Day 2 of the Vodafone Rally Portugal brought intense battles, unexpected twists, and a reminder that in rallying, luck is just as important as skill. The Portuguese gravel roads showed no mercy, catching out even some of the top contenders.
Leaders Shuffle Early
The day started with Elfyn Evans in the lead, followed closely by Ott Tänak and Sébastien Ogier, both just 0.2 seconds behind. But that quickly changed on the first stage of the day. Tänak came out on top, with Kalle Rovanperä just 0.2 seconds behind him and Evans slipping to third, 2.8 seconds off the lead. Ogier struggled with his car setup and dropped to seventh, later saying it was “way too soft”.
Trouble for Sesks and Fourmaux
The first major incident of the day came early. Mārtiņš Sesks, who impressed in the shakedown, hit a rock only 3.86 km into the first stage of Friday. He had to stop and change a tire, losing more than three and a half minutes and falling to 85th overall.
Then came a real heartbreak for Adrien Fourmaux. He had been pushing hard and was only 0.8 seconds behind Tänak after Stage 7. But during Stage 8, he hit a rock at 7.5 km, breaking his front-left suspension. It was the end of his rally.
A Long Day with a Tight Battle
The rest of the day ran more smoothly for the Rally1 drivers, but it was still long and demanding, 15 hours of competition. At the end of the day, Tänak leads with a time of 1:41:26.2, followed by Ogier +7.0 seconds behind.
There’s a tight battle within the Toyota team for third place. Takamoto Katsuta currently holds it, but Rovanperä is just 1.2 seconds behind. Thierry Neuville is in fifth after losing time to a spin in the morning. Pajari is sixth, followed by Evans, Munster, and McErlean.
Evans had a difficult day, acting as the “road sweeper”, clearing the gravel for others, which slowed him down. At the end of the day, he admitted, “We ought to be a bit better than this, I won’t lie. A bit of a frustrating day overall”.
A Milestone for Tänak
It wasn’t just the lead that made the day special for Ott Tänak. He also marked a major career milestone – his 400th stage win in the World Rally Championship. “Nice number”, he said. “If there were as many championship titles as well, it would be better”.