Rally Italia Sardegna – Day Two
Hyundai Motorsport ends an intense second day at Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship, with Thierry Neuville leading the rally and team-mate Esapekka Lappi in second place.
Photo:Hyundaimotorsport
During a day of attrition, all three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews managed the tricky conditions to survive Saturday in Sardinia.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were on fine form throughout the day, winning three of the four morning stages (SS8 Coiluna-Loelle 1, SS9 Su Filigosu, SS11 Tempio Pausania). Lappi and Janne Ferm lost ground to Sébastien Ogier on the opening stage, but secured a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2 on the slippery SS9 Su Filigosu to briefly regain the lead of the rally. For the remainder of the day, their mission was to keep the Frenchman under pressure while navigating the increasingly treacherous islands routes.
Beginning with the second pass of SS12 Coiluna-Loelle, Lappi/Ferm began to chip away at Ogier’s lead. They secured a second 1-2 finish for the team and by the conclusion of SS13 Su Filigosu, the deficit was just 4.3 seconds, with Neuville a slim 3.1 seconds further behind in third.
It was on SS14 Erula-Tula 2 where the twist in the tale came. With a mistake from Ogier resulting in his retirement, Neuville’s second-fastest time elevated him into the rally lead. Lappi, upon seeing Ogier off the road, elected to back off and bring his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid safely to the end of the stage. The gap between Neuville and Lappi stands at 36.4 seconds, with the nearest competitor almost two minutes behind them.
Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera returned from a difficult Friday determined to have a trouble-free day, and pushed hard to bring home a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 on the defining SS14 Erula-Tula stage. A steady performance has seen them climb from 12th to fifth in the overall classification.
Between them, Hyundai Motorsport’s crews claimed all but one of the stage wins on offer in Saturday’s eight gruelling challenges. With just four stages left to run, the team will focus all its efforts on converting its provisional positions into a solid double podium finish.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Belgians claimed six stage wins on Saturday with measured drive
Moved into the lead of the rally with second place on SS14
Neuville said: “Today has been a big battle with lots of ups and downs. We started very well this morning, until we took a big hit from Ogier on SS10 as he was pushing very hard. We felt we were doing well and step-by-step we closed the gap until we were only seven seconds behind going into the stage where everything changed. It is a fine line between pushing hard and keeping the car on the road, and we were able to stay just on that line. The job is not done, we have to get the car ready for tomorrow – it has suffered a lot in these conditions. The weather will still be tricky so we have to remain focused.”
Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Strong performance kept rally leader within sights during Saturday’s running
Finns end the day in provisional second with a further stage win in their tally
Lappi said: “We had a consistent morning but our target in the afternoon was to keep Ogier under pressure. We were managing that very well, and while I would never hope that he would make a mistake like that, it is part of rallying. After that, our target changed; with the rain coming down, we focused on saving our tyres and not taking any risks. It would have been very easy to go off as well. The aquaplaning was crazy at some points, but thankfully we had no big moments. Tomorrow is definitely not going to be dry, and while we are 1-2 at the moment there is always a chance that can change, so we have to be careful.”
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Spanish crew scored three top-three finishes and climb to fifth in classification
Led a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 in SS14 Erula-Tula 2
Sordo said: “Another difficult day today. It was tricky to find the right pace, particularly in the narrow forests. Being first on the road in the morning was a small advantage, as I had a little bit more grip than the others, but after that the stages became quite slippery and it would be very easy to make a mistake. We felt we were cleaning the road a little bit and that made it hard to fight. However the job today was to bring the car home to service, and now we are in fifth place, so let’s see what else happens tomorrow. In the recce the stages were already really wet, so we’re expecting another demanding and unpredictable day.”
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “It's not over until it’s over, so let's see what tomorrow brings. Certainly today has seen a remarkable push by everyone to finish where we are tonight. In particular, Esapekka was focused on applying pressure to Ogier all the way through what has been a very tricky Saturday. Thierry gained confidence all the way through a day of challenging conditions, and he drove remarkably on SS14. As for Dani, with various retirements he has been promoted to fifth, which is also turning up the heat for the other competitors with just four stages remaining. We'll take that for today and focus on finishing the job on Sunday.”
Sunday at a glanceFour stages remain to be contested at Rally Italia Sardegna, with no service or tyre fitting zone featuring on the itinerary
The weather conditions are set to be just as unpredictable, with some showers expected during the day’s running
Crews will take on two runs of Arzachena – Braniatogghiu (SS16/18, 15.22km) and Sardegna (SS17/19, 7.79km), the latter of which forms the event’s Power Stage.
During a day of attrition, all three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews managed the tricky conditions to survive Saturday in Sardinia.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were on fine form throughout the day, winning three of the four morning stages (SS8 Coiluna-Loelle 1, SS9 Su Filigosu, SS11 Tempio Pausania). Lappi and Janne Ferm lost ground to Sébastien Ogier on the opening stage, but secured a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2 on the slippery SS9 Su Filigosu to briefly regain the lead of the rally. For the remainder of the day, their mission was to keep the Frenchman under pressure while navigating the increasingly treacherous islands routes.
Beginning with the second pass of SS12 Coiluna-Loelle, Lappi/Ferm began to chip away at Ogier’s lead. They secured a second 1-2 finish for the team and by the conclusion of SS13 Su Filigosu, the deficit was just 4.3 seconds, with Neuville a slim 3.1 seconds further behind in third.
It was on SS14 Erula-Tula 2 where the twist in the tale came. With a mistake from Ogier resulting in his retirement, Neuville’s second-fastest time elevated him into the rally lead. Lappi, upon seeing Ogier off the road, elected to back off and bring his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid safely to the end of the stage. The gap between Neuville and Lappi stands at 36.4 seconds, with the nearest competitor almost two minutes behind them.
Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera returned from a difficult Friday determined to have a trouble-free day, and pushed hard to bring home a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 on the defining SS14 Erula-Tula stage. A steady performance has seen them climb from 12th to fifth in the overall classification.
Between them, Hyundai Motorsport’s crews claimed all but one of the stage wins on offer in Saturday’s eight gruelling challenges. With just four stages left to run, the team will focus all its efforts on converting its provisional positions into a solid double podium finish.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Belgians claimed six stage wins on Saturday with measured drive
Moved into the lead of the rally with second place on SS14
Neuville said: “Today has been a big battle with lots of ups and downs. We started very well this morning, until we took a big hit from Ogier on SS10 as he was pushing very hard. We felt we were doing well and step-by-step we closed the gap until we were only seven seconds behind going into the stage where everything changed. It is a fine line between pushing hard and keeping the car on the road, and we were able to stay just on that line. The job is not done, we have to get the car ready for tomorrow – it has suffered a lot in these conditions. The weather will still be tricky so we have to remain focused.”
Crew Notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Strong performance kept rally leader within sights during Saturday’s running
Finns end the day in provisional second with a further stage win in their tally
Lappi said: “We had a consistent morning but our target in the afternoon was to keep Ogier under pressure. We were managing that very well, and while I would never hope that he would make a mistake like that, it is part of rallying. After that, our target changed; with the rain coming down, we focused on saving our tyres and not taking any risks. It would have been very easy to go off as well. The aquaplaning was crazy at some points, but thankfully we had no big moments. Tomorrow is definitely not going to be dry, and while we are 1-2 at the moment there is always a chance that can change, so we have to be careful.”
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid) Spanish crew scored three top-three finishes and climb to fifth in classification
Led a Hyundai Motorsport 1-2-3 in SS14 Erula-Tula 2
Sordo said: “Another difficult day today. It was tricky to find the right pace, particularly in the narrow forests. Being first on the road in the morning was a small advantage, as I had a little bit more grip than the others, but after that the stages became quite slippery and it would be very easy to make a mistake. We felt we were cleaning the road a little bit and that made it hard to fight. However the job today was to bring the car home to service, and now we are in fifth place, so let’s see what else happens tomorrow. In the recce the stages were already really wet, so we’re expecting another demanding and unpredictable day.”
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “It's not over until it’s over, so let's see what tomorrow brings. Certainly today has seen a remarkable push by everyone to finish where we are tonight. In particular, Esapekka was focused on applying pressure to Ogier all the way through what has been a very tricky Saturday. Thierry gained confidence all the way through a day of challenging conditions, and he drove remarkably on SS14. As for Dani, with various retirements he has been promoted to fifth, which is also turning up the heat for the other competitors with just four stages remaining. We'll take that for today and focus on finishing the job on Sunday.”
Sunday at a glanceFour stages remain to be contested at Rally Italia Sardegna, with no service or tyre fitting zone featuring on the itinerary
The weather conditions are set to be just as unpredictable, with some showers expected during the day’s running
Crews will take on two runs of Arzachena – Braniatogghiu (SS16/18, 15.22km) and Sardegna (SS17/19, 7.79km), the latter of which forms the event’s Power Stage.
