets.

“I definitely am [surprised to be in this position] — after the first stage I said to the engineers that a top six or top eight is the maximum, it was not driving at all,” said Tanak.

“Thierry was struggling, I was struggling and Esapekka [Lappi] was struggling even more. 

“We clearly had struggles with the car and the set-up. It is something with these kind of roads but we should be able to react.

“In the morning, it was looking extremely demanding and I really struggled to find any kind of feeling in the car. 

“It was quite difficult for the afternoon but obviously the grip improved a bit and the car improved a little bit.

“I’m not really feeling fully like I should but at the moment we tried to take the maximum out of it.”

Saturday’s stages are set to offer a completely new challenge with the road surface much more abrasive compared to Friday’s tests, meaning tyre management will be crucial.

Tanak mastered these conditions last year while driving for M-Sport, which proved to be key in his run to victory.

“The characteristics is completely different for sure but normally from the road we should get more grip and much better road positions and altogether we should be in a better position,» he added.

“I’m not sure if it [the tyre wear] will be exactly the same [as last year], but I’m sure tyres will be the story again.”

Neuville attributes struggles to set-up mistake

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: McKlein / Motorsport Images

While Tanak was able to coax his i20 N into a better operating window, championship leader Thierry Neuville believes his struggles for pace were down to going the wrong way on car set-up.

Neuville, who started first on the road, ended Friday in sixth position 30.3s behind team-mate Tanak after admitting he was fighting with his car across the six stages.

“I think we were just on the wrong set-up as I cannot explain how I could’ve struggled that much out there,” said Neuville.  

“The pace wasn’t there and the feeling wasn’t good. We didn’t have any fun out there today. We did some set-up changes but it was not what we needed.

“We are 30 seconds off the lead and we are only 20 seconds behind fourth and fifth and that must be our target. 

“Clearly we need a bit more performance and a bit more speed and we need to chase these positions.

“I honestly believe that, if the car gives me the necessary confidence, it should be possible.”



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Elfyn Evans regains WRC Rally Chile lead after notional time adjustment

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Elfyn Evans has been handed the Rally Chile lead after World Rally Championship officials issued an adjustment to the notional stage one time awarded to the Toyota driver.

Evans had ended Friday’s six stages trailing Hyundai’s Ott Tanak by 0.4s, but a change in the notional time awarded to the Welshman for the interrupted opening stage has put Evans into a three second lead.

Only Thierry Neuville, Tanak and Sébastien Ogier successfully navigated through stage one (Pulperia, 19,72km) before officials were forced to cancel the test on spectator safety grounds.

Notional times based on Neuville’s effort were awarded to the rest of the Rally1 field, who were forced to complete the stage in road mode. This was, however, subject to revision after the second pass of the test later in the day.

Following these runs, the clerk of the course received a request to review the allocated time awarded to Evans.

After reviewing the times posted in the second pass of the stage, Evans, M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Sami Pajari have been issued new notional times for stage one.

As a result, Evans’ new time was two seconds faster than Tanak instead of being 1.4s slower, handing the Toyota driver the rally lead.

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Evans started Friday strongly to lead the rally heading into midday service with a 2.2s advantage over Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

Evans then appeared too struggle for confidence in the afternoon before issuing a crucial fightback on the day’s final stage.

Speaking before the reallocation of national times, Evans said: “I think the afternoon could have been better. I think the feeling in the morning was quite okay but I struggled a bit in the afternoon.

“I couldn’t really find the confidence I was hoping for, at least the feeling was not the same as the morning.

“It was pretty much the same car as the morning but I think it was the conditions and the way the car was behaving in those conditions really.

“It is early days in this rally and we know how pivotal the Saturday was last year, so there is a big day ahead.”

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Tanak holds on to lead Evans by 0.4s

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ott Tanak held off World Rally Championship title rival Elfyn Evans to claim a slender 0.4s Rally Chile lead on the opening day of the final gravel round of the season.

Tanak was never totally comfortable with his Hyundai i20 N through the day’s six slippery gravel stages but consistent pace helped the Estonian snatch the lead away from Evans.

Evans issued a fightback on the final stage of the afternoon loop, but was unable to hustle his Toyota back to the lead he held after the morning loop.

World champion Kalle Rovanpera ended the day in third [+7.1s] despite struggling for confidence, while his Rally1 rookie Toyota team-mate Sami Pajari came through in fourth [+9.3s].

Gregoire Munster rounded out the top five [+10.7s] ahead of championship leader and road opener Thierry Neuville [+30.3s]. Esapekka Lappi [+36.1s], Adrien Fourmaux [+1m01.0s], and Sebastien Ogier [+1m24.9s] completed the Rally1 field.

M-Sport’s Martins Sesks retired from Friday’s action after picking up a double puncture on stage three.

The second pass through the stages proved to be equally as challenging as the first, as crews faced tricky loose gravel, but the unpredictable road surface didn’t halt a fired up Ogier, desperate to recover from picking up a puncture in stage three after hitting a bank.

The Frenchman, who monstered the morning’s first pass through Pulperia, repeated the feat in the afternoon. Ogier was 5.9s faster than nearest rival Tanak, and a whopping 10.5s quicker than the rally leader Evans.

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The effort helped Ogier climb from 15th to ninth overall despite losing almost two minutes to a wheel change on stage three.

Tanak’s committed run pushed him up to second overall and 2.7s behind Evans. Tanak benefitted from a rare mistake by Rovanpera, who lost the rear of his GR Yaris and overshot a corner, costing the world champion valuable seconds.

«I had a bit of a wide moment in a low speed corner, nothing too dramatic but a bit unfortunate. I had to reverse out, not too optimal when you consider our pace this morning,” said Rovanpera.

Fourmaux delivered a time good enough for fourth quickest to jump to fourth overall ahead of Pajari and Munster.

Following on from the morning, Neuville continued to fight his i20 N for grip, being the first to tackle the road, as the Belgian held onto seventh overall.

Neuville did however open the gap over team-mate Lappi after the latter suffered a right-rear tyre delamination during his run.

“For sure I did not hit anything,” said Lappi.

The drama continued to unfold but this time it was Fourmaux to hit trouble before stage five [Rere, 13,34km]. The M-Sport driver’s Ford Puma suffered an alternator issue on the preceding road section and while repairing that, a water pipe was damaged when Fourmaux tried to put the fan back in position.

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: Red Bull Content Pool

Fourmaux managed to reach the stage startline, albeit six minutes late, incurring a one-minute penalty in the process.

Despite driving a wounded car he clocked the second-fastest time, which would have put him into third overall without the penalty. Ogier once again lit up the timing screens to take his third stage win of the day by 0.2s.

However, it was Tanak that grabbed the headlines as another committed run, clocking the third-fastest time, was enough to help the Hyundai driver overhaul leader Evans.

Evans won the morning pass through the stage but was unable to replicate the confidence and speed during the second pass, finishing 6.5s behind pacesetter Ogier. Evans’ team-mate Rovanpera was also out of sorts as he struggled to gel with slippery gravel roads.

In contrast, Munster appeared to revel in the conditions as he pipped the Finn to move back to fourth overall.

Evans dug deep to fightback in the final stage of the loop [San Rosendo, 23.32km] to take 2.1s out of Tanak to end the day 0.4s adrift of the rally leader.

Fourmaux again managed to perform miracles with his damaged Puma to win the final stage of the loop by 1.8s from Ogier, running without hybrid power.

Munster’s strong day ended with a right-rear puncture which dropped the M-Sport driver to fifth overall.

In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin survived a wild two wheel moment to lead title favourite Oliver Solberg by 10.2s.

Six stages make up Saturday’s leg, comprising 139.20 competitive kilometres.



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Ogier latest to protest FIA clampdown after Verstappen swearing saga

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Sebastien Ogier has explained the reason for his short replies in Rally Chile stage-end interviews stating, «We have been told by the top of the FIA to shut our mouths».

The eight-time world rally champion’s reaction follows being handed a €30,000 suspended fine from the FIA for comments he directed at officials at the end of the opening stage at Acropolis Rally Greece earlier this month.

As a result, at the end of stages in Chile this weekend Ogier has offered little in response to questions being asked by reporters.

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak has joined Ogier in this stance, with the 2019 world champion revealing that his actions have been triggered by current moves by the FIA to clamp down on driver comments in the WRC and the use of swear words in Formula 1 press conferences.

Tanak admitted that he is now unsure how to act given the FIA’s recent action against drivers.

It follows on from Max Verstappen’s own protest after being given a community service punishment for swearing in an FIA press conference at the Singapore GP last week, when the Red Bull driver gave short answers in the session before hosting his own media debrief after it.

Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Speaking at the midday service, Ogier explained the reason for his actions, admitting he was sorry to the fans for his decision to react in such a manner.

«You realise that I didn’t really want to talk today, we’ve been told that we shouldn’t at the moment,» said Ogier when speaking to RallyTV.

«It is not a fantastic reaction to do what I do and it is not personal against you [the interviewer] and for the fans I am sorry about it but we have very little tools we can use.

«Today I don’t feel like I want to talk and like I say I am sorry for all the people that deserve better than that, but we have been told by the top of the FIA to shut our mouths so it is a bit sad.

«It is not only in rally at the moment but let’s see what the future brings.»

When asked if he would continue his stance across the weekend, he added: «Hopefully it [the comments] will come back.»

Watch: Rally Chile Bio Bío Friday Morning Highlights

Ogier had started Rally Chile on the front foot, marching into an early lead but a puncture suffered after clipping a bank on stage three has dropped the Frenchman to 15th position.

«It is a shame, the pace was there, but we had this puncture on the last stage. In terms of looking forward to the weekend it is going to be challenging now,» Ogier added.

«The gaps are big and we have to keep fighting our best. Let’s see what kind of starting position we can grab for tomorrow.»



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Evans snatches lead after Ogier wheel change

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Elfyn Evans snatched the Rally Chile lead from Toyota World Rally Championship team-mate Sebastien Ogier after the Frenchman was forced to change a wheel on stage three.

Evans delivered strong pace throughout the morning’s gravel stages to head to midday service with a 2.2s lead over Toyota team-mate and reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera.

Toyota protege Sami Pajari climbed to third [+6.6s} after Ogier’s drama, while Gregoire Munster’s fast and clean driving placed the M-Sport-Ford in fourth [+6.9s].

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak was fifth [+7.3s] ahead of Adrien Fourmaux [+7.4s] with championship leader Thierry Neuville in seventh [+13.8s] and team-mate Esapekka Lappi eighth [18.3s]. The top 10 was completed by WRC2 runners Nikolay Gryazin and Oliver Solberg, who could wrap up the title this weekend.

Only three cars successfully navigated through the rally’s opening stage (Pulperia, 19.72km) before officials were forced to cancel the test on spectator safety grounds.

Of the three cars to complete the stage, it was Ogier that set a blistering pace starting third on the road behind Neuville and Tanak.

Ogier was 9.1s faster than Tanak, who was in turn 1.4s faster than Neuville.

«All good, good start,» said Ogier who continued to offer little in stage-end interviews following his suspended €30,000 fine for comments made in Greece.

Neuville faced the brunt of the road sweeping having been first to tackle the stage.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

«Really challenging, to be honest, the grip is basically zero. It is like driving on ice at the beginning. We know what our target is» said Neuville, who could also mathematically sew up the title in Chile.

Officials red-flagged the stage shortly after Ogier had reached the stage end meaning the rest of the field had to navigate through the test in road mode, with Neuville’s time given as a notional time. However, that is subject to being revised after the second pass of the stage this afternoon.

The crews managed to pass through stage two (Rere 13.34km) without interruption and it was Evans who managed to tame the tricky loose gravel the best.

The Welshman was 2.3s faster than team-mates Rovanpera and Rally1 rookie Pajari to move to second overall, 6.6s behind rally leader Ogier.

Ogier ensured it was Toyota lockout at the top of the timesheets in fourth, 3.9s slower than Evans. The eight-time world champion once again refused to offer much in terms of comments at the stage-end.

Tanak seemingly followed Ogier’s stage-end comment protest although the Estonian was the quickest of the Hyundais, 4.1s shy of the pace, but ahead of the M-Sport duo of Fourmaux and Munster.

Lappi struggled to make the most of his advantageous road position with the Finn 6.6s adrift. He was however faster than Neuville, who felt the cleaning effect was much worse than the previous test.

M-Sport’s Martins Sesks was a tenth slower than Neuville in his non-hybrid powered Puma having elected to take a steady approach to his third Rally1 start.

The final stage of the morning loop (San Rosendo, 23.32km) provided the first moment of drama for the championship contenders.

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: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Rally leader Ogier was pushing hard on the stage but ran wide at a fast right-hander and clipped a bank with the left rear of his GR Yaris, which knocked a tyre off the rim. Ogier dropped 1m48.5s after being forced to pull over and change a wheel.

This handed the rally lead to Evans, who came through the stage posting the second fastest time. Rovanpera knicked the stage win by a tenth of a second but the Finn admitted he was struggling on a slippery road surface.

«Really bad to be honest, I don’t feel comfortable at all on these roads. I was expecting it a bit, but when it is dry like this it does not fit my usual driving style. I am fighting the car and my driving a lot,» said Rovanpera.

M-Sport’s Munster impressed to post a third fastest time ahead of Fourmaux, Pajari, Tanak and Neuville.

The stage didn’t appear to clean in the traditional way as more rocks were dragged onto the surface after every pass. The challenging conditions led to Lappi running wide and clipping a bank while Sesks fared even worse.

Sesks drifted well wide at a right-hander into a bank which caused a double puncture. Carrying only one spare wheel, Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis opted to change the front left and limped to the finish with the rear left deflated, costing them more than five minutes.

Sesks pulled over to let WRC2 title rivals Oliver Solberg and Yohan Rossel through. The pair trailed early WRC2 leader Nikolay Gryazin ahead of the afternoon loop.



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What M-Sport is looking for from Sesks’ WRC “extended audition”

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


M-Sport is treating Martins Sesks’ Rally Chile outing as an “extended audition” in the World Rally Championship as the Ford team continues to assess the young driver’s skills for the future.

Rising star Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis have earned a third outing in Ford Puma Rally1 this year following impressive displays to finish fifth and seventh respectively in Poland and Latvia rounds earlier this year.

The opportunity to pilot a non-hybrid powered Puma in Chile has been made possible thanks to further support from the WRC Promoter that helped fund the Latvians’ last two Rally1 appearances. 

Sesks’ reputation as a future talent has been enhanced by scoring maiden stage wins in Latvia on his way to challenging for a likely third-place finish before a mechanical issue struck his Puma on the final stage. 

The 25-year-old’s performance has impressed M-Sport enough to emerge as a possible candidate for more drives in the future as the team weighs up its options for 2025.

Team principal Richard Millener is keen to see how Sesks will perform in Chile, a rally that will offer a brand new challenge for the 2023 European Rally Championship runner-up. 

“I think there is a lot of interest from a lot of parties about what he’s capable of and, there’s a lot of discussion about Latvia, Poland being very similar events, home events and him knowing them well, can it be repeated in some way?» Millener told Autosport.

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

“I don’t want to expect that he could repeat challenging for a podium in Latvia. What we want to see is another rally with no issues and him get to the end with no mistakes and effectively have a good result, which I think could be done by being clever as well. 

“The title fight is going to be pretty big and Chile is a pretty tricky rally as well. It is fast and technical I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a couple of accidents. 

“If he can get top five again, fantastic, that’s more the goal, so it’s a bit of an extended audition, I guess. But certainly, I’m not in a position to say that he’s going to be signing with us for next year. It’s just a case of trying to see what else we can do for these junior drivers.

“I think he’s already proven what he’s capable of and this opportunity come about through M-Sport pushing as well, but also through promoter and Martins with his own thing. 

“It’s a good opportunity for us to see what throwing a completely new environment at him with not a lot of notice. What he can do and how he approaches it.”

In addition to a set of brand new stages to learn, Sesks is running without hybrid power similar to his debut in Poland. On those fast gravel stages the performance deficit to the hybrid-powered Rally1 cars was minimal, but the deficit is likely to increase on Chile’s technical roads.

“Of course, it will be a big challenge to go to South America and drive a Rally1 car in Chile for the first time,” said Sesks.  

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: M-Sport

“It will be a great adventure I think, something new again and we’re now trying to prepare for the rally. We’re watching the onboards and seeing similar things to some European rallies.

“It will be a bit harder for us driving the non-hybrid car, but again it’s an opportunity to show some pace without the hybrid, and if we succeed there it’s even better. Our experience from Poland and Latvia in understanding the car will help a lot. It will be a challenge but we’re looking forward to it.”

Sesks isn’t the only rising star being offered a rare Rally1 outing this weekend with Toyota fielding Sami Pajari in one of its four GR Yaris. The Finn has replaced regular Takamoto Katsuta, who will sit out the trip to South America. 



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Tanak unsure how to act following FIA sanctions for Ogier, Verstappen

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ott Tänak says it’s “really difficult to know how to act” in interviews following the FIA’s sanctions for comments made by World Rally Championship rival Sebastian Ogier and Formula 1’s Max Verstappen.

The Hyundai driver has raised concerns after the FIA handed Ogier a €30,000 suspended fine for comments the Toyota driver directed at officials regarding hanging dust at the end of the opening stage of Acropolis Rally Greece, earlier this month.

Ogier’s incident preceded a move by the FIA to clamp down on F1 drivers swearing in official press conferences, resulting in three-time world champion Verstappen being issued with a public service order for swearing at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen then later staged a protest by offering short answers in the post-qualifying press conference.

Speaking in a stage-end interview after Thursday’s Rally Chile shakedown, Tanak was asked what he was excited about looking ahead to the event, which was met with a cryptic “let’s see how the rally will be. It is quite interesting times at the moment, not sure how much I can say but I’m living the dream and enjoying the cars.”

When asked to later explain his comments, he added: “I meant it is strange times in motorsport generally where you need to be very careful what you say and how you express your emotions they are not really allowed for the moment.

Pressed on if he is concerned by the direction that is being taken by the FIA with driver interviews, he said: “Yeah, in rallying with Seb and in Formula 1 as well and with all these things coming together it seems we are really on the radar at the moment, so let’s see where it goes from here.

“It is difficult to say at the moment what is the target, probably the promoter should take us to one side and really explain to us what they expecting, but for the moment to give stage end interviews without any emotion, it is really difficult to know how to act. It is an interesting time.”

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

Looking ahead to the rally, Tanak is among the favourites for success on Chile’s gravel roads having won the previous two editions.

The Estonian was victorious in 2019 driving for Toyota before winning last year’s battle on the abrasive gravel roads for M-Sport-Ford.

Tanak remains firmly in the title fight albeit 34 points adrift of team-mate Thierry Neuville while his Hyundai team is leading the constructors’ championship by 35 points from Toyota.

“We need to fight for the points and in the manufacturers’ championship it is also tight and obviously Toyota is pushing very hard so it is not really possible to give many points away,” he added.

“We still need to at least try to match them and try to outscore them. It is still a long way to go and many points on the table.

“It is a rally I like a lot it has a very nice profile and it is a pure performance event. It will be about how we get ourselves working as we have been struggling on these kinds of surface with the car, so hopefully we find a bit better balance for this one.”



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