The 2018 Rally de Portugal (formally known as the Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2018) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 17 and 20 May 2018.[1] It marked the fifty-second running of Rally de Portugal, and was the sixth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship and its support categories, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships, and the third round of the Junior WRC championship.[2][3] The event was based in Matosinhos in Porto and consisted of twenty special stages totalling 358.19 km (222.57 mi) competitive kilometres.[4] The event was also part of the Portuguese national championship (first 9 stages) and Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica (first 12 stages); their participants did not feature in the overall placings.[5]
| 2018 Rally de Portugal 52°Vodafone Rally de Portugal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 6 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
| |||
 | |||
| Host country |  Portugal | ||
| Rally base | Matosinhos, Porto | ||
| Dates run | 17 – 20 May 2018 | ||
| Start location | Guimarães Castle, Braga | ||
| Finish location | Fafe, Braga | ||
| Stages | 20 (358.19 km; 222.57 miles) | ||
| Stage surface | Gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 1,225.33 km (761.38 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,583.08 km (983.68 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 85 | ||
| Crews | 85 at start, 45 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT3:49:46.6 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Pontus Tidemand Jonas Andersson Škoda Motorsport4:03:57.4 | ||
| WRC-3 winner | Denis Rådström Johan Johansson Denis Rådström 4:26:51.2 | ||
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia were the defending rally winners.[6] Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the manufacturers' winners.[7] The Škoda Motorsport crew of Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Škoda Fabia R5, while Swedish crew Denis Rådström and Johan Johansson won the World Rally Championship-3 and Junior World Rally Championship.[8]
Background edit
Championship standings prior to the event edit
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with a ten-point lead in the World Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a fifteen-point lead over M-Sport Ford WRT.
Entry list edit
The following crews were entered into the rally. The final entry list consisted of fourteen World Rally Cars, seventeen World Rally Championship-2 entries, and fourteen entries in the World Rally Championship-3. All of the World Rally Championship-3 drivers and co-drivers were eligible to score points in the Junior World Rally Championship.
- Notes
- ^‡ — Driver and co-driver are eligible to score points in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship.
Report edit
Pre-event edit
Haydon Paddon and Sebastian Marshall returned to the championship with Hyundai. Paddon and Marshall had previously contested Rally Sweden before handing the car over to Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio for the next three events as part of a drive-sharing agreement in the team. As part of the agreement, Paddon and Sordo will contest seven events each, leading Hyundai to enter a fourth i20 Coupe WRC in Rally de Portugal to allow both crews to compete in seven rallies.[10]
Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen returned to the championship, making their second appearance of the season with Citroën.[11]
Thursday edit
Argentina winner Ott Tänak defeated Andreas Mikkelsen, who set fifth fastest time, in front of 30,000 fans in their head-to-head heat and topped his Yaris by 0.4 second. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier and his Fiesta teammate Teemu Suninen tied in second, while Kris Meeke finished fourth. Last year runner-up Thierry Neuville completed in sixth, while Elfyn Evans was another one tenth of a second behind. Dani Sordo finished eighth in the fourth Hyundai. Returned Mads Østberg was in ninth, while Esapekka Lappi completed the top ten.
Friday edit
It was full of dramas in Friday of the rally. Ott Tänak first retired from the rally due to hitting a rock, which damaged his engine's cooling system. Next was his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, who hit a rock and broke his front right suspension. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier was fourth on the road until he fell off the road in his Fiesta. Hayden Paddon was the rally reader after SS6. However, a heavy impact damaged the front left of his Hyundai i20 and blocked the stage. Teammate Andreas Mikkelsen suffered power steering and engine issues and retired from the day.[12]
Back to the front, Thierry Neuville was the rally reader. Elfyn Evans completed the day in the second place, 17.7 seconds off the lead. Dani Sordo, who had to slow down as his soft tyres became worn, was another 6.6 seconds behind. Teemu Suninen finished in fourth after a consistent performance. Esapekka Lappi and Mads Østberg separated by two and a half seconds in fifth and sixth. Tyre troubles forced Kris Meeke to drive the final Porto stages with just a wheel rim on the rear left of his car and he conceded a minute. Teammate Craig Breen dropped from third to eighth after a puncture. WRC-2 category leader Gus Greensmith and Łukasz Pieniążek completed the top ten.
Saturday edit
Kris Meeke started the day in seventh, but he crashed his Citroën C3 on SS12. Fortunately, both Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle were unhurt.[13] Thierry Neuville ended the day with a 39.8-second advantage over Elfyn Evans. Chances are that the Hyundai star is going to snatch the position of the championship leader from the defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, who ran under WRC-2 rule as well as Andreas Mikkelsen and Jari-Matti Latvala today, after the rally. Teemu Suninen just edged Dani Sordo, who stiffened his Hyundai i20's set-up, by 4.7 seconds in third after the Spaniard received a 10-second penalty from stewards late on Saturday night for dislodging two bales on a Porto street stage roundabout in SS8 on Friday night.[14] Esapekka Lappi completed the day in fifth in a Toyota, another 11.1 seconds behind. Mads Østberg and teammate Craig Breen, who had to clear the road today, completed the day in sixth and seventh place respectively, followed by WRC-2 leader Pontus Tidemand, Łukasz Pieniążek and Stéphane Lefebvre.
Sunday edit
Thierry Neuville took his first Portugal and eighth WRC victory after a four-day battle. Because of championship leader Sébastien Ogier did not manage to score any points, he now leads the championship over the defending world championship by nineteen points.[15] Ford teammates Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen, who reach his first podium, finished second and third to help the team narrow the gap to Hyundai to thirteen points. Esapekka Lappi, who took another Power Stage win, overtook Dani Sordo to completed the event in fourth in a Yaris. However, he was given a ten-second penalty for displacing one of the three dividing bales on SS9's third roundabout later on. As a result, he lost his fourth place to the Spaniard.[16] Mads Østberg and teammate Craig Breen finished in sixth and seventh overall, which brought some valuable points to Citroën, while WRC-2 leader Pontus Tidemand, Łukasz Pieniążek and Stéphane Lefebvre completed the leaderboard.
Classification edit
Top ten finishers edit
The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten.[a]
Other notable finishers edit
The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.[a]
| Position | No. | Driver | Co-driver | Entrant | Car | Class | Time | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | Stage | ||||||||
| 16 | 16 | 4 |  Andreas Mikkelsen
|
Anders Jæger-Synnevaag
|
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | WRC | 4:38:36.9 | 0 | |
| 23 | 11 | 45 |  Murat Bostanci
|
Onur Vatansever
|
Castrol Ford Team Türkiye
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | 4:36:55.0 | — | |
| 24 | 24 | 7 | Jari-Matti Latvala
|
Miikka Anttila
|
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | WRC | 4:14:31.0 | 0 | |
| 25 | 12 | 35 | Jari Huttunen
|
Antti Linnaketo
|
Hyundai Motorsport
|
Hyundai i20 R5 | WRC-2 | 4:39:17.5 | — | |
| 26 | 13 | 34 | Takamoto Katsuta
|
Marko Salminen
|
Tommi Mäkinen Racing
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | 4:39:22.6 | — | |
| 29 | 14 | 44 | Max Vatanen
|
 Christopher Guieu
|
Max Vatanen
|
Hyundai i20 R5 | WRC-2 | 4:47:09.1 | — | |
| 30 | 15 | 36 |  Fabio Andolfi
|
Simone Scattolin
|
ACI Team Italia
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | WRC-2 | 4:48:13.7 | — | |
| 36 | 16 | 46 |  Simone Tempestini
|
Sergiu Itu
|
Simone Tempestini
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | WRC-2 | 4:56:21.6 | — | |
| 44 | 11 | 69 |  Emilio Fernández
|
Joaquin Riquelme
|
Emilio Fernández
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | J-WRC | 5:27:19.3 | 0 | |
| 11 | WRC-3 | — | ||||||||
| Source:[17][5] | ||||||||||
Special stages edit
| Overall classification | |||||||
| Day | Stage | Name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | Class leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May | — | Paredes [Shakedown] | 4.60 km | Jari-Matti Latvala
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 3:03.5 | — |
| SS1 | Lousada | 3.36 km |  Ott Tänak
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 2:34.3 | Ott Tänak
| |
| 18 May | SS2 | Viana do Castelo 1 | 26.73 km |  Hayden Paddon
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 15:29.3 | Hayden Paddon
|
| SS3 | Caminha 1 | 18.11 km |  Kris Meeke
|
Citroën C3 WRC | 10:35.1 | Kris Meeke
| |
| SS4 | Ponte de Lima 1 | 27.54 km |  Dani Sordo
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 19:15.5 | Dani Sordo
| |
| SS5 | Viana do Castelo 2 | 26.73 km | Kris Meeke
|
Citroën C3 WRC | 15:31.4 | Kris Meeke
| |
| SS6 | Caminha 2 | 18.11 km | Thierry Neuville  Craig Breen
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Citroën C3 WRC |
10:35.5 | Hayden Paddon
| |
| SS7 | Ponte de Lima 2 | 27.54 km | Thierry Neuville
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 19:24.7 | Thierry Neuville
| |
| SS8 | Porto Street Stage 1 | 1.95 km | Thierry Neuville
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 1:48.7 | ||
| SS9 | Porto Street Stage 2 | 1.95 km | Thierry Neuville
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 1:46.8 | ||
| 19 May | SS10 | Vieira do Minho 1 | 17.50 km | Jari-Matti Latvala
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 10:52.2 | |
| SS11 | Cabeceiras de Basto 1 | 22.22 km | Elfyn Evans
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 13:35.0 | ||
| SS12 | Amarante 1 | 37.60 km | Thierry Neuville
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 24:56.8 | ||
| SS13 | Vieira do Minho 2 | 17.50 km | Elfyn Evans
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 10:48.6 | ||
| SS14 | Cabeceiras de Basto 2 | 22.22 km | Jari-Matti Latvala
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 13:41.3 | ||
| SS15 | Amarante 2 | 37.60 km | Sébastien Ogier
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 24:47.7 | ||
| 20 May | SS16 | Montim 1 | 8.64 km | Esapekka Lappi
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 5:47.4 | |
| SS17 | Fafe 1 | 11.18 km | Sébastien Ogier
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 6:40.7 | ||
| SS18 | Luílhas | 11.89 km | Jari-Matti Latvala
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:09.2 | ||
| SS19 | Montim 2 | 8.64 km | Teemu Suninen
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 5:41.3 | ||
| SS20 | Fafe 2 [Power stage] | 11.18 km | Esapekka Lappi
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:33.2 | ||
| World Rally Championship-2 | |||||||
| 17 May | — | Paredes [Shakedown] | 4.60 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 3:14.5 | — |
| SS1 | Lousada | 3.36 km | Pontus Tidemand Juuso Nordgren
|
Škoda Fabia R5 Škoda Fabia R5 |
2:40.5 | Pontus Tidemand Juuso Nordgren
| |
| 18 May | SS2 | Viana do Castelo 1 | 26.73 km | Stéphane Lefebvre
|
Citroën C3 R5 | 16:20.7 | Stéphane Lefebvre
|
| SS3 | Caminha 1 | 18.11 km | Gus Greensmith
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | 11:16.5 | ||
| SS4 | Ponte de Lima 1 | 27.54 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 20:07.1 | ||
| SS5 | Viana do Castelo 2 | 26.73 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 16:18.0 | Gus Greensmith
| |
| SS6 | Caminha 2 | 18.11 km | Gus Greensmith
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | 11:13.3 | ||
| SS7 | Ponte de Lima 2 | 27.54 km | Stage interrupted | ||||
| SS8 | Porto Street Stage 1 | 1.95 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:53.2 | Gus Greensmith
| |
| SS9 | Porto Street Stage 2 | 1.95 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:52.2 | ||
| 19 May | SS10 | Vieira do Minho 1 | 17.50 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 11:25.2 | Stéphane Lefebvre
|
| SS11 | Cabeceiras de Basto 1 | 22.22 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 14:12.9 | ||
| SS12 | Amarante 1 | 37.6p km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 26:08.9 | ||
| SS13 | Vieira do Minho 2 | 17.50 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 11:16.9 | ||
| SS14 | Cabeceiras de Basto 2 | 22.22 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 14:09.4 | ||
| SS15 | Amarante 2 | 37.60 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 25:57.0 | Pontus Tidemand
| |
| 20 May | SS16 | Montim 1 | 8.64 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 6:00.8 | |
| SS17 | Fafe 1 | 11.18 km | Gus Greensmith
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | 7:01.9 | ||
| SS18 | Luílhas | 11.89 km | Gus Greensmith
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | 8:27.5 | ||
| SS19 | Montim 2 | 8.64 km | Pontus Tidemand
|
Škoda Fabia R5 | 5:56.3 | ||
| SS20 | Fafe 2 | 11.18 km | Gus Greensmith
|
Ford Fiesta R5 | 6:57.6 | ||
| World Rally Championship-3 / Junior World Rally Championship | |||||||
| 17 May | — | Paredes [Shakedown] | 4.60 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 3:41.0 | — |
| SS1 | Lousada | 3.36 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 2:57.4 | Emil Bergkvist
| |
| 18 May | SS2 | Viana do Castelo 1 | 26.73 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 18:11.0 | |
| SS3 | Caminha 1 | 18.11 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:28.0 | ||
| SS4 | Ponte de Lima 1 | 27.54 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 22:13.2 | ||
| SS5 | Viana do Castelo 2 | 26.73 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 18:07.9 | ||
| SS6 | Caminha 2 | 18.11 km | Dennis Rådström
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:26.3 | ||
| SS7 | Ponte de Lima 2 | 27.54 km | Stage interrupted | ||||
| SS8 | Porto Street Stage 1 | 1.95 km | Ken Torn Luca Bottarelli
|
Ford Fiesta R2T Ford Fiesta R2T |
2:06.1 | Emil Bergkvist
| |
| SS9 | Porto Street Stage 2 | 1.95 km | Ken Torn
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 2:03.4 | Dennis Rådström
| |
| 19 May | SS10 | Vieira do Minho 1 | 17.50 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:36.4 | |
| SS11 | Cabeceiras de Basto 1 | 22.22 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 15:46.4 | Emil Bergkvist
| |
| SS12 | Amarante 1 | 37.60 km | Stage interrupted | ||||
| SS13 | Vieira do Minho 2 | 17.50 km | Dennis Rådström
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 12:36.7 | Dennis Rådström
| |
| SS14 | Cabeceiras de Basto 2 | 22.22 km |  Julius Tannert
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 15:47.7 | ||
| SS15 | Amarante 2 | 37.60 km | Dennis Rådström
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 29:16.1 | ||
| 20 May | SS16 | Montim 1 | 8.64 km | Ken Torn
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 6:32.0 | |
| SS17 | Fafe 1 | 11.18 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 7:47.8 | ||
| SS18 | Luílhas | 11.89 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 9:15.1 | ||
| SS19 | Montim 2 | 8.64 km | Emil Bergkvist
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 6:32.4 | ||
| SS20 | Fafe 2 | 11.18 km | Stage interrupted | ||||
Power stage edit
The Power stage was an 11.18 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 | Esapekka Lappi
|
Janne Ferm
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 6:33.2 | 0.0 | 5 |
| 2 | Thierry Neuville
|
Nicolas Gilsoul
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:35.1 | +1.9 | 4 |
| 3 | Dani Sordo
|
Carlos del Barrio
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 6:35.3 | +2.1 | 3 |
| 4 | Teemu Suninen
|
Mikko Markkula
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 6:36.5 | +3.3 | 2 |
| 5 | Elfyn Evans
|
Daniel Barritt
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 6:37.6 | +4.4 | 1 |
J-WRC stage winning crews edit
Junior World Rally Championship crews scored additional points. Each of the fastest stage time was awarded with one bonus point.
| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Bergkvist
|
Joakim Sjöberg
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 10 |
| 2 | Denis Rådström
|
Johan Johansson
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 3 |
| Ken Torn
|
Kuldar Sikk
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | ||
| 4 | Luca Bottarelli
|
Manuel Fenoli
|
Ford Fiesta R2T | 1 |
| Julius Tannert
|
 Jürgen Heigl
|
Ford Fiesta R2T |
Penalties edit
The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.[a]
Retirements edit
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 edit
Drivers' championships edit
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Co-Drivers' championships edit
|
Manufacturers' and teams' championships edit
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Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Vodafone Rally de Portugal". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "Junior WRC Calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ "Rally de Portugal - Calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "52. Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2018". ewrc-results.com. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ Beer, Matt; Cozens, Jack (21 May 2017). "WRC Rally of Portugal: Ogier takes comfortable second win of season". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ "Breaking News: Neuville Wins In Portugal". wrc.com. WRC. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "WRC 2 in Portugal: Tidemand takes comfortable win". wrc.com. WRC. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2018 Entry List" (PDF). rallydeportugal.pt. rallydeportugal.pt. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Paddon 2018 WRC program finalised". speedcafe.com. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ Evans, David; Beer, Matt. "Ostberg rejoins Citroen for Rally Portugal and two more WRC events". autosport.com. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Friday In Portugal: Neuville Leads After Crazy Day". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Saturday In Portugal: Neuville Takes Control". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "SS16/17: Podium Fight Rages". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "Sunday In Portugal: Victory Gives Neuville Title Lead". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Lappi Loses Fourth After penalty". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Rally de Portugal Results". wrc.com. World Rally Championship. 20 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
External links edit
- Official website (in Portuguese and English)
- 2018 Rally de Portugal in e-wrc website
- The official website of the World Rally Championship