The 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna (formally known as the Rally Italia Sardegna 2018) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 7 and 10 June 2018.[1] It marked the fifteenth running of Rally Italia Sardegna, and was the seventh round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship and its support categories, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships.[2] The event was based in Alghero in Sardinia and consisted of twenty special stages totalling 313.46 km (194.78 mi) in competitive kilometres.[3]
| 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna 15°Rally Italia Sardegna | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 7 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
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| Host country |  Italy | ||
| Rally base | Alghero, Sardinia | ||
| Dates run | 7 – 10 June 2018 | ||
| Start location | Ittiri motocross track, Alghero | ||
| Finish location | Argentiera, Alghero | ||
| Stages | 20 (313.46 km; 194.78 miles) | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 1,072.92 km (666.68 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,386.38 km (861.46 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 47 | ||
| Crews | 45 at start, 34 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT3:29:18.7 | ||
| Power Stage winner | Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Jan Kopecký Pavel Dresler Škoda Motorsport II3:42:33.3 | ||
| WRC-3 winner |  Jean-Baptiste Franceschi Romain Courbon Équipe de France FFSA Rally4:07:40.2 | ||
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were the defending rally winners.[4] Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturers' winners.[5] The Škoda Motorsport II crew of Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Škoda Fabia R5, while the crew of Jean-Baptiste Franceschi and Romain Courbon won the World Rally Championship-3.
Background
Championship standings prior to the event
Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul entered the round with a nineteen-point lead in the World Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a thirteen-point lead over M-Sport Ford WRT.
Entry list
The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2, and the World Rally Championship-3. The final entry list consisted of fifteen World Rally Cars, twelve World Rally Championship-2 entries, and four World Rally Championship-3 entries.
Report
Pre-event
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The Citroën pairing of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were entered into the rally, but were subsequently withdrawn when the team released Meeke from his contract.[7] The team did not enter another crew in their place.
Thursday
Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, driving a Fiesta, took a slender 0.1 second lead over Andreas Mikkelsen. Championship leader Thierry Neuville was another 0.6 second behind. Elfyn Evans was fourth, followed by Hayden Paddon and Esapekka Lappi. Teammate Teemu Suninen was seventh, while the shakedown winner Jari-Matti Latvala in eighth. Mads Østberg and Ott Tänak were in ninth and tenth respectively to complete the top ten.
Friday
Muddy roads, caused by unpredictable rainy weather, made the first day of Sardegna very tricky. In uncharacteristic conditions, defending world champion Sébastien Ogier took a dramatic lead over the championship leader Thierry Neuville by 18.9 seconds after Andreas Mikkelsen retired from the day due to gearbox issue. Because of teammate Teemu Suninen's off-road and Ott Tänak's radiator damage caused by a heavy bump, Jari-Matti Latvala climbed up to the podium place, followed by his teammate Esapekka Lappi, another 4.4 seconds behind. Two Citroën drivers Mads Østberg and Craig Breen were in sixth and eighth respectively, sandwiched Hayden Paddon in a Hyundai i20. Elfyn Evans dropped out of top twenty after breaking a steering arm due to hitting a rock in his Ford Fiesta.[8] WRC-2 category leader Stéphane Lefebvre, Jan Kopecký and Nicolas Ciamin completed the leaderboard.
Saturday
After a fifteen-stage fight, title rivals Sébastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville only separated by 3.9 seconds on the top. Jari-Matti Latvala, eighth overall, originally ended the day in third, but an alternator problem forced him to retired from the day, which made his teammate Esapekka Lappi snatch the podium place.[9] Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg presented us another great fight. Eventually, the Hyundai edged the Citroën by only 2.1 seconds. Craig Breen was in sixth, over a minute further behind, with WRC-2 category leader Jan Kopecký in seventh. Ott Tänak, who was running under Rally2 regulations, recovered to ninth after yesterday's engine damage, followed by Martin Prokop completed the top ten.
Sunday
The fastest times of the morning stages were all taken by the championship leader Thierry Neuville, which reduced the gap between the rally leader Sébastien Ogier to just 0.8 second. In the Power Stage, the Hyundai star took another stage win and overtook the defending world champion to snatch the victory from Ogier. The difference between two title rivals was only 0.7 second, the third tightest winning margin in WRC history, which shared with 2017 Rally Argentina.[10] Esapekka Lappi ran out of the podium place in a Yaris, followed by Hayden Paddon in fourth overall. Two Citroën drivers Mads Østberg and Craig Breen were in fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, who was running under Rally2 regulations. WRC-2 category leader Jan Kopecký was in eighth after Ott Tänak received a forty-second penalty due to a four-minute late, while Teemu Suninen completed the top ten.
Classification
Top ten finishers
The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten.[a]
Other notable finishers
The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.[a]
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Class | Time | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Stage | ||||||||
| 14 | 14 | 3 |  Elfyn Evans | Daniel Barritt | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Fiesta WRC | WRC | 3:47:15.2 | 1 | |
| 18 | 18 | 4 |  Andreas Mikkelsen | Anders Jæger-Synnevaag | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | WRC | 3:55:07.0 | 2 | |
| Source:[11][12] | ||||||||||
Special stages
| Overall classification | |||||||
| Day | Stage | Name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June | — | Olmedo [Shakedown] | 3.97 km |  Jari-Matti Latvala | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:53.9 | — |
| SS1 | Ittiri Arena Show | 2.00 km | Sébastien Ogier | Ford Fiesta WRC | 2:02.7 | Sébastien Ogier | |
| 8 June | SS2 | Tula 1 | 22.12 km | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 18:28.1 | Andreas Mikkelsen |
| SS3 | Castelsardo 1 | 14.37 km | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 10:43.3 | ||
| SS4 | Tergu – Osilo 1 | 14.14 km |  Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:58.4 | ||
| SS5 | Monte Baranta 1 | 11.46 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:12.8 | ||
| SS6 | Tula 2 | 22.12 km | Sébastien Ogier | Ford Fiesta WRC | 19:24.0 | Sébastien Ogier | |
| SS7 | Castelsardo 2 | 14.37 km | Teemu Suninen | Ford Fiesta WRC | 10:34.8 | ||
| SS8 | Tergu – Osilo 2 | 14.14 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:53.5 | ||
| SS9 | Monte Baranta 2 | 11.16 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:07.2 | ||
| 9 June | SS10 | Monte Lerno 1 | 14.95 km | Ott Tänak | Toyota Yaris WRC | 7:51.4 | |
| SS11 | Monti di Alà 1 | 28.52 km | Sébastien Ogier | Ford Fiesta WRC | 16:38.9 | ||
| SS12 | Coiluna – Loelle 1 | 28.89 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 17:59.1 | ||
| SS13 | Ittiri Arena | 1.42 km | Esapekka Lappi | Toyota Yaris WRC | 1:29.0 | ||
| SS14 | Coiluna – Loelle 2 | 14.95 km | Sébastien Ogier | Ford Fiesta WRC | 7:42.8 | ||
| SS15 | Monte Lerno 2 | 28.52 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 16:27.3 | ||
| SS16 | Monti di Alà 2 | 28.89 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 17:49.1 | ||
| 10 June | SS17 | Cala Flumini 1 | 14.06 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:40.7 | |
| SS18 | Sassari – Argentiera 1 | 6.96 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:55.4 | ||
| SS19 | Cala Flumini 2 | 14.06 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:28.9 | ||
| SS20 | Sassari – Argentiera 2 [Power stage] | 6.96 km | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:52.9 | Thierry Neuville | |
| World Rally Championship-2 | |||||||
| 7 June | — | Olmedo [Shakedown] | 3.97 km | Ole Christian Veiby Stéphane Lefebvre | Škoda Fabia R5 Citroën C3 R5 | 2:03.8 | — |
| SS1 | Ittiri Arena Show | 2.00 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:08.2 | Ole Christian Veiby | |
| 8 June | SS2 | Tula 1 | 22.12 km | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Hyundai i20 R5 | 19:11.2 | Stéphane Lefebvre |
| SS3 | Castelsardo 1 | 14.37 km |  Hiroki Arai | Ford Fiesta R5 | 11:11.2 | Hiroki Arai | |
| SS4 | Tergu – Osilo 1 | 14.14 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 9:19.7 | Ole Christian Veiby | |
| SS5 | Monte Baranta 1 | 11.46 km | Stéphane Lefebvre | Citroën C3 R5 | 8:38.9 | ||
| SS6 | Tula 2 | 22.12 km | Jan Kopecký | Škoda Fabia R5 | 20:13.5 | Stéphane Lefebvre | |
| SS7 | Castelsardo 2 | 14.37 km | Stéphane Lefebvre | Citroën C3 R5 | 11:04.0 | ||
| SS8 | Tergu – Osilo 2 | 14.14 km | Jan Kopecký | Škoda Fabia R5 | 9:22.6 | ||
| SS9 | Monte Baranta 2 | 11.16 km | Stéphane Lefebvre | Citroën C3 R5 | 8:25.0 | ||
| 9 June | SS10 | Monte Lerno 1 | 14.95 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 8:24.9 | |
| SS11 | Monti di Alà 1 | 28.52 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 17:47.6 | Jan Kopecký | |
| SS12 | Coiluna – Loelle 1 | 28.89 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 19:18.7 | ||
| SS13 | Ittiri Arena | 1.42 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:31.1 | ||
| SS14 | Coiluna – Loelle 2 | 14.95 km | Jan Kopecký | Škoda Fabia R5 | 8:17.5 | ||
| SS15 | Monte Lerno 2 | 28.52 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 17:37.9 | ||
| SS16 | Monti di Alà 2 | 28.89 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 19:05.2 | ||
| 10 June | SS17 | Cala Flumini 1 | 14.06 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 9:15.9 | |
| SS18 | Sassari – Argentiera 1 | 6.96 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 5:17.4 | ||
| SS19 | Cala Flumini 2 | 14.06 km | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 9:09.0 | ||
| SS20 | Sassari – Argentiera 2 | 6.96 km | Stéphane Lefebvre | Citroën C3 R5 | 5:13.2 | ||
| World Rally Championship-3 | |||||||
| 7 June | — | Olmedo [Shakedown] | 3.97 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi Taisko Lario | Ford Fiesta R2T Peugeot 208 R2 | 2:22.4 | — |
| SS1 | Ittiri Arena Show | 2.00 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 2:32.8 | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | |
| 8 June | SS2 | Tula 1 | 22.12 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 21:59.3 | |
| SS3 | Castelsardo 1 | 14.37 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:42.4 | ||
| SS4 | Tergu – Osilo 1 | 14.14 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 10:31.2 | ||
| SS5 | Monte Baranta 1 | 11.46 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:46.5 | ||
| SS6 | Tula 2 | 22.12 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 22:43.6 | Taisko Lario | |
| SS7 | Castelsardo 2 | 14.37 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:18.7 | ||
| SS8 | Tergu – Osilo 2 | 14.14 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 10:07.6 | ||
| SS9 | Monte Baranta 2 | 11.16 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:22.7 | ||
| 9 June | SS10 | Monte Lerno 1 | 14.95 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:26.5 | |
| SS11 | Monti di Alà 1 | 28.52 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 19:53.4 | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | |
| SS12 | Coiluna – Loelle 1 | 28.89 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 21:26.3 | ||
| SS13 | Ittiri Arena | 1.42 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 1:43.5 | ||
| SS14 | Coiluna – Loelle 2 | 14.95 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:14.9 | ||
| SS15 | Monte Lerno 2 | 28.52 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 19:35.3 | ||
| SS16 | Monti di Alà 2 | 28.89 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 22:06.3 | ||
| 10 June | SS17 | Cala Flumini 1 | 14.06 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 10:38.3 | |
| SS18 | Sassari – Argentiera 1 | 6.96 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 6:16.4 | ||
| SS19 | Cala Flumini 2 | 14.06 km | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | 11:11.7 | ||
| SS20 | Sassari – Argentiera 2 | 6.96 km | Taisko Lario | Peugeot 208 R2 | 6:22.3 | ||
Power stage
The Power stage was a 6.96 km stage at the end of the rally. Additional World Championship points were awarded to the five fastest crews.
| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Diff. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:52.9 | 0.0 | 5 |
| 2 | Sébastien Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | Ford Fiesta WRC | 4:54.4 | +1.5 | 4 |
| 3 | Ott Tänak | Martin Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | 4:54.5 | +1.6 | 3 |
| 4 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Anders Jæger-Synnevaag | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 4:55.4 | +2.4 | 2 |
| 5 | Elfyn Evans | Daniel Barritt | Ford Fiesta WRC | 4:57.2 | +4.3 | 1 |
Penalties
The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.[a]
| Stage | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Class | Reason | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS1 | 24 | Cyrille Feraud | Aymeric Duschemin | Cyrille Feraud | Citroën DS3 WRC | WRC | 1 minute early | 1:00 |
| SS1 | 42 |  Kajetan Kajetanowicz | Maciej Szczepaniak | Lotos Rally Team | Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | Jump start | 0:10 |
| SS7 | 62 | Enrico Brazzoli | Luca Beltrame | Enrico Brazzoli | Peugeot 208 R2 | WRC-3 | 6 minutes late | 1:00 |
| SS8 | 36 | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Vincent Landais | BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i20 R5 | WRC-2 | 1 minute late | 0:10 |
| SS9 | 33 | Ole Christian Veiby | Stig Rune Skjærmoen | Škoda Motorsport II | Škoda Fabia R5 | WRC-2 | 1 minute late | 0:10 |
| SS12 | 23 | "Piano" | Jean-François Pergola | "Piano" | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | WRC | 14 minutes late | 2:20 |
| SS13 | 22 |  Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Michael Orr | Yazeed Racing | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | WRC | 7 minutes late | 1:10 |
| SS15 | 36 | Pierre-Louis Loubet | Vincent Landais | BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i20 R5 | WRC-2 | 8 minutes late | 1:20 |
| SS15 | 44 | Max Vatanen | Christopher Guieu | Max Vatanen | Hyundai i20 R5 | WRC-2 | 9 minutes late | 1:30 |
| SS17 | 32 | Takamoto Katsuta | Marko Salminen | Tommi Mäkinen Racing | Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | 9 minutes late | 1:30 |
| SS19 | 61 | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Romain Courbon | Jean-Baptiste Franceschi | Ford Fiesta R2T | WRC-3 | 16 minutes late | 2:40 |
| SS20 | 38 | Stéphane Lefebvre | Gabin Moreau | Citroën Total Rallye Team | Citroën C3 R5 | WRC-2 | 6 minutes late | 1:00 |
Retirements
The following notable crews retired from the event.[a] Under Rally2 regulations, they were eligible to re-enter the event starting from the next leg. Crews that re-entered were given an additional time penalty.
Championship standings after the rally
Co-Drivers' championships
| World Rally Championship | |||
| Pos. | Co-Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | Nicolas Gilsoul | 149 |
| | 2 | Julien Ingrassia | 122 |
| | 3 | Martin Järveoja | 77 |
 1 | 4 | Janne Ferm | 70 |
 1 | 5 |  Carlos del Barrio | 60 |
| World Rally Championship-2 | |||
| Pos. | Co-Driver | Points | |
| | 1 |  Jonas Andersson | 93 |
| | 2 | Pavel Dresler | 75 |
| 4 | 3 | Stig Rune Skjærmoen | 45 |
| 1 | 4 | Craig Parry | 40 |
| | 5 | Przemysław Mazur | 40 |
| World Rally Championship-3 | |||
| Pos. | Co-Driver | Points | |
| 1 | 1 | Romain Courbon | 64 |
| 1 | 2 | Johan Johansson | 62 |
| 2 | 3 | Luca Beltrame | 37 |
| 2 | 4 | Tatu Hämäläinen | 37 |
| 2 | 5 | Ola Fløene | 33 |
Manufacturers' and teams' championships
| World Rally Championship | |||
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 1 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 212 |
| | 2 | M-Sport Ford WRT | 184 |
| | 3 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 161 |
| | 4 | Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT | 129 |
| World Rally Championship-2 | |||
| Pos. | Team | Points | |
| | 1 | Škoda Motorsport | 93 |
| | 2 | Škoda Motorsport II | 75 |
| 1 | 3 | Printsport | 58 |
| 1 | 4 | Tommi Mäkinen Racing | 45 |
| 2 | 5 | ACI Team Italia WRC | 38 |
| World Rally Championship-3 | |||
| Pos. | Team | Points | |
| | 1 | ACI Team Italia | 58 |
| | 2 |  ADAC Sachsen | 47 |
| | 3 | OT Racing | 37 |
| 3 | 4 | Équipe de France FFSA Rally | 37 |
| 1 | 5 |  Castrol Ford Team Turkiye | 30 |
Notes
References
External links
- Official website (in Italian and English)
- 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna in e-wrc website
- The official website of the World Rally Championship