P1racenews AI automatic summary:
WRC Central Europe: Rovanpera pulls clear, Neuville leapfrogs Evans
A Toyota driver dominated the wet conditions and set the fastest times on four out of six stages on Friday, giving them a 36.4-second lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. Elfyn Evans moved up to second place but fell behind Neuville on the final stage, trailing the leader by 47.2 seconds. Evans needs to outscore his teammate Rovanpera in this weekend’s rally to prevent him from winning a second world title. M-Sport’s Ott Tanak managed to hold on to fourth place, while Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta had a solid drive and finished fifth. Sebastien Ogier, the eight-time world champion, had a setback due to a tire issue but recovered to sixth place. Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi retired from the race after a major crash, but both the driver and co-driver emerged unscathed. Rovanpera’s stage wins came to a halt due to the wet and muddy road conditions, which affected his performance. Evans won one of the stages and reduced Rovanpera’s lead to 27.5 seconds. Rovanpera responded by taking 9.7 seconds out of Evans in the next stage, claiming his fourth stage win. Neuville had a strong drive and closed the gap to second place. Tanak and Ogier struggled with the conditions but managed to hold on to their positions. Katsuta survived a scary moment but still posted a solid time. Neuville won the last stage of the day, surprising himself with a time 1.1 seconds faster than Rovanpera. Evans had some difficulties but managed to hold on.
Source: motorsport
