After an exciting first day of Saturn, Gassner leads

 
Hermann Gassner is the leader at the Saturnus Rally, the first day of which was spiced up by harsh weather conditions that provided some unexpected results, which were partly boiled down by tires prescribed by the FIA ​​for four-wheel drive cars.
The first part of Saturnus took place on a completely wet and also muddy route. The first surprise with the Renault Clio R3 in the morning was provided by Aleks Humar, who swung to the very top. Rok Turk also surprised with a Peugeot 208 R2. The reason for the surprise, however, is probably to be found in the fact that two-wheel-drive race cars can compete on classic tires, giving them an advantage over four-wheel-drive ones. The tires prescribed for them by the FIA ​​do not offer the right grip, which was experienced in Janče by Darko Peljhan, who spun there, and Jani Trček and Boštjan Logar also lost time.

Rajko Žakelj crashed into a rock with his Mitsubishi and smashed the front right part of the car. Asja Zupanc, who also punctured a tire in Janče, also had problems after the resignation of Hermann Gassner Jr. the top of the rally was occupied by Gassner Sr., who competes with classic rally tires.

The differences at the top are small. Gassner leads by four seconds ahead of Peljhan, and thirteen seconds behind Humar, who would be backed by Rok Turk, at least in Division II, who had to say goodbye to an excellent ranking after the belt on his Peugeot was torn. His mechanics are already returning from San Marino, where they rushed for a new belt, so Rok will most likely be able to return to the rally according to SuperRally rules.

Tomorrow promises some more exciting events. The Krtina and Moravče speed trials are on the schedule, but the racers will run them twice.

 

Results after 7 HP