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Fireworks guaranteed on Portuguese roads
For the first time this year, the two stars Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier, with their Toyota, will come to challenge the drivers who are doing the full season and the confrontation promises a lot.
Sébastien Ogier, 8 times world champion, knows Portugal well since he leads the event list with five victories to his credit. He will be looking to achieve his 60th career success this weekend.
“I can’t wait to return to Portugal after a year of absence. The atmosphere there is always exceptional and I can’t wait to be there.” explains the Habs.
“Our goal will obviously be to try to win this year, but it’s never easy. All the top drivers know the stages very well, so the pace is generally quite high and the battles quite competitive.” add Kalle Rovanperä.
The final word for Thierry Neuville, the championship leader:
“The road conditions and start order will make a huge difference to our performance. If it rains we will be fast, but if it is dry we will struggle more as everyone knows the stages well. »
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The world championship rankings HERE
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Friday May 10
At the end of a day marked by five different special stage winners, Kalle Rovanperä is only one second ahead of Sébastien Ogier.
This first day, totally crazy, did not allow any driver to get away from it all. This evening we find the first 6 separated by only 18sec.
It was a great battle throughout the day”explains Kalle Rovanperä.
“I couldn’t do much more in the last stage as my tires were in very poor condition at the rear. You simply had to survive. The battle is only fun if you win, so let’s wait for the rest! »
The provisional Top 6
1. Kalle Rovanperä (GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative temps: 1:25:00.4
2. Sébastien Ogier (GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative time: 1:25:01.4 (+1.0s)
3. Takamoto Katsuta (GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative time: 1:25:05.1 (+4.7s)
4. Ott Tänak (i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative time: 1:25:05.8 (+5.4s)
5. Dani Sordo (i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative time: 1:25:18.3 (+17.9s)
6. Thierry Neuville (i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) – Cumulative time: 1:25:18.5 (+18.1s)
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TO BE CONTINUED
