Hyundai lead going into WRC round 7
Sardinia will host round seven of the World Rally Championship (WRC) this weekend, with 78 competitors tackling a total route of 1 386km, including 20 special stages of 313km.
Based in the northwestern city of Alghero, the rally starts tomorrow with the shakedown stage and the first special stage at the Ittiri Arena later the afternoon.
It is one of the toughest rallies on the WRC calendar, being hard on tyres and the cars’ cooling systems. With average air temperatures of 35º Celsius, ground temperatures of 50º Celsius and cockpits at an incredible 60º Celsius by the end of the stages, it is demanding on drivers, co-drivers and service crews alike.
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT lead both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ championships with the team on 175 points and the driver, Thierry Neuville, on 119. They have entered a strong team with Andreas Mikkelsen (54 points) joining Neuville with New Zealander Hayden Paddon (10 points) completing the line-up.
M-Sport Ford WRT (162 points) fields Sebastien Ogier (100 points), Elfyn Evans (45 points) and Teemu Suninen (23 points). Ogier will definitely be out to close that 19 point deficit to Neuville.
It is business as usual at Toyota Gazoo WRT (140 points) with Jari-Matti Latvala (31 points), Ott Tanak (72 points) and Esapekka Lappi (55 points).
Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT (111 points) has only two entries in Craig Breen (26 points) and Mads Ostberg (16 points), after their recent shock announcement regarding Kris Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle.
The French team issued the following statement: “Due to an excessively high number of crashes, some of which were particularly heavy and could have had serious consequences with regard to the crew’s safety, and given that the risks involved were unjustified by the sporting stakes at play, Citroën Racing WRT has decided to terminate the participation of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in the 2018 WRC.
The decision wlll become effective from the 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna. The entries of C3 WRCs for Craig Breen/Scott Martin and Mads Ostberg /Torstein Eriksen still stand for Sardinia.”
Team principal Pierre Budar added: “This was not an easy decision to make because it effects a driver and a co-driver, but it is largely founded on safety issues.”
One has to wonder whether costs were also a major factor, as the Ulsterman has destroyed an awful lot of machinery recently.