Thierry Neuville leads Rally Portugal after Thursday night’s superspecial – the first stage of its nature in the hybrid Rally1 era of the World Rally Championship.
Coimbra is a brand-new superspecial stage on this year’s itinerary and ran through the streets of the city, littered with barriers, chicanes, man-made jumps and donuts around roundabouts.
But it provided the first chance for the drivers to get a leap on their rivals and there were some sizeable gaps between some of the crews.
Dani Sordo, making his debut in the hybrid i20 N Rally1 this weekend, was the major loser when he was momentarily distracted with the engine mapping settings he was unaccustomed to aboard his Hyundai.
As a result, he became confused when executing a donut on a roundabout, checked up on the brakes and turned back on himself to perform another pirouette.
It cost him a few valuable seconds as he dropped behind the leading WRC2 runners but Sordo described the mishap as “no big drama” – even if it cost him an early 7.2 seconds to the rally leader.
That leader is his Hyundai team-mate Neuville, who bested his other team-mate, Ott Tänak, by 0.6s to establish an early Hyundai 1-2.
Craig Breen and Gus Greensmith made it an M-Sport 3-4, trailing rally leader Neuville by 1.4s and 1.8s respectively on the short 1.75-mile stage.
Greensmith, who has targeted a maiden WRC podium in Portugal this weekend, was relieved to set a competitive time.
“It’s my favorite rally, it’s why I feel comfortable but I hate superspecials,” he said.
“I missed a donut about four years ago and got a penalty so I now memorize them. To start well on a superspecial is always really important, so good.”
Sébastien Ogier led Toyota’s charge to set the fifth fastest time, 0.3s down on Greensmith’s effort but 0.6s up on his team-mate and world championship leader Kalle Rovanperä.
“I have a second family a bit in terms of rally in Portugal and a lot of people always cheering me so I’m going to try and give them a result they are hoping [for],” said Ogier.
“It’s going to be a tough fight for sure, I’m sure Elfyn will be pushing hard with same road position but it’s nice to be here.”
Rovanperä, who has the unenviable task of opening the road on Friday, added: “It will be interesting to see tomorrow where we are in of course a new situation for us, opening the road.
“It will be a tough day for us but hopefully we keep the position good.”
A pumped up Takamoto Katsuta is seventh overnight, 2.8s down on Neuville up front, but is feeling confident and “very, very excited for tomorrow’s stages”.
He edged nine-time world champion and Monte Carlo Rally winner Sébastien Loeb – who’s feeling a little downbeat about his prospects – by 0.6s.
“It will be difficult, I need to get into the rhythm first and with the road position it will not be easy,” Loeb cautioned.
“I will try my best – I don’t believe I can fight for the win but I try to do a good rally.”
Elfyn Evans was quickest on Thursday morning’s shakedown stage but finds himself down in ninth overall after SS1, 3.5s down on the leader but just a tenth adrift of Loeb’s M-Sport Ford.
It puts the Toyota driver in an M-Sport sandwich as Adrien Fourmaux lies 10th, 0.9s behind with Pierre-Louis Loubet a further two tenths in arrears.
Miko Marczyk leads a Polish WRC2 in 1-2, heading compatriot Kajetan Kajetanowicz by 0.4s. Yohan Rossel is third ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen and Marco Bulacia.
Sordo is all the way down in 20th overall.
Classification after SS1:
1 Neuville/Wydaeghe (Hyundai) 2m37.9s
2 Tänak/Järveoja (Hyundai) +0.6s
3 Breen/Nagle (M-Sport Ford) +1.4s
4 Greensmith/Andersson (M-Sport Ford) +1.8s
5 Ogier/Veillas (Toyota) +2.1s
6 Rovanperä/Halttunen (Toyota) +2.7s
7 Katsuta/Johnston (Toyota) +2.8s
8 Loeb/Galmiche (M-Sport Ford) +3.4s
9 Evans/Martin (Toyota) +3.5s
10 Fourmaux/Coria (M-Sport Ford) +4.4s
