Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville led the Croatia Rally after Friday’s opening leg regardless of profitable solely one of many eight levels. Hyundai are racing this weekend with their two vehicles decked out within the colors of the Irish flag as they mourn Craig Breen, their Irish driver who died in an April 13 testing crash.

Neuville ended the day 5.7 seconds away from Toyota’s Elfyn Evans with Estonian Ott Tanak third for M-Sport Ford and an extra 24.3 seconds adrift on the asphalt roads to the west of Zagreb. The Belgian took the lead after the second stage when Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, who received 4 of the levels together with the opener, misplaced a minute and a half with a wheel change after hitting a pothole.

Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera, final 12 months’s winner in Croatia, additionally misplaced two minutes altering a wheel on his Toyota on the identical place. “We have done a decent job, but it hasn’t been easy at all,” mentioned Neuville.

“Hopefully we can finish in first place at the end. That would be a great achievement for the team and for us.”

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)