The WRC does not rest and, after the appointment in Portugal, the championship is active again on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. After starting the gravel campaign on the calendar at the Portuguese event, the challenge that the Rally of Italy-Sardinia draws is even greater. The characteristics of its sections, the dust in suspension and the heat are an explosive cocktail for the mechanics. The ‘Rally1’ face a great challenge in a competitive scenario in which Kalle Rovanperä will be looking to extend his streak and claim his fourth win in a row.
Sardinia is not the event with the longest history in the WRC, although that has not prevented him from having a notable gap in the World Cup. The heat and hardness of its sections have served to sustain an appointment that logistically has some shortcomings, hence his return -again- to Alghero. Be that as it may, throughout the eighteen editions of the test -seventeen valid for the WRC- the list of winners reflects the idiosyncrasies of the discipline. In fact, Sébastien Loeb has achieved four triumphsfor the three that Sébastien Ogier has and the two of Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo.
The Rally of Italy-Sardinia returns to Alghero, drawing a new change compared to 2021. After the shakedown on Thursday morning, the competitors will cross the island to compete in a new super special stage in Olbia. In a rally that is defined by its marathon days, Friday’s stage will be the longest of the rally. Under the format of four sections per loop with intermediate assistance, so characteristic of the race, the pilots will face in this first full day of competition eight sections and a total of 133.56 kilometers against the clock.
On Saturday there will be another eight stages closer to Monte Acuto, with 131.82 kilometers to be divided between the two loops of four sections that make up the day. In this case there will be no intermediate assistance at noon. For the last day, the crews will head to the coast north of Alghero to face the dispute of the last two four sections. The ‘Sassari – Argentiera’ special serves as the Power Stage, although it is barely 7.10 kilometers long. The 21 stages of the rally total 307.91 kilometers against the clock.
To speak of Sardinia is to speak of the heat, dust in suspension and a terrain with an important layer of fine sand that causes the grip to be very low on the first pass -with a wild cleaning factor-. In the second there is greater grip, but also stones that are exposed. The ‘Rally1’ face a great challenge, since temperatures can be record high and mechanical problems and punctures will be the order of the day. The pilots will have to choose 28 tires to choose between the 24 Pirelli Scorpion KX HA (hard) and the 8 Pirelli Scorpion KX SA (soft) offered by the Italian brand.
The queen category of the WRC is drawn in Sardinia from a list of type entries with eleven ‘Rally1’ vehicles, four from Toyota, three Hyundai and another four from M-Sport. With no surprises in the three manufacturers’ line-ups, Esapekka Lappi returns to the third Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 having relinquished his seat to Sébastien Ogier in Portugal. The leader Esapekka Lappi leads the proposal of the Japanese brand in an event in which Hyundai repeats the line-up with respect to Portugal. That means Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo will be on the Italian stages.
Every Hyundai driver knows what it’s like to win Rally Italia-Sardinia, so it seems like the perfect setting to see the Hyundai i20 N Rally1’s maiden victory. For its part, no surprises are drawn either in the M-Sport proposal, back to its four Ford Puma Rally1 configuration. Without Sébastien Loeb in the equation, the coach from Cumbria will look for a good result on the Mediterranean island with Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith, Adrien Fourmaux, and Pierre-Louis Loubet. Among these eleven pilots will be the victory in Sardinia.
WRC2, as always, is almost impossible to ‘crack’. Thirty-six ‘Rally2’s compete in Italy for silver class honours. Yohan Rossel is the leaderbut the competition is very strong. Andreas Mikkelsen, Nikolay Gryazin, Marquito Bulacia, Teemu Suninen, Jari Huttunen, Chris Ingram, Eric Camilli, Erik Cais, Martin Prokop, Freddy Loix, and Jourdan Serderidis appear among their strongest rivals, with the permission of a Sami Pajari who changes his usual ‘Rally3’ for a ‘Rally2’ in this event. Jan Solans, Eduard Pons and Miguel Diaz-Aboitiz are Spanish pilotsalthough there is a greater number of national co-drivers in the category.
Stages and schedules of the 19th edition of the Rally of Italy-Sardinia
Thursday June 02, 2022
Friday June 03, 2022
Saturday June 04, 2022
Sunday June 05, 2022
Photos: Rally Italy-Sardinia