Given the huge news that’s broken in the World Rally Championship, Colin Clark’s driver ratings are slightly later than normal from Rally Chile.
But, as ever, they’re more than worth the wait!
Here are the voice of rally’s thoughts from round 11 of the pulsating 2023 season:
Toyota
Kalle Rovanperä 7/10
Rally Chile result: 4th
Hampered by road position on Friday and then that costly tire choice mistake from the team on Saturday, there was never going to be much hope for a good result here for Kalle. Having said that, from a championship point-of-view this was far from a disastrous result for Rovanperä.
A measured, mistake-free drive; nothing spectacular, but that’s what the circumstances demanded.
Elfyn Evans 7/10
Rally Chile result: 3rd
Elfyn had to contend with the same issues that stymied Kalle’s chances of a victoty in Chile.
However, I’d like to have seen a little more fight from Elfyn when he got himself into a position on Saturday afternoon to battle with Thierry. Yes, he closed the gap on Kalle in the championship, by one point, but getting past Neuville would have made this weekend so much more meaningful in term of championship hopes.
Elfyn at his best is right up there. Finding that best speed consistently though is proving just a little elusive.
Takamoto Katsuta 5/10
Rally Chile result: 5th
The kind of result we know that Taka can deliver week in, week out. Safe, consistent, middle of the field pace is OK under certain circumstances but we’re looking for more from Katsuta these days.
Needs to fond the confidence to push on and deliver what we know the car is capable of and what we suspect he is capable of.
Hyundai
Thierry Neuville 8/10
Rally Chile result: 2nd
Not Neuville’s best performance by a long way – he was well into Saturday before he actually sounded confident with his car.
But he got the result he was looking for and maybe a bit more of this tenacity throughout the season could well have seen Thierry in a much healthier championship position.
Having said that, we know that fast gravel has historically been Hyundai’s Achilles heel, so add this result to Estonia and Finland, and you have to say it’s proper progress.
Esapekka Lappi 1/10
Rally Chile result: DNF
I was frantically searching for a reason to give EP one measly point for this woeful performance, because giving zero always seems so mean, and then I remembered. He owned his mistake and put his hands up straightaway – and this deserves some very small credit.
The team needed Lappi to put in a performance here and he abjectly failed, binning it big time at the final corner of the opening stage.
A season that started so well is rapidly sliding downhill, and with decisions about driver lineups for next year still to be made, Lappi needs to arrest that slide ASAP.
Teemu Suninen 7/10
Rally Chile result: DNF
Composed, controlled and quick until the penultimate stage, Suninen was on the verge of one of his best rallies and results last weekend.
Making the right decisions, though, at the highest level is critical and Teemu’s decision to push, in that stage was… well, naive.
He’d done the job, showed his pace, showed his composure and SS15 was the time to show he was a team player, able to take the clever approach.
That double podium was critical to the team and Suninen was well aware of it.
However, this mistake shouldn’t adversely affect his hopes for a drive next year – he’ll be in a Rally1 car with some sort of program I’m sure.
M-Sport Ford
Ott Tänak 10/10
Rally Chile result: 1st
An absolutely faultless weekend from Ott and M-Sport.
The rally was won with an inspired tire choice on Saturday morning that allowed Tänak to forge ahead and build an unassailable lead.
But this wasn’t all about tires – Tänak drove a near-perfect rally. While just about every other driver struggled with the surface and the nature of the stages, Tänak coped without fuss or drama.
OK, there might have been one or two small moments but they were dealt with in the cool, calm, calculating way we’ve come to expect from Tänak when he’s on his very best form.
A hugely important win for Tänak and the team.
Pierre-Louis Loubet 2/10
Rally Chile result: DNF
No-one will be more frustrated with this performance than Pierre-Louis.
After the enormous disappointment of Acropolis he knew that this rally, with the undoubted road advantage he had, presented a proper opportunity to get right back on it with a good result.
And it was all going so well – until stage three.
These are hugely costly mistakes and the kind that young Loubet really can’t afford to continue making. It’s happening too often – the pace increases, and ultimately, the car goes off.
He’ll need to find an answer to his issues if he’s to achieve a confidence-building result before the end of the season.
Grégoire Munster 5/10
Rally Chile result: 13th
Not a bad debut in Rally1 machinery – Munster showed qualities that he’ll need if he’s to have any chance at all of making regular outings at this level a more regular thing.
OK, I wasn’t blown away by the pace but he did show remarkable calmness and focus when presented with some fairly challenging situations. None more challenging than when his co-driver managed to leave his pacenote book in the hotel room.
Presented himself in a very mature way and showed he has a cool, calm and level head.
Alberto Heller 5/10
Rally Chile result: 15th
Another who made a decent effort to master the intricacies of the Rally1 beast on his debut. No real mistakes, he brought the car home in good order and with, at times, respectable pace.
The highlight of the weekend for me was the way he whipped the crowd at the ceremonial start into a near frenzy in scenes I’ve not really witnessed on any other event.
