Bonato set the second-fastest time on the fifth special stage of the season’s first ERC rally on Saturday afternoon. The 41-year-old Bonato was just half a second behind the stage-winning time set by Spanish driver Efren Llarena.
“Good start to the afternoon. Less slippy. The car is perfect and I’m trying to do my best,” said the Citroën driver.
However, Russian-rooted Nikolay Gryazin continues to lead the rally. Driving a Škoda, Gryazin has pulled out a 10.8-second lead over home driver Jose Suarez. Bonato is in third, trailing the leader by 21.8 seconds. Italian Andrea Mabellini is just under five seconds behind Bonato.
“It’s more dirty and the grip is lower than expected. The car is not doing what I like, so I have to adjust,” Gryazin commented.
Norwegian Mads Østberg, also driving a Citroën, sits fifth in the standings with a gap of 28.2 seconds to the front. Thanks to his stage-winning time, Llarena has climbed to sixth, overtaking Pepe Lopez and Miko Marczyk. Still, the top eight drivers remain within half a minute of each other.
The Sierra Morena Rally, held in the surroundings of the city of Córdoba, continues with two more special stages on Saturday. The rally concludes on Sunday with six timed sections.
Standings in the ERC Sierra Morena Rally after SS5/13:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | 32:45.1 |
| 2. | Jose Suarez | Skoda | +10.8 |
| 3. | Yoann Bonato | Citroen | +21.8 |
| 4. | Andrea Mabellini | Skoda | +26.7 |
| 5. | Mads Østberg | Citroen | +28.2 |
| 6. | Efren Llarena | Citroen | +32.5 |
| 7. | Pepe Lopez | Hyundai | +33.1 |
| 8. | Mikolaj Marczyk | Skoda | +31.6 |
| 9. | Stephane Lefebvre | Hyundai | +41.1 |
| 10. | Robert Virves | Skoda | +41.4 |
