Black Friday Rally Japan

With both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles still up for grabs, Rally Japan would certainly be interesting, we knew that. But who would have thought that it would really be so full of twists and turns? And only the first “real” day of competition took place.

After the Super Special on Thursday eveningat Toyota Stadium, won by Adrien Fourmaux That he found himself, for the first time, leading a WRC racein the stage of on Friday the competitors had to face eight special tests.

Ott Tänak leads the rallyjust what he would need to fuel his hopes of winning the World Championship, taking it away from teammate Thierry Neuville, with Elfyn Evans in second place ed Adrien Fourmaux on the third step of the podiumafter a not too easy start. Neuvillethe leader of the World Championship, he is even fifteenth and, for now, out of the points.

This one provisional top 10 at the end of Friday:

Source: ewrc.com

Here’s what happened on Friday at Rally Japan.

Are Toyota’s hopes fading?

Toyotain Japan, he needed an important result and a perfect race to recover the 15-point deficit from Hyundai and reverse the Constructors’ classification. And the last thing the Japanese company would have needed was the puncture by Sébastien Ogier, in the first test of the dayto Isegami and the problem, again with a tire, by Takamoto Katsuta.

Ogier had to stop to change the tyre, losing two minutes, and “Taka” lost another minute on the road, with the two Yaris Rally1s sunk in the standings. And all this while the two leading Hyundais, those of Tänak and Neuville, took off.

Neuville is in trouble

Ma, only two specials laterthe misfortune arrived at Hyundai, hitting the leader Thierry Neuville. Trying to stay as far away as possible from problems and mistakes, during the fourth special, the Belgian’s i20 suffered a significant drop in power.

Without being able to count on the midday service, but only on a tire fitting area, Neuville could not solve the problemwith the tension increasing as the race continued and minutes were added to the gap in the standings. The Belgian was indeed forced to drive a “crippled” Hyundai for the rest of the day, losing over seven minutes and remaining outside the top 10 and from positions that guarantee points.

Now Neuville will have to win the necessary six points to win the World Cup tra Super Sunday e Powerstagein addition to any points he might earn at the end of Saturdayprovided that your vehicle can be repaired.

He commented Neuville:

“I’m obviously disappointed, I’m probably not the only one. I think the whole team is disappointed with what happened today because obviously things aren’t going to plan for us at the moment. We have a pilot in command, it could have been a one-two punch. But what can I do? If the machine doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Tomorrow we will do our utmost to return to the best position possible. But, obviously, driving for five and a half tests without power, we lost minutes, I think already seven or eight. What can I do? ”

So all is not lost, but the situation is much more complicated and tense than one might have expected. And the only positive note for the Belgian from Hyundai is the 25 point advantage he managed to accumulate during the season, which he always dominated.

Is the World Cup closer for Tänak?

Ott Tänak, pur in testa al rally so far, he has not declared himself not at all satisfied with the situationdespite having the concrete possibility of winning the World Cupto the detriment of his teammate and after managing to detach Evans, second at the moment, by 20 seconds:

“My goal for the weekend has always been the Constructors’ Championship. And this situation doesn’t help us. We have to stay ahead of Toyota, that’s for sure.”

When it was pointed out to him that his chances of winning the Drivers’ title now look much more realistic, Tänak joked:

” So what can I do differently? It’s hard to get beyond first place, so it’s possible, but what else can we do? ”

Mikkelsen leaves the scene

How could you describe theincident in Andreas Mikkelsen in the first test after the mid-day tire change? Another mistake for the Norwegian, e right at the worst timewith theonly target in Japan Of bring valuable points to Hyundai.

Mikkelsen was, at the time of going off the road, in sixth position, ed as soon as he was asked to push hardergiven the problems of Neuville, he made a mistake when braking on a particularly narrow stretch, hitting a tree and having to stop. A relationship with Rally1 for the Norwegian was not particularly happy during the entire season.

Greensmith missed his chance to help Solberg

Already after the Rally Chile, when Oliver Solberg’s hopes of winning the WRC2 title had suffered a serious blow, his Toksport teammate, Gus Greensmith had openly declared that he would do everything possible in Japan to help the Swede in the fight against Sami Pajari.

In fact, it was enough for the Toyota Finn to finish second at the end to snatch the title from Solberg, right at the end, and Greensmith should have been “the disturbing element”.

Ma It wasn’t an easy first day for Greensmith: Pajari ha forato in special number 3, losing around 40 seconds, making himself “attackable” by Greensmith, his closest pursuer. The British had an inconvenience, one strong touch to the rear of his Skoda, and even if he was able to continue the race he saw Pajari leapt into second position provisional, albeit separated by more than a minute, from leader Nikolay Gryazin.

The M-Sport suffers from handling issues

All the spotlight is on the fight for the Constructors’ title M-Sport Fordthe “Cinderella” team among the greats, seemed to have the opportunity to surprise in Japan. But, so far, things haven’t gone well. Is Adrien Fourmaux That Grégoire Munsterunlike the other “top drivers”, have remained away from the problems but both they declared themselves disappointed by their pace.

These are the words of Fourmaux:

“The car doesn’t turn in slow corners, we absolutely have to find a way to make it turn. We knew before the start that this would not be the most congenial race for Puma, but we have to find a way to improve”

Also Grégoire Munster complained of problems with the front of his car, understeer, which is not ideal on tests driven like this.

In the afternoon the situation then improved, with Fourmaux “sacrificing” the rear part but feeling better at the front, after stiffening the anti-roll bar and increasing the rear’s ground clearance.

* ⁤To what extent can individual⁢ driver⁤ errors, such as Mikkelsen’s in⁤ Rally Japan, be attributed to pressure within the Rally1 category, and how might teams⁢ mitigate ​this pressure?

##‌ Open-Ended Discussion Questions for the Rally Japan Article:

Here are some open-ended questions divided into thematic sections, designed to spark discussion and differing viewpoints based on the article:

**Section 1: Mikkelsen’s Retirement & ⁤Rally1 Performance**

* How significant‌ is Mikkelsen’s retirement from the Rally Japan due to this ​particular mistake? Does it highlight a broader issue within the Rally1 category?

* Considering Mikkelsen’s experience, what factors might have contributed to his error? Could it be a reflection of pressure, car handling issues, or ​simply a momentary lapse in⁢ judgment?

**Section 2: Greensmith’s Missed ‌Opportunity & Pajari’s Championship Win**

*‍ Did Greensmith prioritize‌ helping Solberg over his own‍ performance goals? Was it the right decision, considering the circumstances and final results?

*⁣ What are the implications of Pajari’s last-minute victory in the ‍WRC2 championship? Does⁤ it show⁣ promise for his⁣ future in rallying, or highlight the unpredictability of motorsport?

**Section ⁣3: M-Sport Ford’s Struggles & Handling Issues**

* ⁣What are the ⁤potential reasons⁣ behind M-Sport Ford’s difficulties in Japan, despite their‍ strong recent⁢ performances?

* ⁢Do Fourmaux and Munster’s comments about the car’s handling ​reveal a deeper problem with ⁢the Puma design,⁤ or are ‍these specific⁣ issues related to the unique challenges of the Japanese rally stages?

**Section 4: Looking Ahead & ⁣Wider Discussions**

* What strategies might M-Sport Ford employ ‌to ⁤address the handling concerns and ⁤improve their performance in future rallies?

* How crucial is consistency for a​ team vying for the ​Constructors’ title? ⁢How do individual driver ⁣errors impact ‍the overall team performance?

* ​In your opinion, ​what characteristics define⁤ a “Cinderella​ team” in motorsport? ‌Can M-Sport Ford ⁤maintain ⁤their underdog ​status ​while challenging ‍for championships?

These​ open-ended⁣ questions⁢ promote a more in-depth analysis of the events, encouraging participants to ⁣consider various perspectives and explore potential solutions ⁤beyond the article’s immediate scope.