Victory fot Neuville-Wydaeghe and Hyundai at Rally Italia Sardegna 2023

The first win of 2023 for the Belgian driver on the i20 N Rally1 arrived after four challenging days in the Italian Rally. One-two Hyundai with Lappi-Fermi in second place. 3rd Rovanpera-Halttunen, Toyota GR Yaris, winners of the Wolf Power Stage, holding their leadership in FIA WRC. Mikkelsen wins in WRC2, Creighton in Junior category.

Olbia, Sunday 4th June 2023 – “It was the toughest Rally Italia Sardegna ever”. That’s what all the 71 protagonists who participated in the 20th edition of the Italian round of the FIA World Rally Championship said, a rally organized by Automobile Club d’Italia with Regione Sardegna. A very challenging edition, due also to the anomalous weather conditions that have contributed to multiply the pitfalls and the unpredictability of the route in the north-east of the Island. A four-day-long show in which the drivers faced 19 special stages (320,88 km for a total of 1168,22 km), with Olbia as the headquarters of the event. The winner of this challenging edition was Thierry Neuville joined by Martjin Wydaeghe on Hyundai i20 N Rally1. First victory for the Belgian in 2023, his third one at Rally Italia Sardegna after those of 2016 and 2018, which takes both him and Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT to second place in the WRC standings. The sixth successful result for the Korean team in the last eight years in Sardinia. The i20 results now the most winning car in the history of the Rally Italia Sardegna.

During the rally, Neuville won six of nineteen special stages. Particularly decisive were those of Saturday afternoon, "Su Filigosu" and "Tempio Pausania", which gave him the lead, despite the mud and water splash that slowed many other drivers. His team-mate Esapekka Lappi with Janne Ferm on another i20 Rally1 was the first one to attack already with his success in the SSS1 “Olbia-Cabu Abbas” on Thursday evening. The Finn then continued extraordinarily and managed to stay ahead of everyone on the second day as well, after the two passages on the longer "Monte Lerno", in which he fought with Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais on Toyota GR Yaris Rally. A challenge that continued until Saturday afternoon, then the French went off at two stages to the leg end. So Lappi started to manage and defend his second position, while Neuville, the only driver who didn’t make any mistakes, got the lead.

Kalle Rovanpera – WRC leader – stayed out of trouble. The Finn flanked by Jonne Halttunen on Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 had a good race weekend thanks also to the win he got on “Sardegna – Wolf Power Stage”, the fourteenth in his career and the third in 2023. The 22-year-old driver got the third position at 1’55 from Neuville. Behind him, his team-mate Elfyn Evans, joined by Scott Martin on another Yaris. The British, like many other drivers, was unlucky at the watersplash at the end of SS13 which increased his already substantial gap. The same for Ott Tanak, with Martin Jarveoja on Ford Puma Rally1, which forced him to stop on the Saturday leg. The Estonian came back to take part in the Wolf Power Stage, in which he signed the second-best time. Takamoto Katsuta, with Martin Scott on Toyota, was third in the Wolf Power Stage, while the other M-Sport Ford WRT driver, Pierre Louis Loubet flanked by Nicolas Gilsoul, due to gearbox issues of his Puma had to retire. On the final day, Dani Sordo and Candido Carrera on the Hyundai i20 had engine power issues, that forced him to retire. Not a good weekend for the Spaniard, that on Friday was involved in a rollover.

A final twist in WRC2. Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen on Skoda Fabia RS won in their category. The Norwegians got the overall victory in the pouring rain on the 'Sardegna Wolf Power Stage' when Adrien Formaux and Alexandre Coria were leading throughout the weekend on their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Mk II, but they went off on the very last stage. Mikkelsen, who was convinced to be 2nd, was always in his back and got his success in the Italian rally just a few kilometers from the end of the Wolf Power Stage. Hyundai i20 N crew Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula, like many others, were caught up in the pitfalls during the first two days, losing the possibility to reach the top positions. The podium was almost unexpectedly conquered by Kajetan Kajetanowcz and Maciej Szczepaniak, also on Skoda Fabia RS. Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand on Citroen C3 got more points thanks to their success in the SS19. The victory of WRC2 Wolf Power Stage went to Gregoire Munster con Louis Louka su Ford Fiesta.

Matteo Gamba and Nicolò Gonella on Skoda Fabia Rally2 completed the challenge at Rally Italia Sardegna. They were the best Italian crew in the rally, and they got the 17th position overall, despite a puncture on the long “Erula-Tula” stage on Saturday. Then Nicola Tali flanked by Massimiliano Frau on another Skoda waved the Sardinian flag. They were limited in the final part of Friday because of a rock hit on the “Monte Lerno”.

RALLY ITALIA SAREDGNA FINAL STANDINGS: 1. NEUVILLE-WYDAEGHE (HYUNDAI i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) in 3:40'01.4; 2. LAPPI-FERM (HYUNDAI i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) a 33.0; 3. ROVANPERÃ-HALTTUNEN (TOYOTA GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID) a 1'55.3; 4. EVANS-MARTIN (TOYOTA GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID) a 5'20.5; 5. MIKKELSEN-ERIKSEN (SKODA Fabia RS) a 9'33.3; 6. SUNINEN-MARKKULA (HYUNDAI i20 N) a 11'48.9; 7. KAJETANOWICZ-SZCZEPANIAK (SKODA Fabia RS) a 12'46.1; 8. ROSSEL-DUNAND (CITROEN C3) a 12'53.5; 9. MARCZYK-GOSPODARCZYK (SKODA Fabia RS) a 15'33.8; 10. CAIS-TESINSKY (SKODA Fabia RS) a 16'49.4

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS19 "Sardegna 2" - Wolf Power Stage

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:19

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS19 Sardegna 2” Power Stage STAGE LENGTH: 7,79 KM

WEATHER: Rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Wet

Car #41 E. Cais - P. Tesinski (Skoda Fabia RS): ”It was so exciting that probably my lovely mother would be faster than me. We had a moment in braking where there was standing water and then I took it really very easy. It is so easy to make a mistake and finish the rally. I am very happy. Thanks to my team, to my partners, to my friends and to my family. I am really happy to be here”.

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): ”It has been a very difficult weekend for me and for my team.I worked all the time on the settings, but honestly we need to search for a solution for the next event. If it stays like that it is impossible to fight for the championship. I am here, it is not bad but so difficult weekend, like in Portugal”.

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”It is tough especially for the guys fighting behind us. There is a lot of water and we needed just to survive. The visibility was not good. I am happy because we are at the end of the rally. Very good Thursday and Friday, on Saturday it did not go as we would have liked. Today it is tricky in terms of tyre management. Probably we will be in the top 10 in WRC, which is our best result. There were some ups and downs but we are happy overall”.

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): ”Not really enjoyable. I had some aquaplaning on the tarmac but nothing serious. It was really challenging for us. Without the broken wheel we would have been quite OK. A disappointing weekend”.

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We were working very hard. I tried to keep Rossel behind me, I remember the last stage at the rally in Monza, when we were fighting for the championship and I lost all in one stage. That was the plan for the first time in this car. Thank you to my team, they worked very hard. It is not enough, we need to do more if we want to be in Top3 for example”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”[Adrian out]Wow, tricky conditions. Really difficult. The rain is coming and going all the time. Whoever is lucky with the rain will win the stage. Two times we were aquaplaning. We did the best of the situation, a clean stage. Not easy to stay on the road. Not a nice end to Adrien. He has done a fantastic weekend and he and the team have so many positives. They should be happy. If it is a win for us we are very happy, but again they did an amazing rally”.

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): [off the road]

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”I do not like to drive this one. It was very difficult to drive, aquaplaning everywhere also when there is no water there is a tick mud and no grip. Many surprises but we are here. Sorry for the team for yesterday, it was a stupid mistake but we had a good pace on Friday. I will try to focus for Kenya and push there. I have been karting, F3 and so on and with this rain you do not drive. Here you have to drive anyway, in rain, snow and thunderstorm that is why we like this”..

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”I do not think I have many chances [to win the Power Stage]. Seems like this year on gravel I am struggling. It is difficult to find speed and confidence. Let's see what comes next”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”Do not really care to be honest [time of Power Stage]. It is not what we wanted for the weekend. When bad luck starts to hit you, you can do what you want and it does not work. So you have to accept it and look forward”.

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It was so slippery, I felt pretty careful in some places and then the next minute it's just like a sledge . It is always like this in these conditions. We had to try. It was not such a good run but OK”. [rear spoiler broken]

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It was quite controlled to be honest. It did not feel fast. Now I was enjoying the rain and the mud with the proper tyres on the car and it is much more enjoyable. Good points. We were not the fastest starting first, but we did a clever run. We kept our pace, were patient and did not make mistakes and break the car. Big thanks to the team and we got good points”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”You need to accept these things. For sure it frustrates. That's how it is. Let's hope that Thierry finishes and we get 1-2 for the team which is very encouraging after Portugal and we are good to go for Kenya. [Trying to win in Kenya?]Depends who is behind”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "Obviously it was a challenging weekend. We came here with the belief we could fight for victory. The first day was very challenging and we lost a bit of time, got it back and lost again. Then yesterday was a big turnaround. It is quite nerve wracking to start a stage like this with slick tyres and you see others go out. We managed to do it. It is the first victory of the team this year, a one-two. The first of our new Team Principal. In our memory we are with Craig as well: we wanted that win in Croatia but we got it now".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS18 “Arzachena - Braniatoggiu 2"

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:18

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS18 “Arzachena - Braniatoggiu 2” STAGE LENGTH:15,22 KM

WEATHER: Overcast

ROAD CONDITIONS: Humid

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”Tyres look quite OK. The next one will have unknown weather. So it is hard to guess what will be going to happen. We will push to get some points”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”The next is the only stage worth driving in on Sunday. For sure we need to push on that one”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”The car is good so, I have nothing interesting to tell you at the moment. The target of the day is coming in the next stage. It is not conservation but we are doing our best for the team”.

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): [retired after SS17]

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It just the case of getting through now, saving everything for the Power Stage. Just a steady run through”.

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”All OK, we could have been a bit slower. The tyres should be quite OK. Let's see how the weather will be and what we do”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”Everything is good, everything works, no problems. The car feels really good. It is nice. It would be nice to keep a higher speed but it is not the target today”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "For me, it is not really important [to save tyres]. Just one more stage to go. We have two spares and our tyres are not great. We want to bring home the victory. We went all in and iIt paid off yesterday. We are gonna do a clean Power Stage and see in the end how many points take on the weekend".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): ”Pretty good actually. Really enjoyable, I had really good fun. We still want to win the rally so we need to be a bit careful but we had a good stage, it was nice in the car”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We are saving our tyres for the Power Stage. If it is possible, we will see. ”

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): ”All fine”.

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We have a better feeling, but it is not easy to fight when you have an issue on the map of the booster. It is disappointing”

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): ”The feeling is not good. It is the same for all weekend. Not an easy stage this one, very fast sections. In the next one, we will see if I can take some points, but I think it is not possible. We will see. Let's go home”.

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS17 "Sardegna 1"

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:17

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS17 Sardegna 1” STAGE LENGTH: 7,29 KM

WEATHER: Overcast

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry/Humid

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”The conditions are quite OK, quite damp with some slippy sections with loose gravel. Overall quite OK so far. The Power Stage is going to be a big mess, hopefully it will not rain”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”[Aiming to some points in the Power Stage?]Hard to say. The other guys have been very very fast this weekend. We will try to be close but it is not going to be an easy task I believe”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”[Points in the Power Stage?]Hard to know, it will be about conditions also. Let's see at which moment rain is coming. The rain can play a massive role. It looks like it is coming again. We will see”.

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”I do not know. We have some problems with the power of the car”.

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”All pretty OK. Some rain overnight, but condition-wise all looking fine. [The weather coming in?] Who knows, but probably not good”.

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”I think he [Ott] may have one or few more new tyres than us. It should be OK, let's see what the feeling will be. Sunday mornings are a bit stupid when we have to save tyres for the Power Stage. I feel bad for the fans on the stages because we are not going full speed. Organizers should do something so that we can have new ones for the Power Stage”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”[Going for Power Stage points?] No. Just driving through. I do not have tyres, I have two spares there is no point”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "No real concenrs about the weather. Just driving through. Our tyres are not in very good shape. We have to be clever and we need to bring home the first victory for us and for the team".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): ”This morning I wanted to have a good time in the first one but then now I took it a bit careful. Two years ago I lost the engine in a watersplash. We are trying to manage the gap now”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We will see what we can do in the afternoon. Many guys have better tyres. We will do our best, let's see how the conditions will be like. We will try for sure. We do not have any weather experts, we go with the wind [joking]”.

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): ”All OK, no one is driving flat out. I think the Power Stage matters”.

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”I remember this stage from the previous years in a positive way? Or maybe my memory is not good. Nice morning, perfect stage. Not the best tyres choice in the previous one. The Hard tyres were slippery but now it is OK. Now it is better”.

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): ”I hope to fight with Kajetanowicz. In the first stage I had a hot moment and then I calmed a little bit. Today the plan is to finish. Two points are good but if you do not finish it is not the best solution”.

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”Not perfect for us but all the stages were completely new for us. They are very enjoyable, I hope we can improve quite a lot. Now we have the in-board recording and we can correct the pace notes”.

Car #41 E. Cais - P. Tesinski (Skoda Fabia RS): ”The feeling was good but in the previous stage after the second corner the intercom said goodbye. It was a horrible stage without intercom. As you can see in the times I probably took it too easy but it is good that we are here”.

Car #30 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Fiesta Mk II): "We are trying to push today. I did a small mistake and lost 1-2s. I went too fast and could not stop the rear, I almost spun”.

Car #39 L. Joona - T. Shemeikka (Skoda Fabia Evo): “Actually it was nice to drive. Quite good grip, so I liked it. The watersplash was huge but we managed it”.

Car #46 M. Prokop - E. Ernst (Skoda Fabia RS): "It is OK because we got some penalties yesterday. So the fight is over. We are trying to enjoy as much as possible. We are trying to enjoy every corner, it is fun to drive these cars".

Car #38 J. Mcerlean - J. Rowan (Hyundai i20 N): "This morning it is quite tricky in there actually. Quite narrow in places. Getting through Sunday, it has been a tough one".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS16 “Arzachena - Braniatogghiu 1”

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:16

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS16 Arzachena - Braniatogghiu 1 STAGE LENGTH 15,22 KM

WEATHER: Cloudy/Rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry/Damp patches

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It is a very nice stage actually. Very very slippery because of the sand. I just wanted to get the feeling back after yesterday. Generally it is a nice stage, I enjoyed it. All good”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”The car is all good. All is OK. Just experimenting a bit with the settings to understand [things] for Kenya. Otherwise all going smoothly”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”We are not fighting for much any more unfortunately. The approach is to drive through the morning and try to make some points for the team in the power stage. There is not much more we can do”.

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”Nothing special - we are just driving through to the finish. We cannot fight for nothing at the moment so we tried to go through without problems”.

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”All fine, no issues. All fine”.

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”Just getting through safely and trying to save tyres for the afternoon and the rain. It is not easy as we have to manage the tyres but all OK”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”For sure we need to understand where we are in terms of [tyre] wear but we can manage”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "Just a clean drive through to keep the lead, getting through the stages. Every stage done is less mileage to go to the victory. We try to keep it in the road and try to stay there".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): ”It is a really really nice stage to drive, especially the last part. Very different from where it is narrow and slow. We have a bit of this at the beginning but the at the end it is really fast like Finland or Estonia. The feeling is quite nice, I was enjoying it”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”It was fine: 25s is so much. This will be too much. We will just try to keep an OK pace and let's see what is possible in the Power Stage”.

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS14 "Erula-Tula 2"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°:14

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS14 “Erula - Tula 2” STAGE LENGTH: 21,92

WEATHER: Rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Wet

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "Really difficult. It is so difficult to know where the grip is. So difficult to drive. If you are in the battle it is so difficult to keep the pressure. It is not nice when someone is out, but they are OK, that is the race".

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "Not nursing an issue, just nursing myself through. Trying to make sure we finish and that is it, but obviously that is a bit too much time lost".

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "I do not have any tyres left to be honest. All our soft tyres are in quite bad conditions and I have one hard on. You can imagine it is not working so well. I am not happy to hear that Ogier is out, for sure the plan is to get through because so much stuff is happening. Let's see".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "[Leading the rally] It is good news. Unfortunately it is a shame for Seb, luckily they are OK. In these conditions it is easy to go out. We tried to have a good run through. The target was to keep the pressure. We managed that well, we have to be satisfied. We have to see, we have a big cap if we want a one-two we have to manage".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): [stopped 1.4km in]

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "When I saw Seb, it was clear that you do not fight and it was an easy decision to back off".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "I am really surprised about the time. We were really slow, very careful in the stage. The conditions are really crazy. It is really slow and you feel you are crashing in any corner. No grip at any breaking and turn. We tried to get through and if we are doing a good job, well done!".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "We stalled on a braking and lost some time to get going again. It does not seem to go our way today. It is one of those days. Unlike two years ago we are at the finish so we should be happy about that".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was really difficult, my steering wheel is all over the place. I hit something right and left. It was a very tough stage. It is all about risk. This was the risk we were willing to take".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was not fun to be honest, it was tough. The good thing is we are here. It was not how I would like. It was not easy to drive and the grip was changing a lot, it is a completely new experience for me".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): "The only target was to finish the stage, it is impossible to drive for me. It is like that".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “It is a big challenge to fight in these conditions. I do not have any experience with this car. It is a completely different car, I tried. The mouse on the helmet? It is a rat from my son, a nature from my wife and a mimosa flower from my daughter".

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "All good no problem".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS13 "Su Filigosu 2"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°: 13

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS13 “SU FILIGOSU 2” STAGE LENGTH: 19,57 km

WEATHER: Cloudy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Damp/Wet

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We did not have pressure in the circuit. We managed to put the second fuel pump on and it was better. Nice stage. I tried to push a bit more but we lost a lot of time there". [power fading away in a uphill section then restarted]

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "We were nursing the car through. The final watersplash, there is no way to get a rally car through it. That is it" [problem at the water splash]

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is challenging. There is a lot of rain at a point and you cannot see more than 5 meters ahead. There is a proper challenge in the rain. It was a bit more rough than expected and struggling a bit with understeer but the car is OK, no drama".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We had very heavy rain in some sections, I do not know if it was the same for everybody. We are gonna see in the times, we did what we could. It felt quite OK, but with the rain you do not know. It is a bit more or a bit less and the difference in time can be huge".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): [did not speak]

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "For sure the last 6km were horrible, the ruts were full of water and could not drive, we were just aquaplaning all the time. It was very bad".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "I have an issue with the engine at the end, we have to fix it. Sorry we have to go".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "That was an experience unlike the others. The beginning was fine. Last 3-4km we could not see much because the wipers could not keep the water away. Well, we enjoyed it".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "In the end I could not do anything, all the ruts were full of water and it was aquaplaning everywhere. We tried to push in these conditions, but I expect it to be worse and worse for every car. We worked a bit against this rain".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was tough, a lot of water in the last 6-7 kms there was a lot of standing water in the line. This was the first experience in these conditions. I was trying to stay out of the line to get more grip. It was tough".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): "No problem, honestly the conditions are just crazy at the end. I do not know if it is the same for all the people but I am happy to have finished this stage".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M. Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was difficult, a lot of standing water in the ruts. The time is not bad but I had to be a bit cautious".

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "Super difficult, super rough. We are bottoming like crazy all the time. It was difficult. Crazy".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS12 "Coiluna-Loelle 2"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°: 12

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS12 “COILUNA - LOELLE 2” STAGE LENGTH: 16,28 km

WEATHER: Overcast/rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "A little bit more dry conditions, I am sure it will clean a lot. I am happy, we made some changes in the car and I feel it much better. I took care of the tyres. If it rains, I prefer to have good tyres for later. It is quite agressive on the tyres this stage".

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "I could see Dani's lines struggling to stay in the ruts in places, It was fine for us. A bit dry for our tyres but we're obviously geared up for what's about to come."

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "[why two soft spares?]I think it is just to have a bit more tyres. We have to reuse the softs a lot so there are a lot of kms on the softs tyres. It is to have something fresh under the car. It is not easy with this tyre package".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "My tyres are not too bad, we are managing all weekend with only 12 tyres. My package still looks good. We have to see what the others do. We have nothing to lose, so we are gonna try to push and see if we can pass Lappi. With the weather and so on anything can happen".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): [What happened at the water splash?]"I took it easy, but still the engine died. Sorry I have to go”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It was an easy stage, the interesting ones are coming. Let's see what the weather will bring us. I am full on it. It does not look like that, but I am".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "It started to rain in the stage, it does not really disturb the stage, it is not enough. The next stages should be more wet. We had a clean stage. We made a gamble in terms of tyre choice. Let's see if it works. We are confident, we will see".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "I take the rain as a challenge. Even this one was feeling surprisingly slippery in some places. We will see, Erula-Tula in full rain will be a challenge but this is what we are here for. Looking forward to it".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "We will keep the pressure at least. I went a bit straight at the watersplash and I lost a lot of speed. Quite rough conditions, it is easy to pick a puncture. To drive 19s faster it will be tough but we will keep the pressure".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was a good run from our side. This is our pace. It was rough in some places, but like we expected. Now it will be more demanding as the next one is new and with a lot of downhills which is difficult for me and my pacenotes. Erula-Tula will be crucial. We are enjoying, this is nice".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): If the grip is high the feeling is good. It is not possible to do more in these stages. I am here, I take the points and we will see".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “I have no words, so big emotions. There is wide, narrow road, with sand, ruts, grip. I went straight in one junction and lost maybe 2s. I have no camera on, you have to believe me".

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "It felt quite OK, it is a long way to go. So we cannot really care about these times".

Car #40 R. Virves - H. Magalhaes (Ford Fiesta Mk II): "The speed was OK, but the corner was too tight so nothing special".

Car #41 E. Cais - P. Tesinski (Skoda Fabia RS): "For sure, you are always having fun when you drive a car like this. This one was better than the previous one, but for sure there is a lot of space for improvement but I am happy".

Car #30 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Fiesta Mk II): "It is difficult. The first time in Sardinia, we are struggling a bit with the car but we are having fun and the stages are nice".

Car #39 L. Joona - T. Shemeikka (Skoda Fabia Evo): "On the second pass it is always fun. Now there was grip so it was nice to drive. I am not sure what to expect in the next stages, it will be rough maybe but we will try to survive".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after the first loop of Day 3 of Rally Italia Sardegna

The feelings of the protagonists of the sixth round of FIA World Rally Championship after the first loop on the third day of competition.

Ogier: “Overall is good. This morning with 0.1 of disadvantade, and now we have 18 seconds of advantage so it’s been a good loop. Yeah, we’ve been losing a bit ground in the toughest stages. I had a good drive but it looks like the Hyundai were performing very well in those sections. I tried to push because I knew that it is also a difficult stage and it is also in the difficulty that you can make the difference, but I didn’t expect to make such a gap again. Happy with that, because it’s still very long and this afternoon cloud is coming here again so it might be a different loop."

Lappi: “Yeah, pretty ok. I couldn’t massive and I got these punctures as well in the second last stages and that was a good tyre. I mean the first two stages were pretty enjoyable, properly quite rough as well, but yeah then in the second last stage I’ve got a puncture. The last one was not really tough but it was really narrow. Different characteristics.”

Sordo: "The fast two stages were very difficult narrow in the forest, difficult to get the pace in the first one i had the bonnet that was flipping a little so i did not push to much. The long stage I was on a good pace, first on the road, one part I had more grip and I enjoyed the stage. Some parts it was slow and narrow then like in the middle it was a very fast section, easy to do mistakes and it was slippery. The weather is difficult to predict this year here so I don’t know but maybe some water will come, but then it can change after 20km, difficult also for the tyres because we have lots of soft tyres."

Katsuta: "Maybe the approach to the water splash was a bit more aggressive or probably not the right approach. I was breaking and I thought the speed was ok but there was a small dip I was not able to accelerate before the water splash and the nose was already there so I think that was the issue and so I was not ready for the deep part. The cooling package was broken but then we fixed it we had few things to check properly."

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS9 "Su Filigosu 1"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°: 9

DAY:3

STAGE: SS9 “SU FILIGOSU 1” STAGE LENGTH :19,57 km

WEATHER: Sunny

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry/damp patches

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It is a nice stage, but really loose. A lot of slippery gravel on the top. The stage will clean a lot and the tarmac is really slippery. The cleaning effect will be very high here. We are trying to not make any mistakes, we cannot fight for anything now. We try something in the car and enjoy".

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): "Just got some water. It stalled the engine”. [engine cut-out after the watersplash - lost 20s]

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "The car is working pretty well, not sore about the driver to be honest. I am not building confidence at the moment, that's for sure. All working OK. Everything is fine, but I am just quite not happy at the moment".

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "Not fully happy. It could have been a bit better. Still quite OK, quite slippy in places I did not feel comfortable in the car and trust it in the fast places. Otherwise clean stage".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It was OK, I feel more comfortable in the car. I can give it a bit more rhythm, but there are a lot of new pace notes in there. It was not bad, but I maybe lost a few little seconds here and there".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "No issue at all, we had a clean stage but it looks like we lost a bit of time. A nice stage, beautiful conditions, good fun to drive”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "[The lead by 0.3s] That does not really matter at the moment. It's a long day. We are trying to come through the stages with the speed that we have. There are so many rocks I managed to avoid a few of them but I had to drive over some and they might cause some problems".

Car #32 S. Pajari - E.Malkonen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”I am trying to push a bit, but it was really slippery. For sure it was not an easy one. I am trying to keep it clean and have a good flow. In some places we went to wide and in some others we were too careful. It is all about finding the balance".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "Honestly I am really happy with my pace. So it was a really good and clean stage, I had a really good feeling with the car compared to the stage before. It is positive, but it is a long day, we stay focused and enjoy".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "All good, we had a few mix-ups in the notes and lost the confidence but at least we are here. The car feels OK. It is just the driving".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "We were a bit careful in many places, so for sure we can go faster but at the moment it is enough".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "Not very good stage for us. In one place I was a little bit too late in the braking and overshoot. I am doing my best, we are going for the next stage".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): "The feeling is very bad. I do not know if I have a problem, I lost the power and I do not know why. It is like that".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M. Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “Nice stage. There are wide, narrow roads, some with mud, flowing corners over crests where the car is very light. It is difficult to do everything right and in the pacenotes there are so many information but I like it”.

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "Quite challenging and quite rough in places. We tried to do what we can. The balance of the car is really good".

Thank you for reading!

Iscriviti alla newsletter del Rally Italia Sardegna per rimanere aggiornato

Subscribe to the Rally Italia Sardegna newsletter and stay updated