The 2019 Rally Chile (also known as the Copec Rally Chile 2019) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 9 and 12 May 2019. It marked the first running of Rally Chile, and was the sixth round of the 2019 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and the newly created WRC-2 Pro class. The 2019 event was based in Talcahuano of Concepción Province in Bío Bío Region and consists of sixteen special stages totalling competitive kilometres.
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the first edition of Rally Chile. Their team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, were the manufacturers' winners. The Škoda Motorsport crew of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen took the victory in the WRC-2 Pro category, finishing first in the combined WRC-2 category, while Takamoto Katsuta and Daniel Barritt won the wider WRC-2 class.
Background Championship standings prior to the event Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul led both the drivers' and co-drivers' championships with a ten-point lead over six-time world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were third, a further eighteen points behind. In the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a thirty-seven-point lead over Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
In the World Rally Championship-2 Pro standings, Łukasz Pieniążek and Kamil Heller held a four-point lead ahead of Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings respectively. Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen were third, eight points further back. In the manufacturers' championship, M-Sport Ford WRT led Citroën Total by seventy points, with Škoda Motorsport fourteen points further behind in third.
In the World Rally Championship-2 standings, Benito Guerra and Jaime Zapata led the drivers' and co-drivers' standings by three points respectively. Ole Christian Veiby and Jonas Andersson were second, following by Nikolay Gryazin and Yaroslav Fedorov in third.
Entry list The following crews entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2, WRC-2 Pro and privateer entries not registered to score points in any championship. A total of sixty-three entries were received, with eleven crews entered with World Rally Cars and twenty-three entered the World Rally Championship-2. Four crews were nominated to score points in the Pro class.
No. Driver Co-Driver Entrant Car Tyre World Rally Car entries 1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3 Teemu Suninen Marko Salminen M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 4 Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 5 Kris Meeke Toyota Yaris WRC 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 10 Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 11 Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 19 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 37 Lorenzo Bertelli Simone Scattolin M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 89 Andreas Mikkelsen Anders Jæger-Amland Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC World Rally Championship-2 Pro entries 21 Gus Greensmith Elliott Edmondson M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 22 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 23 Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen Citroën Total Citroën C3 R5 24 Marco Bulacia Wilkinson Fabian Cretu Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 World Rally Championship-2 entries 41 Benito Guerra Jaime Zapata Benito Guerra Škoda Fabia R5 42 Alberto Heller José Díaz Alberto Heller Ford Fiesta R5 43 Kajetan Kajetanowicz Maciej Szczepaniak Kajetan Kajetanowicz Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 44 Takamoto Katsuta Daniel Barritt Takamoto Katsuta Ford Fiesta R5 45 Pedro Heller Marc Martí Pedro Heller Ford Fiesta R5 46 Paulo Nobre Gabriel Morales Paulo Nobre Škoda Fabia R5 47 Emilio Fernández Emilio Fernández Joaquin Riquelme Škoda Fabia R5 48 Benjamin Israel Marcelo Der Ohannesian Benjamin Israel Citroën C3 R5 49 Vicente Israel Matias Ramos Vicente Israel Citroën C3 R5 50 Samuel Israel Nicolas Garcia Samuel Israel Citroën C3 R5 51 Jorge Martínez Fontena Alberto Alvarez Jorge Martínez Fontena Škoda Fabia R5 52 Alejandro Cancio Santiago Garcia Alejandro Cancio Škoda Fabia R5 53 Cristóbal Vidaurre Ruben Garcia Cristóbal Vidaurre Škoda Fabia R5 54 Felipe Rossi Luis Ernesto Allende Felipe Rossi Ford Fiesta R5 55 Francisco Lopez Nicolas Levalle Francisco Lopez Peugeot 208 T16 56 Germán Lyon Ignacio Uez Ahumada Germán Lyon Peugeot 208 T16 57 Eduardo Castro Julio Echazu Eduardo Castro Citroën C3 R5 58 Martin Scuncio Javiera Roman Martin Scuncio Hyundai i20 R5 59 Tomas Etcheverry Sebastian Vera Tomas Etcheverry Hyundai i20 R5 Source:
Route Chile has never previously hosted its own WRC round, so every stage is brand new.
Itinerary All dates and times are CLT (UTC-3). Date Time No. Stage name Distance 9 May 11:00 — Talcahuano [Shakedown] 6.45 km Leg 1 — 142.38 km 10 May 8:00 SS1 El Pinar 17.11 km 9:33 SS2 El Puma 1 30.72 km 10:46 SS3 Espigado 1 22.26 km 15:14 SS4 El Puma 2 30.72 km 16:27 SS5 Espigado 2 22.26 km 18:30 SS6 Concepcion — Bicentenario 2.20 km Leg 2 — 121.16 km 11 May 8:08 SS7 Rio Lia 1 24.90 km 9:08 SS8 Maria Las Cruces 1 23.09 km 10:20 SS9 Pelun 1 16.59 km 14:08 SS10 Rio Lia 2 24.90 km 15:08 SS11 Maria Las Cruces 2 23.09 km 16:20 SS12 Pelun 2 16.59 km Leg 3 — 62.16 km 12 May 8:08 SS13 Bio Bio 1 14.41 km 10:31 SS14 Lircay 18.06 km 10:20 SS15 San Nicolàs 15.28 km 12:18 SS16 Bio Bio 2 [Power Stage] 14.41 km Source:
Report World Rally Cars The second stage of the brand new event was interrupted due to the safety reason, which affected Thierry Neuville, who was first on the road. As a result, the Belgian was awarded a notional time. In the afternoon loop, Ott Tänak stormed away and held a 22.4-second lead into Saturday.
The second leg was quite dramatic. Kris Meeke rolled his Yaris in the opening stage of the day. He managed to carry on, but valuable time has been lost, which dropped him down to tenth overall at the end of the day. One stage later, championship leader Neuville crashed violently after a right-hand blind crest, badly damaging his i20. Luckily, the Belgian and his co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul were fine, but they were unable to continue the rally. The battle for the final podium was on fire until Jari-Matti Latvala hit a rock in the final test and broke his Toyota's driveshaft, which elevated nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb to third, just 5.1 seconds off defending world champion Sébastien Ogier, who was half a minute behind rally leader Tänak. Eventually, Tänak took the rally victory, following by Ogier, who managed to keep Loeb behind, in second.
Classification Position Driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Event Stage 1 1 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:15:53.8 0.0 25 5 2 2 1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3:16:16.9 +23.1 18 4 3 3 19 Sébastien Loeb Daniel Elena Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:16:24.0 +30.2 15 2 4 4 33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:17:30.5 +1:36.7 12 0 5 5 3 Teemu Suninen Marko Salminen M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:19:09.4 +3:15.6 10 0 6 6 4 Esapekka Lappi Janne Ferm Citroën Total WRT Citroën C3 WRC 3:19:39.2 +3:45.4 8 0 7 7 89 Andreas Mikkelsen Anders Jæger-Amland Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:20:32.8 +4:39.0 6 0 10 8 5 Kris Meeke Sebastian Marshall Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:24:27.2 +8:33.4 1 1 11 9 10 Jari-Matti Latvala Miikka Anttila Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:26:53.0 +10:59.2 0 3 Retired SS8 11 Thierry Neuville Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Rolled 0 0
Special stages Date No. Stage name Distance Winners Car Time Class leaders 9 May — Pinares [Shakedown] 6.45 km Mikkelsen / Jæger-Amland Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 4:46.4 10 May SS1 El Pinar 17.11 km Meeke / MarshallLatvala / Anttila Toyota Yaris WRCToyota Yaris WRC 11:35.9 Meeke / MarshallLatvala / Anttila SS2 El Puma 1 30.72 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 21:10.4 Tänak / Järveoja SS3 Espigado 1 22.26 km Neuville / Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 14:23.7 SS4 El Puma 2 30.72 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 20:46.0 SS5 Espigado 2 22.26 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 14:03.4 SS6 Concepcion — Bicentenario 2.20 km Loeb / Elena Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2:06.9 11 May SS7 Rio Lia 1 24.90 km Neuville / Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 13:55.1 SS8 Maria Las Cruces 1 23.09 km Loeb / Elena Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 14:28.3 SS9 Pelun 1 16.59 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 10:09.8 SS10 Rio Lia 2 24.90 km Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC 13:45.1 SS11 Maria Las Cruces 2 23.09 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 14:14.7 SS12 Pelun 2 16.59 km Loeb / Elena Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 10:00.6 12 May SS13 Bio Bio 1 14.41 km Meeke / Marshall Toyota Yaris WRC 8:14.5 SS14 Lircay 18.06 km Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC 10:13.5 SS15 San Nicolàs 15.28 km Loeb / Elena Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 8:08.6 SS16 Bio Bio 2 [Power Stage] 14.41 km Tänak / Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 7:57.3
Championship standings Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Manufacturers' championshipsMoveDriverPointsMoveCo-driverPointsMoveManufacturerPoints 1 1 Sébastien Ogier 122 1 Julien Ingrassia 122 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 178 2 1 Ott Tänak 112 1 Martin Järveoja 112 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 149 3 2Thierry Neuville 110 2 Nicolas Gilsoul 110 Citroën Total WRT 143 4 Kris Meeke 56 Sebastian Marshall 56 M-Sport Ford WRT 100 5 Elfyn Evans 55 Scott Martin 55
World Rally Championship-2 Pro Kalle Rovanperä led in the Pro category with a slender 2.4-second advantage after an intense battle with Mads Østberg. The eighteen-year-old Finn extended his lead over Østberg as the Norwegian lost 30 seconds when fluid leaked out of the rear brakes of his C3 R5. Eventually, Rovanperä successfully took his first Pro victory of the season.
Special stages Results in bold denote first in the RC2 class, the class which both the WRC-2 Pro and WRC-2 championships run to. Date No. Stage name Distance Winners Car Time Class leaders 9 May — Talcahuano [Shakedown] 6.45 km Rovanperä / Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 4:59.6 10 May SS1 El Pinar 17.11 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 12:03.0 Østberg / Eriksen SS2 El Puma 1 30.72 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 22:11.7 SS3 Espigado 1 22.26 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 15:08.3 SS4 El Puma 2 30.72 km Rovanperä / Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 21:32.5 Rovanperä / Halttunen SS5 Espigado 2 22.26 km Rovanperä / Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 14:47.5 SS6 Concepcion — Bicentenario 2.20 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 2:12.8 11 May SS7 Rio Lia 1 24.90 km Rovanperä / Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 14:24.7 SS8 Maria Las Cruces 1 23.09 km Stage interrupted SS9 Pelun 1 16.59 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 10:36.6 Rovanperä / Halttunen SS10 Rio Lia 2 24.90 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 14:05.1 SS11 Maria Las Cruces 2 23.09 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 14:46.1 SS12 Pelun 2 16.59 km Rovanperä / Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 10:32.5 12 May SS13 Bio Bio 1 14.41 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 8:37.2 SS14 Lircay 18.06 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 10:39.5 SS15 San Nicolàs 15.28 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 8:30.9 SS16 Bio Bio 2 14.41 km Østberg / Eriksen Citroën C3 R5 8:21.4
Classification Position Driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Class Event 8 1 22 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 3:23:46.3 0.0 25 4 9 2 23 Mads Østberg Torstein Eriksen Citroën Total Citroën C3 R5 3:24:09.9 +23.6 18 2 12 3 21 Gus Greensmith Elliott Edmondson M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta R5 3:27:35.3 +3:49.0 15 0 15 4 24 Marco Bulacia Wilkinson Fabian Cretu Škoda Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 3:29:28.6 +5:42.3 12 0
Championship standings