The 2018 Rally Argentina (formally known as the YPF Rally Argentina 2018) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 26 and 29 April 2018.[1] It marked the thirty-eighth running of Rally Argentina, and was the fifth round of the 2018 World Rally Championship and its support categories, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships.[2] The event was based in Villa Carlos Paz in Córdoba Province and consisted of eighteen special stages totalling 358.25 km (222.61 mi) competitive kilometres.[3]

2018 Rally Argentina
38. YPF Rally Argentina
Round 5 of 13 in the 2018 World Rally Championship
← Previous eventNext event →
Host country Argentina
Rally baseVilla Carlos Paz, Córdoba
Dates run26 – 29 April 2018
Start locationVilla Carlos Paz, Córdoba
Finish locationEl Cóndor, Córdoba
Stages18 (358.25 km; 222.61 miles)
Stage surfaceGravel
Transport distance942.40 km (585.58 miles)
Overall distance1,300.65 km (808.19 miles)
Statistics
Crews registered27
Crews27 at start, 19 at finish
Overall results
Overall winnerEstonia Ott Tänak
Estonia Martin Järveoja
Japan Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
3:43:28.9
Power Stage winnerBelgium Thierry Neuville
Belgium Nicolas Gilsoul
South Korea Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Support category results
WRC-2 winnerSweden Pontus Tidemand
Sweden Jonas Andersson
Czech Republic Škoda Motorsport
3:55:44.7
WRC-3 winnerno WRC-3 entries

Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the defending rally winners.[4] Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the rally. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturers' winners, while the Škoda Motorsport crew of Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Škoda Fabia R5.[5]

Background

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Championship standings prior to the event

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Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with a seventeen-point lead in the World Championships for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a four-point lead over M-Sport Ford WRT.

Entry list

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The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2, and the World Rally Championship-3. The final entry list consisted of twelve World Rally Car entries and ten crews entered in the World Rally Championship-2. There were no entries for the World Rally Championship-3.

No. Entrant Driver Co-Driver Car Tyre
World Rally Car entries
1   M-Sport Ford WRT   Sébastien Ogier   Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC M
2   M-Sport Ford WRT   Elfyn Evans   Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC M
3   M-Sport Ford WRT   Teemu Suninen   Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC M
4   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT   Andreas Mikkelsen   Anders Jæger-Synnevaag Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC M
5   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT   Thierry Neuville   Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC M
6   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT   Dani Sordo   Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC M
7   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT   Jari-Matti Latvala   Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC M
8   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT   Ott Tänak   Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC M
9   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT   Esapekka Lappi   Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC M
10   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT   Kris Meeke   Paul Nagle Citroën C3 WRC M
11   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT   Craig Breen   Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC M
12   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT   Khalid Al-Qassimi   Chris Patterson Citroën C3 WRC M
World Rally Championship-2 entries
31   Škoda Motorsport   Pontus Tidemand   Jonas Andersson Škoda Fabia R5 M
32   Gus Greensmith   Gus Greensmith   Craig Parry Ford Fiesta R5 M
33   Pedro Heller   Pedro Heller   Pablo Olmos Ford Fiesta R5 M
34   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson   Fernando Mussano Ford Fiesta R5 M
35   Škoda Motorsport   Kalle Rovanperä   Jonne Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 M
36   Nil Solans   Nil Solans   Miquel Ibañez Ford Fiesta R5 D
37   Gustavo Saba   Gustavo Saba   Marcelo der Ohannesian Škoda Fabia R5 D
38   Diego Domínguez   Diego Domínguez   Edgardo Galindo Hyundai i20 R5 D
39   Tiago Weiler   Tiago Weiler   Fabian Cretu Škoda Fabia R5 D
40   M-Sport Ford WRT   Alberto Heller   José Diaz Ford Fiesta R5 M
Other major entries
81   Wevers Sport[a]   Ole Christian Veiby   Stig Rune Skjærmoen Škoda Fabia R5 M
Source:[6]

Report

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Pre-event

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Khalid Al-Qassimi drove Citroën's third car in the rally.

Citroën expanded its operations to include a third entry.[6] Craig Breen and Scott Martin returned to drive one car,[6] having given up their seats in Mexico and Corsica to make way for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.[7] Khalid Al-Qassimi and Chris Patterson are making their first appearance of the season, driving Citroën's third car.[6]

Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula returned to drive M-Sport Ford's third entry.[6] Suninen and Markkula had been replaced by tarmac specialists Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri in Tour de Corse.[7] Daniel Barritt also returned as Elfyn Evans' co-driver after being forced to miss the Tour de Corse to recover from a concussion sustained in an accident in Rally Mexico.[6][8][9]

Thursday

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Defending rally winner Thierry Neuville edged Ott Tänak's Toyota Yaris by 0.3 second over the mixed surface roads in the town centre. Championship leader Sébastien Ogier was a further 0.1 second back in third in a Fiesta. Andreas Mikkelsen was half a second off the pace, despite twice understeering through roundabouts. From fifth to ninth were Kris Meeke, Esapekka Lappi, Teemu Suninen, Dani Sordo, the Shakedown winner Jari-Matti Latvala. Elfyn Evans, who originally finished eleventh, climbed up to tenth after Craig Breen received a 10-second penalty for checking out late at the time control.[10]

Friday

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Although Ott Tänak got a half-spin in the second stage, he managed to gain a significant lead in subsequent stages, winning five of six special stages which earned him a 22.7-second lead over Kris Meeke, much to the astonishment of his rivals. Thierry Neuville ended the day at the third place, margined his teammate Dani Sordo by less than one second, while defending world champion Sébastien Ogier was a further 6.9 seconds behind. Craig Breen was seventh on the board, 41.2 seconds off the lead. Early leader Andreas Mikkelsen got a puncture in SS6, relegating him to seventh place, along with Esapekka Lappi who also suffered from two punctures. The Finn was in the thick of the podium battle but plunged to eighth. Elfyn Evans was ninth, the Welshman frustrated by his lack of pace, with Fiesta teammate Teemu Suninen completed the leaderboard. Jari-Matti Latvala was forced to retire from the rally after his Yaris' front right suspension and engine's oiling system sustained significant damage.[11]

Saturday

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Ott Tänak was almost unbeatable in the rally. He set another five fastest stage times out of seven. His lead is now up to 46.5 seconds overall. Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo, who gained the podium place after Kris Meeke suffered a puncture and dropped to eighth, were the only two drivers to snatch stage victories from the Yaris diver. They were separated by 21.7 seconds. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen climbed up to fourth and fifth overall respectively, followed by Esapekka Lappi, another 29.1 seconds behind. Elfyn Evans was seventh in another Fiesta, nearly three minutes off the lead. Teammate Teemu Suninen and WRC 2 leader Kalle Rovanperä finished in the top ten. Craig Breen rolled his C3 out of sixth, which damaged his roll cage. He was forced to retire.[12]

Sunday

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Ott Tänak dominated the rally and took his first rally victory of the season and first for his team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.[13] Thierry Neuville finished second with five Power Stage points, while his teammate Dani Sordo completed the podium. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier finished fourth overall, margined Andreas Mikkelsen by just four seconds. Teammate Elfyn Evans finished sixth in another Fiesta, over three minutes off the lead. Kris Meeke finished at the seventh place after Saturday's puncture. Esapekka Lappi, Teemu Suninen and WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand, who recapture the position of category leader after Kalle Rovanperä rolled out in second to last stage, completed the leaderboard.

Classification

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Top ten finishers

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The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten.[b]

Position No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time Difference Points
Event Class Class Stage
Overall classification
1 1 8   Ott Tänak   Martin Järveoja   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:43:28.9 0.0 25 2
2 2 5   Thierry Neuville   Nicolas Gilsoul   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:44:06.6 +37.7 18 5
3 3 6   Dani Sordo   Carlos del Barrio   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:44:44.6 +1:15.7 15 0
4 4 1   Sébastien Ogier   Julien Ingrassia   M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:45:27.5 +1:58.6 12 4
5 5 4   Andreas Mikkelsen   Anders Jæger-Synnevaag   Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:45:31.5 +2:02.6 10 3
6 6 2   Elfyn Evans   Daniel Barritt   M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:46:35.2 +3:06.3 8 0
7 7 10   Kris Meeke   Paul Nagle   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3:46:54.6 +3:25.7 6 1
8 8 9   Esapekka Lappi   Janne Ferm   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:48:01.5 +4:32.6 4 0
9 9 3   Teemu Suninen   Mikko Markkula   M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:49:07.5 +5:38.6 2 0
10 10 31   Pontus Tidemand   Jonas Andersson   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 3:55:44.7 +12:15.8 1 0
World Rally Championship-2
10 1 31   Pontus Tidemand   Jonas Andersson   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 3:55:44.7 0.0 25
12 2 32   Gus Greensmith   Craig Parry   Gus Greensmith Ford Fiesta R5 4:03:23.8 +7:39.1 18
15 3 33   Pedro Heller   Pablo Almos   Pedro Heller Ford Fiesta R5 4:04:47.6 +9:02.9 15
16 4 38   Diego Domínguez   Edgardo Galindo   Diego Domínguez Hyundai i20 R5 4:11:34.3 +15:49.6 12
18 5 36   Nil Solans   Miquel Ibáñez   Nil Solans Ford Fiesta R5 4:33:28.6 +37:43.9 10
Source:[14][15]

Other notable finishers

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The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.[b]

Position No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Class Time Points
Event Class Stage
14 14 12   Khalid Al-Qassimi   Chris Patterson   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën C3 WRC WRC 4:04:47.2 0
Source:[14][15]

Special stages

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Overall classification
Day Stage Name Length Winner Car Time Class leader
26 April Villa Carlos Paz [Shakedown] 4.25 km   Jari-Matti Latvala Toyota Yaris WRC 2:31.5
SS1 SSS Villa Carlos Paz 1.9 km   Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1:54.4   Thierry Neuville
27 April SS2 Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 1 16.65 km   Sébastien Ogier Ford Fiesta WRC 8:55.7   Sébastien Ogier
SS3 Amboy / Yacanto 1 33.58 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 19:19.9   Andreas Mikkelsen
SS4 Santa Rosa / San Agustín 1 23.85 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 13:42.6
SS5 SSS Fernet Branca 1 6.04 km   Dani Sordo Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4:42.0   Ott Tänak
SS6 Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 2 16.65 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 8:43.4
SS7 Amboy / Yacanto 2 33.58 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 19:18.7
SS8 Santa Rosa - San Agustín 2 23.85 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 13:35.0
28 April SS9 Tanti - Mataderos 1 13.92 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 9:00.1
SS10 Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 1 16.02 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 8:16.7
SS11 Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 1 40.48 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 24:31.0
SS12 SSS Fernet Branca 2 6.04 km   Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4:40.8
SS13 Tanti - Mataderos 2 13.92 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 8:59.9
SS14 Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 2 16.02 km   Ott Tänak Toyota Yaris WRC 8:15.5
SS15 Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 2 40.48 km   Dani Sordo Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 24:03.0
29 April SS16 Copina - El Condor 16.43 km   Andreas Mikkelsen Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 13:09.5
SS17 Giulio Cesare - Mina Clavero 22.41 km   Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 18:31.3
SS18 El Cóndor [Power stage] 16.43 km   Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 13:00.8
World Rally Championship-2
26 April Villa Carlos Paz [Shakedown] 4.25 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 2:41.3
SS1 SSS Villa Carlos Paz 1.9 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 1:57.5   Kalle Rovanperä
27 April SS2 Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 1 16.65 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 9:54.8   Pontus Tidemand
SS3 Amboy / Yacanto 1 33.58 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 20:42.9
SS4 Santa Rosa / San Agustín 1 23.85 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 14:29.1
SS5 SSS Fernet Branca 1 6.04 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 4:46.8
SS6 Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 2 16.65 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 9:24.8
SS7 Amboy / Yacanto 2 33.58 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 20:29.1
SS8 Santa Rosa - San Agustín 2 23.85 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 14:19.3
28 April SS9 Tanti - Mataderos 1 13.92 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 9:25.1
SS10 Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 1 16.02 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 8:49.5
SS11 Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 1 40.48 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 26:09.5   Kalle Rovanperä
SS12 SSS Fernet Branca 2 6.04 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 4:48.1
SS13 Tanti - Mataderos 2 13.92 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 9:20.2
SS14 Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 2 16.02 km   Kalle Rovanperä Škoda Fabia R5 8:43.6
SS15 Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 2 40.48 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 25:20.0
29 April SS16 Copina - El Condor 16.43 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 13:29.8
SS17 Giulio Cesare - Mina Clavero 22.41 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 18:45.6   Pontus Tidemand
SS18 El Cóndor 16.43 km   Pontus Tidemand Škoda Fabia R5 13:42.0

Power stage

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The Power stage was a 16.43 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   Thierry Neuville   Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 13:00.8 0.0 5
2   Sébastien Ogier   Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 13:01.3 +0.5 4
3   Andreas Mikkelsen   Anders Jæger-Synnevaag Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 13:01.5 +0.7 3
4   Ott Tänak   Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 13:04.0 +3.2 2
5   Kris Meeke   Paul Nagle Citroën C3 WRC 13:04.5 +3.7 1

Penalties

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The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.[b]

Stage No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Class Reason Penalty
SS1 11   Craig Breen   Scott Martin   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën C3 WRC WRC 1 minute late 0:10
SS7 34   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson   Fernando Mussano   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson Ford Fiesta R5 WRC-2 20 minutes late 3:20
SS13 38   Diego Domínguez   Edgardo Galindo   Diego Domínguez Hyundai i20 R5 WRC-2 5 minutes late 0:50

Retirements

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The following notable crews retired from the event.[b] 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.

Stage No. Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Class Cause Re-entry
SS1 36   Nil Solans   Miquel Ibañez   Nil Solans Ford Fiesta R5 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes
SS3 7   Jari-Matti Latvala   Miikka Anttila   Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC WRC Suspension No
SS3 39   Tiago Weiler   Fabian Cretu   Tiago Weiler Škoda Fabia R5 WRC-2 Accident No
SS6 40   Alberto Heller   José Diaz   M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 WRC-2 Accident No
SS8 37   Gustavo Saba   Marcelo der Ohannesian   Gustavo Saba Škoda Fabia R5 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes
SS9 34   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson   Fernando Mussano   Marco Bulacia Wilkinson Ford Fiesta R5 WRC-2 Accident No
SS12 11   Craig Breen   Scott Martin   Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Citroën C3 WRC WRC Accident No
SS17 35   Kalle Rovanperä   Jonne Halttunen   Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 WRC-2 Accident No
SS18 37   Gustavo Saba   Marcelo der Ohannesian   Gustavo Saba Škoda Fabia R5 WRC-2 Accident No

Championship standings after the rally

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Notes

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  1. ^ Car owned and run by Wevers Sport, entered independently.
  2. ^ a b c d Only crews contesting the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3 are listed.

References

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  1. ^ "YPF Rally Argentina". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Rally Aus retains WRC finale in 2018". speedcafe.com. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Rally Argentina - Route and facts". wrc.com. WRC. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Neuville wins a thriller". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Breaking News: Victory for Tänak". wrc.com. WRC. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "YPF Rally Argentina 2018 Entry List" (PDF). rallyargentina.com. rallyargentina.com. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Corsica linea Tour de Corse 2018 Entry List" (PDF). tourdecorse.com. tourdecorse.com. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Ex-Solberg co-driver Mills called up by M-Sport". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 31 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  9. ^ Evans, David (19 April 2018). "WRC Argentina: Elfyn Evans's co-driver Dan Barritt set for return". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Neuville Wins Opener". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Friday In Argentina: Tänak Reigns Supreme". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Saturday In Argentina: Tänak Rules Pampas". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Sunday In Argentina: Masterful Tänak Nets Win". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Rally Argentina Results". wrc.com. World Rally Championship. 29 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  15. ^ a b "38. YPF Rally Argentina 2018". ewrc-results.com. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
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Previous rally:
2018 Tour de Corse
2018 FIA World Rally Championship Next rally:
2018 Rally de Portugal
Previous rally:
2017 Rally Argentina
2018 Rally Argentina Next rally:
2019 Rally Argentina