Rovanperä Extends Rally Finland Lead Despite Puncture Drama
Unwavering Determination: Rovanperä's Command Amidst Chaos
Rovanperä\'s Morning Mastery and Unexpected Challenge
Kalle Rovanperä, the Toyota ace, picked up right where he left off, skillfully conquering three out of four gravel stages in the morning session of Rally Finland. This impressive performance allowed him to stretch his lead over Hyundai's Thierry Neuville from 4.9 seconds overnight to a commanding 14.7 seconds. Remarkably, Rovanperä’s swift times were achieved even as he admitted to not feeling entirely at ease behind the wheel. During the 11th stage (Parkkola 1, 15.51km) in damp conditions, he outpaced Neuville by 3.4 seconds. Subsequently, on stage 12 (Västilä 1, 18.94 km), despite a distracting incident involving his windscreen visor, he was 3.7 seconds quicker than the defending champion, pushing his lead to 12.0 seconds. However, a slow puncture towards the end of stage 13 (Päijälä 1, 20.1 km) momentarily reduced his advantage to 9.3 seconds. Rovanperä downplayed the impact of the puncture, stating it was "not too bad" and a common surprise. He also noted the distraction caused by his lost visor, which significantly altered his vision.
Neuville\'s Persistent Push and Technical Troubles
Thierry Neuville continued to showcase his prowess on Finland’s demanding gravel tracks, a type of terrain not typically his favorite. Early in the day, he was momentarily distracted by a loose wheel nut gun inside his car. Despite this, he proved to be the quickest Hyundai driver across the morning stages. Neuville even managed to win stage 13 following Rovanperä’s puncture. Nevertheless, a persistent rear brake issue, which first appeared the previous day, became more pronounced in the final test of the loop, costing him crucial seconds and impacting his confidence.
The Rest of the Contenders: Shifting Positions and Challenges
Adrien Fourmaux held his ground in the pursuit of a podium finish, concluding the morning loop in third place, just 0.3 seconds adrift of Neuville and 15.0 seconds behind the leader. He significantly widened his gap to Takamoto Katsuta, who held fourth position, by 10.9 seconds. Katsuta expressed frustration over time lost in the initial stage but progressively found his rhythm. Eight-time world champion Sebastian Ogier narrowly avoided a major incident when his GR Yaris’s rear wheel dipped into a ditch on stage 11. Ogier conceded he lacked the necessary commitment to match the front-runners but still advanced to fifth, surpassing his Toyota teammate Sami Pajari by 36.4 seconds. Championship leader Elfyn Evans finished the loop in seventh, 1.4 seconds behind Pajari, while M-Sport’s Martins Sesks led the Ford team in eighth. Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster rounded out the top ten. Meanwhile, Ott Tänak, who had incurred a five-minute penalty and a suspended 35-point deduction due to a collision with a scrutineer after Friday’s stage seven, climbed from 28th to 22nd. Tänak described the incident as unintentional and offered apologies for the unfortunate occurrence. In the WRC2 category, Roope Korhonen expanded his lead to 7.7 seconds over the 18-time WRC winner, Jari-Matti Latvala. The afternoon promises further excitement as crews prepare to re-tackle the stages, with additional rainfall anticipated.