Kalle Rovanpera started the morning of the second day of competition at Rally Latvia in the best possible way, confirming his leadership of the event thanks to the victory in the second stage, the 4.99-kilometre Milzkalne 1, and the second place in the third stage, the long 27.56-kilometre Tukums 1.
The reigning 2-time world champion confirms that he is one of the best interpreters of fast dirt, but also that he is a sniper in knowing how to make the most of an enviable starting position.
But be careful, because the Finn has a real rival behind him. It is not one of the usual protagonists of the WRC, but the latest arrival, the home driver Martins Sesks. The M-Sport driver, strong of the best possible starting position, managed to win his first special of his career in the World Championship and thus moved up to second place in the general classification of the event, 3″3 behind Rovanpera.
A duel that will probably continue throughout the day, considering Sesks’ knowledge of today’s tests and the confidence he has already achieved behind the wheel of the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.
Behind the first two is Sébastien Ogier, firmly in third at 6″7 from Rovanpera, also thanks to a good starting position on a surface that, lap after lap, gains a lot of grip.
Ott Tanak is the top Hyundai Motorsport driver in fourth, 11 seconds clear of the top and 3.6 seconds ahead of Takamoto Katsuta in the third Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. The quartet of Japanese cars is closed by Elfyn Evans, sixth but struggling due to his starting position.
If Evans doesn’t laugh, Thierry Neuville suffers even more. The Belgian, as leader of the World Championship, opens all the tests today also this weekend, but the Latvian surface doesn’t help him. As mentioned, it’s up to him to clean it for the others, driving with a very low and treacherous grip. It’s no coincidence that in the longest test today he took over 23 seconds from Rovanpera.
The Belgian is now ninth, but behind him is Gregoire Munster, just 3 tenths behind. Disappointing performances – at least up to now – by Esapekka Lappi and Adrien Fourmaux. But if the Frenchman from M-Sport does not have an excellent starting position, the Finn is a different story, complaining of a lack of feeling with the car and the grip.
In WRC2 Oliver Solberg flies, increasing his lead over Mikko Heikkila, the first of his pursuers, to 18.4 seconds. Josh McErlean is third, 4 tenths behind the Finn. Sami Pajari is only fourth, also paying for his worst starting position among the Rally2 drivers.
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