Two World Championship points between the driver with the most and the fourth most points.
17th place in the final results, but the sixth most World Championship points.
Above are two examples of how the extraordinary rally in Croatia looked over the weekend. At the same time, one more experience was gained from the new scoring system.
Sebastien Ogier’s in the rally that ended in victory, the biggest drama could be expected on Sunday, but even driving mistakes did not completely dampen anyone’s rally. At the top of the World Series with a difference of six points, Hyundai, who also fought for second in Croatia, continue Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans.
‘s expert Henri Haapamäki bundles the talking points after the asphalt rally.
Errors were eventually seen
Friday and Saturday even offered exceptionally even racing in Croatia. After Friday, Neuville and Evans were tied at the top of the rally, and at the end of Saturday, Neuville led by 4.9 seconds.
Technical problems, pit stops, flat tires or other setbacks were practically not seen in the WRC class before Sunday, which is rare in challenging conditions.
– Even unprecedentedly smooth, when we alternate driving responsibility like in racing cycling. Until Saturday evening, we drove hand in hand, so to speak, which is not often seen in World Cup rallies, Haapamäki quips, referring to possible setbacks.
On Sunday, Neuville, Evans and Adrien Fourmaux fell into driving mistakes in the same special test, which watered down their pursuit of Sunday’s points.
Fourmaux broke the support arm of the right front wheel of his car in the shock, had to repair it for more than ten minutes, but made it to the finish line. The final day, driven without daily maintenance, ended with the French driver finally winning the Power Stage.
– Really hard performance, hats off to you. The overall picture of a well-run rally was ruined by one mistake. He repaired the car in the field for a quarter of an hour and then left the world champions behind, Haapamäki praises Fourmaux’s performance.
Neuville put his drive out right on the spike of the map reader’s note error. According to the Belgian, the notes came through the special test late.
– At that level, the map reader practically doses the note in such a way that the driver can drive at full speed. It could be that the command came into such a tight corner too late, when we are talking about tenths of a second, Haapamäki estimates.
Driving second in the World Series, Evans drove the corner wide in the race for seconds, hit the bank and spun in very slippery conditions.
Ott Tänak took the save win
Estonian driver Ott Tänak drove one special test base time all weekend. He was fourth in the final results of the rally, but took the second most points, just one less than Ogier. The Estonian driver complained in an interview after the rally that there is no confidence in the car and driving at the moment.
Haapamäki emphasizes that the driver’s self-confidence stems from how well the car suits him.
– Self-confidence comes when you know how the car behaves, especially in such difficult rallies. The car is currently not completely suitable for Tänak, the expert estimates.
The 2019 world champion has not been on the podium once this season. The three previous rallies have ended in suspension as far as the overall race is concerned.
– Little by little, the monkey on the neck tightens its grip, and the driver starts to think about point situations and a little bigger things, maybe even a little secretly from himself, Haapamäki opens up the driver’s mental landscape.
The success on Sunday and the hefty WC points pot kept Tänak in the championship fight. Opportunities to find self-confidence and turn the course are coming.
– Even today, the golden season is coming, especially when we go to high-speed gravel rallies in the summer. Tänak has often had his car adjusted to suit him, the experienced rally man reminds.
The championship battle is wide open
The new scoring system has kept the championship battle open since the beginning of the season. Haapamäki emphasizes that there is no clear pre-favorite for champion when about a quarter of the season has been completed.
In addition to Tänak, Haapamäki raises Fourmaux to challenge regular faces for the top 3 position in the series.
– There just aren’t many drivers like that who can drive low times in the series. In the early season, driving has also found consistency.
This season’s scoring system showed its versatility in Croatia. Fourmaux was 17th in the final results, but was fifth after Saturday and the fastest in the final special stage, so he accumulated 13 points. Today, too, the points were distributed 10+6+4, although the top speed could not be found.
The new World Championship point system has sparked a lot of discussion among rally fans. Admittedly, monitoring the points situation during the competition is challenging, but Haapamäki sees a bright side in the reform.
– It is good for the sport that the points situation in the series remains this tight.
The expert reminds that it would be rude if one driver had already torn a decisive gap and could, for example, stop a couple of rallies in the championship battle without worry.
The points to be distributed on Sunday offer those who dropped out earlier an opportunity to attack.
– Before, you could only take a few points from the Power Stage. Now the 12 maximum points that are being distributed on Sunday are a really significant pot, Haapamäki concludes.