In WRC2 Nikolay Gryazin Wins the Croatia Rally

Nikolay Gryazin secured victory in the WRC2 category at the Croatia Rally last Sunday, maintaining the flawless record of the French manufacturer Citroën at this event. With a 39.5-second lead over his teammate Yohan Rossel at the start of Sunday, the Bulgarian driver opted for a cautious strategy in the last four asphalt speed tests of the weekend, finishing with a margin of 38.5 seconds ahead of his competitors. In this way, Citroën vehicles continue to dominate the podium at each edition of the WRC Croatia Rally. Gryazin expressed his satisfaction after the race, highlighting the importance of the preparation prior to the event. On the other hand, Rossel was also able to adopt a similar tactic, given the substantial difference of more than two minutes that separated him from third place, Pepe López. López, in turn, was engaged in a close dispute with Nicolas Ciamin for the last spot on the podium. Ciamin, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, started the final day just 10.8 seconds behind López, who was driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. However, a brief slip at the start of the day's first stage cost the Frenchman five seconds, reducing his chances of reaching the podium. Lauri Joona, the 2022 WRC3 champion, was on his way to achieving his first-ever top-five finish in WRC2, but a setback in the second stage on Sunday forced him to stop and change a tire, relegating him to sixth place. This opened the door for Eyvind Brynildsen, who was returning to competition after his last participation in the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece two years ago. On the other hand, Emil Lindholm faced issues throughout the weekend, and although his Hyundai i20 N Rally2 lost power on SS18, he managed to stay ahead of Roberto Daprá, finishing seventh. Armin Kremer, driving the Fabia RS Rally2, achieved his goal of winning the WRC Masters' Cup category, finishing ninth.