Portugal
Creighton stops as Armstrong punctures
By Adam Hall
21 May 2021
Junior WRC woes
Northern Irish drivers Jon Armstrong and William Creighton held an impressive Junior WRC 1-2 in Portugal this morning. But driveshaft failure stopped Creighton on SS5 while Armstrong lost over four minutes with a puncture on the next test. Creighton should return tomorrow under SuperRally rules.
1
A problematic puncture
Armstrong was left to rue Rally Portugal's sixth stage. His Ford Fiesta Rally4 fell off its jack twice on the rough terrain while Armstrong and Hall replaced a punctured wheel. It brought an end to their string of four fastest times.
2
Junior WRC after Day 1
3
1. Pajari / Salminen 2. Koci / Tesinsky 3. Sesks / Francis 4. Armstrong / Hall 5. Virves / Pruul 6. Creighton / Regan
1:36:35.1s +25.7 +44.5 +3:55.9 +7:30.4 DNF
Top ten McErlean
Josh McErlean has completed his first day on Rally Portugal in WRC 3's top ten. The young Motorsport Ireland driver has shown his consistency as he picks up as much WRC experience as possible. Chris Ingram is third in WRC 3.
4
Tanak snatches lead
Ott Tanak claimed the rally lead on SS7 when his Hyundai team-mates hit trouble. Theirry Neuville rolled his i20 WRC after an optimistic pacenote led his right-rear wheel into a bank. Dani Sordo lost his lead with a stall and shot tyres costing him over 20 seconds.
5
WRC after Day 1
6
1. Tanak / Jarveoja 2. Evans / Martin 3. Sordo / Rozada 4. Katsuta / Barritt 5. Ogier / Ingrassia 6. Rovanpera / Halttunen
1:22:35.0s +6.0 +9.0 +15.4 +24.0 +28.9
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