Olbia, 5 June 2021. Second day full of twists and theturns at Rally Italia Sardegna 2021. The most striking one on stage 12 that saw Sebastien Ogier ready to take the lead behind the wheel of his Toyota Yaris WRC, after Ott Tanak on Hyundai i20 WRC the leader until then hit a stone, damaged the suspension and was forced to retire. The French driver on Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, with co driver Julienne Ingrassia, won 5 PS and leads the standings with a 38 ”9 advantage over team mate Elfyn Evans that won SS 10 and 16 and got the second place on SS 15 when Dani Sordo rolled over . Now Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT is focused on Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe on the only i20 Coupé WRC left to fight for the top of the standings. After a troubled first lap, Thierry has improved his feeling with the stages and can now continue the attack from 3rd place. Behind the top three is Takamoto Katsuta who, at the wheel of his Toyota Yaris WRC, lost a lot of time in the middle of the day due to a double puncture. Electrical issues stopped Gus Greensmith when it seemed just to have found the best set-up solution for the Ford Fiesta WRC. An early stop in the middle of the day also for Pierre-Louis Loubet with his Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC, after he had suffered problems int he stage.
Twist also in WRC2 with alternation at the top. The star of the category Mads Ostberg, at the wheel of his Citroen C3, won 2 out of four stages, despite a brake problem on PS 10. Coming back to service park at mid-day, the Norwegian was forced to pay a 1 minute penalty for a wheel problem. Ready to take provisional leadership is Jari Huttunen at the wheel of his Hyundai i20 NG. Ostberg's response was immediate and he won 3 more stages and ended the day in second place with a 2 ”4 gap from Huttunen. In WRC 3 the French Yohan Rossel leads the Citroen C3, the first Italian crew in the standings is the one formed by Alessio Profeta and Sergio Raccuia on Skoda Fabia EVO, nineteenth position overall.
Final day tomorrow Sunday 6 June, which will see the drivers concentrated in 193 kilometers, of which 48.60 divided into the four stages. Few kilometers but absolutely very decisive and as always known in these last editions of the rally, crucial for the final result. The race will end with the Wolf Power Stage "Aglientu Santa Teresa 2" Live TV, of 7.79 kilometers. A fundamental test also because it will give additional strong points both for the drivers and manufacturers, also for WRC 2 and WRC 3 categories. Five points to the first, decreasing to one point to the fifth driver.
Top five after SS16: 1 Ogier (Toyota) 2: 50’33 "1; 2 Evans (Toyota) +38 ”9; 3 Neuville (Hyundai) + 1’01 "6; 4 Katsuta (Toyota) + 4'01 "2; 5 Huttunen (Hyundai i20 NG) + 8'09 "6.
