SS18 – steady away for the last stage

The penultimate stage of this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal was a relatively static affair, as the crews all drove through to maintain their gaps as well as their tyres. 

Fastest was Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon, running behind the leaders on the road, with Kris Meeke second0fastest, also behind the leaders. However, both are running under Rally2 regulations and are well down the overall placings. 

Elfyn Evans was third-fastest with rising star Esapekka Lappi in the first of the Toyota fourth. Overall leader Sebastien Ogier was only ninth-fastest with second-placed overall Thierry Neuville in sixth. 

Overall, the gaps remain largely as they were, with Ott Tanak consolidating his position over Craig Breen and Dani Sordo seemingly safe with a 32.4 second advantage.