Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi tied for the lead at Rally Estonia as Friday night’s tricky opening stage in Tartu heralded the return of FIA World Rally Championship action.
Championship leader Ogier and Lappi were quickly back into the groove following a six-month Covid-19 pause. They could not be separated through the tight and twisty 1.29km Tartu vald parkland stage on the edge of the city.
“It’s good to be back and fighting,” said Ogier, driving a Toyota Yaris. “Everything is ready, the car feels good and we’ve had good preparations, so let’s go for it.”
Lappi surprised himself with his performance in his Ford Fiesta, after less preparation time at the wheel than most of his rivals.
“It didn’t feel that good to be honest,” explained the Finn. “This is not what the stages will be tomorrow but we had a good shakedown and a good opening stage, so I’m looking forward.”
Esapekka Lappi won the opening stage at Rally Estonia for Ford.
Just a tenth of a second behind in third was Ott Tänak’s Hyundai i20, the Estonian excited by the prospect of competing in front of his home fans on a WRC round for the first time.
“It’s special. It will be a tough few days, the competition will be tight but it’s definitely our opportunity so we need to make the best of it,” he said.
WRC leader Seb Ogier is in equal first place after stage one in his Toyota.
Team-mate Craig Breen was fourth, despite appearing to struggle to get off the startline, with Elfyn Evans’ Yaris next up in fifth.
The top six was completed by Mads Østberg, whose WRC 2-specification Citroën C3 headed several drivers in more powerful World Rally Cars. Just 1.2sec blanketed the leading sextet.
Saturday’s first full day features two identical loops of five gravel road tests covering 147.19km south of Tartu. The loops are split by mid-leg service in the city.
WRC Rally Estonia SS1 times
POS
CLASS
DRIVER
CAR
GAP
1
RC1
Sebastien Ogier, J.Ingrassia
Toyota
1m17.0s
1
RC1
Esapekka Lappi, J.Ferm
Ford
1m17.0s
3
RC1
Ott Tanak, M.Jarveoja
Hyundai
0.1s
4
RC1
Craig Breen, P.Nagle
Hyundai
0.4s
5
RC1
Elfyn Evans, S.Martin
Toyota
0.6s
6
RC2
Mads Ostberg, T.Eriksen
Citroen
1.2s
7
RC2
Pontus Tidemand, P.Barth
Skoda
1.4s
7
RC1
Takamoto Katsuta, D.Barritt
Toyota
1.4s
7
RC1
Kalle Rovanpera, J.Halttunen
Toyota
1.4s
10
RC1
Teemu Suninen, J.Lehtinen
Ford
1.5s
10
RC1
Thierry Neuville, N.Gilsoul
Hyundai
1.5s
10
RC2
Jari Huttunen, M.Lukka
Hyundai
1.5s
13
RC2
Oliver Solberg, A.Johnston
Volkswagen
1.6s
14
RC1
Gus Greensmith, E.Edmondson
Ford
1.7s
14
RC2
Nikolay Gryazin, K.Aleksandrov
Hyundai
1.7s
16
RC2
Ole-Christian Veiby, J.Andersson
Hyundai
1.9s
17
RC2
Eerik Pietarinen, A.Linnaketo
Skoda
2.0s
18
RC2
Gregoire Munster, L.Louka
Hyundai
2.1s
19
RC2
Eyvind Brynildsen, I.Minor
Skoda
2.2s
20
RC2
Kajetan Kajetanowicz, M.Szczepaniak
Skoda
2.4s
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
RallySport Magazine Subscription
Select Subscription Level
Select Subscription Length
Recurring Subscription Cost
A subscription to RallySport Magazine give you access to all our rally
content from Australia, New Zealand and around the world – with news,
features and experiences nobody can match.
Our team are dedicated to providing an unrivalled experience which
shares, supports and promotes the sport of rallying.
By clicking "Subscribe Now" you agree to receive news, offers and updates on RallySport Magazine.
If you do not wish to receive marketing communications, you can update your preferences in My Account.
We will commence charging your payment method after the 7 day free trial expires.
If you cancel after expiry of your trial, cancellation will take effect from the end of your current monthly subscription period.
You will not be refunded any fees paid to RallySport Magazine unless otherwise set out in the terms and conditions.
Account Created!
Welcome to RallySport Magazine VIP Membership.
Get ready for your rally news experience to completely transform.
Start browsing news, exclusive VIP content or check out your account.
