Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans are sharing the top spot in the tarmac rally after eight special stages. Not far behind is Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, who is lurking just 6.6 seconds from the lead duo.
Neuville maintained the top position for a long time, but a tyre puncture in the afternoon allowed Evans to catch up.
“We had to give it everything in every stage. We are tied with Elfyn overnight, but we lost important seconds this afternoon due to our puncture,” Neuville said.
“I was generally struggling a bit all day with the balance of the car, which got a bit better towards the end of the day. The last stage had massive dust, so there was a lot of cleaning. There wasn’t much more we could do,” the Belgian continued.
In the morning, Neuville was in sensational form, driving first on a clean road. The situation balanced out in the afternoon when the special stages were run through a second time.
“We knew that this afternoon would be tricky as well, because the road was definitely very dirty and actually very dusty. That’s where we started to clean the road in many places; there were no lines. It was full of gravel everywhere. So in many places, we lost a bit of time. But generally, I think we can be happy with the overall result, despite the puncture.”
Neuville and Evans are also competing against each other for this year’s championship, so Saturday is expected to provide a thrilling continuation of Friday’s showdown. The competition’s first points will be awarded based on Saturday evening’s standings.
“It’s always nice to be in a fight anyway. And especially when it’s for a good position. So, it keeps it interesting,” Evans said.
Evans couldn’t keep up with Neuville’s pace on Friday morning’s stages, but in the afternoon, the Welshman clocked his first fastest time. Evans wasn’t entirely sparkling throughout the day, but with his consistent performances, he remained in the fray for the lead.
“I’m a bit disappointed. I feel like there was an opportunity to take some more seconds in the last stage. But other than that, it’s okay,” Evans reviewed.
The Croatia Rally continues on Saturday, with eight special stages scheduled.
