The Estonian driver is in a row on the first day of the Rally Italia Sardegna. Today passes to Monte Lerno and Bortigiadas
OLBIA. The 2021 edition of Rally Italia Sardegna opened with a full by Ott Tanak on the first 5 tests. The Estonian Hyundai driver at the wheel of the i20 Wrc Plus dominated the first day of competition by winning all the tests held in the morning and the first in the afternoon, leaving his teammate, the Spaniard Dani Sordo, the victory in two time trials and sharing that final ex aequo with the other coéquipier Neuville. Tanak thus leads the race at the end of the initial stage with a 19 ”4 advantage over Sordo. «I am improving my feeling on the ground with the Hyundai gradually – said Tanak – this is the key to my performance. I immediately felt good and the times arrived thanks to my very favorable position at the start ».
Surprisingly, behind the two drivers of the Korean team, third is Sebastien Ogier who, at the wheel of his Toyota Yaris Wrc, was the author of a capital performance, considering that he was the first to pass through the special stages throughout the day. “I am really satisfied – he commented – because it was not possible to fight with Tanak, but being ahead of Evans and Neuville was already a great result”.
Fourth is the Welsh Evans with the second Yaris, who never found the right feeling, while the Belgian Thierry Neuville is fifth on the third i20 Wrc and was delayed by the time lost the next morning due to problems of feeling with the set up. Fifth closed the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta, while Teemu Suninen finished out of the game with the Ford Fiesta Wrc speechless on the first time trial, while on the fourth special Kalle Rovanpera stopped after damage to the right front suspension of his Yaris WRC, Greensmith on the second Fiesta instead stopped due to transmission problems but then resumed in the final time trial in Tula, where Loubet stopped due to brake problems. In Wrc2 the Norwegian Mads Otsberg dominated with the Citroen C3 Rally 2 from the beginning, while the other Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen on Toksport’s Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo overturned on the fourth time trial, out also Battistolli in the third time trial and Francesco Marrone also stopped in the first lap in Terranova.
Today the second stage includes 129.62 timed km and eight specials: in the morning two passes in Coiluna-Loelle (km.15.00) at 8.08 and 10.38 and in Monte Lerno (km. 22.08) at 9.08 and 11.38, while after the assistance park at the Brin pier in Olbia (13.10) in the afternoon two passes to Bortigiadas (14.70 km) at 3.10 and 17.32 and Castelsardo (14.72 km) at 16.08 and 18 , 38 with arrival at the Olbia service park at 20.50.
This is the ranking of the first stage: 1. Tanak in 1.26’58 ”0; 2. Deaf at 19 ”4; 3. Ogier at 36 ”2; 4. Evans at 1’02 ”0; 5. Neuville at 1’03 ”2; 6. Katsuta at 1’26 “1.
.