Thierry Neuville tackled the 19th and final special of Rally Sardinia 42 seconds ahead of Esapekka Lappi and he didn’t flinch despite the tricky weather conditions that enveloped the Italian island. At the end of the “power stage” won by Kalle Rovanperä, the Belgian from Hyundai finished at the top of the general classification, with a 33-second margin over Lappi, giving the South Korean manufacturer a double.
He no longer had to face competition from Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), who had retired the day before after going off the road but continued to drive on Sunday. Dani Sordo has also thrown in the towel due to an exhaust problem. Thierry Neuville was therefore content to manage and caution was the best strategy on muddy and flooded tracks which promised a lot of danger and aquaplaning.
This strategy allowed him to claim the 18th victory of his WRC career, seven months after his last success in Japan. “It was a big challenge, we knew we could fight for victoryreacted the Belgian on arrival. The first day was difficult, everything changed at the end of the day on Saturday. For the nerves, it’s hard but we succeeded. It’s a double for the team, with my first victory of the season. »
Third in Sardinia, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) retains the lead in the World Championship with 118 points, 25 more than Neuville, who is making a big jump in the standings, and 33 more than Ott Tänak (Ford). Sébastien Ogier, who is following a partial racing program this season, is in fifth place with 70 points, behind Elfyn Evans (Toyota, 83 points).
The heartbreak of Adrien Fourmaux
The weekend has long smiled on a Frenchman since Adrien Fourmaux was in the lead of the Rally in WRC2, until a few kilometers from the finish of the “power stage”. But the Ford driver made a mistake that was enough to send his car over the side, the wheels on the right side torn off. His first victory of the season handed him his arms, as well as fifth place in the Rally all categories combined. The Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) took advantage of the offering to win.
The next round of the Championship will be held in Kenya from June 22-25. Sébastien Ogier will be present at the Safari Rallye to compete in his fifth round of the season. He won there in 2021 and finished fourth last year.