The 2018 Rally Italia Sardegna (formally known as the Rally Italia Sardegna 2018) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 7 and 10 June 2018. It marked the fifteenth running of Rally Italia Sardegna, and was the seventh round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship and its support categories, the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships. The event was based in Alghero in Sardinia and consisted of twenty special stages totalling in competitive kilometres.
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were the defending rally winners. Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the rally winners, with their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT as the manufacturers' winners. The Škoda Motorsport II crew of Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler won the World Rally Championship-2 category in a Škoda Fabia R5, while the crew of Jean-Baptiste Franceschi and Romain Courbon won the World Rally Championship-3.
Background Championship standings prior to the event Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul entered the round with a nineteen-point lead in the World Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a thirteen-point lead over M-Sport Ford WRT.
Entry list 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 fifteen World Rally Cars, twelve World Rally Championship-2 entries, and four World Rally Championship-3 entries.
No. Entrant Driver Co-Driver Car Tyre World Rally Car entries 1 M-Sport Ford WRT Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2 M-Sport Ford WRT Elfyn Evans Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 3 M-Sport Ford WRT Teemu Suninen Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 4 5 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 6 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hayden Paddon Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 9 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 11 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Craig Breen Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC 12 Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen Citroën C3 WRC 21 Martin Prokop Jan Tománek Ford Fiesta RS WRC 22 Yazeed Racing Yazeed Al-Rajhi Michael Orr Ford Fiesta RS WRC 23 "Piano" "Piano" Jean-François Pergola Ford Fiesta RS WRC 24 Cyrille Feraud Cyrille Feraud Aymeric Duschemin Citroën DS3 WRC World Rally Championship-2 entries 31 Škoda Motorsport II Škoda Fabia R5 32 Tommi Mäkinen Racing Marko Salminen Ford Fiesta R5 33 Škoda Motorsport II Škoda Fabia R5 34 ACI Team Italia WRC Škoda Fabia R5 35 Printsport Škoda Fabia R5 36 BRC Racing Team Pierre-Louis Loubet Vincent Landais Hyundai i20 R5 37 Tommi Mäkinen Racing Hiroki Arai Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Fiesta R5 38 Citroën Total Rallye Team Stéphane Lefebvre Gabin Moreau Citroën C3 R5 39 Nicolas Ciamin Nicolas Ciamin Thibault de la Haye Hyundai i20 R5 40 Motorsport Italia Benito Guerra Borja Rozada Škoda Fabia R5 41 Citroën Total Rallye Team Simone Tempestini Sergiu Itu Citroën C3 R5 42 Lotos Rally Team Kajetan Kajetanowicz Maciej Szczepaniak Ford Fiesta R5 World Rally Championship-3 entries 61 Romain Courbon 62 Peugeot 208 R2 63 Taisko Lario Tatu Hämäläinen Peugeot 208 R2 64 Louise Cook Louise Cook Stefan Davis Ford Fiesta R2 Other major entries 86 Team MRF Tyres Gaurav Gill Glenn MacNeall Ford Fiesta R5 Source:
Report Pre-event
The Citroën pairing of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle were entered into the rally, but were subsequently withdrawn when the team released Meeke from his contract. The team did not enter another crew in their place.
Thursday Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, driving a Fiesta, took a slender 0.1 second lead over Andreas Mikkelsen. Championship leader Thierry Neuville was another 0.6 second behind. Elfyn Evans was fourth, followed by Hayden Paddon and Esapekka Lappi. Teammate Teemu Suninen was seventh, while the shakedown winner Jari-Matti Latvala in eighth. Mads Østberg and Ott Tänak were in ninth and tenth respectively to complete the top ten.
Friday Muddy roads, caused by unpredictable rainy weather, made the first day of Sardegna very tricky. In uncharacteristic conditions, defending world champion Sébastien Ogier took a dramatic lead over the championship leader Thierry Neuville by 18.9 seconds after Andreas Mikkelsen retired from the day due to gearbox issue. Because of teammate Teemu Suninen's off-road and Ott Tänak's radiator damage caused by a heavy bump, Jari-Matti Latvala climbed up to the podium place, followed by his teammate Esapekka Lappi, another 4.4 seconds behind. Two Citroën drivers Mads Østberg and Craig Breen were in sixth and eighth respectively, sandwiched Hayden Paddon in a Hyundai i20. Elfyn Evans dropped out of top twenty after breaking a steering arm due to hitting a rock in his Ford Fiesta. WRC-2 category leader Stéphane Lefebvre, Jan Kopecký and Nicolas Ciamin completed the leaderboard.
Saturday After a fifteen-stage fight, title rivals Sébastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville only separated by 3.9 seconds on the top. Jari-Matti Latvala, eighth overall, originally ended the day in third, but an alternator problem forced him to retired from the day, which made his teammate Esapekka Lappi snatch the podium place. Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg presented us another great fight. Eventually, the Hyundai edged the Citroën by only 2.1 seconds. Craig Breen was in sixth, over a minute further behind, with WRC-2 category leader Jan Kopecký in seventh. Ott Tänak, who was running under Rally2 regulations, recovered to ninth after yesterday's engine damage, followed by Martin Prokop completed the top ten.
Sunday The fastest times of the morning stages were all taken by the championship leader Thierry Neuville, which reduced the gap between the rally leader Sébastien Ogier to just 0.8 second. In the Power Stage, the Hyundai star took another stage win and overtook the defending world champion to snatch the victory from Ogier. The difference between two title rivals was only 0.7 second, the third tightest winning margin in WRC history, which shared with 2017 Rally Argentina. Esapekka Lappi ran out of the podium place in a Yaris, followed by Hayden Paddon in fourth overall. Two Citroën drivers Mads Østberg and Craig Breen were in fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala, who was running under Rally2 regulations. WRC-2 category leader Jan Kopecký was in eighth after Ott Tänak received a forty-second penalty due to a four-minute late, while Teemu Suninen completed the top ten.
Classification Top ten finishers The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten. Position Driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Class Stage Overall classification 1 153:29:18.7 0.0255 2 213:29:19.4 +0.7184 3 393:31:15.0 +1:56.3150 4 463:32:13.9 +2:55.2120 5 5123:32:29.6 +3:10.9100 6 6113:33:50.4 +4:31.780 7 773:40:40.8 +11:22.160 8 837 Škoda Motorsport II3:42:33.3 +13:14.640 9 983:42:36.9 +13:18.223 10 1033:44:49.1 +15:30.410 World Rally Championship-2 8 137 Škoda Motorsport II3:42:33.3 0.0 25 — 12 233 Škoda Motorsport II3:45:35.9 +3:02.6 18 — 13 3393:45:52.0 +3:18.7 15 — 15 434 ACI Team Italia WRC3:49:05.5 +6:32.2 12 — 16 535 Printsport3:49:44.6 +7:11.3 10 — 20 6404:08:14.4 +25:41.1 8 — 23 7424:20:29.1 +37:55.8 6 — 24 8384:24:57.7 +42:24.4 4 — World Rally Championship-3 21 1614:07:40.2 0.0 25 — 22 2634:10:16.0 +2:35.8 18 — 26 3644:32:32.1 +24:51.9 15 — 30 4625:17:19.0 +1:09:38.8 12 — Source:
Other notable finishers The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.
Position Driver Entrant Car Class Time Points Event Class Stage 14 14 3 3:47:15.2 1 18 18 4 3:55:07.0 2 Source:
Special stages Overall classification Day Stage Name Length Winner Car Time 7 June — 3.97 km 1:53.9 SS1 Ittiri Arena Show 2.00 km 2:02.7 8 June SS2 Tula 1 22.12 km 18:28.1 SS3 Castelsardo 1 14.37 km 10:43.3 SS4 Tergu – Osilo 1 14.14 km 8:58.4 SS5 Monte Baranta 1 11.46 km 8:12.8 SS6 Tula 2 22.12 km 19:24.0 SS7 Castelsardo 2 14.37 km 10:34.8 SS8 Tergu – Osilo 2 14.14 km 8:53.5 SS9 Monte Baranta 2 11.16 km 8:07.2 9 June SS10 Coiluna - Loelle 1 14.95 km 7:51.4 SS11 Monti di Alà 1 28.52 km 16:38.9 SS12 Monte Lerno 1 28.89 km 17:59.1 SS13 Città di Ittiri - Coros 1.42 km 1:29.0 SS14 Coiluna – Loelle 2 14.95 km 7:42.8 SS15 Monti di Alà 2 28.52 km 16:27.3 SS16 Monte Lerno 2 28.89 km 17:49.1 10 June SS17 Cala Flumini 1 14.06 km 8:40.7 SS18 Sassari – Argentiera 1 6.96 km 4:55.4 SS19 Cala Flumini 2 14.06 km 8:28.9 SS20 6.96 km 4:52.9 World Rally Championship-2 7 June — 3.97 km 2:03.8 SS1 Ittiri Arena Show 2.00 km 2:08.2 8 June SS2 Tula 1 22.12 km 19:11.2 SS3 Castelsardo 1 14.37 km 11:11.2 SS4 Tergu – Osilo 1 14.14 km 9:19.7 SS5 Monte Baranta 1 11.46 km 8:38.9 SS6 Tula 2 22.12 km 20:13.5 SS7 Castelsardo 2 14.37 km 11:04.0 SS8 Tergu – Osilo 2 14.14 km 9:22.6 SS9 Monte Baranta 2 11.16 km 8:25.0 9 June SS10 Monte Lerno 1 14.95 km 8:24.9 SS11 Monti di Alà 1 28.52 km 17:47.6 SS12 Coiluna – Loelle 1 28.89 km 19:18.7 SS13 Ittiri Arena 1.42 km 1:31.1 SS14 Coiluna – Loelle 2 14.95 km 8:17.5 SS15 Monte Lerno 2 28.52 km 17:37.9 SS16 Monti di Alà 2 28.89 km 19:05.2 10 June SS17 Cala Flumini 1 14.06 km 9:15.9 SS18 Sassari – Argentiera 1 6.96 km 5:17.4 SS19 Cala Flumini 2 14.06 km 9:09.0 SS20 Sassari – Argentiera 2 6.96 km 5:13.2 World Rally Championship-3 7 June — 3.97 km 2:22.4 SS1 Ittiri Arena Show 2.00 km 2:32.8 8 June SS2 Tula 1 22.12 km 21:59.3 SS3 Castelsardo 1 14.37 km 12:42.4 SS4 Tergu – Osilo 1 14.14 km 10:31.2 SS5 Monte Baranta 1 11.46 km 9:46.5 SS6 Tula 2 22.12 km 22:43.6 SS7 Castelsardo 2 14.37 km 12:18.7 SS8 Tergu – Osilo 2 14.14 km 10:07.6 SS9 Monte Baranta 2 11.16 km 9:22.7 9 June SS10 Monte Lerno 1 14.95 km 9:26.5 SS11 Monti di Alà 1 28.52 km 19:53.4 SS12 Coiluna – Loelle 1 28.89 km 21:26.3 SS13 Ittiri Arena 1.42 km 1:43.5 SS14 Coiluna – Loelle 2 14.95 km 9:14.9 SS15 Monte Lerno 2 28.52 km 19:35.3 SS16 Monti di Alà 2 28.89 km 22:06.3 10 June SS17 Cala Flumini 1 14.06 km 10:38.3 SS18 Sassari – Argentiera 1 6.96 km 6:16.4 SS19 Cala Flumini 2 14.06 km 11:11.7 SS20 Sassari – Argentiera 2 6.96 km 6:22.3
Power stage The Power stage was a 6.96 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 4:52.9 0.0 5 2 4:54.4 +1.5 4 3 4:54.5 +1.6 3 4 4:55.4 +2.4 2 5 4:57.2 +4.3 1
Penalties The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.
Stage Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Class Reason SS1 24 WRC 1 minute early 1:00 SS1 42 Lotos Rally Team Jump start 0:10 SS7 62 WRC-3 6 minutes late 1:00 SS8 36 WRC-2 1 minute late 0:10 SS9 33 WRC-2 1 minute late 0:10 SS12 23 WRC 2:20 SS13 22 WRC 7 minutes late 1:10 SS15 36 WRC-2 8 minutes late 1:20 SS15 44 WRC-2 9 minutes late 1:30 SS17 32 WRC-2 9 minutes late 1:30 SS19 61 WRC-3 16 minutes late 2:40 SS20 38 WRC-2 6 minutes late 1:00
Retirements The following notable crews retired from the event. 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 Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Class Cause SS3 23 WRC Mechanical Yes SS5 37 Accident No SS6 41 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes SS6 42 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes SS7 4 WRC Gearbox Yes SS7 62 WRC-3 Mechanical Yes SS9 8 WRC Radiator Yes SS9 3 WRCOff-road Yes SS11 38 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes SS12 62 WRC-3 Mechanical Yes SS14 40 WRC-2 Mechanical Yes SS15 22 WRC Mechanical No SS15 41 WRC-2 Accident No SS16 7 WRC Alternator Yes SS16 24 WRC Mechanical No SS18 32 WRC-2 Driveshaft No SS20 36 WRC-2 Withdrawn No
Championship standings after the rally
Drivers' championships