Rally Portugal: Back to gravel for WRC

After the asphalt and snow, the World Rally Championship (WRC) Portugal returns to its preferred surface, gravel, from Friday to Sunday, with Sebastian Ozier in excellent driving conditions, but not on the road.

After the asphalt and snow, the World Rally Championship (WRC) Portugal returns to its preferred surface, gravel, from Friday to Sunday, with Sebastian Ozier in excellent driving conditions, but not on the road.

“Excellent surface gravel to showcase the potential of our cars, where we benefit the most,” recalled the championship leader with two wins in three laps (eight in Monte-Carlo and Croatia). Advance more than ten players on his British team at Belgian Theory New (Hyundai) and Toyota Elphin Evans.

However, when you are not disabled to lead in front of your opponents in Match Day 1, Ogier will be back, however a dark spring will allow him to minimize breaking.

“It has rained a lot in recent weeks and as a result, the ground is very perfect,” the seven-time French world champion noted during the break.

“We’re waiting for the dry conditions to start, so it’s always hard to estimate the penalty for opening the road, but I’m the type to be confident,” continues the man who shared five achievements with Finnish Mark Allen. Pass the test.

– New co-pilots –

Another different factor discovered by Ozier, Newville and 2019 champion Estonian Ode Tenak (Hyundai): Pirelli tires were used in gravel for the first time this season, apart from the private test.

“No one knows exactly how to manage them, the Belgian driver believes. I think there will be surprises, especially since the conditions are very different between trials, + recos + and race. We all have experience but we have tracks.”

To finish with the championship favorites, Denak (the 2020 edition was canceled due to the Covit-19), the event’s last winner in 2019, is pointed 21 units behind the leader, which is only one length longer than Finn Kale Rowanberg (Toyota), 20 years old.

At Hyundai, Spaniard Danny Sordo (guided by a new co-driver, Borja Rosada), comes to the aid of Newville and Denok in an attempt to delay the 27-point delay on “Toys” in the builders’ positions.

Frenchman Pierre-Louis Lupet (Hyundai 2C competition) is associated with a new co-driver, Florian Hot-Labertote, in an attempt to record the first points of the season after a difficult start.

His comrade Adrian Formax first discovered the M-Sport Ford in late April with a fifth place finish in first class in Croatia. “I expect a big challenge because no one here knows for sure when others have experience”, did not hide the person involved.

– No closed session –

In fact, if the previous two rounds (Arctic and Croatian rallies) were unprecedented, the WRC is back on familiar ground this week.

Having completed twenty stages and a time of 337.51 km, Rally Portugal is the longest so far this year. Focusing on Matosinhos, near Porto, this fourth event provides fast and technical dirt roads in the north and center of the country, sand, rock and coarse during the first lanes.

Check out Friday Scraping: It is necessary to cover two loops of three specials without mechanical assistance. Twenty years after the Mordecai Special, the stage will end after a dual super-special at the Raleigh Cross Circuit.

French driver Sebastian Loeb drives his Hyundai i20 WRT with his Monacon co-driver Daniel Elena during the SS2 phase of the rally near Portugal on May 30, 2019.

Michael Rioba – AFP / Archives

On Saturday, lead the Cabrera Mountains, run twice with three specials, and then head to the urban E.S. near Porto. The last five specials are on Sunday’s show, which includes two columns of the famous Fafin, one of the audience’s options, which will act as a power stage.

Because despite the Govt-19 epidemic, there will be spectators. On public roads, this is “inevitable,” organizers and health officials admit, as demonstrated by the rally in Croatia, its closed door was not respected.

AFP / Paris (AFP) / © 2021 AFP