2021 Rally Catalunya Explained

2021 Rally Catalunya
Native Name:RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2021
Round:11
Season No:12
Championship:2021 World Rally Championship
Previous Round:2021 Rally Finland
Next Round:2021 Rally Monza
Rallybase:Salou, Tarragona
Start:Vilaplana, Tarragona
Finish:Riudecanyes, Tarragona
Startdate:14
Enddate:17 October 2021
Stages:17
Stagekm:280.46
Stagekm Note:[1]
Transportkm:1,129.83
Overallkm:1,410.29
Surface:Tarmac
Driver1: Thierry Neuville
Codriver1: Martijn Wydaeghe
Team1: Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Time1:2:34:11.8
Driver2: Eric Camilli
Codriver2: Maxime Vilmot
Team2: Sports & You
Time2:2:44:01.2
Driver3: Reeta Hämäläinen
Codriver3: Emil Lindholm
Time3:2:44:31.9
Driverj: Sami Pajari
Codriverj: Marko Salminen
Teamj: Porvoon Autopalvelu
Timej:2:58:02.5
Powerstage Driver: Dani Sordo
Powerstage Codriver: Cándido Carrera
Powerstage Team: Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Powerstage Time:10:09.3
Crewsreg:83
Teamsstart:83
Teamsfinish:50

The 2021 Rally Catalunya (also known as the RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2021) was a motor racing event for rally cars that held over four days between 14 and 17 October 2021.[2] It marked the fifty-sixth running of the Rally de Catalunya. The event was the tenth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. It also hosted as the final round of the 2021 Junior World Rally Championship.[3] The 2021 event was based in Salou in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia and was contested over seventeen special stages totalling 280.462NaN2 in competitive distance.[1]

Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the defending rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the defending manufacturers' winners.[4] However, Gilsoul did not defend his title as Neuville changed his co-driver to Martijn Wydaeghe at the start of the season.[5] Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen were the defending winners in the WRC-2 category, while Eric Camilli and Benjamin Veillas were the defending winners in the WRC-3 category.[6]

Neuville successfully defended his title with his new co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, successfully defended their titles.[7] In the World Rally Championship-2 category, Eric Camilli and Maxime Vilmot won the event, while Andreas Mikkelsen confirmed to win the WRC-2 title.[8] In the World Rally Championship-3 category, Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen took back-to-back victory.[9] In the junior championship, the Finnish crew of Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen won the rally and became the junior rally champions.[10]

Background

Championship standings prior to the event

Reigning World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with a twenty-four-point lead over Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were third, a further thirty-six points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT held a massive sixty-one-point lead over defending manufacturers' champions Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, followed by M-Sport Ford WRT.

In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Andreas Mikkelsen led Mads Østberg by eight points in the drivers' championship, with Marco Bulacia Wilkinson in third. In the co-drivers' championship Torstein Eriksen held a fourteen-point lead over Marcelo Der Ohannesian, with Ola Fløene in third.

In the World Rally Championship-3 standings, Yohan Rossel led Kajetan Kajetanowicz by fifteen points in the drivers' championship, with Emil Lindholm in third. In the co-drivers' championship, Maciek Szczepaniak held a thirteen-point lead over Alexandre Coria, with Yannick Roche in third.

In the junior championship, Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen led Jon Armstrong and Phil Hall by three points. Mārtiņš Sesks and Renars Francis were third, eleven points further back. In the Nations' standings, Finland held an eight-point lead over United Kingdom and Latvia.

Entry list

The following crews entered the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3, and privateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Twelve entries for the World Rally Championship were received, as were eight in the World Rally Championship-2 and fifteen in the World Rally Championship-3. A further six crews entered the Junior World Rally Championship in Ford Fiesta Rally4s.

! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre
1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Toyota Gazoo Racing WRTToyota Yaris WRC
2 Oliver Solberg Craig Drew Hyundai 2C CompetitionHyundai i20 Coupe WRC
6 Dani Sordo Cándido Carrera Hyundai Shell Mobis WRTHyundai i20 Coupe WRC
8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Hyundai Shell Mobis WRTHyundai i20 Coupe WRC
11 Thierry Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe Hyundai Shell Mobis WRTHyundai i20 Coupe WRC
14 Nil Solans Marc Martí Hyundai 2C CompetitionHyundai i20 Coupe WRC
16 Adrien Fourmaux Alexandre Coria M-Sport Ford WRTFord Fiesta WRC
18 Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston Toyota Gazoo Racing WRTToyota Yaris WRC
33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRTToyota Yaris WRC
44 Gus Greensmith Chris Patterson M-Sport Ford WRTFord Fiesta WRC
54 Armando Pereira Rémi Tutélaire Armando PereiraFord Fiesta WRC
69 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Toyota Gazoo Racing WRTToyota Yaris WRC
Source:[11]
! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre
21 Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen TRT World Rally TeamCitroën C3 Rally2
23 Jari Huttunen Mikko Lukka Hyundai Motorsport NHyundai i20 N Rally2
24 Teemu Suninen Mikko Markkula Hyundai Motorsport NHyundai i20 N Rally2
25 Georg Linnamäe James Morgan ALM MotorsportVolkswagen Polo GTI R5
26 Sean Johnston Alex Kihurani Saintéloc Junior TeamCitroën C3 Rally2
27 Eric Camilli Maxime Vilmot Sports & YouCitroën C3 Rally2
28 Erik Cais Jindřiška Žáková MovisportFord Fiesta Rally2
Source:
! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre
29 Kajetan Kajetanowicz Maciej Szczepaniak Kajetan KajetanowiczŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
30 Chris Ingram Ross Whittock Chris IngramŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
31 Fabrizio Zaldivar Carlos del Barrio Fabrizio ZaldivarŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
32 Pepe López Borja Rozada Pepe LópezŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
34 Mikko Heikkilä Topi Luhtinen Mikko HeikkiläŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
35 Josh McErlean James Fulton Josh McErleanHyundai i20 R5
36 Jan Solans Rodrigo Sanjuan de Eusebio Jan SolansCitroën C3 Rally2
37 Armin Kremer Ella Kremer Armin KremerCitroën C3 Rally2
38 Mauro Miele Luca Beltrame Mauro MieleŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
39 Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz Diego Sanjuan de Eusebio Miguel Díaz-AboitizŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
40 Reeta Hämäläinen Emil Lindholm Reeta HämäläinenŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
41 Neil Simpson Michael Gibson Neil SimpsonŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
42 Dominik Stříteský Jiří Hovorka Dominik StříteskýŠkoda Fabia Rally2 evo
43 Sebastian Perez Gary McElhinney Sebastian PerezFord Fiesta Rally2
Source:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Itinerary RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2021. eWRC-results.com. 9 July 2021.
  2. Web site: Croatia and Estonia named in 2021 WRC calendar. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 October 2020. 9 October 2020.
  3. Web site: Five rounds named in junior WRC calendar. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 28 January 2021. 28 January 2021.
  4. News: Sunday in Spain: Tänak takes WRC title. wrc.com. WRC. 27 October 2019. 28 October 2019.
  5. News: Neuville parts ways with Gilsoul in shock move. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 15 January 2021. 15 January 2021.
  6. News: Sunday in WRC 2: Heartbreak for Loubet. wrc.com. WRC. 27 October 2019. 28 October 2019.
  7. News: Neuville wins in Spain as title fights go to final round. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021. 18 October 2021.
  8. News: WRC2: Camilli clinches victory as Mikkelsen takes. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021. 19 October 2021.
  9. News: WRC3: Lindholm secures Spain win. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021. 19 October 2021.
  10. News: Pajari crowned FIA Junior WRC champion. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 17 October 2021. 19 October 2021.
  11. Web site: Entry List RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2021. eWRC-results.com. 24 September 2021.