Ott Tänak has closed the first stage of Rally New Zealand at the top of the standings and puts Toyota at a crossroads. Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier complete the podium, but championship leader Kalle Rovanperä is just behind.
Ott Tänak is into his role. The Estonian knows that he has to finish ahead of Kalle Rovanperä to prolong his WRC title resolution and if he can win Rally New Zealand, all the better. For now, the Estonian has the three Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers just behind at the end of the first stage, but with Rovanperä in fourth position. And this implies a complex situation for Toyota.
The second loop on Friday in New Zealand began with a radical change in the overall rally. Sébastien Ogier was placed in front taking advantage of the fact that the rain was saying goodbye and the sections were drying up, which made the cleanliness factor an extra ingredient in SS5. Also, the second pass through ‘Whaanga Coast’ claimed the aspirations of Craig Breen. And she did it in an iconic place.
Toyota has all three drivers on the hunt for Ott Tänak, but leader Kalle Rovanperä is fourth
Despite his good start to the rally, Craig Breen went off track in a corner that the oldest of the place will rememberas the Irishman’s Ford Puma Rally1 was thrown out of play at the same angle that Colin McRae spun off in 2002. Fans were desperately trying to free Breen’s car, but in efforts to get out of the ditch Craig’s Ford Puma clutch said enough.
After being overtaken by Gus Greensmith in SS5, Finn Kalle Rovanperä corrected the situation in SS6 with his scratch that allowed him to recover fourth position. Ahead, Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans held the top two positions against an Ott Tänak recovering some of the lost ground in the previous stage, in which the Estonian dropped 17.2 seconds on Ogier when he started second in the special.
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Tänak’s final attack
The heavy rain of SS6 played in favor of Kalle Rovanperä and in a certain way also of the Gaul Sébastien Ogier, who lost part of the rear wing of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in full stretch when hitting the branches of a tree. Yes, he accused the lack of part of this aerodynamic element in the SS7, circumstance that Ott Tänak took advantage of to recover the lead of Rally New Zealand after beating Elfyn Evans by 0.2 seconds.
At the end of the first stage, Ott Tänak has a slim lead over Elfyn Evans, but has managed to put Toyota in a compromising situation. The Welshman and Sébastien Ogier are seeking their first victory at the controls of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, while leader Kalle Rovanperä is fourth. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese brand manages the situationsince the rally is a matter of four.
the other rally
Gus Greensmith is the best of the rest, but the M-Sport driver is already 43.8 seconds off the lead. Of course, the British driver is still behind a Thierry Neuville who has paid for his bad start to the rally and who, despite improving his pace, is still 45.6 seconds behind Tänak. The Swedish Oliver Solberg is seventh after imposing his law in his duel with Takamoto Katsuta. Hayden Paddon and Lorenzo Bertelli close the ‘top 10’.
Qualifying after SS7 of the 45th Rally New Zealand
Rally New Zealand continues this Friday (9:08 p.m.) with the dispute of the second stage of the event. Pilots and co-pilots will dispute 88.28 kilometers against the clock.
Photos: Hyundai Motorsport / Toyota Gazoo Racing