Ogier had lost his lead to Hyundai’s Ott Tänak on the previous stage, but the veteran driver struck back brilliantly, finishing 2.3 seconds faster than the Estonian. Ogier now leads the rally by 2.2 seconds over Tänak.
“Obviously tough start to the day. It’s a shame because it was nothing special. I didn’t feel anything and the wheel is bent from the inside. Big fight,” Ogier said at the end of the stage.
“I did what I did, I feel like I am. I tried. I was a little bit careful in the rough places, but otherwise we had a clean stage,” Tänak commented.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans encountered problems. The Welshman was very frustrated at the end of the stage.
“Terrible feeling. No grip on the narrow parts at all. I tried, but can’t be clean with it,” Evans complained.
Evans lost nearly half a minute to his teammate Ogier’s fastest time and is currently in sixth place in the rally. The Welshman is now over a minute and a half behind the leader.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, on the other hand, set a very good time. He was just over three seconds behind Ogier’s fastest time. Ogier, Tänak, and Neuville are now the drivers seriously contending for the rally victory.
“I had a good stage. Car was working well, I felt comfortable. More abrasive than expected. Loose, but abrasive underneath. I had to be careful with the tyres,” Neuville summed up.
Sami Pajari, driving Toyota’s Rally2 car, is having a fantastic rally. The Finn was once again the fastest driver in the WRC2 class. Pajari continues to lead the WRC2 class and is impressively seventh overall. He was in a joking mood at the finish.
“All kinds of parts are coming off this car, but that just makes it lighter,” Pajari laughed.
Eight more special stages are scheduled for Saturday in the Rally Sardinia. The competition ends on Sunday.
Rally Sardinia standings after SS6/16:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 1:22:43.5 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2.2 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +38.5 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:01.5 |
| 5. | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | +1:10.4 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:35.3 |
| 7. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2:23.8 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:39.3 |
| 9. | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Skoda | +2:51.0 |
| 10. | Jan Solans | Toyota | +3:05.3 |
Itinerary for Rally Sardinia (CET):
Friday 31.5. 08.01 Shakedown: Ittiri (2,08 km) 14.33 SS1: Osilo - Tergu 1 (25,65 km) 15.33 SS2: Sedini - Castelsardo 1 (13,26 km) 17.33 SS3: Osilo - Tergu 2 (25,65 km) 18.35 SS4: Sedini - Castelsardo 2 (13,26 km) Saturday 1.6. 07.41 SS5: Tempio Pausania 1 (12,03 km) 08.49 SS6: Tula 1 (22,61 km) 10.41 SS7: Tempio Pausania 2 (12,03 km) 11.49 SS8: Tula 2 (22,61 km) 14.05 SS9: Monte Lerno - Monti di Ala 1 (25,33 km) 15.05 SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (14,53 km) 17.05 SS11: Monte Lerno - Monti di Ala 2 (25,33 km) 18.05 SS12: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (14,53 km) Sunday 2.6. 08.00 SS13: Cala Flumini 1 (12,55 km) 09.05 SS14: Sassari - Argentiera 1 (7,10 km) 11.00 SS15: Cala Flumini 2 (12,55 km) 12.15 SS16: Sassari - Argentiera 2 (7,10 km) *Power Stage
