WRC: Déjà vu in Sardinia as Ogier and Tänak set up Sunday shootout

Twelve months ago, Ogier saw an almost safe victory here torn by a puncture in the final stage he gave Ott Tänak the victory for only 0.2 seconds, the closest end in the history of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship. This time, it will take an advantage of 11.1 seconds over the Hyundai driver in the four -stage final on Sunday, whom Tot 77.78 competitive kilometers.

What began for Ogier as a 2.1 -second buffer on Adrien Fourmux became an advantage of 11.1 seconds over Tänak at the end of the day after another punishing jump of rocky roads rocky on the island tested the resistance of the internship of Rally1 Fourmux.

Ogier was constantly in the rhythm through the six stages of Saturday, winning three in his Toyota G Yaris Rally1 and coining a strong rhythm despite a moment of frustration in SS8, when the Earth in recovery of a time of a Fourmaux cow in recovery.

The eight times champion received a corrected time for that test and ended the day satisfied.

“It’s a long day bone,” Ogier reflected. “The afternoon was difficult. But I am happy so far, I think I have achieved the rally so far.”

Behind him, Tänak set up his own fight. Estonia dropped time with a slow puncture in SS9, but responded with victories in the stage in both passes of Lerno – his philigosu in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.

Behind the first two, Kalle Rovanperä made way third in third place. The two -time world champion had started the fifth day, but he constantly rose when Thers hesitated, the capitalization of the problems for the teammate of Fourmuux and Toyota, Sami Pajari. He sits 55.5 seconds back from leadership.

Pajari had enjoyed another safe appearance before running in SS9 and influencing the back of its yaris. The damage was cosmetic, but the Finn also wasting time with a wheel change later in the day, falling to the fifth place behind the leader of the Elfyn Elfyn championship, who achieved profits after a Friday off, but also wasting some time in SS11 when he also stopped.

The wear ahead meant that Nikolay Gryazin, who was driving a Škoda Fabia RSLY2, was placed in the sixth place in general ahead of Takamoto Katsuta, who was another to carry out a wheel change, adding a week of furture.

Oliver Solberg was eighth, but it was Emil Lindholm who was the highest pilot registered to score WRC2 points in ninth. The Finn ended the day before Lauri Joona, who completed the Top 10.

Sunday’s final presents four stages and includes a new Lobo power scenario along the coast of Olbia.