The opening stage of the Chilean gravel rally ended in disappointment as it was cancelled for safety reasons after only three drivers. On the second stage, all drivers finally got up to speed.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans was the fastest on the high-speed Rere stage. The Welshman finished ahead of his teammate Kalle Rovanperä by 2.3 seconds. In the end, Toyota drivers took the top four positions on the stage, with Sami Pajari finishing third (+2.9) and Sebastien Ogier fourth (+3.9).
“It was pretty okay, little bit inconsistent in places. Quite loose in places, but not bad in others,” Evans reported.
In the overall standings, Ogier leads the rally by 6.6 seconds ahead of Evans, who was given a notional time for the opening stage. Ogier, who drove the first stage competitively, set a time 10.9 seconds faster than those who didn’t run at full speed.
Rovanperä sits in third place, 8.9 seconds off the lead.
“There was loose gravel everywhere. In these conditions, it’s hard to be super fast. The road doesn’t clean as much as you would expect,” Rovanperä noted.
Ott Tänak, as the leading Hyundai driver, is in fourth place, right on Rovanperä’s heels. Pajari follows Tänak, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster, along with Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi and Thierry Neuville. Martins Sesks, whose Ford lacks a hybrid unit, is in tenth place, 15 seconds off the lead.
Among the top drivers, Ogier and Tänak have continued their protest against the FIA during the first two stages. At the end of SS2, both drivers kept their interviews short. This is in protest of Ogier’s suspended fine imposed for his comments during Rally Greece.
“It is still like before, not going so well,” Tänak stated.
“I have not so much to say,” Ogier commented.
On Friday, Rally Chile will feature four more stages. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally Chile standings after SS2/16:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 16:47.4 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +6.6 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +8.9 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +9.3 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +9.5 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +11.4 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +12.5 |
| 8. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +13.2 |
| 9. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +14.9 |
| 10. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +15.0 |
Rally Chile itinerary (CET):
Thursday, 26 Sept: 13:31 Shakedown: Conuco (6.79 km) Friday, 27 Sept: 13:35 SS1: Pulperia 1 (19.72 km) 14:30 SS2: Rere 1 (13.34 km) 15:21 SS3: San Rosendo 1 (23.32 km) 18:11 Service (30 min) 19:46 SS4: Pulperia 2 (19.72 km) 20:41 SS5: Rere 2 (13.34 km) 21:32 SS6: San Rosendo 2 (23.32 km) Saturday, 28 Sept: 14:07 SS7: Pelun 1 (15.65 km) 15:01 SS8: Lota 1 (25.64 km) 16:05 SS9: Maria las Cruces 1 (28.31 km) 18:37 Service (30 min) 20:07 SS10: Pelun 2 (15.65 km) 21:01 SS11: Lota 2 (25.64 km) 22:05 SS12: Maria las Cruces 2 (28.31 km) Sunday, 29 Sept: 13:23 SS13: Laraquete 1 (18.62 km) 14:35 SS14: Bio Bio 1 (8.78 km) 15:35 SS15: Laraquete 2 (18.62 km) 18:15 SS16: Bio Bio 2 (8.78 km) Power Stage
