Adrien Fourmaux’s dreams of victory at Rally Portugal came crashing down as he faced steering damage, forcing him out of the lead battle. The French driver, piloting a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, found himself stuck in the middle of the road during the Arganil stage, with a suspected broken steering arm halting his progress.
In a dramatic turn of events, Fourmaux’s Hyundai spun out after hitting a small ditch on a left-hander, resulting in significant front-left damage and leaving his car immobile on the track. This incident allowed Takamoto Katsuta to move up to second place, narrowly avoiding the stranded vehicle.
Despite Fourmaux’s misfortune, Ott Tänak managed to extend his lead to 3.5 seconds, with Sébastien Ogier trailing behind in third place by a mere 0.4 seconds. Kalle Rovanperä, despite challenges, stayed competitive and remained close to the frontrunners.
Thierry Neuville recovered from a shaky start to the rally, putting in a strong performance on the morning stages and climbing to fifth place, overtaking championship leader Elfyn Evans. Evans, plagued by being first on the road, struggled and fell over 16 seconds behind Neuville.
In the lower ranks, Grégoire Munster overtook his M-Sport teammate Josh McErlean for eighth place, while WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg faced setbacks after a spin, reducing his class advantage.
As the Rally Portugal drama unfolds, the competition intensifies, promising more excitement and unexpected twists as the event progresses.
