Italy WRC: Sordo holds off Neuville for Hyundai 1-2
Hyundai’s part-timer Dani Sordo won Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship, by 5.1 seconds ahead of his teammate Thierry Neuville.
Sordo’s cameo in the third Hyundai entry gave a huge fillip to his employers’ chances in the manufacturers’ title race, while the battle for the drivers’ title is shaping up to be a four-way fight towards the very final stage of the year.
Cooler conditions greeted the runners on Sunday morning, an overcast sky dropping ambient temperatures by 10C from the first two days. A loop of just two stages awaited, 14.06 km Cala Flumini and 6.89 km Sassari, which was to be run twice through the day.
Toyota’s six-time world champion Sebastien Ogier had done enough on Saturday’s final stages to split the Hyundais of leader Sordo and Neuville. Ogier pipped Neuville to win the first stage of the day by two tenths of a second, while Sordo struggled and dropped 12.1s.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota) was 4.8s further back but he did enough to safeguard his fourth place from attack by M-Sport’s Teemu Suninen.
Neuville lit the blue touch paper on the second stage, reclaiming 1.6s from Ogier before the service halt. When the action restarted, the Frenchman then took back those lost 1.6s while Sordo struggled again, allowing his overall lead – which had been as high as 38s – to erode to just 9.2s.
The second run through the beachside stage at Sassari would seal the result, and with it would come the bonus Power Stage points for the top five times. This was the moment in which defending champion Ott Tanak played his joker to perfection.
After his Hyundai lost two minutes due to unspecified technical difficulties on the first day, Tanak could finish no higher than sixth overall.
Tanak set an unbeatable Power Stage time to claim five extra points that keep him in the title race with two events remaining. Neuville went faster on the split times but then began bouncing off the scenery in his rush to get to the finish.
Ogier was 3.4s slower than Tanak and handed second place overall back to Neuville.
Sordo was the last man into the stage and he didn’t challenge the fastest times, but did enough to claim his second consecutive victory in Sardinia by 5.1s.
In WRC2, Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand turned the championship tide in his favour with another cautious outing in his Skoda Fabia.
In the WRC point standings, Evans remains 14 points clear of Toyota teammate Ogier as the series moves to asphalt rallies for the remainder of the schedule. Neuville has climbed up to third, 10 points further back, with Tanak hanging on right behind him.
Rally results:
Cla | # | Driver/Codriver | Car | Class | Total Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 2:41'37.500 | |
2 | 11 | | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 2:41'42.600 | 5.100 |
3 | 17 | | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 2:41'43.600 | 6.100 |
4 | 33 | | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 2:42'39.800 | 1'02.300 |
5 | 3 | | Ford Fiesta WRC | RC1 | 2:43'11.400 | 1'33.900 |
6 | 8 | | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 2:44'05.000 | 2'27.500 |
7 | 7 | | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 2:46'21.300 | 4'43.800 |
8 | 30 | Mikko Lukka | Hyundai i20 R5 | RC2 | 2:50'19.200 | 8'41.700 |
9 | 31 | | Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo | RC2 | 2:51'40.400 | 10'02.900 |
10 | 23 | Patrik Barth | Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo | RC2 | 2:51'58.400 | 10'20.900 |
View full results |

Italy WRC: Sordo stays on top, Ogier jumps to second
Sordo keeps win as Hyundai fined for technical breach

The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Motorsport.com donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the life of a rally mechanic.
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder
How Rovanpera grabbed the Rally Sweden spotlight
After a blockbuster opening act to the new era of the World Rally Championship with the battle of the Sebastiens at Monte Carlo, Rally Sweden would be the first chance to assess the next superstar of rallying. While teething issues with the new hybrid power thwarted some of the cast, Kalle Rovanpera’s display gave him headline billing
The "painful" journey behind the WRC's generational tech innovation
As the company selected to provide the hybrid kits for the 2022 World Rally Championship, the pressure was on Compact Dynamics at the Monte Carlo season opener. Needing to treat all three manufacturers equally, it wasn't a straightforward process, but its first big test was a resounding success that bodes well for the future.
The mentality shift key to Lappi’s shot at WRC redemption
He appeared poised to become the World Rally Championship’s new bright young star five years ago, but Esapekka Lappi's fortunes since his 2017 breakthrough win offer a cautionary tale of how the tables can turn. Now having rebuilt his career, the Finn is determined to make the most of his second shot at the big time with Toyota.