Welshman Elfyn Evans got the 58th edition of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal off to a flying start, setting the fastest time in the Figueira da Foz Super Special, the opening qualifying round of the event.
The Toyota driver prevailed over the 2.94 km of the urban circuit, with the blue of the Atlantic as a backdrop, finishing just two tenths ahead of Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota). Today, the drivers will face 146.5 km of timed trials, divided into 10 special qualifying rounds, held in the tough and selective qualifying rounds of Mortágua, Lousã, Góis, Arganil, Águeda/Sever and Sever/Albergaria.
“Tomorrow we’ll go and find out,” said Elfyn Evans, after setting the fastest time in Figueira da Foz, in direct reference to the uncertainty surrounding tyre management. “I’ll try to enjoy the rally, and if I can just focus on driving and feeling good in the car, that’s the most important thing for me.”
Ott Tänak (Hyundai), who finished with the second fastest time, tied with Ogier and just a few tenths behind the championship leader, explained: “Yes, we had more fun than last year when we had to save the tyres. It’s a bit of a ‘Mickey Mouse’ stage, but it requires a lot of concentration. It’s a good start to the rally.”
Sébastien Ogier completed the Top 3, with the same time as Tänak, stressing: “The stage went well. It was important not to make any mistakes. Tomorrow we’ll need a lot of determination, concentration and a good set-up to maintain a strong pace.”
Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville, both in Hyundai, rounded out the top five.
In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda) was the fastest, entering the overall Top 10. The Russian-Bulgarian finished 1.2s ahead of Kris Meeke (Toyota) and Gus Greensmith (Skoda), who posted identical times. In a section marked by minimal differences, Roberto Daprà (Skoda) was 1.3s behind, and Yohan Rossel (Citroën) posted the fifth fastest time, 1.4s behind.
The opening day of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal was also marked by two great moments of celebration between fans and WRC stars: the morning Shakedown in Baltar, and the always exciting start ceremony in Coimbra, where thousands of fans greeted their idols.
The first stage will be completed tomorrow, with 10 qualifying stages, totalling 146.5 km on the clock. It will be the longest day of the rally, with a double pass through the classic sections of Mortágua (14.5 km), Lousã (12.8 km), Góis (14.3 km) and Arganil (18.7 km), before the new additions: Águeda/Sever (15.0 km) and Sever/Albergaria (20.2 km), the latter with history in the Rally of Portugal, having been used in 1974 under the name Monte Telégrafo.
Classification at the end of the 1st section:
1st Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) with 02:18.1
2nd Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 0.2 s
3rd Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai I20N Rally1), 0.2s
4th Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai I20N Rally1), 0.4s
5th Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai I20N Rally1), 0.6s behind
6th Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 1.3s behind
7th Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 1.9s
8th Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 4.1s
9th Nikolay Gryazin/ Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, at 4.3s (1st Rally2)
10th Mārtiņs Sesks/Renãrs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1), 5.0s
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