Elfyn Evans took a narrow lead at Rally Chile Bío Bío after a dramatic opening day, edging out Hyundai’s Ott Tänak by just 3 seconds. Evans initially appeared to have lost the lead to Tänak, but a corrected time from the red-flagged opening stage saw the Toyota driver reinstated at the top.
The Welshman, who has had slower starts in recent WRC rounds, came out swinging in Chile with a more aggressive approach. However, he struggled with confidence in the afternoon stages and seemed to concede the lead to Tänak, who had been gaining momentum. But following a decision from the clerk of the course, Evans received a revised time for the red-flagged SS1 based on his afternoon performance on the same stage, propelling him back into the lead by 3 seconds. Similar time adjustments were also made for Sami Pajari and Adrien Fourmaux.
Tänak, who has dominated every previous WRC event held in Chile, had a mixed day. He struggled with the setup of his Hyundai i20 Rally1 HYBRID in the morning, finding himself fifth by midday. However, after making crucial adjustments during service, the Estonian driver bounced back in the afternoon, narrowing the gap to Evans by the end of the day.
Sébastien Ogier, on the other hand, looked like the driver to beat early on. The Frenchman won three stages and seemed poised to lead by nearly 30 seconds before running wide and hitting a bank on SS3, which forced him to stop and change a wheel. The setback left him outside the top 10 by day’s end.
Despite Evans reclaiming the lead, Tänak is still within striking distance as he aims to close the points gap to his Hyundai team-mate and championship leader, Thierry Neuville, who finished the day in sixth, more than 30 seconds behind. Neuville, tasked with opening the road, struggled with the loose gravel conditions but managed to stay ahead of team-mate Esapekka Lappi by 5.8 seconds.
Kalle Rovanperä, the reigning world champion, rounded out the top three, finishing the day 10.1 seconds behind Evans. However, the Finn voiced frustrations about the dry and loose conditions, which didn’t suit his typical driving style. “When it’s dry like this, it doesn’t suit my usual driving style. I’m fighting the car and my driving a lot,” Rovanperä explained after overshooting a corner and hitting a gate on SS4.
Toyota rookie Sami Pajari delivered an impressive performance to finish the day in fourth, only 2.1 seconds behind Rovanperä, while Grégoire Munster, in his M-Sport Ford Puma, finished fifth despite suffering tyre damage on the final stage. Just 1.5 seconds separated Pajari and Munster by the end of the day.
For Munster’s M-Sport Ford teammates, the day was less fortunate. Mārtiņš Sesks retired his non-hybrid car early after damaging two tyres on a bank, while Adrien Fourmaux fell from fourth to eighth after receiving a one-minute time penalty for arriving late to SS5 due to roadside repairs to both his alternator and water pipe.
Saturday promises to be a critical day, with six stages covering nearly 140 kilometers of competitive action. Drivers will face a grueling test of endurance and tyre management, with the battle between Evans and Tänak set to intensify.
Friday Classification:
- E. Evans / S. Martin (GBR) Toyota GR Yaris – 58m 3.9s
- O. Tänak / M. Järveoja (EST) Hyundai i20 N – +3.0s
- K. Rovanperä / J. Halttunen (FIN) Toyota GR Yaris – +10.1s
- S. Pajari / E. Mälkönen (FIN) Toyota GR Yaris – +12.2s
- G. Munster / L. Louka (LUX) Ford Puma – +13.7s
- T. Neuville / M. Wydaeghe (BEL) Hyundai i20 N – +33.3s
With just seconds separating the top contenders, Rally Chile Bío Bío is shaping up to be a tightly fought contest as the drivers push their limits heading into the weekend.
Source: WRC
This article was crafted with assistance from Chatgpt
