Day 2: Thierry and Nicolas close the gap
Rally Argentina is set to reach a thrilling finale on Sunday as our Belgians Thierry and Nicolas reduced the gap to leader Elfyn Evans to just 11.5 seconds.
Starting Saturday in third place, over one minute down, our #5 crew quickly moved up to second in the opening stage before gradually reducing the leader’s advantage.
Increasing the pressure
“We couldn’t have asked for more from our Saturday,” said Thierry. “The day didn’t start too well after we picked up a puncture but things soon improved. The balance of the car was good and I felt comfortable.”
Thierry and Nicolas have taken stage wins in each of the rallies so far this season. They added two more in Saturday’s afternoon loop, bringing their season total to 23.
“Another dramatic day,” summarised our Team Principal Michel. “Thankfully, we were more on the side of good fortune than bad! Thierry and Nicolas fought valiantly to make their way into second, and then to reduce the gap. We are hoping to fight for the win on Sunday.”
Finishing strongly
One crew who know how to win in Argentina is our Kiwi pairing of Hayden and John, who were victorious twelve months ago. They kept hold of a top-six position on Saturday despite more frustrations.
“We had a good feeling in the car and were preparing to push,” said Hayden. “We had to fix a broken roll bar in the afternoon, which made us late for SS14, so we incurred a time penalty. It wasn’t the afternoon we wanted but we aim to finish the rally strongly.”
Starting first on the road on Saturday, it was a frustrating day for Dani and Marc. They have moved up into the top-ten overall. “We’ve had very little luck this weekend but I am sure it will be better next time. We just want to bring the car home safely on Sunday.”
High hopes
Three stages remain for our crews on Sunday, including two runs through the iconic El Condor (16.32km) and the 22.64km Mina Clavero – Giulio Cesare.
It promises to be another exhilarating conclusion with our team firmly in the hunt for a second season victory. “The aim is always to win,” commented Thierry, “but it’s going to be a tough fight.”
Overall Classification after Day Two
1 E. Evans / D. Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) 2:53:45.7
2 T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +11.5
3 O. Tanak / M. Jarveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +26.8
4 S. Ogier / J. Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +49.9
5 J. M. Latvala / M. Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:24.6
6 H. Paddon / J. Kennard (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +4:26.7
7 J. Hänninen / K. Lindstrom (Toyota Yaris WRC) +9:34.3
8 L. Bertelli / S. Scattolin (Ford Fiesta WRC) +12:10.0
9 D. Sordo / M. Martí (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +13:26.8
10 P. Tidemand / J. Andersson (koda Fabia R5) +13:57.5
