Tibor Erde Jr. and Istvan Kerik are waiting for the second day of the historic Lahti Rally in third place after four sprint stages. The race is led by Jari-Matti Latvala, and the second is Finnish Marco Utila.
Home track, World Cup experience, mature, proven race car. No wonder Latvala led the Celica ST165 ahead with a lap of 2 minutes, 41 seconds.
The second place could be a realistic goal for the clubs, they set this goal for themselves before the competition, and this is what they need to have a chance to win the historic European Championship. Organized racing on the tracks of the 1000 Tó Rally WC is very fast, it is like a roller coaster, and this does not suit the Sierra Érdiék, which arrived in Finland with an asphalt barrier, because the budget does not cover the gravel collection yet.
The job started well, but the Ford Sierra’s turbo kicked off in second gear. Although it was replaced at the service center, the turbo pressure was not enough on the second run either. Despite this, the Hungarian duo kept pace with the rising group, achieving a second time in the third stage and a third time in the fourth gear, thus moving from sixth place after the second stage to third place overall. In the European assessment, this already means second place, so the set goal is preserved.
On the closing Saturday, eight speedsters await their entry into the field. Érdi’s disadvantage is 9.1 seconds at all behind second place, so if the turbo pressure is restored and charged 2 bar instead of 1.2, they have a realistic chance of second overall too.
