Quotes after SS15 "SAN GIACOMO - PLEBEI 2"

STAGE FLASH
DATE: 08 June | FLASH N°: 15
DAY: 3
STAGE: SS15 SAN GIACOMO - PLEBI 2 | STAGE LENGTH: 25,19km
WEATHER: Sunny
ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #55 J.Mcerlean - E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1): "It is good. Still in the narrow road there are smaller tracks which are difficult to nail. It is not such a bad thing if you improve. This last stage was really hard. Into service and one more to go, it all looks good"

Car #13 G.Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): "I had a spin in a quite narrow hairpin. It was difficult to reverse. I lost a lot of time there." [briefly stopped]

Car #16 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We were saving the tyres for the powerstage. I was very very careful with the tyres. I also had half a spin. We will see"

Car #1 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We will try. There should be more cars in front of us in the powerstage. I think we will have a good line, we will try hard. Let's see. Rally is not over yet, we have seen a lot happening in the last stage here in the past. We still hope for some points this weekend"

Car #9 J.Serderidis - F.Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1): "The grip is hugely more. We enjoy it, we are still improving. It is fun and nice"

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "For sure I will try my best [in the next one]. Let's see. It is a tricky stage, I do not know... I will try"

Car #5 S.Pajari - M.Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is really stressful, it hurts my soul. We made it so it should be easy to the service"

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "No problem with dust. [Ths stage?]Not brilliantly. It was OK, no big issues but I am sure the guys behind are coming quickly"

Car #69 K.Rovampera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "Quite well, the conditions are really rough and really high tyre wear. I was quite careful in there, steady pace, nothing crazy"

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It is so close at the moment. It will be on the door handles on the powerstage"

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is not getting easier. The conditions are very rough. A clean stage, no push, just a smooth drive"

Car #29 N. Gryazin - K. Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "This part was quite rough, it is not easy to say where we got the puncture.  I had two big bumps. Maybe we took the rim out in a hairpin, it was easy to roll. Difficult to say, but then after there was no place to change the tyre. So we drop time to find the place. It was a good fight. One stage to go and one stage to enjoy"

Car #21 O.Solberg - E.Edmondson  (Toyota GR Yaris ): "[In the lead?]After Friday I did not expect that. Now when you look at it I should have scored points. That's life. Every rally is a rally, you have got to do well in all the rallies. I was taking it smooth in the first 10km and then I was gonna push properly the last 15 because then I don't care about the tyres. I was ready to go, but yeah I am happy"

Quotes after SS7 "Coiluna - Loelle 1"

STAGE FLASH 
DATE: June 7  2025   |  FLASH N°: 7 
DAY: 2
STAGE: SS7  COILUNA - LOELLE 1  
STAGE LENGTH: 21,18 
WEATHER: Sunny
ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #55 J.Mcerlean - E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1): "It is quite OK. I do not want to be complaining about cleaning the road all day. It is a big pleasure to be back on the road. The team did a great job last night. The rear left corner was completely gone. Big kudos to them. Let's enjoy the day. It is sweeping but all good experience"

Car #13 G.Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): "Going through. I do not have bite on the front. Hesitate on the brakes and overheating"

Car #1 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It is all OK. It is always difficult after such a disappointment like yesterday. We were really unlucky. We compared the data, we had a similar speed... It is normally a flat corner. Something went wrong. We missed the line by 15cm and it took off the wheel. It is what it is. The team fixed the car. We know what to do tomorrow and hope for a better position tomorrow and we will give it a push"

Car #9 J.Serderidis - F.Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1): "We enjoyed it a lot. We changed some setup in the car and it is much easier to drive so we can push the car a bit more. The day started better than yesterday"

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "Such a bad bump, in the last years it was not that bad but now it is crazy. I was completely flying and landed on the road. Big surprise and hopefully nothing happens to my teammates on that crest"

Casr  #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It was OK. Not the best run. It is quite soft and difficult to always be right everywhere. But clean enough. In the end no, but in middle there were bad bumps"

Car #69 K.Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It was OK. Definitely a better feeling today in the car with the setup and the starting place. We try to be fast and see what we can do. [What changes did you make?] Secret ones!"

Car #5 S.Pajari - M.Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "I was expecting quite a big push from Kalle but also from the top 3 guys. It was not so bad, but I was not really pushing. We are on the safe side. OK. I would like to do a step better, but it is not too bad"

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It started quite OK, but we had some trouble with communication between myself and co-driver in the middle of the stage and it was a bit tricky with the rhythm. It was an OK stage"

Car #16 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "I am not really happy with my driving to be fair. That was really good in some places. I had a few moments, where I said come on the grip is lower. But it is all OK"

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "Rougher than expected already. Not a big push but a clean stage. [Not a big push? You are scaring your rivals!] I do not know. I was faster? Ah OK, we take it"

Car #29 N. Gryazin - K. Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "I never regret what I did [not taking points] The stage is nice, a lot of bumps and jumps. Quite fun but it is not easy to keep the rhythm. But it is OK"

Car  #34 E. Lindholm - R. Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS RAlly2): "Quite OK, it is definitely more slippery than yesterday in the first pass. More slippery and sliding, but I like that"

Quotes after the SS4 "Arzachena 2"

STAGE FLASH

DATE: 06 June - FLASH N°: 4
DAY: 1
STAGE: SS4 Arzachena 2 – STAGE LENGTH: 13,97
WEATHER: Sunny 
ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Definitely improved from this morning, much harder base but it is still quite slippery. The rear is sliding quite a bit in places. A bit of an inconsistent stage I felt, but it is OK"

Car #69 K.Rovampera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “We tried new things on the car. It seems to work a bit better. The condition is better in the second pass. It is a bit nicer when we are not cleaning that much"

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Not so easy to use the grip because the lines are small. It was an OK stage for us"

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “The grip is completely different, at the beginning of the stage it is quite OK but then you start to get some surprises with the hard tyres. It is not so forgiving, quite interesting moments"

Car #1 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “Quite a bit of a change. I had not a good start to be honest, and did not feel comfortable. I changed a bit the car and it took time to get used to it. I was struggling quite a bit. I found a better balance and better feeling towards the end of the stage"

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Better grip, it is a bit easier to follow the lines. This stage did not suit me, but it should be better in the next one"

Car #16 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “I made two small mistakes where I lost some time in the long straights after. It is a shame but it is part of rallying. It is OK. If you lift on the exit, it is a small mistake but you lose a lot after."

Car #5 S.Pajari - M.Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Not so bad again. It is a quite nice stage. I was enjoying it, but there is room to improve. In some parts you feel you have the grip and then you have not. Still a bit of the same feeling"

Car #9 J.Serderidis - F.Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1): “We did not help much Gregoire because the dumper was broken. Now we have a completely different setup and we can drive. I am enjoying it much more"

Car #21 O.Solberg - E.Edmondson  (Toyota GR Yaris ): “Most guys have one spare, I have two spares. It was OK. Much more grip than expected. It is the first time trying the car on these types of roads but the feeling is quite good. After this morning I was trying to get a bit into it. [How much time for the extra spare?] It is 24 extra kilos, a clever person can calculate how much but for sure you lose a little bit"

Quotes after SS2 "Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1"

STAGE FLASH
DATE:06 June - FLASH N°: 2
DAY: 1
STAGE: SS2 Telti -Calangiaunus - Berchidda 1 STAGE LENGTH: 18,43
WEATHER: Sunny
ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “[What guided the tyre choice?]Just looking at the road position and trying to see what we can do to help really, I think. The next one is the key one, but let's see"

Car #69 K.Rovampera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “[The new stage?] It is pretty difficult, pretty soft and a lot of loose gravel. Really narrow. No confidence with the car at the moment to do anything in the narrow part. The car is not doing what I want at the moment"

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “It is difficult, very narrow and very low grip. [You are the tyre master... Is there enough performance left?]We will see, I think so."

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “Not a good feeling at all. I was definitely pushing, it was far from normal. I do not enjoy the car at the moment. It is not the first time"

Car #1 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "I do not know where I got the branch. Suddenly the engine stalled, I do not know why, , no reason for that.. It happened 2-3km before the finish and I lost 2-3 seconds" [tree branch on the rear]

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “I do not know. I am still struggling, but there is a long way to go. I need to find something better"

Car #16 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “I hit a bump, but I did not expect damage I will have to look. The grip was quite low and demanding. The new part behind the trees there was quite a lot of dust, but not disturbing It was OK" [front end damage]

Car #5 S.Pajari - M.Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Really tricky on the really high speed sections. I did not really have any confidence in there. I was trying to be clean and go through Not far, but clearly I can push a lot more"

Car #13 G.Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): [did not speak, a lot of damage to the car]

Car #9 J.Serderidis - F.Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1): “For me it was OK, but I saw two cars out... are they OK? There was more grip in this one, so it was OK for us. We enjoyed that one"

Car #20 Y.Rossel - A.Dunand (Citroen C3): “It was OK except for the cleaning run. I am not a professional driver, but the road cleaning is bad".

Car #21 O.Solberg - E.Edmondson  (Toyota GR Yaris ): “Bad luck there. We overshot in a right corner. [Rear left pushed off] That I do not know. Not maybe full power, I have a bit of pain in my back so I took it a bit easier" [crashed the front of the car in]

The 2025 World Rally Championship calendar is unveiled. Rally Italia Sardegna confirmed for June 5-8

The Italian event will be the 6th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, taking place on the first weekend of June. Sticchi Damiani: "An exceptional event, strongly desired, that has turned initial criticisms into appreciation. We set off on another adventure."

Rally Italia Sardegna will be the 6th round on the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship calendar. The 22nd consecutive edition of the Rally d’Italia in Sardinia – organized by the Automobile Club d’Italia – will take place over the weekend from June 5 to 8.

The Promoter WRC – organizer of the World Rally Championship – has officially announced the 2025 calendar and confirmed the central positioning of the Italian round in the calendar. The FIA WRC is gearing up for its longest season since 2008, with 14 races scheduled across 4 continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. The main novelties are the return of Spain (Islas Canarias), and the new additions of Paraguay and Saudi Arabia. The championship covers ice, snow, gravel, asphalt, and desert terrains. It will start as per tradition in Monte-Carlo and will conclude for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Eng. Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the Automobile Club d’Italia: "The official announcement of the 2025 Calendar, with the allocation of the dates for the various world championship rounds, is a fundamental milestone towards the realization of our great race, Rally Italia Sardegna. It is a milestone, as it is preceded by years of political and sporting efforts, which have consolidated the presence of our event in the world championship. It is also a stepping stone for the future and beyond. It is wonderful to experience these moments for a race we have strongly desired, engaging in exhausting political and sporting battles on a global level. It is an event that everyone now envies, which we supported in its early, difficult, and uncertain steps, and which we have seen grow in general appreciation. Today, it is appreciated by everyone, even by those who have deeply criticized the decisions made. The enormous effort and work have nonetheless paid off, highlighting the great vision of the Automobile Club d’Italia and, above all, the extraordinary commitment of the Regione Sardegna, which has always been by our side. Today, we set off together for another great adventure."

“This is a hugely exciting calendar – remarked the Managing Director of WRC Promoter Jona Siebel - which perfectly blends our traditional rallies with three exciting new challenges, two of which are outside of Europe, highlighting once again the global appeal of our championship.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “It is fantastic to see such a full calendar of events for the 2025 WRC season. Alongside classic locations fans know and love, the introduction of new rallies in Spain, Paraguay, and Saudi Arabia adds even more excitement and reflects the global diversity of competitors and rally fans alike.”

The full calendar and dates of 2025 FIA WRC are:

- Montecarlo 23-26 January
- Sweden 13-16 February
- Kenya 20-23 March
- Islas Canarias 24-27 April
- Portugal 15-18 May
- Italia Sardegna 5-8 June
- Greece 26-29 June
- Estonia 17-20 July
- Finland 31 July-3 August
- Paraguay 28-31 August
- Chile 11-14September
- Central Europe Rally 16-19 October
- Japan 6-9 November
- Saudi Arabia 27-30 November

Tanak takes the win at Rally Italia Sardegna after a super Sunday

Alghero (SS), June 2nd 2024. Ott Tanak and Martin Jaervoja, driving their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, won the 21st Rally Italia Sardegna. This is the third win for the two-time World Champion, after 2017 and 2022. The Estonian team clinched an incredible victory in the very last moments of the race the amazing Power Stage, finishing just 0.2 seconds ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais on Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid. Ogier had dominated the race but suffered a puncture on the final stage.

It was a very close duel that started at the very beginning of the Italian round of FIA WRC. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won the final stage and clinched valuable points for their leadership both in drivers' and manufacturers' championships. An amazing second place for Ott Tanak, who gave his all. Ogier started the Power Stage as aggressive as ever, but at the 4th kilometer he got a puncture. It was a disappointment for the six-time world champion, who missed out on his fifth win in Italy by only 0.2 seconds. It was Ott’s turning point after the bitterness of 2019 when he stopped in the middle of that same Power Stage while leading the overall standings.

Third place for Daniel Sordo and Candido Carrera on other Hyundai i20 N. Sordo kept having difficulties all over the Italian weekend finding the right feeling with the Sardinian gravel roads, but consistency rewarded him and brought him back to the podium, also thanks to the Saturday retirements of Thierry Neuville and Takamoto Katsuta. Fourth place for Toyota GR Yaris driven by Elfyn Evans, who was looking for a good feeling all through the weekend despite winning SS 12. Next up was Gregoire Munster in a Ford Puma Rally1 of M-Sport WRT. Adrien Formaux struggling from the opening stages due first to a puncture and then an electronic problem.

Sami Pajari with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 dominated WRC2, where he hardly defended the leadership on the first day. On the WRC2 podium Yohan Rossel and Benjamin Boulloud in a Citroen C3, winners of the Power Stage, and Jan Solans with Rodrigo Sanjuan in a Toyota GR Yaris, who won three of the four stages on the final day. The race of ACI Team Italia driver Roberto Daprà with Luca Guglielmetti on Skoda Fabia Evo ended brilliantly. They did well in their comeback after a puncture in the opening stages and finished 9th place.

FIA Junior WRC race was intense and exciting, featuring the Ford Fiesta Rally3. Diego Dominguez and Rogello Penate won taking the lead on the second day, maintaining their advantage until the end. On Friday evening, it seemed the series leader Romet Jurgenson would easily win, closely followed by Bruno Bulacia. However, on Saturday, Jurgenson hit a pole and bent a suspension arm, losing his lead. Bulacia, along with Gabriel Morales, was the next up but suffered from a technical issue and had to withdraw. Ali Turkkan took the lead next but slipped to second place after getting a puncture and brake problems. Max Smart and Cameron Fair finished third, 1 minute behind the leaders.

Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 overall standings: 1 Tanak (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) in 3h06’05”6; 2 Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris rally1) a 00”2; 3 Sordo (Hyundai i20 N) a 2’25”8; 4 Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) a 2’437”8; 5 Munster (Ford Puma) a 6’42”9; 6 Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris rally2) a 7’13”14; 7 Rossels (Citroen C3) a 7’45”7; 8 Solans (Toyota GR Yaris) a 7’52”7; 9 Prokop (Skoda Fabia RS) a 10’05”4; 10 Kajetanowicz (Skoda Fabia RS) a 10’09”3.
Junior WRC: 1 Dominguez - Penate in 3h33’09”3; 2 Turrkan - Erdener a 47”5; 3; 3 Smart - Fair a 1’00”7.
WRC (Provisional): 1 Neuville, punti 122; 2 Tanak e Evans, 104; 4 Tanak, 94; 4 Ogier, 92; 5 Formaux, 74.

Drivers' quotes after SS16 "Sassari-Argentiera 2"

DATE: June 2 2024 FLASH N°: 16

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS16 “Sassari-Argentiera 2/Wolf Power Stage” STAGE LENGTH: 7,10 KM

WEATHER: Sunny

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #46 R. Virves - A. Lesk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “First of all I am really very happy that I got to be back finally. Very thankful to all the people who made it possible for me. I'd like to be much faster, but for the time it is good that we got through without any issues. For the beginning it is OK, I will make sure I will be back much stronger”

Car #28 K. Kajetanowicz - M. Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “Yes I tried. I think it is not enough on this Dakar stage. Martin can be fast here. I made some mistakes with the setup here. I need to do a good analysis and be quicker next rally”

Car #48 M. Prokop - M. Ernst (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “We made it! It is good, a crazy week. Nice holidays for me. I am really relaxed from my job, I am going to enjoy this weekend. The Sunday was just incredible. We tried our best. I am not old yet and I can still do something, it is great”

Car #31 J. Solans - R. Sanjuan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): “I tried my best and I am happy with the rally I have done. Very intelligent. Staying in the road all the time and today we pushed like hell. Fighting with Yohan has been good and he is so fast.  Maybe we pushed a bit too hard in the previous one, and in this one rear puncture. Maybe it is not the best but at least we tried and I want to say thanks to the team for giving me the opportunity and it has been a really good weekend”

Car #20 Y. Rossel - B. Boulloud (Citroen C3 Rally2): “It is an incredible job. Thanks to all my team and my co-driver also. After the first day I said it was difficult to keep the smile. But I knew the car was very fast and the confidence has been there since the start of the season. The team deserved that because they did a very good job. What a rally! Incredible”

Car #25 S. Pajari - E. Mälkönen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): “It was really nice. I was hoping for a nice result after the disappointment in Portugal. I know that the pace is there, we just needed to put it together. The team is doing a great job and the car is getting really really fast. It just needed a good drive to finish it!”

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “We are gonna see how many points we get. Still a lot of cleaning. Not very proud of what happened yesterday. We felt very good in the car. There was no reason but I lost concentration for a tenth of a second and the mistake happened. Not a big one but enough to be stuck I am really sorry for the team because there is a lot of effort they put in. Such a small mistake can ruin everything. We did the job Friday, we did it today but yesterday it was not good”

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”I was trying to push a lot, but went two times off the road so no chance. A shame for what happened yesterday. Rallying sometimes is very demanding for everything. I just accept this weekend and moving on to the next one”

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Puma Rally1): ”It has been a difficult rally for us but we can be happy about our pace on Friday and Saturday. We were struggling a bit today with the car. We need to improve. I wanted to do a good rally for our friend Iain who left us last week. It is quite frustrating but we will come back and get it from him”

Car #13 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): "We finished with a decent result and some points yesterday. I hope we did not lose too much time. We did have a problem with the engine. We did not go over 70% of the throttle because we just wanted to make sure we keep it healthy for the coming events ”

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “It has been a tough weekend. Today it was better. It was not the weekend we wanted. It is a change of pace now in the championship and hopefully, we will find our form again” [tyre slightly off the rim]

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “It was nice to see Elfyn was back in the rhythm today. In this stage I tried to survive the car. It was not completely destroyed but it is really very bad and hard for the car. [The future?] You will see me again, let's see. I will finish now with the podium and this makes me happy”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “Tough weekend, in this stage there was no road anymore and some huge stones. It was difficult to do much more. Today it was better. I want to congratulate my daughter Miia, she got the first podium, congratulations. Tomorrow we will celebrate our podiums  together”

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ""Puncture, not much I can do. This is not rallying, it is like cross-country. The last 2-3km on the puncture. That's life. I think we deserved more than that, but at least Ott did a good rally, well done to him”

Drivers' quotes after SS14 "Sassari-Argentiera 1"

DATE: June 2 2024 FLASH N°: 14

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS14 “Sassari-Argentiera 1” STAGE LENGTH: 7,10 KM

WEATHER: Sunny

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “I do not know. A bit too much cleaning in there, more than I expected but we had a good run. The car is working fine as well. Let's see for the second loop, we have to carry on. I feel well in the car. There is no reason it should not work, but we are gonna find out”

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It is quite difficult to match anyone else. I tried to push as much as I can but it is not so easy. There is a good feeling and it is a good sign for the team. I will try to do my best”

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Puma Rally1): ”It is a quite tricky stage. It is very narrow and has a lot of sand. I do not know why, I am so lost on the pace today. I am struggling, I have no grip everywhere... Nothing I can really do”

Car #13 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): "It is very difficult, it is so narrow and it is our first time and I do not know where to put the wheels. It is all blind, you have bushes with rocks underneath where you cannot go, but in some bushes you can and you see the others go. Over the crests, I do not have the confidence to know exactly where to put the wheels. I watched Thierry, who was the fastest in 2022, at least 20 times”

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “Better than yesterday, but we did not have the cleanest run in here. I am trying. It was quite OK, just a bit messy in a few places and compromised a few exits. It is a fine line between pushing and being clean here”

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “It is nice, Evans pushed a bit this morning, we took a bit of dust and we lost a bit of time. We need to try and keep our place and finish on the podium. These are two difficult stages. We will see”

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “The stage itself is tricky, there is not much to like about it. It is hard work and driving on the rough. The stages are turning into [Kenya's] fesh-fesh. Very inconsistent grip, but it is OK we need to drive. We have been giving it a go already this morning”

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "This one is not so enjoyable to drive. We do what we can. It is very rough and I struggled a bit in there but all good”

Car #25 S. Pajari - E. Mälkönen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): It is a tricky stage. I saw the times of Ott and Ogier, they are really fighting. We had quite a nice easy flowing run so it is fine”

Car #20 Y. Rossel - B. Boulloud (Citroen C3 Rally2): “I slept a bit in the first stage today. I do not know if it is my confidence or not in the dust it is not easy. I do not want to make a mistake and it is not easy to keep the concentration. Clean run for me and there are two stages before the finish”

Car #31 J. Solans - R. Sanjuan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): “We are trying to push, you never know. We are trying to do our best driving this amazing car as fast as we can. I will always be grateful to Carlos for what he has done for me in the past and see if we can get a good result to show him it was worth it”

Car #28 K. Kajetanowicz - M. Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “I was too careful. There are a lot of stones in the line and I was trying to not make a mistake and take a puncture. Maybe I was too careful”

Car #48 M. Prokop - M. Ernst (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “I tried to change something with the driving style and maybe it helps a bit. It is getting tight for the afternoon. I did not expect such a speed. It is just an incredible weekend”

Car #46 R. Virves - A. Lesk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2):  “To be fair it feels too bad at the moment. There is no rhythm at all and if I try to drive faster everything goes the wrong way. Not a car issue. It is a combination of pace notes and driving. It is hard when you are so far from the fastest ones”

Car #26 L. Joona - J. Hussi (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “It is a very narrow stage, there were so many rocks on the road. It was an enjoyable stage, it will be quite rough in the next loop but we are enjoying”.

Car #47 J. McErlean - J. Fulton (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “It is quite unique stage in itself. There are a lot of corners and the surface changes a lot. It is good to be through and another two to go”

Ogier leader in Day 2 of the Rally Italia Sardegna

The French driver of Toyota had the lead over Tanak and Sordo. Alghero is getting ready to celebrate the 21st Rally Italia Sardegna winner tomorrow Sunday, 2 June with the spectacular ceremony at the ‘Bastioni’ in the Catalan city. The last day of the race, organised by Automobile Club d'Italia with the support of the Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, will also have full TV coverage and three live broadcasts on RAI channels.

Sebastien Ogier and co-driver finish the second intense day of Rally Italia Sardegna in the lead, after 12 incredible and difficult tricky stages. The Toyota driver dominated the different stages, showing exceptional consistency throughout the day. Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja, at the wheel of Hyundai i20 N, were quite careful throughout their performances, preferring not to do any mistakes and get to the end of the leg. Tanak now has a 17"1 gap from Ogier. Third place goes to Daniel Sordo and Candido Carrera, in the other Hyundai i20 N, that didn't find the perfect feeling during the stages. A difficult day for Elfyn Evans starting from the very first stage after a puncture, but then at the end of the day he conquers a fourth overall position after SS12. Gregoire Munster - in the Ford Puma - completes the top five having a good feeling with his car stage after stage.

Drama for Thierry Neuville and Takamoto Katsuta, that after performing successfully during the morning and early afternoon, both retired and did not complete Leg 2.

In WRC2, great dominance by Sami Pajari and Enni Malkonen on Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 constantly at the lead of the standings. Great come-back for Yohan Rossel on Citroen C3, that conquered a second overall position ahead of Jan Solans and Rodrigo Sanjuan. Another drama for Pierre-Louis Loubet on his Skoda, due to a suspension damage on SS8.

An excellent comeback for ACI Team Italia's Roberto Daprà, with Luca Guglielmetti on Skoda Fabia Evo, after slipping back on Friday due to a puncture with great consistency learning stage after stage.

Tomorrow, the last four stages, including the amazing Power Stage that will determine the final and crucial points.

Top 5 Rally Italia Sardegna after PS12: 1 Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris rally1) in 2h39’43”2; 2 Tanak (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) a 17”1; 3 Sordo (Hyundai i20 N) a 2’12”8; 4 Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) a 2’43”3; 5 Munster (Ford Puma) a 5’28”8.

RAI schedule for RIS 2024:

Sunday, June 2nd

•             Live Raisport HD - from 09.00 to 10.00 - SS14 “Sassari-Argentiera 1” + reruns Tuesday, June 4th at 10.25 and Saturday, June 8th at 11.00

•             Live Raisport HD - from 12:10 to 13:20 - SS16 “Sassari-Argentiera 2” + reruns Tuesday, June 4th at 11.25 and Saturday, June 8th at 12.30

•             Live Rai 2 “Sport live” - from 16:00 to 16:50

Wednesday, June 5th

•             RAI Sport HD - Rally Italia Sardegna Review, at 23.50 – in-depth column + reruns Thursday, June 6th at 10.10, Saturday, June 8th at 16.20

Drivers' quotes after SS11 "Monte Lerno-Monti di Alà 2"

DATE: June 1 2024 FLASH N° 11

DAY: 2

STAGE: SS 11 “Monte Lerno-Monti di Alà 2” STAGE LENGTH 25,33  KM

WEATHER: Sunny

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #13 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): “For sure it is more enjoyable than the first pass. Struggling a bit with the lines of Rally3 and Rally4 cars. Otherwise OK. I had the feeling I was losing a bit of power but let's see. Maybe it is the air filter. It was not going as I expected”

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is pretty much the same. I don't think it is gonna change this weekend. Clean run through. That is it”.

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ““This stage is lovely, very fast. Slippery, but slow at the end. It is so good. Cleaning is very high, but I really enjoyed driving the car. I do not know how the tyres are. I tried to push. One stage less and let's see. When it is very slippery I do not get the feeling with the car that is very heavy with two spares and it is really difficult to keep it in the line”.

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Puma Rally1): ”I can feel all the rocks. It is a puncture, 3-4km before the end. I had a clean stage, I was enjoying it. The car is not so easy to drive, I am quite happy with what we did. I hope everything in Sardinia goes bad and then it's all good”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “Same, no difference as the first pass, maybe the grip was a bit higher.  [morning vs afternoon stages] Less mechanical grip and a lot smoother, faster and more flowing. A big difference”

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): “I think it was the nicest stage so far this weekend. Very nice grip, smooth and flowing, no rough. Good fun. [Ott giving some breathing space]I focus on my pace, I do not listen to others stories. I focus on keep going. I have a good feeling and I like these conditions, when it is about driving and not thinking too much about the rough so I enjoy it”.