The star of SS11 was undoubtedly Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux, who attacked fiercely. The day could bring significant WRC points for the French driver, provided his car remains on the road.
Recording the fastest time on this stage marked Fourmaux’s fourth career best and his first in Sweden. He outpaced Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by 1.5 seconds.
“It could be my first podium so I need to stay on the road now,” Fourmaux commented at the end of the stage.
With a comfortable lead in the rally Esapekka Lappi, no longer needs to rush, yet he maintained a good pace. However, avoiding unnecessary risks was evident in his time, as Lappi finished 7.3 seconds behind Fourmaux, making him the fifth fastest on the stage.
“I was always safe but I don’t know what else I should do, to be honest. The time is what it is. We are not touching the banks. The last kilometers were really messy. All the other 25km, no touching, ” said Lappi.
Lappi still leads the rally with a substantial margin. Fourmaux is nearly one and a half minutes behind the Finn. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans holds the third position, with Oliver Solberg, driving a Skoda Rally2, in fourth.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on SS11, 5.2 seconds off the pace. Rovanperä encountered a setback towards the end of the stage when his car hit a bank, resulting in a loss of power.
“I don’t know why but I stalled the car in the braking so we went a bit to the side of the road, nothing dramatic,” Rovanperä shared.
In the WRC2 class, Finnish drivers are making their move up the leaderboard. Sami Pajari has climbed to sixth overall, with Roope Korhonen in seventh. Nikolay Gryazin went off the road and got stuck in a bank.
Four more special stages are scheduled for Saturday after the service break in Rally Sweden. The event concludes on Sunday.
Standings after SS11/18 of Rally Sweden:
1. Esapekka Lappi Hyundai 1:28:10.4 2. Adrien Fourmaux Ford +1:24.3 3. Elfyn Evans Toyota +1:40.5 4. Oliver Solberg Skoda +2:25.4 5. Thierry Neuville Hyundai +2:42.9 6. Sami Pajari Toyota +3:24.3 7. Roope Korhonen Toyota +3:28.2 8. Georg Linnamäe Toyota +3:31.6 9. Mikko Heikkilä Toyota +3:37.3 10. Lauri Joona Skoda +4:18.5
Itinerary (CET)
Thursday, February 15th 09:01 Shakedown: Håkmark (5.42 km) 19:05 SS1: Umeå Sprint 1 (5.16 km) Friday, February 16th 08:58 SS2: #42 Brattby 1 (10.76 km) 09:52 SS3: Norrby 1 (12.36 km) 10:55 SS4: Floda 1 (28.25 km) 13:28 Service (30 min) 14:36 SS5: #42 Brattby 2 (10.76 km) 15:30 SS6: Norrby 2 (12.36 km) 16:33 SS7: Floda 2 (28.25 km) 19:05 SS8: Umeå Sprint 2 (5.16 km) Saturday, February 17th 07:45 SS9: Vännäs 1 (15.65 km) 08:35 SS10: Sarsjöliden 1 (14.23 km) 10:08 SS11: Bygdsiljum 1 (28.06 km) 13:00 Service (30 min) 14:15 SS12: Vännäs 2 (15.65 km) 15:05 SS13: Sarsjöliden 2 (14.23 km) 16:38 SS14: Bygdsiljum 2 (28.06 km) 19:05 SS15: Umeå 1 (10.08 km) Sunday, February 18th 07:27 SS16: Västervik 1 (25.50 km) 09:06 Service (15 min) 10:03 SS17: Västervik 2 (25.50 km) 12:15 SS18: Umeå 2 (10.08 km) *Power Stage
