Iltalehti is watching the World Rally Championship in Croatia in this story.
FACTS
Croatian World Rally Championship, ek 1/20:
1. Kalle Rovanperä, Toyota
2. Thierry Neuville, Hyundai +4.1
3. Craig Breen, M-Sport +13.0
4. Ott Tänak, Hyundai +16.2
5. Gus Greensmith, M-Sport +25.5
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8. Elfyn Evans, Toyota +1.20.0
The Croatian World Rally Championship started on Friday with a special event of 19.2 km in rainy weather.
Leaving for the weekend, leading the World Championships for drivers Kalle Rovanperä was also the fastest in the first ek. He was just over four seconds old Thierry Neuvillen above.
Esapekka to Lapland the start was sad. The Finnish driver had collided with a large boulder on the right side of the road during a special test.
Lapland tried to continue the journey, but the speed of the car slowed down quickly. The Finnish driver eventually had to stop the car on the road and leave the ek in the middle.
Lapland and co-driver Janne Ferm got out of the car to check for damage. A live broadcast of WRC Live showed a car part hanging on the ground.
– Ek 1 suspended. Drivers ok, Finnish driver announced briefly on Twitter.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvalan according to Lapland’s car suspension broke from the right side. He estimates that the crash made a bad impression.
– Usually, if it breaks down, there is a lot of damage. In Esapekka’s car, the entire right corner is damaged. The pictures showed the part came off, he said in the broadcast.
Lapland was the fifth fastest in the test ek on Thursday, so the missed ek is a tough hit for a Finn. However, Latvala confirmed that the Finnish driver is scheduled to continue the rally on Saturday.
Drama
Esapekka Lappi collided with a boulder in the opening special stage. AOP
Lapland was by no means the only one whose weekend started hard. Many drivers had difficulty staying on the slippery roads of Zagreb.
M-Sport Ford Gus Greensmith drove out at the beginning of the special stage. The Ford Puma had to turn completely to its roof, but Greensmith survived the lawn and was able to continue the rally.
Also Thierry Neuville went out of the way.
– I drove to the ditch right away. There was really little grip. Visibility was really poor. I was just trying to be relaxed and get to the end, Neuville commented on WRC Live.
Elfyn Evans in turn, suffered a tire failure. He drove the front end of the driver’s side of the Toyota to the finish.
Evans was a minute and 20 seconds behind Rovanpera.
The second ek starts at 10.26. Eight special stages will be run on Friday.
The World Rally Championship in Croatia is the third race of the season.
Kalle Rovanperä will be at the top of the drivers’ championship at the start of the World Rally Championship in Croatia. AOP