Tänak set the fastest time on the second pass of Arzachena, beating teammate Thierry Neuville by 1.1 seconds. With that effort, reigning champion Neuville climbed to the top of the overall standings.
“The grip was totally different now. At the start of the stage it was okay, but then there were some surprises on the hard tyres. It wasn’t very forgiving, so there were some interesting moments out there,” Tänak reported after the stage.
With Tänak’s charge, Hyundai locked out the top three positions in the overall classification. Adrien Fourmaux, who had led after the morning loop, now sits second, just 0.2 seconds behind Neuville. Tänak is third, five seconds off the lead.
Sébastien Ogier is the top Toyota driver in fourth place, 6.9 seconds down on Neuville.
Sami Pajari is also well within striking distance of the lead. The young Finn holds fifth place, 10.4 seconds off the top.
“Not too bad, but it’s still challenging. At times it feels really good, but then in some sections I go a bit wide. It’s not easy,” Pajari commented at the stage finish.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä found slightly better pace on his second run through Arzachena. Some minor setup changes had been made to his car during the service break, and he clocked the fourth-fastest time on the stage.
In the overall standings, Rovanperä remains seventh, about half a minute behind the leader.
“It seems to work better now, and the conditions are also better on the second pass. There’s not as much sweeping,” said Rovanperä, who runs second on the road.
Two more stages remain on Friday at Rally Sardinia. The event concludes on Sunday.
Rally Sardinia standings after SS4/16:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 43:22.7 |
| 2. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +0.2 |
| 3. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +5.0 |
| 4. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +6.9 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +10.4 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +16.7 |
| 7. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +29.5 |
| 8. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +46.6 |
Rally Sardinia itinerary (CET):
Thursday 5.6.
14.01 Shakedown: Olbia Cabu Abbas (2,19 km)
Friday 6.6.
10.01 SS1: Arzachena 1 (13,97 km)
11.16 SS2: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1 (18,43 km)
12.31 SS3: Sa Conchedda 1 (27,95 km)
15.05 Service (40 min)
16.31 SS4: Arzachena 2 (13,97 km)
17.46 SS5: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 2 (18,43 km)
19.01 SS6: Sa Conchedda 2 (27,95 km)
Saturday 7.6.
10.05 SS7: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (21,18 km)
11.16 SS8: Lerno - Su Filigosu 1 (24,34 km)
12.31 SS9: Tula - Erula 1 (15,28 km)
14.20 Service (40 min)
16.05 SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (21,18 km)
17.16 SS11: Lerno - Su Filigosu 2 (24,34 km)
18.31 SS12: Tula - Erula 2 (15,28 km)
Sunday 8.6.
08.25 SS13: San Giacomo - Plebi 1 (25,19 km)
09.35 SS14: Porto San Paolo 1 (13,70 km)
11.50 SS15: San Giacomo - Plebi 2 (25,19 km)
13.30 Service (15 min)
14.15 SS16: Porto San Paolo 2 (13,70 km) *Power Stage
