Hyundai Motorsport’s Hayden Paddon and John Kennard hold fourth position at the end of Day 1 of WRC Croatia Rally after completing the day’s eight all-asphalt stages.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Sami Pajari ended Friday with the lead, 13.7sec clear of Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville, while Safari Rally Kenya winner Takamoto Katsuta sat just nine-tenths further back in third.
“A good day in the office and making some progress,” commented Paddon. “A high attrition rate, but we kept it clean and as a bonus we sit P4 at the end of the day.
“I’m feeling more comfortable with every stage, but we’ve still got to keep progressing. We have some very difficult stages ahead tomorrow, but we are ready for it!”
The rally delivered major drama from the outset, with two key contenders eliminated early. Oliver Solberg crashed out on the opening stage, while championship leader Elfyn Evans initially led the rally after two stage wins before retiring following a pacenote-related accident.
Adrien Fourmaux completes the top five despite losing time early on due to a puncture. Josh McErlean also dropped out of contention after stopping to change a damaged tyre late in the day.
Saturday’s leg features eight stages covering 115.96 kilometres across Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Karlovac counties.
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