Sardegna Race Rally: mountain weather met Sonik’s progress

‘That was not a good day to try and win the race, but a good one to collect World Cup points,’ said Rafał Sonik at the finish line of the third stage of the Sardegna Race Rally. He was second, and his great rival, Ignacio Casale, failed to complete the stage on the way to the trophy.

During the two sections that make up the third stage of the rally, Sebastien Souday was once again beyond reach. The Frenchman stakes it all on one card and after two failed starts in the past, he now aims for the win. Rafał Sonik’s tactics is completely different. ‘The most important thing for me is to win the entire cycle, so I’m not fighting to win this round at all costs. I’m not letting it go, but I don’t risk too much either. We had quite a close fight with Sebastien at the first section on Sunday, and only at the end he drove ahead for a couple of minutes. I’m surprised that the results indicate such a big difference,’ said Sonik.

Ignacio Casale covered the first 95 km with a very high loss to the two leaders. The Chilean did not compete in the second part of the special stage and he will probably not complete the race. This means a significant loss of points to the leader of the general classification.

The bad luck of the runner-up helped Kamil Wiśniewski go up. ‘We had a true mountain weather during the second section. Rain was pouring down from start to finish, and I was completely clean at the end. All of the mud was on the clothes and on the quad. The clothes filtered the water, so after I undressed, I was as clean as a whistle,’ laughed Sonik. ‘To be honest, the rain made this section even more challenging, but me and Kamil are used to such conditions, so we weren’t affected too much. The most important thing is that both our quads are fully functional before the second stage of the quad,’ he emphasized.

Rafał Sonik and Kamil Wiśniewski are now on the second and third place in the rally classification, respectively. On Monday, they will complete the marathon stage, and on Tuesday, they will face the last loop around the city of Arbatax, where the finish line is situated.

SS5:
1. Souday 2:06.51
2. Sonik +7.15
3. Dutrie +11.56
4. Wiśniewski +19.56

SS6:
1. Souday 01:29.00
2. Sonik + 3.05
3. Wiśniewski +8.33
4. Lecomte +12.37

Rally classification:
1. Souday 8:42.28
2. Sonik +20.33
3. Wiśniewski +1:07.45
4. Dutrie +1:20.59