© Nikos Katikis / DPPI
In Estonia, the sweeping effect was significant, and the top-ranked drivers in the championship paid a heavy price. While Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier ran their own race, far behind Pajari and Solberg, Takamoto Katsuta was unable to join the battle.
Weekends are starting to feel all too similar for Elfyn Evans. The Welshman, who has led the championship for several weeks, regularly pays the price by opening the road on the first day, a major handicap on the dirt track. I’m not sure there was much better we could have done given our position on the road and the conditions we faced. ” he acknowledged after the arrival of the Rally of Estonia, concluded on the 6the ranking. The reigning runner-up still managed to collect 15 points and extend his lead in the championship, a performance praised by his rival and teammate Sébastien Ogier : ” Elfyn was strong this weekend; he did the work a championship leader needs to do to win a title. Starting the road race in the lead this weekend and scoring 15 points is a solid performance. So, well done to him, we have to be honest about that. He himself was rediscovering the event after a five-year absence and seemed quite satisfied with his performance. It wasn’t a bad weekend. I’m not far from the goal I set for myself when I came here; I knew it would be a big challenge He said.
Takamoto Katsuta lost big
Perhaps the biggest loser in Estonia is him. Already struggling with an unfavorable road position, Takamoto Katsuta also suffered a tire demarcation on his front left tire during SS6 on Friday afternoon, meaning he knew he would have to sweep the road again the following day. A major setback for the winner of Kenya and Croatia, who only managed a single point in Estonia. Admittedly, he is still second overall.e of the championship at the time of writing, but his lead over his pursuers has melted like snow in the sun: 8 points over Sami Pajari, 13 over Sébastien Ogier and 22 over Oliver Solberg. It’s very frustrating, but all is not lost and we will continue to move forward and fight. We have tested different configurations on the car in preparation for Rally Finland. (July 30 – August 2. Editor’s note) and I hope we’ll have a good race there “However,” Taka-San remained positive after the grueling Rally Estonia. The sweeping effect might be slightly less pronounced in Finland than it was last weekend, which will certainly please our three main contenders. Elfyn Evans elaborated on this point: Scott (Martin, his co-pilot. Editor’s note) was just looking at the weather app, and it looks a bit more mixed, at least as the event approaches. “” That might help if it stays damp ” he retorted, under the half-amused, half-resigned gaze of Elfyn Evans: ” I certainly hope so. I don’t like sweeping. ».
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