Rally Estonia – Day Two
Hyundai Motorsport remains in the hunt for a double podium finish in Rally Estonia, the seventh round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with Craig Breen and Thierry Neuville completing the penultimate day in second and third positions respectively.
Photo:Hyundai Motorsport
The two crews retained their overnight places with a solid and steady display on Saturday’s nine stages, with Ott Tänak re-joining his home rally following retirement on Friday morning. The Estonian and his co-driver Martin Järveoja issued a quick reminder of their outright speed and expertise on the gravel roads taking three out of four stage wins on Saturday morning’s loop.
The day started with the longest individual run of the event, the 23.53km Peipsiääre test, which – along with the subsequent 12.28km Mustvee stage – were brand new routes for WRC crews to discover. The loop concluded with Raanitsa (22.76km) and Vastsemõisa (6.70km).
Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle arrived at lunchtime service with a solidified second place but with an expanded deficit to rally leader Kalle Rovanpera. At the same time, Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe held a steady advantage over fourth-placed Sébastien Ogier ahead of the repeated loop.
The Belgians, who have already taken four podium results so far in 2021, went onto extend the gap to Ogier to 17.9-seconds by the final stage of the day – the 1.64km Tartu Super Special Stage.
While Breen cemented his second place during the afternoon, Tänak added a further three stage wins to his tally. Neuville took the fastest time in the second pass through Vastsemõisa, ensuring all three Hyundai Motorsport crews have taken stage wins in Estonia this weekend. The team will now focus on its strategy for Sunday’s six stages, with a double podium result as its main objective.
Crew Notes: Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (#42 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Breen said: “We have completed the day relatively unscathed, and I think we can be happy with what we’ve achieved. Given our experience, it was always going to be tough, but we’ve tried to feel more comfortable in the car. It still feels a bit alien at times, and we haven’t been able to let it go full banzai. We have to realistic and happy; it’s been a good weekend so far. The splits on the faster sections have been good, it’s in the narrower parts where we need to gain additional confidence. These things take time and ultimately when you’re rallying with people who have been in the car week-in, week-out, it’s tough.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Neuville said: “It was a positive day for us. We had a good, clean rhythm in the car, always controlling the speed and able to gradually build up our advantage over Ogier. We had a decent run through today’s stages, which included some tricky new tests. We played things sensibly as it’s crucial to stay in the game. Third place overnight is not a bad result, but there is still a day to go. We need to keep clear of mistakes, avoid any issues and try to bring back some good points for the team.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Tänak said: “Everything has gone fine today, with no major issues. We might not be in the fight for victory, but we have still had some fun on these stages. We have tried to keep a good rhythm. In the second loop, the stages were quite demanding, but the car was working well, and we had an OK feeling. I kept going as best I could, and we were able to set some good times. If you take it slow, it’s not as interesting. We have also used the day to learn some things.”
Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “I have to say it’s been a nice Saturday; we have shown a good performance with Ott throughout the day. Of course, it poses the question of what might have been, but we can’t do anything about that now, so we have to focus on here and now. We find ourselves in second and third, good positions which we have to defend tomorrow. For today, I reflect on the positive way in which our team has worked together, something that makes me very proud.”
Sunday at a glance
Classification after Day Two
The day started with the longest individual run of the event, the 23.53km Peipsiääre test, which – along with the subsequent 12.28km Mustvee stage – were brand new routes for WRC crews to discover. The loop concluded with Raanitsa (22.76km) and Vastsemõisa (6.70km).
Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle arrived at lunchtime service with a solidified second place but with an expanded deficit to rally leader Kalle Rovanpera. At the same time, Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe held a steady advantage over fourth-placed Sébastien Ogier ahead of the repeated loop.
The Belgians, who have already taken four podium results so far in 2021, went onto extend the gap to Ogier to 17.9-seconds by the final stage of the day – the 1.64km Tartu Super Special Stage.
While Breen cemented his second place during the afternoon, Tänak added a further three stage wins to his tally. Neuville took the fastest time in the second pass through Vastsemõisa, ensuring all three Hyundai Motorsport crews have taken stage wins in Estonia this weekend. The team will now focus on its strategy for Sunday’s six stages, with a double podium result as its main objective.
Crew Notes: Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (#42 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
- Irish crew continued to impress in their first WRC gravel event since last season
- Second place would match the pair’s result from Estonia 2020
Breen said: “We have completed the day relatively unscathed, and I think we can be happy with what we’ve achieved. Given our experience, it was always going to be tough, but we’ve tried to feel more comfortable in the car. It still feels a bit alien at times, and we haven’t been able to let it go full banzai. We have to realistic and happy; it’s been a good weekend so far. The splits on the faster sections have been good, it’s in the narrower parts where we need to gain additional confidence. These things take time and ultimately when you’re rallying with people who have been in the car week-in, week-out, it’s tough.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
- Belgian crew enjoyed a trouble-free Saturday to consolidate third place
- Stage win in SS17 (Vastsemõisa) helped to increase the advantage over fourth
Neuville said: “It was a positive day for us. We had a good, clean rhythm in the car, always controlling the speed and able to gradually build up our advantage over Ogier. We had a decent run through today’s stages, which included some tricky new tests. We played things sensibly as it’s crucial to stay in the game. Third place overnight is not a bad result, but there is still a day to go. We need to keep clear of mistakes, avoid any issues and try to bring back some good points for the team.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
- Home heroes rebounded from a frustrating Friday with an exceptionally strong Saturday
- Six stage wins during the day showed what a force the crew are in Estonia
Tänak said: “Everything has gone fine today, with no major issues. We might not be in the fight for victory, but we have still had some fun on these stages. We have tried to keep a good rhythm. In the second loop, the stages were quite demanding, but the car was working well, and we had an OK feeling. I kept going as best I could, and we were able to set some good times. If you take it slow, it’s not as interesting. We have also used the day to learn some things.”
Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “I have to say it’s been a nice Saturday; we have shown a good performance with Ott throughout the day. Of course, it poses the question of what might have been, but we can’t do anything about that now, so we have to focus on here and now. We find ourselves in second and third, good positions which we have to defend tomorrow. For today, I reflect on the positive way in which our team has worked together, something that makes me very proud.”
Sunday at a glance
- Six stages will be held on Sunday over a competitive distance of 52.10km
- A repeated loop of Neeruti (7.82km), Elva (11.72km) and Tartu vald (6.51km) with only a refuel in between the trio of stages
- The second run through Tartu vald will act as the Power Stage, where extra driver and manufacturer championship points will be available.
Classification after Day Two
| 1 | K. Rovanperä | J. Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | 2:17:46.8 |
| 2 | C. Breen | P. Nagle | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +50.7 |
| 3 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +1:20.9 |
| 4 | S. Ogier | J. Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | +1:38.8 |
| 5 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | +2:02.2 |
| 6 | T. Suninen | M. Markkula | Ford Fiesta WRC | +6:14.3 |
| 7 | P.L Loubet | F. Haut-Labourdette | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +7:32.5 |
