Rally Finland remains a frustrating nemesis for Hyundai Motorsport after another arduous day on the high-speed gravel stages.
In stark contrast to the team’s strongest all-round performance of the season in Poland, Finland is proving yet again to be one of its most unrewarding.
Having re-started Rally Finland on Saturday morning (EEST) with a fully repaired Hyundai i20 WRC Coupe, Hayden Paddon and Seb Marshall were straight into a front-running pace with the fifth-quickest time on Saturday’s opening 14.85km stage.
Then there was a large rock, about 7km into SS15.
Paddon said: “There was nothing we could do about our retirement today. We were going through a blind left, into a right, when all of a sudden, I caught sight of a big football-sized rock in the road. In the split-second it took to see it, and I knew it would do damage. We could not avoid it and it broke the suspension arm. The real shame is the lack of mileage from this rally. We will be back out on Sunday to try and end this weekend on a high note.”
On his popular Facebook page, Paddon added: “On a positive note, we have been competitive and will never give up as we work towards 2018. I have never had a season like this before which is character building and will only make us stronger for the future.”
Thierry Neuville has moved up to sixth place on the overall classification, as some of the leading contenders experienced their own difficulties, with Dani Sordo advancing into the top ten. Hayden Paddon, who started again under Rally 2 on Saturday morning, retired after hitting a rock on the line on the day’s second stage (SS15 Päijälä).
The undisputed highlight of Saturday’s itinerary was the mighty Ouninpohja stage, including the iconic Yellow House jump, which was tackled twice. In addition, crews faced other challenges in the 14.90km Pihlajakoski, 22.68km Päijäla and shorter 4.21km Saalahti stages.
Hyundai Motorsport had wanted to make the most of any opportunities to advance up the classification. It is an objective that the team will also adopt on the final morning.
Four stages will be held on the final day of Rally Finland, totaling just 33.84km.
A repeat loop of the 6.80km Lempäa and 10.12km Oittila stages will bring the event to a close, with the second run through Oittila acting as the rally’s Power Stage.
Classification after Day 2
1 E. Lappi J. Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 2:13:02.7
2 T. Suninen M. Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC +49.1
3 J. Hänninen K. Lindström Toyota Yaris WRC +53.4
4 E. Evans D. Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC +54.7
5 C. Breen S. Martin Citroën C3 WRC +1:16.9
6 T. Neuville N. Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +1:31.6
7 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC +2:07.5
8 K. Meeke P. Nagle Citroën C3 WRC +2:59.1
9 D. Sordo M. Martí Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +3:54.0
10 M. Østberg T. Eriksen Ford Fiesta WRC +4:23.6
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