Fourmaux puncture hands Rovanpera Rally Paraguay lead

World Rally Championship title contender Kalle Rovanperä inherited a slender lead at the inaugural Rally Paraguay after Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux suffered a puncture.

Paraguay’s brand new gravel stage provided plenty of drama thanks to their multiple grip changes, loose rock and brutal jumps and kickers. However, it was early leader Rovanpera that emerged from late drama to the top of the leaderboard by 7.1s over Forumaux.

Rovanpera won the day’s opening stage but had struggled to adapt to the grip changes and lost the lead to a charging Fourmaux on stage three.

In an afternoon that offered up slippery polished gravel roads, Fourmaux continued to have an edge over Rovanpera as his lead extended to 5.5s, before picking up two punctures. The second tyre failure in stage seven proved the most damaging as the Hyundai driver dropped 18.9 seconds and the rally lead to Rovanpera. Fourmaux was able to to take 0.5s out of Rovanpera on the final Autodromo short super special stage to reduce the deficit to 7.1s.

“Position-wise of course it is good but I cannot say we are really happy about the performance,” said Rovanpera.

“We should be a bit faster and we haven’t been the fastest guy today. It has been a struggle to be honest. Tomorrow the character of the stages is a bit different so we need to try to be a bit better.”

Fourmaux was frustrated to lose the lead but was happy to hold onto second, albeit by 0.5s ahead of Hyundai team-mate Ott Tanak in third, whose pace improved after a difficult morning when he was running as low as sixth.

“It [punctures] happens too often with the tyre but anyway I’m pleased with the day. It is a shame we are not leading tonight but there are at least two long days to go,” said Fourmaux.

Tanak wasn’t the only driver that produced a fightback. Title rival Sébastien Ogier dropped to eighth after picking up a puncture in stage two, but was able to coax blistering pace from his Toyota GR Yaris to end Friday in fourth, 17.8s from the lead.

“After the misfortune of this morning for sure we can be happy with the rest of the day and we pushed as much as we could, and being here we are now is still far from the lead, but it looks much better,” said Ogier.

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Championship leader and road opener Elfyn Evans completed Friday in fifth [+21.1s] although clearly frustrated after struggling to unlock pace in the tricky conditions. The Welshman admitted that he felt he had “forgotten how to drive” in low grip conditions.

Thierry Neuville had run as high as fourth before a costly mistake at the final corner of stage seven dropped him to sixth. The reigning world champion struggled for pace in the morning, but was making progress in the afternoon, before a wild slide approaching a tight right hairpin, he felt was partly caused by a delaminating tyre.

However, he fared better than Toyota duo Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, who also hit trouble in the same stage. Recovering from an opening stage puncture, Katsuta crashed out of ninth after clipping a bank.

Pajari was forced to stop to change a puncture tyre costing the Finn two minutes as he slipped to eighth, having occupied third position at midday service.

Josh McErlean ended Friday as the best of the M-Sport-Ford duo in seventh, benefiting from Katsuta’s demise and Pajari’s puncture. The Irishman lost time to an overshoot and puncture in the morning, but enjoyed a trouble free afternoon.

Gregoire Munster endured a difficult day that began with an off 900 meters into the opening stage caused by an impact that broke a steering arm and a brake line on his Ford Puma. It required a roadside repair that left the Luxembourger 45 minutes adrift of the lead after then suffering a double puncture.

Grégoire Munster, Louis Louka, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Munster’s day went from bad to worse in the afternoon as his Puma picked up further damage in the second pass of the test where he came to halt in the morning. Two heavy landings from the harsh jumps cracked his windscreen while damaging the front and the rear of his car. Munster had to nurse his Puma, minus a rear wing through three stages.

In WRC2, title hopeful Yohan Rossel led the class by 9.1s from Nikolay Gryazin as the pair rounded out the top 10 overall. Paraguay local hero Diego Dominguez had held the lead before dropping to third in class.

Championship leader Oliver Solberg recovered to sixth in class, albeit 53.6s adrift of the lead after losing more than a minute to a puncture in stage three. Fellow title contender Gus Greensmith retired following a rear suspension collapse in stage four.

Seven stages likely to feature more loose gravel will await the crews on Saturday.

1	A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai Motorsport	16		Hyundai i20 N Rally1
2	K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota Racing	69		Toyota GR Yaris Rally1			4.1
3	S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2	5		Toyota GR Yaris Rally1			13.9
4	T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai Motorsport	1		Hyundai i20 N Rally1			0.4
5	E. Evans S. Martin Toyota Racing	33		Toyota GR Yaris Rally1			0.9
6	O. Tanak M. Jarveoja Hyundai Motorsport	8		Hyundai i20 N Rally1			1.1
7	S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota Racing	17		Toyota GR Yaris Rally1			14.0
8	J. McErlean E. Treacy M-Sport	55		Ford Puma Rally1			8.1
9	T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota Racing	18		Toyota GR Yaris Rally1			26.9
10	D. Jr. Dominguez R. Penate	27		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			20.0
11	Y. Rossel A. Dunand PH Sport	21		Citroën C3 Rally2			11.0
12	F. Zaldivar M. Der Ohannesian	25		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			5.4
13	N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Toksport WRT	26		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			0.8
14	R. Virves J. Viilo Toksport WRT	23		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			3.9
15	K. Kajetanowicz M. Szczepaniak	24		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			3.2
16	A. Galanti M. Toyotoshi	30		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			16.7
17	G. Greensmith J. Andersson	22		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			13.0
18	D. Dominguez S F. Mussano	35		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			0.9
19	O. Solberg E. Edmondson Printsport	20		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			18.5
20	A. Miguel Bestard Poletti B. Rozada	36		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			7.2
21	G. Saba J. Diaz	32		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			24.0
22	M. Zaldivar Jr L. Allende	29		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			7.0
23	J. Masi M. Ramos	37		Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo			6.2
24	T. Weiler J. Sanchez	34		Toyota GR Yaris Rally2			15.7
25	M. Zaldivar Sr R. Garcia	38		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			4.2
26	F. Pappalardo J. Pablo Carrera	40		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			28.9
27	M. Fontana A. Arnaboldi	50		Ford Fiesta Rally3			46.0
28	L. Ortega L. Suaya	44		Volkswagen Polo GTI R5			6.8
29	M. González F. Mendonca	46		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			26.8
30	G. Rossi K. Sarmezan	51		Ford Fiesta Rally3			26.7
31	E. Castro J. Echazu	56		Ford Fiesta Rally3			42.5
32	M. Ángel García P. Hernán Vargas	43		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			1’33.0
33	B. Zapag E. Fratta	48		Volkswagen Polo GTI R5			27.0
34	S. Ruiz M. Ruiz	57		Peugeot 208 Rally4			2.0
35	M. Jorge Martínez J. Aros	45		Hyundai i20 N Rally2			13.4
36	G. Vassilakis A. Harryman	54		Ford Fiesta Rally3			1’38.1
37	M. Irala J. Manuel Cabrera	59		Peugeot 208 Rally4			1’33.2
38	D. Arias H. Nunes	41		Volkswagen Polo GTI R5			10’34.9
39	M. Domínguez D. Cagnotti	39		Škoda Fabia R5			34.4
40	N. Bruun P. Olmos	52		Ford Fiesta Rally3			1’35.4
41	C. Pedotti N. Elizaur	49		Volkswagen Polo GTI R5			17.3
42	H. Finke M. Espindola	58		Peugeot 208 Rally4			3’40.3
43	M. María García J. Jose Bilbao	42		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			3’13.2
44	A. Alonso E. Galindo	31		Škoda Fabia RS Rally2			9’17.8
45	S. González D. Fabiani	47		Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo			0.0
46	G. Munster L. Louka M-Sport	13		Ford Puma Rally1	’40		4’21.0