Winners of two of the four special stages contested this Friday afternoon, Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais occupy second place in the Rally of Portugal, fifth round of the World Rally Championship, the third in which they participate this year after the Monte- Carlo and Croatia.
The French crew is only one second behind the Finnish pair Rovanperä-Halttunen, also intermittent in the WRC show. “It’s frustrating because my hybrid system broke down in the previous stage, which cost us some time, but it’s good to end the day like this,” summed up Ogier at the last stop point of the day.
It is a third Toyota Yaris Rally1 which completes the podium, that of the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta, who is only 4”7 from the lead. Hyundai has not said its last word because Ott Tänak, fourth, is only 0”7 behind Katsuta, while Dani Sordo (5th at 17”9) was unable to make the most of his position on the road.
Sixth overall this Friday evening, 18”1 behind the leader, Thierry Neuville conceded less time than his first position on the road might have led him to fear. His day was therefore more successful than that of the one who threatens him in the Championship, Elfyn Evans. The Welshman, eighth, dropped out after a puncture in SS7 while his co-driver spent three afternoon stages trying, despite the shaking, to read his notes on the small screen of his phone after having forgotten his notebook at the finish of the sixth special! Evans now has no other objective than to aim for the points which will be distributed on Sunday.
Author of a flawless performance on this complicated day, with a third time in SS4 as the highlight, Adrien Fourmaux is inserted between the two contenders for the title, in seventh position, 13”7 behind the leader of the Championship. “It’s frustrating because we’re a little far away and we won’t have a good position on the road on Saturday, but we still had a good stage, the speed was there,” commented the Northerner from M -Sport at the stopping point of the last special.
