Rally Finland, SS16: Rovanperä almost unreachable | FP

Rally Finland 2024 will be decided definitively with tomorrow’s Super Sunday, but the overall standings now seem to be in favour Kalle Rovanperäwith the reigning world champion really close to achieving his first home-grown success in the WRC. A podium that also seems to be completed by Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuvillerespectively in second and third position and with a gap that is difficult to fill from Toyota’s #69. However, we must not take the results for granted, especially after what we saw today with Elfyn Evansbetrayed by a transmission failure while occupying 2nd place.

Evans out

First stage of the day, the eleventh of the Rally Finland, which began with the display of the red flag due to the bad accident of Gregory Munster. The Luxembourgian from M-Sport lost control of his Ford Puma on the exit of a corner, violently impacting a bank of earth, with the car completely destroyed. Fortunately the crew emerged unharmed, with the race direction immediately suspending the test to allow Munster and his co-driver Louis Louka, assisted by the public present, to move the Ford to the edge of the road.

Once hostilities resumed, Rovanperä concluded SS11 setting the fastest time ahead of the other two Toyotas of Evans and Ogier, but the real turning point for the developments in the general classification occurred in the following test: this time it was the Elfyn Evanswho spun out of the corner but was able to regain control of the car immediately afterwards. At first it was thought to be a driver error, but the episode was actually the result of a transmission failure. A damage that allowed Neuville to climb back to third position, with Evans in enormous difficulty both in the final part of SS12 and throughout SS13, that is, in the highly anticipated Ouninpohja test (where the virtual chicane also made its debut). In both special stages Rovanperä reconfirmed his leadership, increasing his advantage over Ogier to 21 seconds and over Neuville to 39, with Evans instead slipping to the margins of the top-10.

Rovanperä almost always at the top

A top-3 in the general classification that was identical again in the first afternoon special, with Rovanperä again winner for the fourth consecutive time on this day right in front of Ogier and Neuville, in a test also disputed in the rain and with Evans out of the top-10 also due to a 2-minute penalty for arriving late at the Time Control. Another low blow for the Welshman and a positive streak of successes for the reigning champion that was interrupted in the SS15, but with the consolation of the Finnish public for the success of Esapekka Lappiahead of his compatriot by half a second and a good Adrien Fourmaux on the podium, with Neuville 4th and Ogier 7th. A placing that has thus allowed the world championship leader to recover ground on the eight-time world champion while waiting for the second and final race in Ouninpohja, where Rovanperä immediately returned to the front of everyone, thus gaining a good five out of six scheduled tests. Ahead of tomorrow’s Super Sunday, the Finn is eyeing his third consecutive win, and fourth of the season, with a 44-second advantage over Ogier and over a minute over Neuville. A particularly positive provisional top-10 for the Finnish colours, with five drivers in the top ten.

Rally Finland, standings after SS16 (Top-10)