Domínguez delights home crowd with WRC2 lead in Paraguay

Here is the thing about home rallies: they either lift you into the stratosphere or bite you straight on the chin. For Domínguez, it is firmly the former. Navigating a chaotic opening eight stages better than anyone else in the field, the Paraguayan star reached the overnight halt sitting 39.4sec clear of his nearest rival in WRC2 while also holding an impressive sixth place in the rally’s overall classification.

Now, let me tell you, this machine was not entirely untouched by the brutality that swept through the stages. A front-left puncture struck late on the second pass of Nueva Alborada. But the wildest part? His advantage over the chasing pack actually grew to 31.6sec right there, before stretching out to that commanding 39.4sec margin by the end of the day at the Autódromo Alfredo Scheid test.

“It has been my dream since last year,” Domínguez said after the test. “It’s really unbelievable. We just enjoy it. Never stop enjoying it, just keep driving.”

Chasing him is none other than Gus Greensmith. The Briton adopted a measured approach on a day absolutely dominated by tyre delaminations and rapidly changing grip. Sure, Greensmith suffered a rear tyre delamination on the afternoon run through the 33.88km Yerbatera test, but he managed the problem brilliantly to the finish and remained securely in the runner-up position.

“It’s been a tricky day,” Greensmith admitted. “There’s been lots of problems for a lot of people. It’s a long day tomorrow and the rain’s going to make all the difference.”

Behind them, the order fills out with real grit. Marco Bulacia completed Friday in third place in WRC2, sitting 1min 25.4sec away from the lead, with Romet Jürgenson slotting in another 35.5sec behind in fourth. Just 2.9sec separates Jürgenson from local favourite Fau Zaldivar in fifth. Zaldivar suffered a puncture during Friday morning and admitted he struggled to find the performance he expected. Yet, he recovered strongly during the afternoon and was the fastest among the Rally2 runners on the second Yerbatera pass.