News and Quotes SS8 (Sumavske Hostice 2)

The 2024 Central European Rally wrapped up its day in Czechia with a second run through the 16.85km Šumavské Hoštice stage. Conditions were dry but it was getting dark. Sébastien Ogier took the stage win for Toyota, cutting into Hyundai’s overnight leader Thierry Neuville's advantage, reducing it to just 6.4 seconds. Hyundai’s other title contender, Ott Tänak, sits in third, only 1.4 seconds behind Ogier. Three more Toyotas are ready to pounce just outside the podium – Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta, and Sami Pajari. Meanwhile, the M-Sport Fords of Adrien Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster, and Jourdan Serderidis bring up the rear. In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin kept extending his lead for Citroën, staying ahead of Oliver Solberg’s Škoda. Title hopeful Yohann Rossel had a tough day, suffering another off-road moment. He finished fifth in class, 1 minute and 36 seconds behind the leader – a big blow in a rally he needs to win to keep his title hopes alive.

#11 Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid:"I’m just happy we made it to the end. It’s so easy to make a mistake out there, and the only thing that mattered was finishing today. I took it easy in some spots, but that’s fine. Some raindrops are falling, and it’s really greasy in parts – super slippery. We just focused on keeping it safe and getting through."

#8 Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid:"I have no idea where I am, so let’s see after this one. But at least we’ve had a clean day, and I’d say we tried to make the best of it."

#17 Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid:"Honestly, it was fun. The afternoon was really enjoyable. We had a bad split near the end of the previous stage, lost too much time there, don’t know why, but driving the car today was a blast. It’s fine, but tomorrow we need to push more for sure."

#33 Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid:"Felt a bit odd at the end, but otherwise okay. Wasn’t expecting to lose that much time. Just some brake issues, but nothing major."

#16 Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) / Alexandre Coria (FRA), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid:"It’s been a really tough day for us. Not the start we wanted, but that’s rallying – sometimes you’re off the pace. It’s a shame. Tomorrow will be different, so we’ll do our best."

#18 Takamoto Katsuta (JPN) / Aaron Johnson (IRL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid:"Definitely better than this morning. It was much drier, so at least we had some grip. I just drove through it, didn’t really feel anything special, but it’s all good. Let’s call it a smart drive. I pushed when I had confidence, then backed off. Tomorrow should be better – hopefully easier. I’ll do my best."

#5 Sami Pajari (FIN) / Enni Mälkönen (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid:"Definitely the trickiest stage of the day. The afternoon was better overall, the grip was more consistent. But this stage was still really tricky. In the forest, it was hard to tell where it was most slippery."

#13 Grégoire Munster (LUX) / Louis Louka (BEL), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid:"A tricky stage for sure. Even on the second pass, with our road position, it’s impossible to set a good time here. I watched Thierry’s line – sometimes there are no leaves, but when we come through, it’s full of them. You don’t know what’s underneath, if it’s damp or greasy. Didn’t want to take too many risks."

#19 Jourdan Serderidis (GRE) / Frédéric Miclotte (BEL), Ford Puma Rally1 (non-Hybrid):"There’s everything in this stage – it’s fast, there are leaves everywhere, it’s dirty, and it’s getting dark. It was tough, but I think we handled it well. I’m happy."

#20 Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2:"Probably the worst stage of the day. My driving was really bad, no confidence at all. I was way too cautious. It’s so slippery, easy to make a mistake, so I just held back too much. But it’s been a fun day overall. Nice to be back in the car on tarmac, learning a lot. Tomorrow’s a new day."

#21 Yohan Rossel (FRA) / Florian Barral (FRA), Citroën C3 Rally2:"I’m lucky to be here. I got some mud on a corner right at the start and went off. The car felt so bad in the slippery conditions, I don’t understand. When I hit the brakes, it’s impossible to control. No idea why. When the grip’s there, it’s fine, but when it’s not, it’s really tough."

#22 Nikolay Gryazin (BUL) / Konstantin Aleksandrov (ANA), Citroën C3 Rally2:"I took it super easy. This stage is really dangerous. Even with the gravel crew doing their best, I didn’t want to take any risks. It doesn’t make sense to push here. I just focused on staying smooth, let’s see what the time is, but the goal was no mistakes. Even driving slow, it’s super slippery."