P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen inherited the lead of WRC Rally Croatia after their teammates and championship leaders Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin crashed out of the rally lead in stage three. Thierry Neuville holds second overall, 13.7 seconds off the lead with Takamoto Katsuta in third, just nine tenths of a second behind the […]
In WRC Rally Croatia, Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen took the lead after their teammates, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, crashed out in stage three, allowing Thierry Neuville to move into second place, just 13.7 seconds behind the leaders. Takamoto Katsuta is close behind in third, trailing Neuville by only nine tenths of a second. Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are in fourth, followed by Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria in fifth who clawed back after a puncture setback.
Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy are currently sixth in the sole remaining M-Sport Ford Puma but faced a puncture in stage seven. Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson were the first casualties of the rally after crashing out in the first stage. Evans initially built a significant lead before his unfortunate crash, leaving Pajari to hold off a charging Neuville for a potential maiden victory.
Neuville and Pajari traded stage wins, maintaining a close battle at the front with the top three separated by just 14.6 seconds. As the rally progressed, more challenges emerged with Jon Armstrong also falling victim to a crash on Friday. Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin led a Lancia one-two in WRC2, followed by Alejandro Cachon in third with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
