WRC points leader Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time in shakedown this morning at Croatia Rally, round 3 of the 2022 World Rally Championship.
Like last year, the 21-year-old heads into Croatia Rally as the championship leader. Rovanperä set a time of 1:52.5 in the 3.65 km long shakedown, four-tenths quicker than Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. Ott Tänak needs a big weekend in Croatia as he is 11th in the championship standings with just 5 points to his name, already 41 points behind Rovanperä. The Estonian was third fastest in shakedown, 0.8s adrift of Rovanperä.
Craig Breen had a weekend to forget in Sweden almost two months ago as he crashed out in stage 2. The M-Sport team leader was joint fourth fastest as Esapekka Lappi set an identical time, 1.3s of the pace.
Three drivers, Oliver Solberg, Eflyn Evans and Gus Greensmith, set a time of 1:54.8, a second back from Breen and Lappi. Pierre Louis Loubet kicked off his WRC debut at the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team with P9 in shakedown, a tenth behind Solberg, Evans and Greensmith. Another tenth behind was Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. 11th fastest and final Rally1-car driver was Adrien Fourmaux, 0.9s behind Katsuta’s time.
Fastest in WRC2 was Stéphane Lefebvre in the C3 Rally2, 0.7s ahead of his countryman Eric Camilli.
Rally Croatia gets underway this evening with the ceremonial start. The real action starts tomorrow morning. SS1 starts at 8:33 local time.
VIDEO: Shakedown Croatia Rally
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WRC Croatia Rally 2022 – Shakedown results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 1:52.5 |
| 2. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +0.1 |
| 3. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +0.8 |
| 4. | Breen / Nagle | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1.3 |
| 4. | Lappi / Ferm | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1.3 |
| 6. | Solberg / Edmondson | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2.3 |
| 7. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2.3 |
| 8. | Greensmith / Andersson | Ford Puma Rally1 | +2.3 |
| 9. | Loubet / Landais | Ford Puma Rally1 | +2.4 |
| 10. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2.5 |
Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing