WRC Rally Portugal: Superspecial win gives Toyota's Tanak early lead
Toyota's Ott Tanak leads the World Rally Championship's Rally Portugal round after the opening superspecial stage on the Lousada rallycross circuit, beating Teemu Suninen by four tenths of a second

Suninen set the early pace in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta with a 2m34.7s time set in the second WRC head-to-head run, but that time was eventually beaten by Tanak - who topped the times with his 2m34.3s set on the penultimate head-to-head.
Tanak therefore picks up where he left off after his dominant victory on last month's round in Argentina.
Points leader Sebastien Ogier was third in his M-Sport Ford after matching Suninen's time.
Citroen's Kris Meeke and Hyundai's Andreas Mikkelsen sit fourth and fifth - also equal on times - and a further second back.
Thierry Neuville was sixth, one-tenth down on team-mate Mikkelsen, with the Ford of Elfyn Evans seventh having sustained damage in the shakedown.
The Briton split the leading two Hyundais from the third i20 of Dani Sordo - who matched Evans's time - in eighth, ahead of Citroen's Mads Ostberg and the second Toyota of Esapekka Lappi.
Hayden Paddon set a 2m36.7s on his run to take 11th in a fourth Hyundai. Paddon and Sordo have been sharing a car this year and this is the only round that both will appear on.
The third Citroen C3 of Craig Breen will start Friday's running in 12th, ahead of shakedown pacesetter Jari-Matti Latvala, who was 13th in his Toyota with a time of 2m38.2s after stalling at final corner.
WRC2 points leader Pontus Tidemand was the fastest in that class.
His run of 2m40.5s in his Skoda was 1.2s faster than that of Gus Greensmith, who said his Ford Fiesta's engine "kept stopping" on his run.
Leading positions
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ott Tanak, M.Jarveoja | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota | 2m34.3s |
2 | Sebastien Ogier, J.Ingrassia | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 0.4s |
2 | Teemu Suninen, M.Markkula | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 0.4s |
4 | Kris Meeke, P.Nagle | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 1.4s |
4 | Andreas Mikkelsen, A.Jager | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 1.4s |
6 | Thierry Neuville, N.Gilsoul | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 1.5s |
7 | Dani Sordo, C.del Barrio | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 1.6s |
7 | Elfyn Evans, D.Barritt | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 1.6s |
9 | Mads Ostberg, T.Eriksen | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 1.7s |
10 | Esapekka Lappi, J.Ferm | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota | 1.8s |
11 | Hayden Paddon, S.Marshall | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 2.4s |
12 | Craig Breen, S.Martin | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 2.5s |
13 | Jari-Matti Latvala, M.Anttila | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota | 3.9s |

WRC drivers: 2018 road works have hurt Rally Portugal's 'character'
Toyota WRC team suffers early 'disaster' on Rally of Portugal

How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder