Last time out in Portugal we had the first rally of the year with roads already familiar with the crews, and this weekend we have the first returning rally from the pandemic-hit 2020 World Rally Championship season in Rally Italy.
And while it’s a well-known route, there are different stages in use to last year as the rally has hopped from one side of Sardinia to the other.
Being back on the Sardinian roads after less than eight months away, and a few test days on the island’s gravel in the gap between rallies, means the competitive order shouldn’t be too dissimilar to the last edition where Hyundai set the pace and Dani Sordo claimed victory, and with a road position advantage on the first day of the rally it’s likely that Sordo will be leading the way on this event once again.
That Sordo and team-mate Ott Tänak were also frequently the fastest cars in Portugal, the first gravel rally of the year, is a sign that the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC will be the car to beat.
The WRC contingent is without one of the Hyundai cars though, as Oliver Solberg is stuck quarantining in Portugal, while fellow Hyundai junior Ole Christian Veiby is now serving a WRC ban for breaking quarantine and that means he won’t be in WRC2. A driver who is back in the support class, after missing Portugal due to contracting COVID-19, is Toksport Škoda’s Andreas Mikkelsen.
This weekend has a full schedule that includes eight stages on Friday and Saturday, and there’s potentially rain due on Wednesday that could leave the stages dusty on the hottest rally of the year so far.
Here are all the numbers and figures you need to know before the cars hit the stages.
Leading entries
1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC)
11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota Yaris WRC)
8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
69 Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota Yaris WRC)
18 Takamoto Katsuta/Dan Barritt (Toyota Yaris WRC)
44 Gus Greensmith/Stuart Loudon (Ford Fiesta WRC)
6 Dani Sordo/Borja Rozada (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
3 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC)
7 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Florian Haut-Labourdette (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Rally Italy entry breakdown
Total 55 crews
10 Priority 1 crews
11 Priority 2 crews (WRC2)
16 Priority 3 crews (WRC3)
18 Non-priority crews
Rally Italy itinerary
Thursday 3rd June
Shakedown Loiri Porto San Paolo (1.80 miles) 0901
Friday 4th June
SS1 Filigosu – Sa Conchedda 1 (13.85 miles) 0802
SS2 Terranova 1 (8.92 miles) 0902
SS3 Filigosu – Sa Conchedda 2 (13.85 miles) 1047
SS4 Terranova 1 (8.92 miles) 1147
SS5 Tempio Pausania 1 (7.51 miles) 1447
SS6 Erula – Tula 1 (9.30 miles) 1547
SS7 Tempio Pausania 2 (7.51 miles) 1732
SS8 Erula – Tula 2 (9.30 miles) 1832
Saturday 5th June
SS9 Coiluna – Loelle 1 (9.32 miles) 0808
SS10 Lerno – Monti di Alà 1 (13.72 miles) 0908
SS11 Coiluna – Loelle 2 (9.32 miles) 1038
SS12 Lerno – Monti di Alà 2 (13.72 miles) 1138
SS13 Bortigiadas – Aggius – Viddalba 1 (9.13 miles) 1510
SS14 Sedini – Castelsardo 1 (8.10 miles) 1608
SS15 Bortigiadas – Aggius – Viddalba 2 (9.13 miles) 1732
SS16 Sedini – Castelsardo 2 (8.10 miles) 1838
Sunday 6th June
SS17 Arzachena – Braniatogghiu 1 (9.48 miles) 0733
SS18 Aglientu – Santa Teresa 1 (4.84 miles) 0838
SS19 Arzachena – Braniatogghiu 2 (9.48 miles) 1009
SS20 Aglientu – Santa Teresa 2 (4.84 miles) 1218
Total competitive distance: 188.34 miles
Total liaison distance: 618.84 miles
Total distance: 807.17 miles
