Fast Fourmaux takes charge in WRC2

The Frenchman, piloting an M-Sport-prepared Ford Fiesta Rally2, overtook overnight polesitter Sami Pajari in the second stage of the morning and maintained his lead throughout the rest of the day, reaching Olbia’s overnight halt with a 25.7sec buffer despite nursing a minor technical issue through the final test.

With Pajari ruled out by rear suspension damage sustained in a collision with a roadside rock, Andreas Mikkelsen was Fourmaux’s nearest challenger. Only 0.1sec back from the lead at one point in the morning, he was ultimately repelled by the Frenchman in Saturday afternoon’s wet weather conditions.

“It’s been a very challenging day for us and for the car - so I am happy to be here,” Fourmaux said.

Teemu Suninen languished in seventh on Friday night but an impressive comeback drive by the Hyundai star saw him climb to third in the category. He trailed Mikkelsen by more than two minutes but had a comfortable 54.1sec in hand over Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

Championsip leader Yohan Rossel brought his Citroën C3 Rally2 home in fifth position ahead of Miko Marczyk, who completed the top six.