Ott Tänak snatched the lead of Wales Rally GB from teammate Kris Meeke in the closing kilometres of Friday’s stages after a thrilling fight in typically unpredictable weather.
The FIA World Rally Championship leader relegated his Toyota Yaris colleague in the darkness of the final Aberhirnant speed test to carry a 3.4sec advantage into Saturday’s marathon leg.
Meeke took the lead in Thursday night’s opening test. Despite failing to win any of Friday’s nine gravel road special stages in north and mid-Wales, the Ulsterman fended off a string of challengers until the last test. His only issue was a spin after overshooting a hairpin.
He was also overhauled by world champion Sébastien Ogier, Tänak’s closest challenger in the exciting battle for the 2019 world title, but the leading trio are blanketed by only 3.6sec.
Tänak was fortunate to remain in contention after a problem with his auxiliary lights in the penultimate test as dusk was turning to full darkness.
“It was quite stressful in there,” he said at the finish.
“In the previous stage we lost the lights and the wires were damaged so we had a lot of work to do on the liaison section before the final one. Luckily we had some lights in there,” said the Estonian, who won both tests.
Although the tail end of Hurricane Lorenzo failed to bring the extreme weather predicted, steady rain made the gravel tracks in the Snowdonia mountains extremely slippery and grip was at a premium all morning.
As the sun broke through in the afternoon, six-time champion Ogier upped the pace in his Citroën C3, climbing from fifth to pose an ominous presence behind Tänak in his quest for a fifth GB win in six years.
Thierry Neuville, the third driver in the title battle, ended fourth in his Hyundai i20, 4.8sec behind Meeke. The Belgian had no major problems but a tyre selection mix-up at mid-leg service cost valuable seconds this afternoon.
Teammates Andreas Mikkelsen and Craig Breen completed the top six, half a minute off the lead.
Ford Fiesta teammates Teemu Suninen, Elfyn Evans and Pontus Tidemand were seventh, eighth and ninth. Suninen lost time in a ditch while Evans dropped almost 45sec in the morning after swiping a bank and damaging his car’s rear suspension.
WRC 2 Pro leader Jan Kopecký completed a top 10 that was missing Jari-Matti Latvala and Esapekka Lappi following crashes.
Latvala ran as high as third before rolling his Yaris heavily and he will not restart on Saturday. Lappi slid his C3 into a ditch and could not regain the track.
Super Saturday comprises almost half the rally’s competitive distance.
Six mid-Wales stages are followed by a closing test along Colwyn Bay promenade. Reliability is key, with no service after competitors depart Llandudno at 5.40am until they return at almost 8pm.
Top 10 after Friday:
1. O Tänak/M Järveoja (Toyota Yaris) 1hr 14min 30.8sec
2. S Ogier/J Ingrassia (Citroën C3) +3.4sec
3. K Meeke/S Marshall (Toyota Yaris) +3.6sec
4. T Neuville/N Gilsoul (Hyundai i20) +8.4sec
5. A Mikkelsen/A Jaeger-Amland (Hyundai i20) +25.7sec
6. C Breen/P Nagle (Hyundai i20) +33.5sec
7 T Suninen/J Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta WRC) +37.4
8 E Evans/S Martin (Ford Fiesta WRC) +51.8
9 P Tidemand/O Floene (Ford Fiesta WRC) + 2:56.6
10 J Kopecky/J Hlousek (Skoda Fabia R5 evo) + 4:01.1
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.
