The night on Friday brought rain and very difficult conditions for athletes in the first eight “dopos” of the Croatian rally. There was even fog on several stages.
Rovanper and Belgian rider Terry Neville (Hyundai Shell Mobis) were the only drivers to miss the starting position in the first race of the day. Meanwhile, the drivers who went to the track later fought with the muddy track.
The first four stages caused problems for many – the Finn Esapeka Lapi (Toyota Gazoo Racing) was forced to quit due to a car suspension, Elfins Evans (Toyota Gazoo Racing) changed the tire, Luis-Pierre Lubé (M-Sport Ford) noticed three tires, but Adriens Formo (M-Sport Ford) had an accident.
Meanwhile, the still untouched Belgian Neville also had problems. Less than 800 meters from the service park’s time control, the Belgian Hyundai was hit by a technical defect, which meant that Neville was pushed to the time control by a co-driver. As a result, the crew received a 40-second penalty.
At the end of the day, the rain stopped and the track became drier. The young Finnish talent Rovanpera, who was the fastest in six of the eight “dopis” of the day, demonstrated a steady fast performance throughout the day.
Thus, after the first day of the race in the Croatian WRC stage, the leader is Rovanpera, in second place, with the leader losing a minute and four seconds, is Neville. Estonian Ots Tanaks (Hyundai Shell Mobis) is in third place, losing a minute and 23 seconds to Rovanper.
Overall rally rating after the first day
On Saturday, rally drivers will cover a distance of 116 kilometers in the next eight special stages.
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