Toyota driver Sami Pajari inherited the Rally Croatia lead after a dramatic Friday morning that saw Toyota drivers Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg crash out during the asphalt loop.
Pajari completed the loop with an 8.4-second advantage over Safari Rally Kenya winner Takamoto Katsuta, with Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville a further 0.3 seconds back in third, and Pajari said he felt he could still improve on later stages.
Oliver Solberg clipped a bank in the opening Vodice–Brest stage, spun and became beached off the road, forcing retirement of his Toyota GR Yaris, while Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin were unhurt after Evans went off at high speed in stage three and also retired.
M-Sport driver Jon Armstrong’s soft-tyre gamble produced competitive stage times, but punctures hit Armstrong and Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux, a sequence that helped Thierry Neuville move into third overall.
This summary is based on coverage by Motorsport.
Read the full article at Motorsport F1.
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