The Saturday of the race at the Rally of Finland started with the rain to wet the morning special stages and the Toyota in great dusting. Especially those of Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans, the two contenders for the lowest step of the podium.
In SS11, the 20.19 kilometer Paijala 1 and the opening test of the day, Elfyn Evans defended her position well by beating Kalle Rovanpera by 7 tenths.
In the same Ott Tanak increased his margin against Esapekka Lappi, thus strengthening the first position in the general classification of the event.
In SS12, the 20.56 kilometer Rapsula 1, Kalle Rovanpera responded to Evans by winning the test with a 2 “5 advantage over Ott Tanak and 3” 1 over Elfyn Evans.
This meant that the World Championship leader overtook the Welshman and the provisional conquest of third place in the overall of the Rally of Finland. Rovanpera changed pace this morning, being able to count on a much better starting position than yesterday.
Rovanpera now has 7 tenths of an advantage over Evans, while Tanak has managed to further increase his margin over Lappi. Now between the two there are 8 “4 due to a series of mistakes by the Finn from Toyota Racing, not least the one who arrived in the last sector, in which he struggled to find the right braking point, ending up long in the approach to a slow left-hand curve.
Certainly Lappi was mocked by several puddles formed in the last sector. These have created many problems of acquaplaning, but it should be emphasized how Tanak managed to pass unscathed in the same points where Esapekka was taken by surprise.
The overall standings lost Craig Breen. The Northern Irishman of M-Sport was the author of a smudge which however cost very dearly. In a quick stretch, he came out too hard from a slight right-hand bend, followed by an immediate change of direction to the left.
The number 42 Ford Puma slid out, hitting an embankment. The impact ripped off the right rear suspension, so for Breen and Paul Nagle it was an immediate withdrawal. Thierry Neuville took advantage of this, good in the same test to overtake even Takamoto Katsuta and to climb fifth in one of his worst weekends in terms of performance.
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