Champion Battle: Tanak’s Power Steering Issue Shakes Up Rally Portugal, Handing Ogier Surprise Lead

P1racenews AI

A cruel power steering failure severely dented Ott Tanak’s hopes of a first win of the World Rally Championship season, handing Sebastien Ogier the Rally Portugal lead. Tanak managed to survive pressure from Ogier on Saturday morning and extended his advantage over him to 13.9s before the power steering failure struck in stage 17. Tanak dropped to third overall behind Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera after struggling through the final stages of the day. Ogier acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances but remained focused on the competition, acknowledging that tomorrow would be a long day of rallying. Rovanpera battled for the final podium spot with Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta, ultimately finishing ahead after a challenging day on the rough and rutted roads. Thierry Neuville managed to overtake Katsuta to move into fourth place after delivering a brave run through a rough stage to put pressure on the Toyota driver. The day also saw some moves in the top 10, with Sami Pajari finishing sixth, Elfyn Evans in seventh after facing challenges with a setup change, and Josh McErlean leading the M-Sport Fords in eighth place.

Tovább a cikkhez

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