The competition for outright victory among the eleven ‘Rally1’ present at Rally Croatia is, on paper, the main course of the third round of the WRC. Nevertheless, the WRC2 category can offer an even bigger fight. Almost thirty crews, with their ‘Rally2’, will measure their strength in the second world class. The slippery Croatian sections will serve to see the third duel of the year between some top level riders who aspire to jump to the premier class of the World Rally Championship in the short term.
well it is true that the leader and defending champion Andreas Mikkelsen has not chosen Croatia in his partial program, as well as Ole Christian Veiby or Marquito Bulacia. However, it can be said that the WRC2 category raises its level on the Croatian stages in the face of the large number of drivers who aspire to the final victory, even if some of the great roosters of the category are not present. Drivers including Kajetan Kajetanowicz, triple European champion, Emil Lindholm or Jari Huttunenthe latter in his new status as an official M-Sport driver.
Although the Hyundai drivers will not appear in the WRC2 category until the Rally of Portugal, in Croatia there will be three drivers who have a very close link with Citroën. They are Stéphane Lefebvre, Yohan Rossel and Eric Camilli. All three have direct or indirect support from the French house, although the first competes with its own structure and the last two do so with two Citroën-trusted teams such as PH Sport and Saintéloc Racing. The American Sean Johnston also competes with Saintéloc.
The losses of Mikkelsen and Bulacia reduce the bet of Toksport WRT, structure that is at the forefront of the team classification of the WRC2 category. Nevertheless, the formation will be present in Croatia with the Russian Nikolay Gryazin, another of the firm candidates for the final triumph. There are not a few drivers who use Skoda machinery such as Gryazin when it comes to contesting the third rally of the season. This is the case of Kajetanowicz himself, but also of Chris Ingram, Mikko Heikkilä, Benito Guerra or Miko Marczyk.
The category also has space for old World Cup acquaintances such as the Brazilian Paulo Nobre. After several seasons away from competition and focused on other issues, Nobre will team up with Gabriel Morales at the controls of a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. The only Spanish participant in the WRC2 category of the Croatia Rally will be co-driver Dani Cuesince the navigator from Llanes will assist the Mexican Benito Guerra.
Photos: FIA WRC