Swedish Rally win within Neuville’s grasp after Day 2

18th February 2018, 9:40am
by

Thierry Neuville finally broke clear of the chasing pack on Saturday to move within touching distance of becoming only the third non-Nordic driver to win Rally Sweden. The Belgian soaked up intense pressure for almost two days to protect a lead that never rose above a handful of seconds, before attacking himself to open a 22.7sec advantage with Sunday's short leg remaining. The Hyundai i20 driver is determined to make up for last year when he crashed out of a comfortable lead, and join French legends Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier in taming the snow and ice rally. He fended off Craig Breen, eager to claim a maiden WRC victory, and team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Hayden Paddon before trebling his lead with a stunning performance to win the gravelly 23.40km Hagfors speed test this afternoon. A glitch with his car's paddle shift gearchange and a spin threatened to derail Neuville this morning. Mikkelsen, his closest challenger at the time, pirouetted at the same place and could not take advantage of his colleague's error.

Mads Ostberg continued to impress on what has been a good event for Citroen. Photo: Red Bull

That spin cost the Norwegian dear. He dropped to fourth and although he quickly regained third from Paddon, he could do nothing to reel in Irishman Breen and trailed him by 9.3sec. It was an accomplished performance by Breen, whose only concern came when his Citroën C3 swiped a snow bank. He gambled on carrying just one spare wheel this afternoon to save weight but could do nothing to halt the leader's charge. Paddon's car set-up was unsuited to this morning's forest roads and the New Zealander lost a handful of seconds stuck on the inside of a hairpin in the final stage to end 16.6sec behind Mikkelsen. Mads Østberg was distanced by the battling quartet. The Norwegian changed his C3's settings as he searched for improved balance but the switches affected his confidence and he reversed the adjustments. Esapekka Lappi headed a trio of Finns in sixth, 9.0sec behind Østberg and almost a minute clear of Toyota Yaris team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who struggled with differential issues. Teemu Suninen, making only his third World Rally Car start, slipped to eighth in his Ford Fiesta, with Ott Tänak and Sébastien Ogier completing the leaderboard.

Sebastien Ogier is still out of the points, thanks to a dismal first two days in Sweden. Photo: Red Bull

Tänak won three stages but was involved in a bizarre incident with Kris Meeke which cost him two minutes and ended with the Briton's retirement. Meeke nosed into a snow bank but lost engine power when he regained the road. He stopped to clean snow from his C3's cooling system and as Tänak tried to pass in a narrow section, the two cars collided and the Estonian's Yaris bounced into a ditch. Sunday is the shortest leg with just three stages covering 51.94km. After two passes through the Likenäs test, the rally ends with the lunchtime Torsby Power Stage, which offers bonus points to the fastest five drivers. Classification after Day Two

1	T. Neuville	N. Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	2:23:23.8
2	C. Breen	S. Martin	Citroën C3 WRC	+22.7
3	A. Mikkelsen	A. Jæger	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+32.0
4	H. Paddon	S. Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+48.6
5	M. Østberg	T. Eriksen	Citroën C3 WRC	+56.8
6	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	+1:05.8
7	J. M. Latvala	M. Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	+2:03.3
8	T. Suninen	M. Markkula	Ford Fiesta WRC	+2:20.5
9	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	+3:41.3
10	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	+4:24.9

Related news:

https://rallysportmag.com/comment-rally-sweden-dream-event/ https://rallysportmag.com/aladins-cave-inside-toyotas-secret-motorsport-museum150218/

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.

Already have an account?

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 Details

Remember me

Payment Information

I agree to the terms and conditions and the privacy policy

Swedish Rally win within Neuville’s grasp after Day 2

Related news:

SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY

Show Your Support

Author

Reading holds off Skodas in Tassie opener

McRae chasing Junior ERC victory number two

The one regret in Tassie legend’s glittering career

Quinn outlasts rivals to conquer Heartland

One and done: the Mille Pistes system

Australians take maiden world rally podium in Croatia

5 big takeaways from Croatia Rally

Unique Rally1 program for Sesks

Title

Swedish Rally win within Neuville’s grasp after Day 2

Related news:

SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY

Show Your Support

Author

Trending Posts...

You might also like...

Title