UMikko Hirvonen, umqhubi weFord, wahlasela iRally de Portugal "ngento yonke" kwaye umphumo waba luhlaselo oluyimpumelelo kubunkokeli.
U-Mikko Hirvonen wayengekho kuhlengahlengiso olukhethekileyo lokugqibela kolu suku lwesibini lweRally de Portugal. Umqhubi weFord/M-Sport, isiphumo senqanaba lesixhenxe ngaphandle kweempazamo, ukhokele ngoku ugqatso lwamaPhuthukezi kwiiRali zehlabathi.
Kwizithende zikaMikko Hirvonen, igama elingaqhelekanga elibonakala lifumene ukuphefumlelwa kwimihlaba ye-Algarve ukwenza i-Ford Fiesta RS WRC "ibhabha". Sithetha ngo-Ott Tanak, umqhubi wase-Estonia okwindawo yesi-2 xa iyonke, nje ii-3.7 ukusuka kwindawo yokuqala.
Kwindawo yesithathu kuza intshatsheli yehlabathi, uSebastien Ogier, umqhubi wenqwelomoya weqela leVolkswagen. Umqhubi ongumFrentshi usenokuba uphulukene nokukhokela kwindibano, ephazamiseka ngokuba ngowokuqala endleleni, nangona kukho abo bacebisa ukuba u-Ogier uye ‘waphakamisa unyawo’ ngabom ukuze aqale kwindawo engcono kumanqanaba angomso. Ngamanye amazwi, yonke into ivulekile kumlo woloyiso lokugqibela.
Umlo owenzekayo ngoku nabakhweli abathathu, emva kokuba uJari-Matti Latvala erhoxile kwiSilves ekhethekileyo, kulandela ilahleko.
IHyundai nayo inethemba kakhulu, inoloyiso oluthathu ekuphumeleleni kwaye umSpanish uDani Sordo obambe indawo ye-5 xa bebonke, emva kweMads Ostberg, ekhwele iCitroen.
Ngomso kwakhona kuya kubandakanya iispecials ezintandathu, kunye neepaseji ezimbini kwiindawo ezimangalisayo zeSanta Clara, iMalhão neSantana da Serra.
Apha ngezantsi luhlelo ngokubanzi, ekupheleni kolu suku lwesibini:
1. Mikko Hirvonen (M-Sport), 1:25:05.6
2. Ott Tanak (M-Sport), +3.7s
3. Sebastien Ogier (Volkswagen), +6.5s
4. Mads Ostberg (Citroen), +25.6s
5. UDani Sordo (Hyundai), +25.7s
6. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), +42.0s
7. Henning Solberg (Ford Fiesta), +1m42.3s
8. Juho Hanninen (Hyundai), +1m58.2s
9. Andreas Mikkelsen (Volkswagen), +2m16.2s
10. UMartin Prokop (Jipocar), +2m59.2s