The Finnish Hyundai driver Esapekka Lappi set the best time this Thursday in the ‘shakedown’, which opened the eleventh stop of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the central region of Bibobío in Chile, where the Belgian leader Thierry Neuville finished seventh and the French Sebastien Ogier tenth.
Lappi recorded a time of 3:14.8 on the stage called Conuco, where he stood in his fourth run of the 6.79 kilometer route after last year he had an accident on this stage in his first section.
The 33-year-old driver, who is tenth in the general drivers’ table, beat the Ford of Sesks of Martiņšthe revelation of the championship. Rookie Sami Pajari also completed the top three positions, just three tenths behind his Toyota.
The current two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä He finished fourth in his Toyota with a time of 3:22.2 ahead of Estonian Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and his British teammate Elfyn Evans, while championship leader Thierry Neuville finished seventh in his Hyundai.
“Friday’s stages look fantastic. It won’t be easy, and the changes in grip are huge, but we know what we have to do,” said Neuville in statements to the official WRC press.
The eight-time WRC champion, the French Sébastien Ogier, He finished tenth, behind Grégoire Munster, eighth driving a Ford Puma, and the WRC2 leader, the Bulgarian Nikolay Gryazit.
Ogier’s day meant he could have problems with his Toyota, but the Frenchman ruled it out in remarks on the WRC’s official site: “Everything is good, nothing special,” he said.
The ceremonial start will take place this Thursday afternoon, and on Friday the real competition will begin with the 112.76 kilometers that will be special tests with sections in Pulpería (19.72 km), Rere (13.34 km) and San Rosendo (23, 32).
“In general, I think I like the stages here,” declared Ogier to the Chilean portal Biobío, who did not compete in this stage in Chile in 2023.
The French pilot recalled his experience in 2019, which was the first time the competition was held in the southern country. “The last time we came there was a lot more fog and a lot of moisture in stages and that was complicated,” he commented.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
