{"id":105706,"date":"2025-08-30T02:22:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T02:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/105706\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T02:22:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T02:22:31","slug":"rally-paraguay-leaderboard-in-disarray-after-day-1-punctures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/105706\/","title":{"rendered":"Rally Paraguay leaderboard in disarray after Day 1 punctures"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Rally Championship title contender Kalle Rovanper\u00e4<\/a> inherited a slender lead at the inaugural Rally Paraguay after Hyundai\u2019s Adrien Fourmaux<\/a> suffered a puncture.<\/p>\n

Paraguay\u2019s brand new gravel stage provided plenty of drama thanks to their multiple grip changes, loose rock and brutal jumps and kickers. However, it was early leader Rovanpera that emerged from late drama to the top of the leaderboard\u00a0by\u00a07.1s over Forumaux.<\/p>\n

Rovanpera won the day\u2019s opening stage but had struggled to adapt to the grip changes and lost the lead to a charging Fourmaux on stage three.<\/p>\n

\"Kalle <\/p>\n

Kalle Rovanper\u00e4, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1<\/p>\n

Photo by: Toyota Racing<\/p>\n

In an afternoon that offered up slippery polished gravel roads, Fourmaux continued to have an edge over Rovanpera as his lead extended to 5.5s, before picking up two punctures. The second tyre failure in stage seven proved the most damaging as the Hyundai driver dropped 18.9 seconds and the rally lead to Rovanpera. Fourmaux was able to to take 0.5s out of Rovanpera on the final Autodromo short super special stage to reduce the deficit to 7.1s.<\/p>\n

\u201cPosition-wise of course it is good but I cannot say we are really happy about the performance,\u201d said Rovanpera.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be a bit faster and we haven\u2019t been the fastest guy today. It has been a struggle to be honest. Tomorrow the character of the stages is a bit different so we need to try to be a bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourmaux was frustrated to lose the lead but was happy to hold onto second, albeit by 0.5s ahead of Hyundai team-mate Ott Tanak<\/a> in third, whose pace improved after a difficult morning when he was running as low as sixth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [punctures] happens too often with the tyre but anyway I\u2019m pleased with the day. It is a shame we are not leading tonight but there are at least two long days to go,” said Fourmaux.<\/p>\n

Tanak wasn\u2019t the only driver that produced a fightback. Title rival S\u00e9bastien Ogier<\/a> dropped to eighth after picking up a puncture in stage two, but was able to coax blistering pace from his Toyota GR Yaris to end Friday in fourth, 17.8s from the lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the misfortune of this morning for sure we can be happy with the rest of the day and we pushed as much as we could, and being here we are now is still far from the lead, but it looks much better,\u201d said Ogier.<\/p>\n

\"Elfyn <\/p>\n

Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT<\/p>\n

Photo by: Toyota Racing<\/p>\n

Championship leader and road opener Elfyn Evans<\/a> completed Friday in fifth [+21.1s] although clearly frustrated after struggling to unlock pace in the tricky conditions. The Welshman admitted that he felt he had “forgotten how to drive\u201d in low grip conditions.<\/p>\n

Thierry Neuville<\/a> had run as high as fourth before a costly mistake at the final corner of stage seven dropped him to sixth. The reigning world champion struggled for pace in the morning, but was making progress in the\u00a0afternoon, before a wild slide approaching a tight right hairpin, he felt was partly caused by a delaminating tyre.<\/p>\n

However, he fared better than Toyota duo Takamoto Katsuta<\/a> and Sami Pajari<\/a>, who also hit trouble in the same stage. Recovering from an opening stage puncture, Katsuta crashed out of ninth after clipping a bank.<\/p>\n

Pajari was forced to stop to change a puncture tyre costing the Finn two minutes as he slipped to eighth, having occupied third position at midday service.<\/p>\n

Josh McErlean ended Friday as the best of the M-Sport-Ford duo in seventh, benefiting from Katsuta\u2019s demise and Pajari\u2019s puncture. The Irishman lost time to an overshoot and puncture in the morning, but enjoyed a trouble free afternoon.<\/p>\n

Gregoire Munster<\/a> endured a difficult day that began with an off 900 meters into the opening stage caused by an impact that broke a steering arm and a brake line on his Ford Puma. It required a roadside repair that left the Luxembourger 45 minutes adrift of the lead after then suffering a double puncture.<\/p>\n

\"Gr\u00e9goire <\/p>\n

Gr\u00e9goire Munster, Louis Louka, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1<\/p>\n

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool<\/p>\n

Munster\u2019s day went from bad to worse in the afternoon as his Puma picked up further damage in the second pass of the test where he came to halt in the morning. Two heavy landings from the harsh jumps cracked his windscreen while damaging the front and the rear of his car. Munster had to nurse his Puma, minus a rear wing through three stages.<\/p>\n

In WRC2, title hopeful Yohan Rossel led the class by 9.1s from Nikolay Gryazin as the pair rounded out the top 10 overall. Paraguay local hero Diego Dominguez had held the lead before dropping to third in class.<\/p>\n

Championship leader Oliver Solberg recovered to sixth in class, albeit 53.6s adrift of the lead after losing more than a minute\u00a0to a puncture in stage three. Fellow title contender Gus Greensmith retired following a rear suspension collapse in stage four.<\/p>\n

Seven stages likely to feature more loose gravel will await the crews on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Photos Rally del Paraguay, Day 1<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Takamoto<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Sami<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Adrien<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Takamoto<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Kalle<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Diego<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Gr\u00e9goire<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Sami<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Sami<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Adrien<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Takamoto<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Ott<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"S\u00e9bastien<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Thierry<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Elfyn<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Ott<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Adrien<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Joshua<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Thierry<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Elfyn<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Ott<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Kalle<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"S\u00e9bastien<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

\"Elfyn<\/p>\n


\n
\n Rally del Paraguay – Day 1, in photos
\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

1
\n \"France\" A. Fourmaux <\/a> \"France\" A. Coria Hyundai Motorsport <\/a>
\n16
\n\u00a0
\nHyundai i20 N Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2
\n \"Finland\" K. Rovanper\u00e4 <\/a> \"Finland\" J. Halttunen Toyota Racing <\/a>
\n69
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

4.1 <\/p>\n

3
\n \"Finland\" S. Pajari <\/a> \"Finland\" M. Salminen Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 <\/a>
\n5
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

13.9 <\/p>\n

4
\n \"Belgium\" T. Neuville <\/a> \"Belgium\" M. Wydaeghe Hyundai Motorsport <\/a>
\n1
\n\u00a0
\nHyundai i20 N Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

0.4 <\/p>\n

5
\n \"United E. Evans <\/a> \"United S. Martin Toyota Racing <\/a>
\n33
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

0.9 <\/p>\n

6
\n \"Estonia\" O. Tanak <\/a> \"Estonia\" M. Jarveoja Hyundai Motorsport <\/a>
\n8
\n\u00a0
\nHyundai i20 N Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.1 <\/p>\n

7
\n \"France\" S. Ogier <\/a> \"France\" V. Landais Toyota Racing <\/a>
\n17
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

14.0 <\/p>\n

8
\n \"Ireland\" J. McErlean <\/a> \"Ireland\" E. Treacy M-Sport <\/a>
\n55
\n\u00a0
\nFord Puma Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

8.1 <\/p>\n

9
\n \"Japan\" T. Katsuta <\/a> \"Ireland\" A. Johnston Toyota Racing <\/a>
\n18
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally1
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

26.9 <\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

D. Jr. Dominguez <\/p>\n

\"Spain\" R. Penate <\/a>
\n27
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

20.0 <\/p>\n

11
\n \"France\" Y. Rossel <\/a><\/p>\n

A. Dunand PH Sport<\/p>\n

21
\n\u00a0
\nCitro\u00ebn C3 Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

11.0 <\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

F. Zaldivar <\/p>\n

\"Argentina\" M. Der Ohannesian <\/a>
\n25
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

5.4 <\/p>\n

13
\n \"Bulgaria\" N. Gryazin <\/a> \"Russian K. Aleksandrov Toksport WRT <\/a>
\n26
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

0.8 <\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

R. Virves <\/p>\n

J. Viilo Toksport WRT<\/p>\n

23
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

3.9 <\/p>\n

15
\n \"Poland\" K. Kajetanowicz <\/a> \"Poland\" M. Szczepaniak <\/a>
\n24
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

3.2 <\/p>\n

16<\/p>\n

A. Galanti <\/p>\n

M. Toyotoshi <\/p>\n

30
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

16.7 <\/p>\n

17
\n \"United G. Greensmith <\/a> \"Sweden\" J. Andersson <\/a>
\n22
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

13.0 <\/p>\n

18<\/p>\n

D. Dominguez S <\/p>\n

\"Argentina\" F. Mussano <\/a>
\n35
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

0.9 <\/p>\n

19
\n \"Sweden\" O. Solberg <\/a> \"United E. Edmondson Printsport <\/a>
\n20
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

18.5 <\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

A. Miguel Bestard Poletti <\/p>\n

B. Rozada <\/p>\n

36
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

7.2 <\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

G. Saba <\/p>\n

\"Mexico\" J. Diaz <\/a>
\n32
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

24.0 <\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

M. Zaldivar Jr <\/p>\n

L. Allende <\/p>\n

29
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

7.0 <\/p>\n

23<\/p>\n

J. Masi <\/p>\n

M. Ramos <\/p>\n

37
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia Rally2 evo
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

6.2 <\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

T. Weiler <\/p>\n

J. Sanchez <\/p>\n

34
\n\u00a0
\nToyota GR Yaris Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

15.7 <\/p>\n

25<\/p>\n

M. Zaldivar Sr <\/p>\n

\"United R. Garcia <\/a>
\n38
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

4.2 <\/p>\n

26<\/p>\n

F. Pappalardo <\/p>\n

J. Pablo Carrera <\/p>\n

40
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

28.9 <\/p>\n

27<\/p>\n

M. Fontana <\/p>\n

A. Arnaboldi <\/p>\n

50
\n\u00a0
\nFord Fiesta Rally3
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

46.0 <\/p>\n

28<\/p>\n

L. Ortega <\/p>\n

L. Suaya <\/p>\n

44
\n\u00a0
\nVolkswagen Polo GTI R5
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

6.8 <\/p>\n

29<\/p>\n

M. Gonz\u00e1lez <\/p>\n

F. Mendonca <\/p>\n

46
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

26.8 <\/p>\n

30<\/p>\n

G. Rossi <\/p>\n

K. Sarmezan <\/p>\n

51
\n\u00a0
\nFord Fiesta Rally3
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

26.7 <\/p>\n

31<\/p>\n

E. Castro <\/p>\n

J. Echazu <\/p>\n

56
\n\u00a0
\nFord Fiesta Rally3
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

42.5 <\/p>\n

32<\/p>\n

M. \u00c1ngel Garc\u00eda <\/p>\n

P. Hern\u00e1n Vargas <\/p>\n

43
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1’33.0 <\/p>\n

33<\/p>\n

B. Zapag <\/p>\n

E. Fratta <\/p>\n

48
\n\u00a0
\nVolkswagen Polo GTI R5
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

27.0 <\/p>\n

34<\/p>\n

S. Ruiz <\/p>\n

M. Ruiz <\/p>\n

57
\n\u00a0
\nPeugeot 208 Rally4
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.0 <\/p>\n

35<\/p>\n

M. Jorge Mart\u00ednez <\/p>\n

J. Aros <\/p>\n

45
\n\u00a0
\nHyundai i20 N Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

13.4 <\/p>\n

36<\/p>\n

G. Vassilakis <\/p>\n

A. Harryman <\/p>\n

54
\n\u00a0
\nFord Fiesta Rally3
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1’38.1 <\/p>\n

37<\/p>\n

M. Irala <\/p>\n

J. Manuel Cabrera <\/p>\n

59
\n\u00a0
\nPeugeot 208 Rally4
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1’33.2 <\/p>\n

38<\/p>\n

D. Arias <\/p>\n

H. Nunes <\/p>\n

41
\n\u00a0
\nVolkswagen Polo GTI R5
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

10’34.9 <\/p>\n

39<\/p>\n

M. Dom\u00ednguez <\/p>\n

D. Cagnotti <\/p>\n

39
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia R5
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

34.4 <\/p>\n

40<\/p>\n

N. Bruun <\/p>\n

P. Olmos <\/p>\n

52
\n\u00a0
\nFord Fiesta Rally3
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

1’35.4 <\/p>\n

41<\/p>\n

C. Pedotti <\/p>\n

N. Elizaur <\/p>\n

49
\n\u00a0
\nVolkswagen Polo GTI R5
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

17.3 <\/p>\n

42<\/p>\n

H. Finke <\/p>\n

M. Espindola <\/p>\n

58
\n\u00a0
\nPeugeot 208 Rally4
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

3’40.3 <\/p>\n

43<\/p>\n

M. Mar\u00eda Garc\u00eda <\/p>\n

J. Jose Bilbao <\/p>\n

42
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

3’13.2 <\/p>\n

44<\/p>\n

A. Alonso <\/p>\n

E. Galindo <\/p>\n

31
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

9’17.8 <\/p>\n

45<\/p>\n

S. Gonz\u00e1lez <\/p>\n

D. Fabiani <\/p>\n

47
\n\u00a0
\n\u0160koda Fabia Rally2 evo
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

0.0 <\/p>\n

46
\n \"Luxembourg\" G. Munster <\/a> \"Belgium\" L. Louka M-Sport <\/a>
\n13
\n\u00a0
\nFord Puma Rally1
\n’40<\/p>\n

4’21.0 <\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics<\/p>\n

Subscribe to news alerts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"World Rally Championship title contender Kalle Rovanper\u00e4 inherited a slender lead at the inaugural Rally Paraguay after Hyundai\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,7104,74782,85,10277,75961],"class_list":["post-105706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-paraguay","tag-rally-del-paraguay","tag-sports","tag-wrc","tag-wrc-rally-paraguay-leaderboard-in-disarray-after-costly-day-1-punctures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}