Leading the Croatia Rally, Thierry Neuville was the first to tackle the special stage. Snow began to fall in the mountains during Neuville’s run, and the conditions did not improve for those who followed.
The challenge was further compounded by the fact that the gravel crews were unable to check the conditions before the second run of the Platak stage.
“It is very dangerous because we don’t have information from the gravel crew. There were many surprises. I have to trust my feelings, and keep my eyes wide open. There is a fine line between going off the road and driving fast,” Neuville stated.
Neuville ultimately was the fastest driver on the special stage, beating Toyota driver Elfyn Evans by 1.5 seconds. In the overall standings, the Hyundai star now has a 10.1-second lead over Evans.
Sebastien Ogier was the third fastest on the stage and holds the same position in the overall competition, 26.9 seconds behind Neuville. Ott Tänak, in fourth place, has fallen 48.1 seconds behind the leader.
M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux continues in fifth place in the competition. The Frenchman struggled in the challenging conditions.
“We had a big moment on the brakes when it was snowing. Sometimes there was grip, but other times there wasn’t,” Fourmaux described.
The gaps behind Fourmaux have stretched significantly. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta is now a minute and a half behind the leader, and Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen is two minutes back.
Three more special stages will be run in the Croatia Rally on Friday. The race concludes on Sunday.
Watch the video below for a recap of Friday morning’s events at the Croatian World Rally Championship. The competition’s standings and itinerary are below the video.
Standings at the Croatia Rally after SS5/20:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 41:13.5 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +10.1 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +26.9 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +48.1 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +52.0 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:30.9 |
| 7. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai | +1:56.2 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:31.8 |
| 9. | Nikolay Gryazin | Citroen | +2:48.3 |
| 10. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +3:01.5 |
Croatia Rally itinerary (CET):
Thursday, April 18 09:01 Shakedown: Okić (3.65 km) Friday, April 19 08:28 SS1: Krašić - Sošice 1 (23.63 km) 09:41 SS2: Jaškovo - Mali Modruš Potok 1 (9.48 km) 10:39 SS3: Ravna Gora - Skrad 1 (10.13 km) 11:47 SS4: Platak 1 (16.63 km) 14:02 Tyre fitting zone (15 min) 14:45 SS5: Platak 2 (16.63 km) 15:58 SS6: Ravna Gora - Skrad 2 (10.13 km) 17:16 SS7: Jaškovo - Mali Modruš Potok 2 (9.48 km) 18:09 SS8: Krašić - Sošice 2 (23.63 km) Saturday, April 20 07:31 SS9: Smerovišće - Grdanjci 1 (15.72 km) 08:24 SS10: Stojdraga - Gornja Vas 1 (20.77 km) 10:05 SS11: Vinski Vrh - Duga Resa 1 (8.78 km) 11:03 SS12: Pećurkovo Brdo - Mrežnički Novaki 1 (9.11 km) 13:03 Service (40 min) 14:31 SS13: Smerovišće - Grdanjci 2 (15.72 km) 15:24 SS14: Stojdraga - Gornja Vas 2 (20.77 km) 17:05 SS15: Vinski Vrh - Duga Resa 2 (8.78 km) 18:03 SS16: Pećurkovo Brdo - Mrežnički Novaki 2 (9.11 km) Sunday, April 21 07:08 SS17: Trakošćan - Vrbno 1 (13.15 km) 08:35 SS18: Zagorska Sela - Kumrovec 1 (14.24 km) 10:23 SS19: Trakošćan - Vrbno 2 (13.15 km) 13:15 SS20: Zagorska Sela - Kumrovec 2 (14.24 km) *Power Stage
