WRC 3
Abramowski moves closer to maiden WRC3 victory
Tymek Abramowski has moved within two stages of a maiden WRC3 victory as Saturday left a heavy toll on the Rally3 category at Delfi Rally Estonia.
Abramowski completed Saturday with a 6min 59.1sec lead over Nicolas Otto’s identical Ford Fiesta Rally3 as all three of his closest rivals at the beginning of day failed to make it through the day’s nine stages.
Sitting second overnight, the crew of Jarko Nikara and Toyota Gazoo Racing Challenge Program co-driver Tomiya Maekawa were the first retirement, rolling their Renault Clio Rally3 on the day’s first stage. The pair attempted running repairs with no success, forcing the early finish.
Kanta Yanaguida continued to impress on his WRC3 debut
© At World
It boosted their team-mate Kanta Yanaguida into second with a buffer of more than two-and-a-half minutes back to third-placed Otto. But his impressive Saturday, which had netted him a further two stage wins, lost momentum when he experienced a technical issue on SS11, prompting another retirement.
Nicolas Otto climbed up the rankings in WRC3 on Saturday
© At World
Another to end their day early was FIA Junior WRC regular Kerem Kazaz. The experienced Turkish driver failed to complete SS10 with a technical issue, opting to return to service and prepare for a Sunday restart.
With Otto elevated to second, Peru’s André Martínez moved onto the podium in third, as the only driver remaining in the field not yet to experience a retirement.
Following a Friday roll, Bolivian Nataniel Bruun restarted Saturday morning and made it through the day without incident, consistently setting top-three times to claim fourth overnight, but without a realistic chance of competing for a podium spot.
