Alghero (SS), June 2nd 2024. Ott Tanak and Martin Jaervoja, driving their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, won the 21st Rally Italia Sardegna. This is the third win for the two-time World Champion, after 2017 and 2022. The Estonian team clinched an incredible victory in the very last moments of the race the amazing Power Stage, finishing just 0.2 seconds ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais on Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid. Ogier had dominated the race but suffered a puncture on the final stage.
It was a very close duel that started at the very beginning of the Italian round of FIA WRC. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won the final stage and clinched valuable points for their leadership both in drivers' and manufacturers' championships. An amazing second place for Ott Tanak, who gave his all. Ogier started the Power Stage as aggressive as ever, but at the 4th kilometer he got a puncture. It was a disappointment for the six-time world champion, who missed out on his fifth win in Italy by only 0.2 seconds. It was Ott’s turning point after the bitterness of 2019 when he stopped in the middle of that same Power Stage while leading the overall standings.
Third step of the podium for Daniel Sordo and Candido Carrera on other Hyundai i20 N. Sordo kept having difficulties all over the Italian weekend finding the right feeling with the Sardinian gravel roads, but consistency rewarded him and brought him back to the podium, also thanks to the Saturday retirements of Thierry Neuville and Takamoto Katsuta. Fourth place for Toyota GR Yaris driven by Elfyn Evans, who was looking for a good feeling all through the weekend despite winning SS 12. Next up was Gregoire Munster in a Ford Puma Rally1 of M-Sport WRT. Adrien Formaux struggling from the opening stages due first to a puncture and then an electronic problem.
Sami Pajari with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 dominated WRC2, where he hardly defended the leadership on the first day. On the WRC2 podium Yohan Rossel and Benjamin Boulloud in a Citroen C3, winners of the Power Stage, and Jan Solans with Rodrigo Sanjuan in a Toyota GR Yaris, who won three of the four stages on the final day. The race of Roberto Daprà with Luca Guglielmetti – ACI Team Italia representative – on Skoda Fabia Evo ended brilliantly. They did well in their comeback after a puncture in the opening stages and finished 9th place.
FIA Junior WRC race was intense and exciting, featuring the Ford Fiesta Rally3. Diego Dominguez and Rogello Penate won taking the lead on the second day, maintaining their advantage until the end. On Friday evening, it seemed the series leader Romet Jurgenson would easily win, closely followed by Bruno Bulacia. However, on Saturday, Jurgenson hit a pole and bent a suspension arm, losing his lead. Bulacia, along with Gabriel Morales, was the next up but suffered from a technical issue and had to withdraw. Next, Ali Turkkan took the lead but went back to second place after getting a puncture and brake problems. Max Smart and Cameron Fair finished third, 1 minute behind the leaders.
Rally Italia Sardegna 2024 overall standings: 1 Tanak (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) in 3h06’05”6; 2 Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris rally1) a 00”2; 3 Sordo (Hyundai i20 N) a 2’25”8; 4 Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) a 2’437”8; 5 Munster (Ford Puma) a 6’42”9; 6 Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris rally2) a 7’13”14; 7 Rossels (Citroen C3) a 7’45”7; 8 Solans (Toyota GR Yaris) a 7’52”7; 9 Prokop (Skoda Fabia RS) a 10’05”4; 10 Kajetanowicz (Skoda Fabia RS) a 10’09”3.
Junior WRC: 1 Dominguez - Penate in 3h33’09”3; 2 Turrkan - Erdener a 47”5; 3; 3 Smart - Fair a 1’00”7.
WRC (Provisional): 1 Neuville, punti 122; 2 Tanak e Evans, 104; 4 Tanak, 94; 4 Ogier, 92; 5 Formaux, 74.
