With a fastest time at the end of the second day of the Estonia World Cup Rally, Thierry Neuville strengthened his podium ambitions. With just over 50 kilometers to go against the clock, the Hyundai driver is a good quarter-minute ahead of his closest opponent for third place, World Cup leader Sébastien Ogier.
However, at the end of the Saturday morning loop, Neuville saw the Frenchman approach within five seconds. A better tire choice for the afternoon stage, however, turned out to be in favor of the Oostkantonner.
“The course was tough, with deep ruts,” Neuville analyzed at the end of the second day. “The dust from the car in front of us also lingered for a long time, which does not make it any easier. Anyway, just about everyone had to contend with those circumstances. The small changes we made to the car during the lunch break seemed to be paying off.”
At the front, the lead is still in the hands of 20-year-old Finn Kalle Rovanperä. With his Toyota he managed to extend his lead over the Irishman Craig Breen, the team mate of Neuville at Hyundai, to just under a minute. Neuville itself follows about thirty seconds away.
.