Rally Finland 2024: Rovanperä ‘gifts’ victory to Ogier | FP

We wrote it yesterday at the end of the 16th and final stage of the day on Saturday: never take an outcome for granted. Judging by the overall standings, the first part of Super Sunday and the continuation of Rally Finland, Kalle Rovanperä he actually seemed to be one step away from his first career victory in his home rally, which the two-time world champion had not yet achieved in the world championship. All this, at least, until the penultimate special, the SS19where the Toyota driver compromised his dream for a accident which opened the doors of success to Sebastien Ogierwho thanks to this sensational turn of events has won his third victory of the season ahead of Thierry Neuville. A 2nd place that allows the Belgian from Hyundai to strengthen his world championship leadership, all the while Adrien Fourmaux brings Ford back to the podium with 3rd place, its best result of the season already achieved on three other occasions during this world championship.

The unexpected leader

After a day like Saturday that saw him win five of the six special stages, Rovanperä started again by starting in fourth gear in SS17, a stage that saw him once again finish ahead of everyone, starting with Elfyn Evans. Outside the top-10 overall due to a transmission failure and a subsequent penalty, the Welshman immediately returned to competitiveness today on the occasion of Super Sunday, with Ogier and Neuville out of the ‘podium’, even if the two drivers have steadily maintained second and third place in the general classification. A position that the two also strengthened in SS18, this time finishing in the top three, but still behind Rovanperä. The end of the Rally Finland therefore seemed obvious, with the first home victory for the #69 Toyota, at least until penultimate test: in a fast left-hand bend in the Sahloinen-Moksi 2 stage, the 23-year-old actually hit a rock present in full trajectory and uncovered by the passage of the previous cars, completely losing control of the car which then overturned. Both the Finn and his co-driver, Jonne Halttunen, came out unharmed from the impact, but the episode definitively put an end to the hopes of victory right at the most beautiful moment, with Ogier taking the lead of the rally followed by Neuville and Fourmaux. It was also a rally to forget for Evans, once again forced to retire during the same special due to an impact after his mistake, with the Welshman thus raising the white flag. Toyota therefore consoles itself with the victory of Takamoto Katsuta in the Power Stageand that of eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, who finished with a 40-second lead over Neuville and over a minute over Adrien Fourmaux.

Rally Finland 2024: Final Standings (Top 10)