The World Rally Championship will return from a two-month break in Croatia, where it will be run for the second time from World Championship points. Last year, Toyota took the win Sebastien Ogierbut since he is not present this time, a new king will be settled around Zagreb.
Kalle Rovanperä leaves in the clear lead of the World Cup series. There is also a Toyota triple in Croatia Esapekka Lapland.
Friday’s weather will be the main source of the rally, as heavy rain is expected on the opening day. Sports Rally Specialist Miikka Anttila next goes through the rally topics.
How does rainfall affect conditions?
Rally1 cars in the new hybrid era have not yet been tested in wet conditions. Anttila expects problems to be seen on Friday.
– If there is no rain, the temperatures on the asphalt will rise. When driving a rally, the tire heat and through it everything else heats up. What heat does to a hybrid package has not been tested in warm conditions under race conditions.
– I guess there will be more problems there than in a cold condition like Sweden. As the heat load begins to come, we begin to see problems that may not have been seen before.
A change has been made to the rules, as the interruption due to the hybrid unit will in future give the driver a two-minute time penalty per special test instead of the previous ten minutes. The boost brought by the hybrid is at its best in dry asphalt conditions, but slippery has more challenges.
– It makes driving even harder. If it’s slippery anyway, suddenly there’s a big power reserve in use that pushes the car forward. There are three different programs in use for the hybrid boost, and you can change how aggressively the power comes.
– According to drivers, it is really difficult to read the grip in Croatia, and the grip of a similar surface may vary for no apparent reason. At least when it gets a layer of water, it doesn’t make the task any easier.
The tire supplier offers three different tire options for Rally1 drivers in Croatia, and a maximum of eight rainbikes are available. Anttila does not believe that the tires will wear out completely, even if it rains on the opening day.
– If you think that the water will only come on Friday, they should be enough. I suspect that if the condition is such that there is a lot of water, they won’t cost much during Friday. Thus, they would be usable on other days as well, if it happens that it will rain on those days as well.
Toyota and M-Sport have gotten better than you at Hyunda with the new cars, and both teams are already winning this season with a belt. Rain may rain on the German-Korean team laar when there is less grip.
– If there is a hard grip, all the features of the car will be tested at all times. When there is less grip, it doesn’t matter as much what the grip is. The forces are then so much smaller. Perhaps through that, Hyundai can benefit from a little more difficult conditions.
How does the rain affect Kalle Rovanperä’s setups?
– If it rains by pouring, it will clean the road all the time. Then, in principle, the dirt that others raise should go away. On the other hand, there will hardly be so much water there that it would be washed in every bend. Normally, when mud starts to spread on the road, it is harder to come from behind, but the importance of the starting point is difficult to assess.
– At least in Kalle’s situation, if I could choose my starting point, I would be the first to leave.
Last year’s race ended early for the Finn, when after only seven kilometers and three minutes, Rovanperä shook violently out of the way. The background is notation from last year and this year, but in Croatian race kilometers he gives a handicap for example To Elfyn Evans, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänakille.
– Basically, when they have driven a race last year, for example, there is a huge advantage. In addition to the sheet music, a lot of videos have certainly been watched. Sure, Kalle is after the experience, but not dramatically.
– In addition, Kalle is the first to start.
Anttila read the notes To Jari-Matti Latvalaas the duo celebrated their victory in the rainy asphalt race in Corsica in the fall of 2015. The most experienced map reader in the World Series reminds of the importance of patience during a long race.
– It requires precision and softness. You can’t go aggressively at any point. There will be a feeling that you can’t get anywhere, but you just have to keep your head cold and remind yourself that no one else can get in. It’s a bit like driving on slippery ice or snow in Monte.
– Of course, front cars do their own work, but they can’t mark everything either. If the entire road surface is wet, there is not much to mark.
Is Evans already falling out of the World Cup battle?
Evans, who lost to Ogier in the World Cup last season, is Toyota’s most experienced driver in Croatia, as the Rovanperä race was stalled last year and Esapekka Lapland is in new conditions for the first time in a Rally1 car on asphalt. The Welsh season has had a catastrophic start when he drove out in both Monte Carlo and Sweden.
Tänak, one of Hyundai’s top drivers, has also had a miserable start when he stopped due to tire failures in Monte and a fault in the hybrid unit stopped the Estonian world champion in Sweden.
Rovanperä has collected 46 points from two races, while Evans ’only four points came from Monte’s Power Stage. A third failure would already leave you really far from the tip.
– There’s pressure in it, of course. He almost won last year and has driven the race through the rally. He has to start from behind, and if water comes in, it makes the setup a little harder.
– He has made almost more mistakes than in the last two seasons combined. I don’t see any nerve game going on there, but I don’t know why.
Schedule and broadcast information for the World Rally Championship in Croatia
Previews from 9pm to 9.30pm TV2
EK 1 (19.20 km) at 09.33
EK 2 (20.77 km) at 10.26
EK 3 (11.11 km) at 11.19
EK 4 (9.11 km) at 12.32
Day service at 2:22 p.m.
EK 5 (19.20 km) at 16.05
EK 6 (20.77 km) at 16.58
EK 7 (11.11 km) at 17.51
EK 8 (9.11 km) at 19.04
Highlights of the day from 11:20 to 11:50 p.m. TV2
EK 9 (23.76 km) at 08.43
EK 10 (10.10 km) at 09.41
EK 11 (15.85 km) at 11.09
EC 12 (8.78 m) 12:30 – 13:30 TV2
Day service at 2:28 p.m.
EK 13 (23.76 km) at 16.16
EK 14 (10.10 km) at 17.14
EK 15 (15.85 km) at 18.42
Highlights of the day and EK 16 (8.78 km) from 8 pm to 9 pm TV2
EK 17 (13.15 km) at 08.18
EK 18 (14.09 km) from 09.30 to 10.30 Arena (TV2 at 10.00–11.00)
EK 19 (13.15 km) at 11.26
Rally highlights and EK 20 Power Stage (14.09 km) from 14.00 to 15.30 TV2