WRC – Tänak extends his lead, title proceed reaches fever pitch on Rally GB

Estonian ace Ott Tänak prolonged his lead of Wales Rally GB to 11 seconds on the toughest leg of the event.

The Toyota Yaris WRC driver battled by device of the day’s classic quick and flowing stages within the forests of mid-Wales to head into essentially the most attention-grabbing leg with his fellow FIA World Rally Championship title protagonists in sizzling pursuit.

Tänak adapted nicely to the inclement prerequisites to form certain the battle for the lead would swing in his favour, doubling his narrow in a single day advantage over title rival Thierry Neuville. The disturbing-charging Hyundai i20 WRC driver threw his hat into the ring from the gap stage of the day, first overhauling Toyota driver Kris Meeke and then six-time FIA World Rally champion Sébastien Ogier.

The Citroën C3 WRC driver admitted he became ‘accurate on the restrict’ and ‘couldn’t attain any longer’ as he dropped from the 2d save he held in a single day, at the same time as in distinction, Neuville bolstered his possibilities of remaining within the three-device battle for the WRC title.

With the trio of title adversaries now locked in a astronomical battle within the podium positions, the next day’s finale is vulnerable to play a significant role within the plug save of this year’s WRC crown.

Kris Meeke, who led for virtually all of Friday, started 3.6sec off the lead but might possibly possibly moreover no longer reproduce the equivalent tempo on sooner and wider roads in his Yaris. He ended 26.5sec lifeless crew-mate Tänak, but in a actually indispensable functions-paying subject for Toyota’s producers’ title disclose.

Andreas Mikkelsen won a stage en route to keeping fifth in his i20. The Norwegian got right here beneath fierce stress from Elfyn Evans, who won all three morning stages in his Ford Fiesta. The Welshman became much less dominant this afternoon but became handiest 4.5sec adrift tonight.

Crew-mate Teemu Suninen became more than two minutes extra back after shedding time when he crashed off the avenue and punctured a tyre. Shedding his Fiesta’s entrance splitter later price aerodynamic downforce and more time.

Pontus Tidemand, Craig Breen and FIA WRC 2 Pro leader Kalle Rovanperä performed the leaderboard.

Within the FIA WRC 2 class, rally memoir Petter Solberg leads the subject on his farewell tour, before Frenchmen Pierre-Louis Loubet – handiest 12.5 seconds lifeless – and Adrien Fourmaux.

Jan Solans is the leader of FIA Junior WRC, over three minutes before his closest rival Kristensson, who sustained a puncture. The Spaniard became by no device headed for the length of Saturday’s robust stages in Britain and is now within peek of the championship’s title.

Breen dropped five minutes after a spectacular roll this morning, the Irishman blaming an over optimistic tempo repeat. He struggled by device of the rest of the day with a cracked windscreen hampering visibility.

Sunday’s finale returns to north Wales. Two loops of two forest stages sandwich an asphalt test in some unspecified time in the future of the rocky Mammoth Orme headland on the fringe of host town Llandudno. It totals 38.42km and essentially the most attention-grabbing Energy Stage offers bonus functions to the fastest five drivers.

2019 Wales Rally GB – Unofficial Results after Portion 6: