In the World Rally Championship, the longest special stage in five years will be run on Friday, when the 49.9 kilometer long special stage Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda will be contested in the Sardinia World Rally Championship.
The last special test longer than this was run in the World Championship five years ago in the Corsica World Rally.
Kalle Rovanperä will be the first to go to that special test on Friday, because he is leading the World Championship.
On the Sardinian gravel, Rovanpera is expected to play the so-called plowing role in dry weather.
Rovanperä and his cart Jonne Halttunen fired harsh comments earlier this week about their plans for Sardinia. Rovanperä stated rally media to Dirtfishthat he will not win in Sardinia, even though he has previously been able to win races in the role of a plow car.
– Sardinia is the only rally in the World Series that I don’t really like in any way, Rovanperä stated in an interview with Dirtfish.
Kartturi Halttunen also had a pessimistic attitude towards the competition, although the duo will of course try their best in the competition.
– I know for sure that it will be a disaster for us when we are the first car on the road in Sardinia and there will be another 50 kilometer long special test, tire wear and heat, Halttunen told Dirtfish.
The 50 km special stage is run twice. Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda is on the program on Friday, as the last special stage of both the morning and the evening. It is run from 11:21 and 17:13.
A total of 141.24 kilometers will be raced on Friday, while the length of the entire race is 320.88 kilometers. Urheilu’s rally expert Henri Haapamäki believes that Friday’s setup will be difficult for Rovanpera.
He sees Monte Lerno – Sa Conchedda as the toughest special stage in the entire World Series.
– The impact of flat tires is great. If two tires go and you have to stop, the differences can become big, Haapamäki illustrates.
Sardinia is known to have hot weather during the World Rally Championship. The drivers are really hard then. At the time of the competition, it could be even more than 30 degrees warm.
– It can be 70-80 degrees warm in the car then. Exhaust pipes heat up. All hybrid units are really hot inside the car. With that long special exam, the performance takes tens of minutes. It will be quite an ordeal for the drivers, says Haapamäki.
The last time the special stage in question was run longer was in the World Rally Championship in Sardinia in 2014. At that time, the special stage was still ten kilometers longer than it is now. Then the fastest ones cleared the special test in 37 minutes.
Haapamäki also compares it to cross-country skiing.
– A small ski slip doesn’t necessarily ruin a 50-kilometer race, but in a rally, a small slip could end up in a crash and hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damage, he says.
The drivers also had to prepare days in advance for the challenges of the World Rally Championship in Sardinia. For example, hydration has had to be carefully taken care of. Last year Esapekka Lappi also prepared for the competition by sitting in the sauna wearing a racing suit.
The longest special stages of the World Rally Championship since the previous “monster stage” in Sardinia in 2014
Rain can change the settings – “Yes, we may see a hard blow”
However, the situation can be turned upside down. Rain is forecast for the Monte Lerno area on Friday. Then Kalle Rovanperä has the advantage of the first starting place.
– If there are decent rains, the first starting place will definitely have an advantage. When it rains, the weather gets mixed up. The road becomes muddy. Then the first car has excellent conditions to go, says Haapamäki.
Rovanperä has also scored several goals in the World Cup in rainy weather. Haapamäki is a little suspicious of the disaster speeches given by Rovanperä and Halttunen.
– Yes, we may still see a heavy blow on Friday, even though it is stated in the talks that there would be no top speed, Haapamäki says.
Toyota had problems with their car last year in gravel rallies like Sardinia, and Hyundai, on the other hand, suffered, but for this season Toyota’s car has been better in this respect as well.
Haapamäki also reminds that in Sardinia it is more about competition between drivers instead of competition between teams.
One strong winner candidate is Rovanperä’s teammate Sébastien Ogier. The Frenchman won the World Rally Championship in Sardinia two years ago, even though he had to drive first on the opening day.
Haapamäki also reminds Esapekka Lapin of possibilities. Lapland has been able to get up to speed with the Hyundai and grabbed podium places in the two previous races in Portugal and Croatia. Lapland can now start on Friday from the sixth starting place.
– Lapland led last year in Sardinia before going out. I believe that he will be a really strong link in this rally, says Haapamäki.
Urheilu follows the World Rally Championship in Sardinia moment by moment on its website and in the app. You can also find the hottest video clips of the race in the live tracking. The World Rally Championship in Sardinia starts on Thursday with a test special stage at 10:00. The 1st special exam is scheduled for Thursday at 19:05.