Ott Tänak (Ford) leader of the Rally Chile after the first day

Several rallies in one. The profile of the special stages traced around Concepcion, in the Biobio region, in central Chile, is a summary of what the crews can find on some of their favorite events of the Championship, notably New Zealand or Australia . “It’s quite fast, narrow, with little grip, blind turns and jumps that you don’t necessarily expect,” summarized Ott Tänak. It’s difficult to be at the limit on roads like that. » Having violently left the road in the morning, Esapekka Lappi and Pierre-Louis Loubet were able to verify it.

Third at mid-stage, just behind Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen, Ott Tänak went on the offensive on the second loop, with a more aggressive choice of tires (six “soft”) than his rivals (3 “soft”, 2 “hard”). Finally spared from technical problems after setbacks on the last three rallies and winner of SS 5 and 6, the M-Sport driver concluded the stage 4”2 ahead of Teemu Suninen. Interim at Hyundai, where he shares the wheel of the third i20 N Rally1 with Dani Sordo, the Finn provided a masterful performance, with a very small touch to his credit.

Leader at midday, Elfyn Evans lost ground in the afternoon. He remains on the podium but is 12”7 behind Tänak. The main thing for the Welshman is to stay ahead of his teammate and Championship leader, Kalle Rovanperä. Handicapped by his position on the road, not completely satisfied with the behavior of his Yaris and author of a small excursion off the track at the end of the day, the Finn is in fifth place, 11” behind Thierry Neuville either. not comfortable with the unpredictable reactions of his Hyundai on this tricky terrain.