Despite the damp and muddy conditions and occasional rain showers, Rovanpera displayed exceptional skill and determination on Saturday morning. He secured the first of five stage victories, propelling himself to a commanding lead by the end of the day. Evans, who initially trailed behind the rally leader, managed to create a small gap between himself and Ogier, securing second place. Neuville, Fourmaux, and Pajari maintained their positions in third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
Unfortunately, Munster’s race came to an abrupt end just 4km into the opening stage as he rolled his Puma, resulting in his elimination from the competition.
During Stage 12, Evans experienced a stroke of bad luck when the right-front driveshaft of his Yaris broke. This setback forced him to navigate the remaining 40km of stages at a slower pace, resulting in a significant drop in the overall standings. By the end of Stage 13, the final stage of the morning loop, Evans found himself in eighth place.
After the service, the competitors returned to the worn, wet, and muddy stages. Rovanpera continued his winning streak by triumphing in Stage 14. However, his fellow Finn, Lappi, put an end to his dominance in the following stage, narrowly beating the rally leader by half a second.
Photo by Kalle Rovanperä (X)
“I decided to push a bit harder on this stage to improve my performance from the morning. The car is functioning better now. I recall my father achieving an impressive time on this stage, so I wanted to match his success. We had a fierce battle in the morning, and today we continued to push ourselves. We achieved some strong times without taking excessive risks, which is a positive outcome,” commented the rally leader.
The final stage concluded with Rovanpera leading the pack, securing a Toyota 1-2 finish with a comfortable 44.2-second lead over Ogier. Neuville’s impressive third-place finish greatly benefits his championship aspirations, while Fourmaux and Pajari maintained their positions in fourth and fifth respectively.
In the WRC2 category, various drivers claimed stage victories, including Heikkila (SS11), Latvala (SS12), Linnamae (SS13), Solberg (SS14 and 16), and Virves (SS15). However, on the overall leaderboard, Solberg emerged as the clear winner, followed by Latvala and Virves.
