Rally de España – Day One
Hyundai Motorsport has completed the opening day of Rally de España, the penultimate event of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with all three cars inside the top-five after a changeable day on the Spanish tarmac.
Overnight rain left the roads damp and tricky for the opening stages of the day, Els Omells-Maldà (SS1/SS5, 11.05km) and Serra de la Llena (SS2/SS6, 11.79km), as roads became increasingly muddy.
Friday’s itinerary, marginally the longest of the weekend at 118.92km, continued with Les Garrigues Altes (SS3/SS7, 22.64km) and Riba-roja (SS4/SS8, 13.98km) to complete the four-stage loop. The rally lead swapped hands several times as crews tussled for early position.
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe held a slender 0.5s lead heading into lunchtime service, taking the fastest time through SS4. The crew was unable to maintain its advantage into the afternoon but retained a provisional podium position, 12.5 seconds adrift.
Estonians Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja endured a turbulent start to their Spanish campaign with hybrid issues and a broken alternator belt hampering their progress. They lost time during the repeat loop to complete the first day in fourth place, a further 7.5 seconds adrift.
Spaniards Dani Sordo and Càndido Carrera, participating in their home event, had a steady run, rounding out the top five – despite picking up a puncture in the repeated run of Les Garrigues Altes. On a day in which weather conditions and tyre choice have played a key role, Hyundai Motorsport will be looking to use its current top-five placements as a springboard for more during Saturday’s equally demanding schedule.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Friday’s itinerary, marginally the longest of the weekend at 118.92km, continued with Les Garrigues Altes (SS3/SS7, 22.64km) and Riba-roja (SS4/SS8, 13.98km) to complete the four-stage loop. The rally lead swapped hands several times as crews tussled for early position.
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe held a slender 0.5s lead heading into lunchtime service, taking the fastest time through SS4. The crew was unable to maintain its advantage into the afternoon but retained a provisional podium position, 12.5 seconds adrift.
Estonians Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja endured a turbulent start to their Spanish campaign with hybrid issues and a broken alternator belt hampering their progress. They lost time during the repeat loop to complete the first day in fourth place, a further 7.5 seconds adrift.
Spaniards Dani Sordo and Càndido Carrera, participating in their home event, had a steady run, rounding out the top five – despite picking up a puncture in the repeated run of Les Garrigues Altes. On a day in which weather conditions and tyre choice have played a key role, Hyundai Motorsport will be looking to use its current top-five placements as a springboard for more during Saturday’s equally demanding schedule.
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Stage win in SS4 saw the Belgians move to the top of the classification
- Tougher afternoon saw the crew drop to third, 12.5 seconds from the lead
Neuville said: “It was an OK day. This morning, we had a good rhythm, and the speed was there. Unfortunately, this afternoon it seems our competitors were able to go a bit faster, so we were constantly losing time. We are twelve seconds off with two days to go, and everything is still open. I think personally that I could have gone a bit harder and pushed more, but also, I have lacked the feeling in some corners and didn’t know exactly where the limit is. We have to work on that. On Saturday, we have a different profile of stages, which we know well, so there will be room for more improvement.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Estonians struggled with hybrid issues on Friday
- Crew have missed the feeling from the car to suit the Spanish tarmac stages
Tänak said: “On the first two stages this morning we had some hybrid issues. Somehow, we managed to get it working for the next two, but then we had to change a broken alternator belt in the road section. We had a similar hybrid issue in the afternoon, so the team needs to find out what’s causing it. Generally, we struggled to get the feeling we would expect from tarmac. We knew before the rally it would be difficult. For Thierry and Dani, it seems to suit but for me it’s demanding. The plan is to try and get the car to work like it should be and hopefully keep in touch with Thierry tomorrow. That’s our objective at least.”
Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
- Spanish crew had a solid opening to their home rally
- Puncture at the end of SS7 lost them time but they still moved into fifth overall
Sordo said: “I have been frustrated with today because we came here hoping to push for victory. Unfortunately, the conditions and circumstances have meant we’ve not been able to. I knew when we picked up the puncture in SS7 because I heard something; I think it was a stone in the mud during a small corner. There was nothing in our pace notes, but I know that others had the same issue. We took it steady after that to avoid losing the tyre off the rim, which would have lost more time. I expected better today, but there are still two days to go, and we need to push more. I hope the weather will be OK.”
Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said: “A mixed day today where weather and tyre choice played a major role. It was a promising morning loop with Thierry, as he ended up first overall with a stage win. Ott managed to stay in sight of the podium despite issues with the hybrid preventing him to get the extra power from the exit on most of the stages. There was also a broken alternator belt that the crew managed to fix to bring the car back to service. Meanwhile, it was a careful start for Dani who showed promising pace. In the afternoon loop, weather conditions were still tricky, and we lost some time to the frontrunners. We were quite unlucky with both Thierry and Ott getting the rain at the wrong moment, and Dani suffering from a puncture. Ott again had a hybrid issue. We will need to work on the car set-up for tomorrow to improve our pace. Nevertheless, the rally is still long and by securing third, fourth and fifth today, we need to keep the pressure on the guys in front to fight for a better overall result.”
Saturday at a glance
- Three stages make up Saturday’s loop: Savallà (SS9/SS12, 13.93km), Querol-Les Pobles (SS10/SS13, 20.19km) and El Montmell (SS11/SS14, 24.18km)
- The loop will be run twice with a lunchtime service separating the two, and will be followed by a short evening test in Salou (SS15, 2.15km)
- The day’s schedule covers 118.75km of competitive stages.
Classification after Day One
| 1 | S. Ogier | B. Veillas | Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1 | 1:06:07.9 |
| 2 | K. Rovanperä | J. Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +4.8 |
| 3 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +12.5 |
| 4 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +20.0 |
| 5 | D. Sordo | C. Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +50.9 |
| 6 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:01.2 |
| 7 | C. Breen | P. Nagle | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:03.7 |
| 8 | T. Katsuta | A. Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:28.6 |
| 9 | A. Fourmaux | A. Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:31.3 |
| 10 | G. Greensmith | J. Andersson | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:38.8 |
| 11 | P. L. Loubet | V. Landais | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:48.7 |
