We last saw Yohan, Léo and their co-drivers after a magnificent one-two finish in WRC2 at Rally From Croatia, it’s clear that the days that have passed since have not impacted their motivation. At the end of the first loop of this Canary Islands Rally, shortened by the cancellation of the third special stage, Yohan Rossel – Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) are leading the pack ahead of Léo Rossel – Guillaume Mercoiret (Citroën C3 Rally2) by 10,4 seconds, thanks to the 2019 French Rally Champion. “I pushed really hard in SS4 to try and create a gap; we know it’s difficult to do that in stages we don’t know but the local drivers do.”, commented Yohan Rossel at the end of this first part of the day. “I’m quite happy with the feeling in the car; we still need to work on it, but we’re in the lead at the moment, we have nothing to complain about.”Last year, the Rossel-Dunand duo had already triumphed here with style and flair aboard the Citroën C3 Rally2.

Yohan Rossel – Léo Rossel, the match is real and will continue

Neighbor in the competitors’ park in Las Palmas, Léo Rossel does not intend to settle for second place, even though the leader is none other than his older brother. “For now, we’re in second place, but the goal will be to close the gap with Yohan and Arnaud this afternoon.”he mentioned. “This morning, in SS2, the feeling was pretty good, but it was harder in SS4. The tarmac here is very particular; I was less confident in the car, but it’s also a perfect playground for improvement.”It’s worth remembering that last year, Léo Rossel and Guillaume Mercoiret were in third place in WRC2 before going off the road. Here in the Canary Islands, they achieved one of their best performances of the 2026 season. The two Stellantis Motorsport crews must, however, keep a close eye on their rearview mirrors, as the gaps behind them are minimal: you have to go down to 18th place in the provisional WRC2 standings to find a crew more than a minute behind the leaders.

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