The 2018 Rally Catalunya (formally known as the 54. RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada)[1] was a motor racing event for rally cars that took place between 25 and 28 October. The event was open to entries competing in World Rally Cars and cars complying with Group R regulations. It marked the fifty-fourth running of Rally Catalunya and was the twelfth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, the highest class of competition in international rallying.[2] Seventy-six crews, including manufacturer teams and privateers, were entered to compete in the World Rally Championship, the FIA World Rally Championship-2 and FIA World Rally Championship-3 support series and the Spanish national Rally Championship and Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica championship.[a] The 2018 event was based in Salou in Tarragona and consisted of eighteen special stages. The rally covered a total competitive distance of a 331.58 km (206.03 miles) and an additional 1,132.79 km (703.88 miles) in transport stages.[4]
| 2018 Rally Catalunya 54. RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Round 12 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
| |||
| Host country |  Spain | ||
| Rally base | Salou, Tarragona | ||
| Dates run | 25 – 28 October 2018 | ||
| Start location | Montjuïc, Barcelona | ||
| Finish location | Salou, Tarragona | ||
| Stages | 18 (331.58 km; 206.03 miles) | ||
| Stage surface | Tarmac and gravel | ||
| Transport distance | 1,132.79 km (703.88 miles) | ||
| Overall distance | 1,464.37 km (909.92 miles) | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Crews registered | 76 | ||
| Crews | 70 at start, 53 at finish | ||
| Overall results | |||
| Overall winner |  Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT3:12:08.0 | ||
| Power Stage winner |  Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | ||
| Support category results | |||
| WRC-2 winner |  Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Škoda Motorsport II3:20:47.6 | ||
| WRC-3 winner |  Enrico Brazzoli Luca Beltrame Enrico Brazzoli3:58:18.3 | ||
Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were the reigning rally winners, but did not defend their win after Meeke was fired from Citroën.[5] The Finnish crew of Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula were the reigning winners of the World Rally Championship-2, but did not defend their title as they will compete in the World Rally Championship class. Nil Solans and Miquel Ibáñez Sotos were the reigning World Rally Championship-3 winners, but Marc Martí replaced Ibáñez Sotos as Solans' co-driver in the WRC-2 category.
Nine-time world champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena won the rally for the first time since 2013 Rally Argentina.[6] The victory also marked Loeb the third oldest winner overall.[7] The margin between second-place Sébastien Ogier was 2.9 seconds, which also made the rally become the tenth closest wins in history.[8] The Škoda Motorsport II crew of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen won in the World Rally Championship-2 in a Škoda Fabia R5, while the Italian crew of Enrico Brazzoli and Luca Beltrame won in the World Rally Championship-3.[9] The Czech crew of Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler finished second in WRC-2, which made them the drivers' and co-drivers' champions of 2018 World Rally Championship-2 respectively.[9]
Background
editChampionship standings prior to the event
editThierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul entered the round as the leaders of the World Rally Championship for Drivers and the World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers respectively. They held a seven-point lead over defending World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia.[10] Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were third, a further fourteen points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a twenty-point lead over Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.
In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler led the drivers' and co-drivers' standings by fourteen points. Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson were in second place, but they did not contest the rally. Tidemand was forty-one points ahead of privateers Gus Greensmith in the drivers' standings, while Andersson held a forty-six points lead over Jonne Halttunen in the co-drivers' standings. Škoda Motorsport II held a forty-twenty-point lead over sister team Škoda Motorsport in the teams' championship.
Junior World Rally Champion Emil Bergkvist led the World Rally Championship-3 drivers' standings, three points cleared of Taisko Lario. Denis Rådström was another three points behind in third. In the World Rally Championship-3 co-drivers' standings, Tatu Hämäläinen led Johan Johansson by three points, while Romain Courbon was slender one point further behind. In the teams' championship, ACI Team Italia led Castrol Ford Team Turkiye by sixteen points.
Entry list
editThe following crews were entered into the rally. The entry list consisted of seventy-six crews, including thirteen World Rally Car entries, twenty-one entries in the World Rally Championship-2 and four in the World Rally Championship-3.
Itinerary
edit| Date | No. | Stage name | Stage surface | Distance | Time span | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 October | 
|
Service park – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona |
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| — | Salou [Shakedown] | Tarmac and gravel | 2.97 km | After 08:00 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Service park – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| — | Ceremonial start – Podium Salou | — | — | 13:15 - 15:15 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
Regroup – Barcelona | — | — | 15:15 - 18:05 | Montjuïc, Barcelona | |
| Leg 1 — Terra Alta — 144.88 km | ||||||
| SS1 | Barcelona | Tarmac | 3.20 km | After 18:08 | Montjuïc, Barcelona | |
|
Parking – PortAventura | — | — | After 20:08 | Salou, Tarragona | |
| 26 October |
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 08:00 - 08:15 | Salou, Tarragona |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS2 | Gandesa 1 | Gravel | 7.00 km | After 09:33 | Gandesa, Terra Alta | |
| SS3 | Pesells 1 | Gravel | 26.59 km | After 10:06 | Bot, Terra Alta | |
|
|
Remote refuel – Restaurant Coll del Moro | — | — | — | Bot, Terra Alta | |
| SS4 | La Fatarella - Vilalba 1 | Gravel | 38.85 km | After 11:20 | La Fatarella, Terra Alta | |
|
|
Regroup and Technical Zone | — | — | 13:15 - 13:35 | ||
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 13:35 - 14:05 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS5 | Gandesa 2 | Gravel | 7.00 km | After 15:23 | Gandesa, Terra Alta | |
| SS6 | Pesells 2 | Gravel | 26.59 km | After 15:56 | Bot, Terra Alta | |
|
|
Remote refuel – Restaurant Coll del Moro | — | — | — | Bot, Terra Alta | |
| SS7 | La Fatarella - Vilalba 2 | Gravel | 38.85 km | After 17:10 | La Fatarella, Terra Alta | |
|
|
Flexiservice– Service park PortAventura | — | — | After 19:20 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Parking – PortAventura | — | — | Before 23:59[c] | Salou, Tarragona | |
| 27 October | Leg 2 — Conca de Barberà and Tarragona — 121.80 km | |||||
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 06:45 - 07:00 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS8 | Savallà 1 | Tarmac | 14.12 km | After 08:23 | Savallà del Comtat, Conca de Barberà | |
|
|
Remote refuel – Santa Coloma de Queralt | — | — | — | Santa Coloma de Queralt, Conca de Barberà | |
| SS9 | Querol 1 | Tarmac | 21.26 km | After 09:08 | Querol, Conca de Barberà | |
| SS10 | El Montmell 1 | Tarmac | 24.40 km | After 10:08 | El Montmell, Conca de Barberà | |
|
|
Regroup and Technical Zone – PortAventura | — | — | 11:33 - 11:43 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 11:43 - 12:13 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS11 | Savallà 2 | Tarmac | 14.12 km | After 13:28 | Savallà del Comtat, Conca de Barberà | |
|
|
Remote refuel – Santa Coloma de Queralt | — | — | — | Santa Coloma de Queralt, Conca de Barberà | |
| SS12 | Querol 2 | Tarmac | 21.26 km | After 14:10 | Querol, Conca de Barberà | |
| SS13 | El Montmell 2 | Tarmac | 24.40 km | After 15:08 | El Montmell, Conca de Barberà | |
|
|
Regroup – Salou | — | — | 16:42 - 16:57 | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS14 | Salou | Tarmac | 2.24 km | After 17:00 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Flexiservice– Service park PortAventura | — | — | After 17:30 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Parking – PortAventura | — | — | Before 21:30[c] | Salou, Tarragona | |
| 28 October | Leg 3 — Tarragona — 61.70 km | |||||
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 06:45 - 07:00 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS15 | Riudecanyes 1 | Tarmac | 16.35 km | After 07:35 | Riudecanyes, Tarragona | |
|
|
Regroup – Mont-roig del Camp | — | — | 08:06 - 08:16 | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS16 | Santa Marina 1 | Tarmac | 14.50 km | After 08:38 | Riudecanyes, Tarragona | |
|
|
Regroup and Technical Zone – PortAventura | — | — | 09:35 - 09:45 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 09:45 - 10:15 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
|
Refuel – PortAventura | — | — | — | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS17 | Riudecanyes 2 | Tarmac | 16.35 km | After 10:50 | Riudecanyes, Tarragona | |
|
|
Regroup – Mont-roig del Camp | — | — | 08:06 - 08:16 | Salou, Tarragona | |
| SS18 | Santa Marina 2 [Power Stage] | Tarmac | 14.50 km | After 12:18 | Riudecanyes, Tarragona | |
|
|
Service park – Service park PortAventura | — | — | 13:41 - 13:51 | Salou, Tarragona | |
|
Ceremonial finish – Podium Salou | — | — | After 14:51 | Salou, Tarragona | |
| Source:[11] | ||||||
Report
editPre-event
edit
The rally marked Volkswagen's return to the World Championship with a factory-supported team after the company withdrew from the category in 2016. Volkswagen Motorsport will enter two Volkswagen Polo GTIs built to Group R5 specifications in the World Rally Championship-2 support series.[12] They will be driven by 2003 World Drivers' Champion Petter Solberg and M-Sport regular Eric Camilli.[1][13]
Leg 1
editOtt Tänak showed his speed once again in Spain. He pulled away from everyone except his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, who set three fastest stage times during the day. However, an unexpected puncture cost the Finn around fifty seconds, leaving him fifth at the end of day 1.[14] Local hero Dani Sordo led Hyundai in second, followed by Elfyn Evans in third in a Ford Fiesta WRC. Nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb stalled his C3 at the opening stage in Barcelona, but he managed to recover to fourth place overall, just half a second off the podium. Sixth-place Andreas Mikkelsen was unable to find his form in the morning loop, but a setting adjustment put him on a charge and allowed him to end the day ahead of defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, who was fastest in Shakedown and the 2.97-kilometer-long street stage on Thursday.[15] Craig Breen was in fifth before the final stage despite a spin, but the Irishman lost a chunk of his C3's rear wing and dropped to eighth overall. Championship leader Thierry Neuville didn't start well. The Belgian rolled his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC at the Shakedown and damaged to the front left, the bonnet and roof.[16] Being first on the road, he was also struggling with his car's handling. He eventually finished the day nearly one minute off the lead in ninth overall ahead of Esapekka Lappi, who slid off the road in the morning and spun later on.[14]
Leg 2
editTyre choice was crucial on day 2. Toyota duo Ott Tänak and Jari-Matti Latvala chose full wet tyres for the morning loop and set brilliant pace. Despite their tyre choices, rally leader Tänak plunged to eighth after changing a front-left punctured tyre cost them about two minutes of time, which made local hero Dani Sordo the new rally leader.[17] Stage conditions changed in the afternoon, meaning crews who chose wet tyres unable to match the pace set by those who used slick tyres. Championship leader Thierry Neuville benefited from slicks, finishing the day in fifth, 12.7 seconds off the lead. Teammate Sordo didn't have a good run. Although he made the same choice as Neuville, he encountered muddy roads due to being lower in the running order, which dropped him down to sixth.[18]
After the chaotic leg 2, Latvala led the rally, just 4.7 seconds ahead of defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, who took his chance with wet weather tyres in the afternoon and gained three places. Nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb was 3.3 seconds further behind, edging Elfyn Evans by 1.8 seconds. Hyundai's Neuville and Sordo ended in fifth and sixth respectively. The top six crews were separated by just twenty seconds. Esapekka Lappi completed the day in seventh after a lurid sixth-gear spin, followed by early leader Tänak. Craig Breen had two spins in the day and finished ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen in tenth.
Leg 3
editChoosing the hard compound tyre, Sébastien Loeb charged into the lead and eventually won his first rally since 2013 Rally Argentina. This was also Citroën's first rally victory of the season.[19] Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier found something extra in his Ford Fiesta WRC and completed the rally in second with four additional Power Stage points. The Frenchman will go to Rally Australia as the championship leader. Teammate Elfyn Evans also found his form in the rally and successfully held the Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville — who suffered an unexpected puncture caused by a stone at the last few kilometers of the event — and Dani Sordo behind to snatch his second podium finish of the year. Jari-Matti Latvala was leading, but another puncture in the second-last stage pushed him down to sixth. He eventually finished the rally in eighth after giving positions to his title contender teammate Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi respectively, with Craig Breen and Andreas Mikkelsen completing the top ten finishers.
Classification
editFinal results
editPoint scorers
editSpecial stages
editPower stage
editThe Power stage was a 14.50 km stage at the end of the rally. Additional World Championship points were awarded to the five fastest crews.
| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Diff. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ott Tänak
|
Martin Järveoja
|
Toyota Yaris WRC | 8:02.5 | 0.0 | 5 |
| 2 |  Sébastien Ogier
|
Julien Ingrassia
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 8:04.6 | 2.0 | 4 |
| 3 | Sébastien Loeb
|
 Daniel Elena
|
Citroën C3 WRC | 8:05.3 | 2.8 | 3 |
| 4 |  Elfyn Evans
|
Daniel Barritt
|
Ford Fiesta WRC | 8:05.7 | 3.1 | 2 |
| 5 |  Dani Sordo
|
Carlos del Barrio
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | 8:07.2 | 4.6 | 1 |
Penalties
editThe following crews were given time penalties during the rally.
Retirements
editThe following crews retired from the event. Under Rally2 regulations, they were eligible to re-enter the event starting from the next leg. Crews that re-entered were given an additional time penalty.
Championship standings after the rally
edit- Bold text indicates 2018 World Champions.
Drivers' championshipsedit
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Co-Drivers' championshipsedit
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Manufacturers' and teams' championshipsedit
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Notes
edit- ^ Only the first leg of the rally counts towards the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica championship.[3]
- ^ Competitors competing in national events are variously eligible to score points in the N5 RMC Cup and Beca Júnior R2 RFEdA championships.
- ^ a b The time limitation is for all classified cars, excluding re-starting crews.
- ^ a b c The stage was cancelled due to safety reasons.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Rally RACC Catalunya 2018 Entry List" (PDF). rallyracc.com. rallyracc.com. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ "54. RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2018". ewrc-results.com. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de España". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Meeke nets win". wrc.com. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "Sunday in Spain:Loeb Turns back the clock". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ^ "Statistics - Oldest and youngest winners". www.juwra.com.
- ^ "Statistics - Closest wins". www.juwra.com.
- ^ a b "WRC 2 in Spanin: Rovanperä Nets Masterful win". wrc.com. WRC. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Ogier wins final day duel with Latvala in Britain". speedcafe.com. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ "Rally RACC Catalunya 2018 Itinerary" (PDF). rallyracc.com. rallyracc.com. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^ Beer, Matt (8 October 2018). "VW reveals WRC2 Polo livery for one-off Rally Spain works return". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ Evans, David. "Solberg to make WRC return in Spain". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Friday in Spanin: Tänak Leaves Rivals Floundering". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "SS1: Ogier Wins Spain Opener". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Neuville Rolls in Spain Warm-up". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "SS9/10: Sordo Grabs Spain Lead". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Saturday in Spain: Latvala Heads WRC Thriller". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Sunday in Spain: Loeb Turns Back the Clock". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ "Rally de España Results". wrc.com. World Rally Championship. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "54. RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2018". ewrc-results.com. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
External links
edit- Official website (in English and Spanish)
- 2018 Rally de Catalunya in e-wrc website
- The official website of the World Rally Championship