Finn leads after four stages in Wales
Teemu Suninen was fastest after dark to lead JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion by 0.9sec in front of the thousands of fans who turned out in Ceredigion and in the surrounding hills on Friday night.
Competing in a Pirelli-equipped Ĺ koda Fabia RS Rally2, Suninen headed to the 6.28-kilometre SS3, Elerch, in fifth position, 1.8sec adrift of first place, after two early evening runs of the Aberystwyth town centre super special.
But a sensational nighttime performance through Elerch, which had been used as the Qualifying Stage earlier on Friday but in the opposite direction, propelled Suninen into the lead by 0.7sec after he outgunned early pacesetter Kris Meeke by 2.5sec.
Suninen was quickest again on SS4, the 9.28-kilometre Blaenmelindwr test, albeit by a reduced margin of 0.2sec over Meeke, a five-time FIA World Rally Championship event winner.
It meant Suninen headed Meeke by 0.9sec at the overnight halt in Aberystwyth to raise the prospect of a thrilling battle for victory throughout Saturday’s spectacular stages.
“It was super-difficult,” Suninen said.
“The battle is really nice, Kris is doing a really great job. I struggled to read the grip level but it’s exciting and that’s why I really like [on] the ERC rounds because there’s always someone who can put the benchmark really high. Now in the next days I need to think about what to do, to take the battle [to] Meeke or think more for the championship. But it’s going to be interesting.”
After setting the joint fastest time with Andrea Mabellini on SS1, Meeke was 0.3sec quicker than the Lancia driver on SS2 to take the outright lead. But Michelin-shod Meeke, competing in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, had no answer to ERC points leader Suninen on SS3, describing the Finn’s effort as “incredible”.
“What a start to the rally,” Northern Irishman Meeke said. “I think the last time I did a Tarmac stage in the dark was Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2019. What a buzz, it was mega and only 0.9sec in it after four stages. Really nice buzz to start the rally but it’s a long way to go, two full days but I’m looking forward to it.”
Defending European champion Miko Marczyk is third overall having gone second quickest on SS2 and third on SS3. Despite reporting “many moments” on SS4, Jakub Matulka overtook Mabellini for fourth and is set to head to SS5 on Saturday morning 2.4sec behind his fellow Pole.
Delayed by a deflating tyre on SS2, Max McRae was the fastest of the British championship contenders on SS3 in fifth overall. But with his auxiliary light pod working loose on SS4, McRae had to settle for the eighth fastest time and holds sixth after four stages.
Simone Tempestini is the top MRF-supplied driver in eighth with double Rali Ceredigion winner Osian Pryce, one place ahead of his fellow Castrol MEM Rally Team driver Meirion Evans, who reported a pop-off issue at the completion of SS4. Erik Cais rounded out the top 10 followed by ERC newcomer Sam Touzel and Pierre Ragues.
Standings after Friday
1. T Suninen / A Haapala FIN Ĺ koda Fabia RS Rally2 11m 09.0s
2. K Meeke / N O’Sullivan AND Toyota Yaris GR Rally2 +00.9s
3. M Marczyk / S Gospodarczyk POL Ĺ koda Fabia RS Rally2 +07.5s
4. J Matulka / D Syty POL Ĺ koda Fabia RS Rally2 +09.6s
5. A Mabellini / V Lenzi ITA Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 +14.0s
6. M McRae / C Fair GBR Ĺ koda Fabia RS Rally2 +21.8s
