We are fast approaching the midway point of the season in the WRC, and you have to say that it has been a strange kind of season.
A big part of that comes from the fact that you have a couple of the top drivers in the WRC electing to race on a part-time basis, but still stealing points from those that are racing full time.
Today’s Rally Italia Sardegna Top 4 Favorites | |
| 1. Sebastien Ogier | 70 points |
| 2. Thierry Neuville | 110 points |
| 3. Elfyn Evans | 86 points |
| 4. Ott Tanak | 79 points |
My Analysis
All of this has an impact on the overall standings, which we will get into in just a moment. This weekend, we are off to Italy for the next race on the schedule, which will be race #6 of 13 in the 2024 season. It’s tight at the top of the driver standings, so will we see a change, or will things remain the same after all is said and done? Let’s take a look at the potential favorites for the WRC Rally Italia Sardegna.
^Sebastien Ogier
As we mentioned at the top of this piece, we have a couple of drivers racing on a part-time basis this season. Ogier is one of those guys, and while he only races sporadically, he always seems to make an impact. This should not really come as a surprise to anyone that follows the WRC, as Ogier is arguably the best there has ever been in this spot. He went on a run that saw him win 8 championships in 9 seasons before cutting back to part-time racing. He has raced 3 times this year, winning twice and finishing 2nd in the other. He will be there or thereabouts again this weekend.
^Thierry Neuville
You could make the argument that having some drivers race part-time weakens the field, but that is not fair to a driver like Thierry Neuville, He has more than earned his stripes in his time with the WRC and is currently of a run where he has finished 2nd or 3rd overall in 7 of the last 8 seasons. In short, Neuville has been knocking on the door for a while, and since he currently sits 1st right now, he might be ready to kick that door down in 2024. He won this rally last season and looks a good bet again this weekend.
^Elfyn Evans
Last season was the best for Evans in terms of wins, as he picked up 3 victories in the 2023 season. That was enough to land him a 2nd place overall finish, with the general consensus being that he would be in the hunt for a championship this year. He is sitting in 2nd overall, but he has 24 points to make up, thanks in large part to the fact that he is still looking for his first win of the season. He could use a win to help close the gap between himself and Neuville. He finished 4th in this rally last season.
^Ott Tanak
Tanak won his lone world championship back in the 2019 season, and while he has had one more close call since then, the last couple of years have not been great, at least by his standards. He, too, is still looking for his first win of the 2024 season, but he is coming off his best performance of the year, which was a 2nd place finish in Portugal. He won this race in 2022, so a top 3 finish could be on the cards.
^MyBookie Rally Odds to Win
Bet Rally Italia Sardegna Odds
When: Thursday May 30 – Sunday June 2
Where: Italy
TV / Streaming: Rally.tv
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2023 Rally Italia Sardegna
We are 5 races into what is turning out to be a rather odd WRC season. I say odd because of the fact that one of the drivers close to the top spot is only racing on a part-time basis, which gives us the sense that we could perhaps see a tight battle for the championship before all is said and done. This weekend will see the action shift to the gravel course for the Rally Italia Sardegna and what should be another exciting race. The part-time driver, who we will talk about in a moment, has declared that he will be taking part in Italy, which makes the excitement around this race that much more prominent. Let’s now take a look the WRC Rally betting analysis of the current top drivers in the WRC.
2023 WRC Rally Italia Sardegna Analysis and Preview | WRC Betting Picks
When: Sunday, June 1 to 4
Where: Sardegna, Italy
Streaming/TV: WRCplus.com / Eleven Sports.com / ESPN3
Kalle Rovanpera
Last season, Rovanpera became the youngest ever driver to win the WRC World Championship, and 5 races into the new season, he is making it clear that he is not giving up the title without a fight. As it stands now, Rovenpera is on top and is coming off his first win of the season, which came in Portugal in the last rally. He is certainly not as dominant as he was last season, but he has also not finished worse than 4th this year, so certainly consistent. At this stage in 2022, Rovanpera went on a run that saw him win 5 of 6 races, with the only one he missed being the Italia Sardegna Rally, where he finished 5th.
Ott Tanak
Tanka finds himself just 17 points out of the top spot after the first 5 races of the season, a gap that is very much one that can be closed quickly. Tanak has 1 win on the season, but he has been in the top 5 in 4 of the 5 races to this point, finishing 9th in the other race during that stretch. The big question now is whether he can get back on top this weekend, which could be a possibility when you consider that he won this rally in 2022, as well as in 2017. That alone might be enough to convince me to play him to win.
Sebastian Ogier
With 8 championship titles to his name, Ogier really has nothing left to prove in the WRC. That may be why he has decided to race on a part-time basis this season. That must be a little frustrating for his fans, because it is obvious that this is a driver who still has a lot left in the tank. He has only raced 3 times this season, but he won 2 of those races and still finds himself in 3rd in the driver standings. Despite that great start, Ogier has said that he has zero plans to make a return to full-time racing.
Elfyn Evans
One race does not make or break a season, but it can certainly put a dent in a driver’s championship hopes. Evans saw his championship chances take a hit when he was forced to retire in the previous rally in Portugal, which was all the more frustrating as it came after a win that saw him move close to the top. As it is, Evans now finds himself 29 points off the pace, and while that is not insurmountable, he cannot afford to leave any more points on the track. He finished well off the pace in Italy last year, but was 2nd the year before that.
I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?
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