This day in Finland lived up to all its promises! Rain in the middle of the day changed some tactics, but basically, all drivers went flat out all day.
While Katsuta provisionally led the rally after SS2 Laukaa 1, Kalle Rovanperä took the lead from SS3 Saarikas 1, and held it until the end of the day. Hoping for a first win at his home event, Kalle gave it everything—even mentioning at some point that he was “all over the place,” which eventually proved to be working timewise!
A very tight battle unfolded over the four morning stages between the main contenders.
Before regrouping in Jyväskylä, the first seven crews were all within less than ten seconds! However, Toyota came out as the big winner, with stage wins shared equally between Kalle Rovanperä and Sami Pajari.
Ott Tänak, knowing he would have to sweep the road for everyone, finished 8th overall before lunch. Meanwhile, it was a constant duel between the Toyota and Hyundai drivers, who swapped places at the top, with Adrien Fourmaux holding a strong second place at the mid-day regroup. Takamoto Katsuta seemed to really enjoy his rally, while Thierry Neuville admitted he wasn’t very confident and preferred to follow both his feelings and his rhythm. Martin Sesks was the leading Ford driver, in 9th after the first loop.
The Finns dominated WRC2, with Emil Lindholm holding a 0.2s lead (yes—0.2!!!) over Jari-Matti Latvala before the afternoon’s loop. Meanwhile, Flying Finn Future Star Aatu Hakalehto held a very respectable 5th place in JWRC.
The rain changed the game in the afternoon—for better or worse!
The first happy driver was Takamoto, who managed to claim his 50th stage victory in SS6 Laukaa 2!
Unfortunately, Oliver Solberg experienced the highs and lows of rallying within just two weeks, retiring on SS7 after ending up in a ditch.
Tänak was also unlucky on the same stage, braking a bit late and becoming a passenger in his own car before hitting a tree and damaging the front. Despite the heavy impact, the crew was able to continue and finished the day 10th overall.
Thierry Neuville ended the day with good feelings, having found more consistency in the afternoon thanks to new set-ups on the car. He sits second tonight, behind an untouchable Rovanperä. He is followed by Adrien Fourmaux and Takamoto Katsuta, with all four crews separated by just 8.1 seconds.
The Finns are also leading in WRC2, with Roope Korhonen ahead of Robert Virves, while Jari-Matti Latvala (another Finn!) sits in 4th. Meanwhile, an Australian crew (Gill/Brkic) is leading JWRC/WRC3, and our Flying Finn Future Star Aatu Hakalehto is now up to 4th!
Weather will once again be a major concern tomorrow, with rain likely over the 142.16 km of special stages scheduled for Saturday.
Photos: McKlein
