This month’s Rally Sardinia featured the joint-closest end for a win in World Rally Championship historical past, as Ott Tanak and Sebastien Ogier contested an exciting battle.
It culminated in Tanak claiming victory by simply 0.2s after the Hyundai driver overhauled a 17.1s deficit to Toyota’s Ogier on the ultimate day.
Tanak’s first win since his return to Hyundai means he’s now second within the championship, stage with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. The Welshman completed the rally fourth after struggling for tempo all through, and was hampered too by a puncture on the Friday.
Misfortune additionally hit championship chief Thierry Neuville, who crashed from third on stage eight, however he recovered by claiming a most rating on the Sunday underneath the WRC’s new factors system. The Belgian’s championship was decreased from 24 factors to 18 because of this.
However subsequent up is Rally Poland, which can be an important place for Neuville to bounce again as he claimed victory on the occasion in 2017.
That was additionally Poland’s final look on the WRC calendar, earlier than it misplaced its place as a consequence of repeated breaches of spectator security.
The occasion’s return will only be a one-off according to Simon Larkin, WRC occasion director, with Rally Poland celebrating its eightieth version in 2024 after being a part of the European Rally Championship in recent times.
The producers’ standings will even be one to look out for in Poland. Hyundai at the moment leads defending champion Toyota by simply 13 factors, having not claimed the title since 2020.
Tanak gained the final rally in Sardinia after Ogier’s last stage puncture
Photograph by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
M-Sport trails Hyundai by 138 factors in third with Adrien Fourmaux, who scored a disappointing three factors in Sardinia, its highest-placed driver in fifth.
The Ford squad, which celebrated scoring factors in 300 consecutive WRC rounds in Sardinia, will field a third car this week for rising star Martins Sesks. The 2023 European Rally Championship runner-up will make his Rally1 debut in a non-hybrid powered Puma earlier than stepping as much as the complete hybrid-spec model in Latvia subsequent month.
When is Rally Poland?
Date: 27 – 30 June
Begin time: 4pm BST/5pm native time on Thursday 27 June
The 2024 Rally Poland weekend begins with shakedown on Thursday 27 June at 9am in the UK and 10am native time. This can entail drivers tackling a 3.17-mile route within the village of Lubiewo, located in north-central Poland, in order that they’ll check varied automotive set-ups forward of the rally.
Later that day, the occasion formally begins with its ceremonial begin at 4pm BST (5pm native time) and that might be staged within the Mikołajki Principal Sq.. The rally’s opening stage additionally takes place on Thursday, at 6:05pm BST (7:05pm native time) when a 1.55-mile sprint of the Mikołajki Enviornment will start the motion.
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9am BST/10am native time |
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6:05pm BST/7:05pm native time |
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7:45am BST/8:45am native time |
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1:05pm BST/2:05pm native time |
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7:30am BST/8:30am native time |
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11:20am BST/12:20pm native time |
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1:15pm BST/2:15pm native time |
How can I watch the WRC?
Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Group Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photograph by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
The UK’s WRC broadcasting rights belong to TNT Sports activities, which has coated the sequence since 2014 when it was often called BT Sport. Consequently, TNT will televise each spherical of the 2024 season however this implies a subscription is required to observe the WRC within the UK.
TNT Sports activities is obtainable for £20 monthly. All 4 sport channels, Eurosport 1 and a pair of, in addition to reside streaming platform Discovery+ are included for that worth.
Followers also can watch the WRC by way of Rally.television, which broadcasts the ERC and World Rallycross Championship as nicely. Rally.television affords two sorts of subscriptions: an annual cross for £119.99 or a month-to-month deal for £12.99.
How can I watch Rally Poland?
TNT Sports activities will start its Rally Poland protection with Thursday’s shakedown at 9am, earlier than returning at 5:30pm for the opening stage.
An early begin then commences its protection on Friday, with the second stage accessible by way of TNT Sports activities 3 from 7:30am. TNT Sports activities 3 will broadcast the remainder of Friday’s motion, earlier than it switches over to TNT Sports activities 4 for Saturday’s operating, whereas TNT Sports activities 1 and three will share Sunday’s protection.
The schedule of the rally additionally means TNT might be on and off throughout the weekend, because it relies on when every stage begins. Rally.television will observe an analogous format however, not like TNT, it’ll additionally broadcast the ceremonial begin with protection starting at 4pm on Thursday.
When can I watch the Rally Poland highlights?
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, M-Sport Ford World Rally Group Ford Puma Rally1
Photograph by: M-Sport
TNT Sports activities will broadcast a number of 30-minute spotlight programmes on Friday (9pm), Saturday (2:45am, 4am, 11:30pm) and Sunday (4am, 7:15am, 7:30pm, 11:30pm) to indicate what occurred that day at Rally Poland.
Pink Bull TV is one other vacation spot for Rally Poland highlights, as it’ll broadcast a bundle at 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Elsewhere, ITV4 will run a one-hour highlights programme on Tuesday 2 July at 8pm. Autosport additionally affords every day highlights, as does the WRC YouTube channel which is able to add clips all through the weekend.
What’s the route for Rally Poland?
Rally Poland will encompass 19 particular levels which cowl a complete aggressive distance of 189 miles. It should start on Thursday night, the place drivers will deal with the shortest stage of the rally with 1.55 miles of Mikołajki Enviornment which might be run 3 times all through the weekend.
An early begin begins Friday’s motion, with drivers doing 18.27 miles of Stanczyki – the weekend’s greatest stage – which is a rural village that lies simply south of Poland’s border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia. From there, drivers head south to Wieliczki for the 8.02-mile lengthy stage three, earlier than ending the morning with 8.2 miles within the city of Olecko.
That route might be accomplished once more within the afternoon, earlier than the rally finishes Friday with its second 1.55-mile sprint of Mikołajki Enviornment. The third run of the world comes early Saturday afternoon, after drivers have tackled 37.78 miles of Swietajna, Gołdap and Czarne that morning – three levels which will even be repeated later within the day.
Sunday then options 4 levels of two an identical routes, because it begins with 12.92 miles of Gmina Mrągowo earlier than 6.67 miles of Mikołajki. Drivers then return to Gmina Mrągowo, earlier than Mikołajki serves because the weekend-closing Energy Stage the place bonus factors on a sliding scale of 5-4-3-2-1 can be found.