Kalle Rovanpera – Syndication Server

Rovanpera wins Rally Chile as Neuville closes on first WRC title

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera secured victory at Rally Chile on Sunday, mastering dense fog and treacherous conditions (above) to clinch his fourth win of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the two-time and …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera secured victory at Rally Chile on Sunday, mastering dense fog and treacherous conditions (above) to clinch his fourth win of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.

Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, the two-time and reigning WRC champ edged out his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans by 23.4s, mastering the increasingly difficult and damp gravel roads across Chile’s Bio Bio region.

Rovanpera made a cautious start to the 11th round of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t suit his driving style on Friday’s opening leg. But as the rally progressed, found his rhythm. The turning point came on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating through thick fog high up the mountain stages to seize a 15.1s lead heading into the short final leg.

The 23-year-old Finn, who’s taking on only a part-time campaign in 2024 to recharge his rallying batteries, remained unflappable in equally difficult conditions on Sunday, outpacing Evans on all but one of the final four stages to secure the 15th victory of his WRC career.

“It feels really good,” said Rovanpera. “Big thanks to the team — the car and everything worked perfectly. The win actually feels like a good one, but Friday did not feel so good and the conditions were really difficult all weekend, so, yes, it feels really good.”

Kalle Rovanpera has started only seven 2024 WRC rounds for Toyota, but he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen have now won four of them with their first Rally Chile victory. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT

Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tanak completed the podium, trailing Evans by 20.5s in his i20 N Rally1. Despite the Estonian’s podium, Hyundai lost ground in the WRC manufacturers’ championship, with Toyota reducing the gap to just 17 points, courtesy of Rovanpera and Evans’ masterful performances and third factory entry Sebastien Ogier’s crucial Super Sunday maximum points haul.

Championship leader Thierry Neuville enjoyed a relatively drama-free run to fourth in his factory i20 N Rally1, a result which moves him even closer to a first drivers’ title as he tops the table by 29 points with just two rounds remaining. Neuville, a five-time runner-up in the WRC standings, can afford to lose a handful of points to both Evans and Ogier at next month’s Central European Rally and still lift the title there, providing he outscores teammate Tanak.

Fourth in Chile for Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville sets up a potential title-clincher on next month’s Central European Rally. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

While Ogier salvaged every point available from Super Sunday, his hopes for a ninth WRC title now appear slim. The Frenchman, who had the speed to challenge for victory, retired his Toyota on Saturday with suspension damage after striking a rock and rejoined on Sunday purely to put on a charge and mop up the points on offer.

Adrien Fourmaux was M-Sport Ford’s top finisher in fifth, trailing Neuville by 1m1.6s. The Frenchman’s result could have been even stronger had it not been for a one-minute penalty incurred for a late check-in in his Puma Rally1 on Friday.

Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari impressed by finishing sixth on just his second Rally1 outing, while Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford teammate Gregoire Munster followed closely behind in seventh.

Esapekka Lappi had been on course to finish eighth, but was forced to retire on the penultimate stage after a spin damaged his Hyundai’s radiator. The retirement also marked the conclusion of Lappi’s co-driver Janne Ferm’s distinguished WRC career after 90 starts, two wins and 15 podiums.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin’s 1-2 finish secured DG Sport Competition the 2024 WRC2 teams’ title.

Just 17.3s separated the Citroen C3 Rally2 pair. Frenchman Rossel was given a late advantage on Saturday night when event stewards awarded him a corrected time for Saturday’s penultimate stage, where he was held up behind WRC2 points leader Oliver Solberg, and he began Sunday’s final leg holding a 21.6s lead.

However, Rossel’s buffer steadily eroded as Gryazin closed in on Sunday’s four stages. A 10-second time penalty for a jump start only added to the tension, but Rossel kept his composure through the thick fog and treacherously muddy roads to claim victory. His win keeps his title hopes in the WRC2 drivers’ title alive.

Solberg, who had led earlier in the rally before suffering a costly wheel change on Saturday, could only manage fourth in class. The Toksport Skoda Fabia RS driver has now completed the maximum seven events allowed in WRC2, and although he currently leads the standings, the Swede will have to wait anxiously for the final two rounds to see whether Rossel or Sami Pajari, back in his WRC2 Yaris next time out, can overhaul him for the title.

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Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel’s WRC2 win keeps his championship hopes alive in the WRC’s second-tier category. McKlein/Motorsport Images

The WRC returns to Europe for its penultimate round, the Central European Rally, Oct. 17-20. Based out of the south-east German city of Bad Griessbach, the event will take crews on a multiple border-crossing journey on all-asphalt stages spanning Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

WRC Rally Chile, final positions after Leg Three, SS16
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h58m59.8s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +23.4s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +43.9s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m01.1s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria Ford Puma Rally1) +2m02.7s
6 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m39.7s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m47.7s
8 Yohan Rossel/Florian Barral Citroen C3 – WRC2 winner) +8m31.4s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +8m48.7s
10 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m52.1s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 11 of 13 rounds
1 Neuville 207 points
2 Tanak 178
3 Ogier 166
4 Evans 161
5 Fourmaux 140

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 11 of 13 rounds
1 Hyundai Motorsport 482 points
2 Toyota Gazoo Racing 465
3 M-Sport Ford 245

Check out WRC.com, the official home of the FIA World Rally Championship. And for the ultimate WRC experience, sign up for a Rally.TV subscription to watch all stages of every rally live and on demand, whenever and wherever.

Rovanpera closes in on first WRC Rally Finland win after dominant Saturday

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera (above) is a big step closer to taking his first WRC Rally Finland victory after a stunning run of five special stage wins on Saturday’s second leg left the home hero comfortably clear of the field. The two-time and reigning …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera (above) is a big step closer to taking his first WRC Rally Finland victory after a stunning run of five special stage wins on Saturday’s second leg left the home hero comfortably clear of the field.

The two-time and reigning FIA World Rally champion, who was born and raised in the rally’s home city of Jyvaskyla, completed the penultimate leg of the WRC’s fastest all-gravel event with a 44.2s advantage over his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 teammate Sebastien Ogier. Points leader Thierry Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, ended the day a further 39.2s back in third overall.

After Friday’s wet, but still super-fast opening leg, Saturday offered more of the same, with Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans and Ogier beginning the morning loop in a Toyota 1-2-3 at the top of the leaderboard.

But it all went wrong for Evans when his GR Yaris’s front-right driveshaft broke in the second stage of the day, the blisteringly fast Paijala 1 test. That forced him to limp through another 25 miles of special stages in road mode — losing almost six minutes in the process — before repairs could be made in the mid-leg service back at Jyvaskyla.

Elfyn Evans was keeping Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera in his sights, until plunging down the order with a driveshaft issue for his GR Yaris Rally1. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Rovanpera’s advantage over the now second-placed Ogier had ballooned to over 20s by the end of the morning leg. The afternoon was a repeat of the three special stages and the 23-year-old Finn, who’s chosen to run only a part-time WRC campaign in 2024, continued his flawless drive. Despite changeable weather through the day, he won all but one of the six stages, including both passes of 20.49-mile Ouninpohja’s legendary rollercoaster ride.

“In the morning there was a good fight and we kept pushing today,” said Rovanpera, who crashed out while leading his home rally last year. “We did some quite strong times without taking any huge risks, so that is quite positive.”

Eight-time WRC champ Ogier — another one of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s roster taking in only a limited 2024 program — was not in the mood for taking unnecessary risks and admitted that, having not competed here since 2021, he lacked the commitment needed to challenge Rovanpera.

“The commitment needs to be at 100 percent,” said Ogier, whose only Rally Finland win came back in 2013 with VW, “and two years missing here makes it more challenging. In Finland, there are not so many guys who can follow the 100 percent of Kalle Rovanpera…”

After struggling for pace on Friday, the second leg was more positive for Neuville and his title aspirations. While Evans, currently third in the WRC drivers’ standings, has so far failed to register a score, Neuville’s overnight third position provisionally earned him 13 precious championship points. His Hyundai teammate, Ott Tanak, who was second in points coming into this round, did not restart following his heavy crash on Friday morning.

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville has moved into third overall. With problems for his closest WRC title rivals, it’s looking like a useful weekend for the Belgian. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Adrien Fourmaux set a similar pace to Neuville on the day’s stages, but the Frenchman trailed the Belgian by 25.9s after struggling to regain time lost to him yesterday.

Fourmaux’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 teammate Gregoire Munster’s day was over in a flash after the Luxembourg driver rolled 2.5 miles into Saturday’s opening stage.

Behind Fourmaux, Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen are on course to record a top-five result on their GR Yaris Rally1 debut, with 29.5s separating the young Finnish pair from fourth-placed Fourmaux.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg continues to set the pace in his Toksport-run Skoda Fabia RS.

The 22-year-old Swede ended Friday’s opening leg with a 24.1s lead over former WRC ace and now-Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal Jari-Matti Latvala, who’s enjoying a one-off drive in a new-for-2024 GR Yaris Rally2.

Solberg eked out the gap over Saturday’s opening stages, then found himself enjoying 47.6s of clear air after Latvala lost time with a spin in the day’s closing test, Ouninpohja 2. A trouble-free run on the final day will see him extending his WRC2 points lead.

Oliver Solberg built a commanding WRC2 lead after a flawless day in his Skoda Fabia RS. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Sunday’s final leg consists of four more super-fast special stages, adding up to a short, sharp 25.89 competitive miles. Sahloinen-Moksi and Laajavuori are each run twice, with the latter as the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Finland, positions after Leg Two, SS16
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h03m53.8s

2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +44.2s
3 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m23.8s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m49.7s
5 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m19.2s
6 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +7m32.4s
7 Jari-Matti Latvala/Juho Hanninen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +8m20.0s
8 Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +8m52.4s
9 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 – WRC2, non-points) +8m57.7s
10 Mikko Heikkila/Kristian Temonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +9m04.8s

Rovanpera leads as wet WRC Rally Finland opener claims its victims

Local hero Kalle Rovanpera (above) held an 8.0s WRC Rally Finland lead on Friday night after an incident-filled opening leg ended with Toyota Gazoo Racing locking out the top-three places. The two-time and reigning champion, who’s yet to win his …

Local hero Kalle Rovanpera (above) held an 8.0s WRC Rally Finland lead on Friday night after an incident-filled opening leg ended with Toyota Gazoo Racing locking out the top-three places.

The two-time and reigning champion, who’s yet to win his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship, headed fellow Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver Elfyn Evans after winning four of today’s nine rain-affected special stages. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top three, six-tenths of a second further back in his GR Yaris.

Like eight-time champ Ogier, the flying Rovanpera, who was born and raised in Rally Finland’s host city of Jyvaskyla, is running only a part-time schedule in 2024. But should the 23-year-old Finn hang on for a victory on the super-fast stages that make up the “Finnish Grand Prix,” he’ll have swept the WRC’s run of three consecutive high-speed gravel events.

In stark contrast to Toyota’s early domination, arch rival Hyundai suffered a disastrous day, losing two of its i20 N Rally1 cars to crashes. Title hopeful Ott Tanak, who was targeting a fourth Rally Finland win, was forced out by a roll in the morning’s second stage. The heavy impact resulted in co-driver Martin Jarveoja being taken to hospital for precautionary medical checks, where he will remain overnight for monitoring.

Ott Tanak was aiming for a fourth Rally Finland win, but the Estonian’s quest ended prematurely when he rolled out on the opening morning. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Meanwhile, Esapekka Lappi — a Rally Finland winner in 2017 — retired from fourth after hitting a tree which tore the rear suspension from his car. Lappi, who’s another WRC regular taking on only a part-time role in 2024, is expected to restart his i20 N on Saturday.

Rovanpera battled excessive oversteer in the early stages to hold a slender lead of just 0.2s over Evans at the day’s midpoint, but he raised the bar on the repeated afternoon loop to widen that gap as the puddle-covered gravel roads became rutted and even more challenging.

There’s still two days to go, but the omens look good for the home-grown ace as, for the past two years, Friday night’s leader has gone on to win.

“It has been a tricky day, especially with the weather,” Rovanpera said. “Really changeable and difficult conditions, so I am quite happy to have had a clean day.

“Tomorrow will be difficult for sure — I think there has been a lot of rain on those stages also, but we will see how it is in the morning. All the guys are pushing hard and the gaps are really small, so it’s going to be a big fight.”

After the morning’s carnage, WRC points leader Thierry Neuville was Hyundai’s last man standing. Climbing the standings after the retirements of his teammates, plus Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta’s crash on the morning’s final stage, he held fourth overnight, but was hindered by his car’s setup and a time-consuming overshoot in the morning. The Belgian trailed Ogier by 16.9s at day’s end and, as it stands, is set to see his points buffer over title rival Evans shrink.

The lack of a pre-event test meant Adrien Fourmaux had to tweak the setup of his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 on road sections between stages. Holding an overnight fifth with a 42.5s buffer over Sami Pajari, the Frenchman felt he had made good progress with the car by the end of the leg.

For Pajari, who was making his Rally1 debut in a factory GR Yaris, the day was one of two halves. Two spins saw the rising star end the first stage with a damaged rear wing, forcing him to complete the morning’s remaining tests with significantly reduced aero.

However, justifying the hype around the latest “Flying Finn,” he and co-driver Enni Malkonen went on to win the 4.82-mile Ruuhimaki 2 stage in the afternoon — their first fastest stage time at the sport’s top level.

First time out in a headlining Rally1 car, Sami Pajari racked up a fastest stage time in his Toyota GR Yaris. Toyota GAZOO Racing

Gregoire Munster completed the Rally1 cars on the overall leaderboard, the Luxembourg driver taking things steady in his Puma Rally1 and building his experience of the fastest rally on the WRC schedule.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg ended the opening leg with a commanding lead over Jari-Matti Latvala, while several of the category’s big names ran into trouble.

Gus Greensmith, Emil Lindholm and Pierre-Louis Loubet were just some of the leading drivers to fall by the wayside today, with all three suffering accidents on the rain-hit stages east of Jyvaskyla.

For Solberg, who stands in line to extend his WRC2 championship lead, there were no such troubles. Driving a Toksport-run Skoda Fabia RS, the Swede was just half a second clear of Latvala at the day’s halfway point, but an impressive afternoon performance, particularly on the second running of the 11.16-mile Laukaa 2 stage, saw him widen that gap to 24.1s.

Latvala’s performance was impressive in itself considering the Finn, whose “day job” is team principal for Toyota Gazoo Racing, is contesting only his second WRC rally in four years. The 18-time WRC event winner and co-driver Juho Hanninen grabbed stage wins on both passes of the 9.64-mile Myhinpaa test, a Finnish classic.

Oliver Solberg built a commanding WRC2 lead after a flawless day in his Skoda Fabia RS. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Saturday is the rally’s longest day, featuring six stages and 89.61 competitive miles, including the return of the jumps and switchbacks that make up the legendary Ouninpohja stage.

WRC Rally Finland, positions after Leg One, SS10
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 58m24.7s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +8.0s

3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +8.6s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +25.5s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +48.5s
6 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m31.0s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m52.7s
8 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +3m22.0s
9 Jari-Matti Latvala/Juho Hanninen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +3m46.1s
10 Robert Virves/Aleks Lesk (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +3m53.3s

Rovanpera secures back-to-win WRC wins with Rally Latvia domination

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera wrapped up a dominant start-to-finish victory at Rally Latvia on Sunday afternoon (above), the reigning WRC champ securing back-to-back wins on high-speed gravel events. Having started his first-ever rally on Latvia’s roads …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera wrapped up a dominant start-to-finish victory at Rally Latvia on Sunday afternoon (above), the reigning WRC champ securing back-to-back wins on high-speed gravel events.

Having started his first-ever rally on Latvia’s roads more than a decade ago aged just 12, the 24-year-old Finn was back on familiar ground as he put on a masterclass at the Baltic nation’s first FIA World Rally Championship round.

Rovanpera, who’s elected to run only a part-time campaign for Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2024, was never seriously challenged during the four-day event, which started in the capital city, Riga, on Thursday evening before journeying south toward the coastal resort of Liepaja. He built a commanding lead during the first two legs in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, then eased through Sunday’s final leg to win the season’s eighth round by 39.2s.

Kalle Rovanpera started his first ever rally in Latvia aged just 12, so it was apt that he won on the Baltic state’s WRC debut.

Eight-time WRC champ and fellow part-timer Sebastien Ogier completed a Toyota 1-2, while Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Ott Tanak grabbed the final podium spot from a hugely impressive Martins Sesks after the local hero’s M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 was hampered by a transmission fault in the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.

“It has been a great weekend,” said Rovanpera, whose victory followed a similarly dominant performance at the previous round on Poland’s super-quick gravel. “It’s cool to have the first [WRC] win here, because Latvia is an important place for me.

“Big thanks to Jonne [Halttunen, co-driver] and the whole team — we have been stronger than we expected. We are going to enjoy this one and then work hard [for the next round] in Finland.”

Sesks was cruelly deprived of what could have been a first WRC podium on only his second start at rallying’s top level, and his first with a full-spec Rally1 hybrid machine. The 24-year-old Latvian won two stages on Friday and started Sunday’s final test with a seemingly comfortable 4.6s margin over Tanak, despite two overshoots earlier in the morning, but Sesks’ Puma Rally1 developed a transmission problem at the start of the stage.

After an impressive weekend for the local hero, Martins Sesks’ podium hopes were dashed by a transmission issue for his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.

“It was in the first corner,” explained Sesks, who lost almost two minutes and plummeted to seventh. “We don’t know if it’s a diff problem or something like that, but after that we understood our podium chance was over. Still, I think we showed our pace and made everyone happy.”

The WRC drivers’ dhampionship battle closed up as a tenacious Tanak extracted maximum available points from Super Sunday and climbed to second in the standings.

He now trails Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville by just eight points with five rounds remaining, with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, who slipped to third in the standings, just five points further back. Neuville and Evans finished eighth and fifth, respectively, both struggling to recover from the time loss they faced by running first and second on the road on Friday and getting the worst of the loose surface gravel.

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak earned a podium finish and moved to second in the WRC standings after a maximum Sunday points haul.Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux ended 27.0s behind Tanak in fourth, despite encountering a small engine problem on the last two stages, with Evans finishing a further 11.2s in arrears in fifth.

Takamoto Katsuta brought his GR Yaris home sixth overall, ahead of the ailing Sesks and Neuville, while Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi and M-Sport Ford driver Gregoire Munster both nursed technical issues through the closing stages to complete the top-10 leaderboard.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg stormed into the championship lead after completing an impressive and well-judged Latvian victory.

The 22-year-old Swede led from start to finish on a surface he revels in, taking maximum points in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 to overtake Sami Pajari and Yohan Rossel, who was not competing in Latvia as one of his seven counting events, in the race for the WRC2 title.

After winning seven out of eight stages to open a commanding lead of more than half a minute on Friday’s opening leg, Solberg managed his speed accordingly over the closing two legs to ensure he kept Finn Mikko Heikkila’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 at bay.

Solberg now leads the WRC2 standings by three points from Pajari after ending Rally Latvia with a 37.4s winning margin.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to finally win again,” said Solberg, whose last WRC2 win came on the snows of Sweden in February. “There’s been a few tough rallies, but it is amazing to be back up to speed. The car has been working well over the weekend, so thanks to the team for keeping it up to speed.”

Oliver Solberg’s fast, then measured WRC2 win puts the Swedish Skoda driver to the top of the class standings. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Next up, the WRC remains in northern Europe for Rally Finland, the third and final instalment of its fast-gravel trilogy on Aug. 1-4. Kalle Rovanpera is yet to win his home event, but with the part-timer in red-hot form and continuing his 2024 tour on the roads around Jyvaskyla, can he make it three victories on the bounce?

WRC Rally Latvia, final positions after Leg Three, SS20
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h31m47.6s
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +39.2s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m04.5s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m31.5s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m42.7s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m07.0s
7 Martins Sesks/Renars Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m45.4s
8 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m46.4s
9 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +5m12.4s
10 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +5m23.1s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 8 rounds
1 Neuville 145 points
2 Tanak 137
3 Evans 132
4 Ogier 117
5 Fourmaux 101

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 8 rounds
1 Hyundai Motorsport 351 points
2 Toyota Gazoo Racing 350
3 M-Sport Ford 177

Rampant Rovanpera gaps the field on WRC Rally Latvia second leg

Toyota driver Kalle Rovanpera’s rivals were left trailing in the dust after the reigning WRC champ extended his Rally Latvia lead with a sublime second-leg drive on Saturday. The 23-year-old Finn (above), who made his rallying debut in the Baltic …

Toyota driver Kalle Rovanpera’s rivals were left trailing in the dust after the reigning WRC champ extended his Rally Latvia lead with a sublime second-leg drive on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Finn (above), who made his rallying debut in the Baltic nation more than 10 years ago, distanced the chasing pack through eight super-fast gravel stages near Liepaja to grow his advantage from 15.7s to 42.5s with just one day remaining of this eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

It was a milestone morning for Rovanpera as he notched up the 200th stage win of his WRC career on the day’s second test, Snepele. His advantage built to 34.8s by the mid-leg service and that dominance continued into the afternoon, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver topping the timesheets on all but one stage.

Two-time WRC champ Rovanpera has elected to recharge his batteries and run only selected rallies in 2024. But if he completes the victory tomorrow it will be back to back-to-back wins for the part-timer, who put on a masterclass at last month’s Rally Poland after a late callup by his Toyota Gazoo Racing team.

Rovanpera’s Toyota teammate Sebastien Ogier made it a GR Yaris 1-2, with local hero Martins Sesks a close third on his first WRC start in a full-spec M-Sport Puma Rally1 hybrid machine, and only his second ever in the series’ top tier.

Eight-time champ Ogier, who’s also running only a part-time schedule in 2024, began the day 5.9s behind Sesks, but passed the 24-year-old Latvian on the overall leaderboard in the final stage of the morning. Luck was on the Frenchman’s side when he ran wide into a ditch on the morning’s penultimate test, plowing through the undergrowth before popping back onto the road unscathed.

Sesks, who ended the day just 4.7s behind Ogier, sits on the brink of a sensational podium in front of his enthusiastic home fans. Adding to the sense that we’re witnessing a new WRC star in the making, the two drivers ahead of him, plus Ott Tanak just behind, are all previous world title winners.

Surrounded by WRC champs, home hero Martins Sesks is holding his nerve and holding the final podium spot in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.

In a battle of the Baltic states, Estonia’s Tanak climbed from sixth to fourth overall in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, winning the morning’s penultimate stage and closing to within 6.3s of Sesks. However, a transmission fault in the leg-ending Liepaja City Stage put him briefly off the road and cost him around 15s, putting him 20.8s in arrears of Sesk at the overnight halt.

Tanak was successful in collecting more Saturday classification points than his main WRC title rivals, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who were sixth and eighth respectively, but he must finish the rally on Sunday in order to bank them.

Fifth went the way of M-Sport Ford team leader Adrien Fourmaux, who ended 8.4s down on Tanak, but with 17.9s in hand over sixth-placed Evans.

Takamoto Katsuta fell to eighth overall, having run as high as fourth before an impact broke his GR Yaris car’s power steering late in the morning loop.

Neuville, who led the WRC points heading into Latvia, was running second on the road and still struggling with low traction as he was forced to sweep the loose gravel for the cars behind. Unable to push, he placed eighth overall in his i20 N Rally1.

After another day of sweeping the roads for the cars behind, WRC points leader Thierry Neuville sits a frustrated eighth for Hyundai. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi and M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster completed the overall top 10 in an event that, so far, has seen no retirements from the headlining Rally1 class.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg is on course to claim his second class victory of the 2024 season after carefully consolidating his lead through Saturday.

After a dominant Friday, during which the Swede won six out of seven stages to build up a 31.1s advantage, Solberg’s focus switched to lead preservation on Saturday’s equally fast gravel tests.

Being the first Rally2 competitor onto the stages presented a challenge in itself, with Solberg forced to sweep a fresh line after the wider, more powerful Rally1 cars had been through. Despite that, he and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were inside the top three on each stage and collected two fastest times along the way, finishing the day in 11th on the overall leaderboard.

Solberg’s Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 headed Mikko Heikkila’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 rival by 26.6sec overnight, with Sami Pajari’s GR Yaris 5.0s further back.

Oliver Solberg protected his WRC2 class lead, but still managed a couple of fastest stage times in his Skoda. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Sunday’s final leg includes two stages, each used twice, totaling 39.82 competitive miles of more super-fast and flowing gravel. The 8.29-mile Mazilmaja 2 test is the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Rally Latvia, positions after Leg Two, SS16
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h56m53.1ss
2 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +41.0s
3 Martins Sesks/Renars Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +45.7s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +52.0s
5 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m14.7s
6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m34.1s
7 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m45.9s
8 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m33.7s
9 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m09.5s
10 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m37.6s

Flawless Rovanpera seals WRC Safari Rally Kenya victory

Kalle Rovanpera (above) put on a flawless performance to become a two-time WRC Safari Rally Kenya winner, the Toyota Gazoo Racing ace ending the grueling African event on Sunday afternoon with a 1m37.8s victory margin after leading since Friday …

Kalle Rovanpera (above) put on a flawless performance to become a two-time WRC Safari Rally Kenya winner, the Toyota Gazoo Racing ace ending the grueling African event on Sunday afternoon with a 1m37.8s victory margin after leading since Friday morning’s opening stages.

In what was by far the most challenging FIA World Rally Championship round so far this season, it was the two-time and reigning champ’s meticulous balance of speed and maturity that ultimately secured his 12th career WRC victory.

The 23-year-old Finn, co-driven by Jonne Halttunen, built a lead of almost one minute after winning all of Friday’s rock-strewn stages around Lake Naivasha in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, then kept things clean to end Saturday’s second leg two minutes clear as the chasing pack ran into mechanical troubles and tire damage.

That buffer allowed Rovanpera, who has chosen to run only a part-time 2024 WRC campaign, to drive for a finish in Sunday’s final leg, which consisted of ix stages and culminated amid the stunning scenery and roaming wildlife of the 6.54-mile Hell’s Gate test.

Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen added a second Safari Rally win to the one the Toyota duo earned in 2022. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“It’s always special to win here,” said Rovanpera. “Also, it’s a legendary event for Toyota. We’ve always been so good here and that’s continuing.

“A big thanks to the team — everybody made a big effort to make the car work so well. I think me and Jonne did a good job; I don’t think you can have a better Safari Rally than we did. No issues, clever driving, and I think it was a good effort.”

Takamoto Katsuta completed a Toyota 1-2 as the Japanese marque extended its manufacturers’ championship lead to four points over Hyundai Motorsport.

Takamoto Katsuta earned his third career Safari Rally podium to complete a Toyota 1-2 in Kenya. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans ended Friday in contention for a podium, and a possible Toyota sweep, but a fraught Saturday, which saw the Welshman stop twice to carry out stage-side wheel changes, meant he finished over four minutes back from his teammate Rovanpera in fourth overall. He remains second in the WRC drivers’ championship behind leader Thierry Neuville, who trailed him by almost six minutes in fifth.

M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver Adrien Fourmaux headed home Evans to complete the podium after a clean and measured drive, the Frenchman grabbing his second consecutive third-place finish, albeit some 47.3s behind Katsuta’s Yaris.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux put in a clean and measured drive to secure his second consecutive WRC finish. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Neuville now heads Evans by six points in the WRC standings, but endured a troublesome week aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. Fuel pressure problems on Saturday cost the Belgian several minutes and suspension damage on Sunday, inflicted by a rock on the racing line, added insult to injury.

His teammates, Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tanak, fared worse. Lappi’s problems included two broken gearboxes over the course of the week, while Tanak could only climb back to eighth overall after his car sustained broken suspension on Friday

In WRC2, Gus Greensmith got his campaign off to the perfect start after winning the WRC’s premier support category by a 1m23.1s margin in his Toksport Skoda Fabia RS.

The odds were stacked against the British driver early in the rally. He battled flu-like symptoms through Friday’s opening leg on rough gravel roads around Lake Naivasha, but charged to a commanding lead of more than three minutes after his main rival Oliver Solberg lost considerable time with punctures.

Solberg fought back to finish second in his Skoda, finishing fastest in class in 11 of the rally’s 19 stages, but the deficit was ultimately too large to overcome. Greensmith was able to cruise through the closing miles, earning a mighty sixth-place overall result in the process.

“It’s been a long week but I’m really, really happy,” said Greensmith. “Thank you to the [Toksport] team this weekend, they’ve been perfect.”

Gus Greensmith got his 2024 WRC2 campaign off to the best possible start with a Safari Rally class win. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

After the heat, clogging dust and rocks of the Kenyan stages, the WRC returns to asphalt for next month’s Zagreb-based Croatia Rally, April 18-21.

WRC Safari Rally Kenya, final positions after Leg Three, SS19
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h36m04.0s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m37.8s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m25.1s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +4m20.2s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +10m17.5s
6 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Anedrsson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +18m05.4s
7 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +19m28.5s
8 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +21m02.0s
9 Jordan Serderidis/Frederic Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1) +26m13.3s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +26m34.4s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 3 rounds
1 Neuville 67 points
2 Evans 61
3 Fourmaux 46
4 Tanak 33
5 Rovanpera 31

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 3 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 131 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 127
3 M-Sport Ford 72

Check out WRC.com, the official home of the FIA World Rally Championship. And for the ultimate WRC experience, sign up for a Rally.TV subscription to watch all stages of every rally live and on demand, whenever and wherever.

Rovanpera clinches second WRC title on Central European Rally

Kalle Rovanpera is a two-time FIA World Rally Champion after clinching his second consecutive title on Sunday with a runner-up finish on the inaugural Central European Rally. The 23-year-old Finn came home 57.6s behind rally winner Thierry Neuville …

Kalle Rovanpera is a two-time FIA World Rally Champion after clinching his second consecutive title on Sunday with a runner-up finish on the inaugural Central European Rally.

The 23-year-old Finn came home 57.6s behind rally winner Thierry Neuville after a measured performance on Sunday’s short final leg of an all-asphalt event that featured stages in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. And with one WRC round still to go, he can’t now be caught by his nearest rival, Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans.

Entering this rally with a 31-point lead over Evans, reigning champ Rovanpera simply needed to maintain that advantage to claim back-to-back crowns. When Evans suffered a dramatic crash in his GR Yaris Rally1 on Saturday morning, the path to victory was all but assured.

Following a steady start to the season, Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen hit their stride in May by winning Rally Portugal. From that moment on, the pair have only finished outside of the podium twice, adding victories in Estonia and Greece.

“I am feeling really good,” said Rovanpera. “I think this year was, for me personally, more important than last year. The competition was tighter, and we did a really good job. The biggest thank you of course goes to Jonne — he is also the world’s best co-driver. I am going to enjoy this one more than the first one.”

Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen celebrate clinching back-to-back WRC crowns. Red Bull Content Pool

Neuville’s outright rally victory may have been overshadowed by the champions’ celebrations, but the Belgian’s drive was a masterclass in precision through three days of often treacherous road conditions.

Driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Neuville took control on Saturday morning, started Sunday’s final leg with a 26.2s lead, and extended that to almost a minute at the finish to claim his 19th outright WRC career victory on the slippery asphalt roads across Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.

“Overall, we did a good job,” Neuville said. “We had good consistency which ultimately paid off. It was a team effort this weekend and we did it, so we can be proud of that.”

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville took his second outright win of 2023 — the 19th of his WRC career. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak overcame a hydraulic failure on the penultimate day to complete the podium, but almost two minutes back from the front-running pace in his Puma Rally1.

Eight-time WRC champ Sebastien Ogier, making one of his occasional 2023 WRC appearances, fought back from wheel damage on Friday to claim fourth ahead of his Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta.

Teemu Suninen’s Hyundai finished sixth overall, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster, with Pierre-Louis Loubet Puma the only other Rally1 car in the top 10.

Evans did restart Sunday’s final leg after Saturday’s off, and at least had the consolation of setting fastest time in the bonus points-paying, rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Torsten Eriksen are the 2023 champions thanks to their last-gasp Wolf Power Stage victory.

In perhaps one of the most remarkable turnarounds the Norwegian has experienced in his career, Mickelsen clinched the title despite finishing in 13th place in the class, more than 13 minutes behind WRC2 winner Nicolas Ciamin.

Andreas Mikkelsen (right) and co-driver Torsten Eriksen needed Power Stage victory to secure their 2023 WRC2 title. Red Bull Content Pool

Mikkelsen’s chances of wrapping up the title on pace alone vanished on Friday morning when his Skoda Fabia RS left the road, a mishap which cost around 10 minutes. But, with his closest championship rival — Citroen’s Yohan Rossel — out after hitting a tree, fellow Skoda pilot Gus Greensmith was the only remaining driver who stood a realistic chance of preventing Mikkelsen’s celebrations at this penultimate round of the season.

Greensmith’s own struggles, including a puncture on day one, limited him to fourth place in the class results. Crucially, his failure to score any Wolf Power Stage bonus points, coupled with Mikkelsen’s benchmark time through the finale, meant that both he and Mikkelsen ended the rally with 111 points apiece.

Mikkelsen, unlike his rival, still has one scoring round remaining. His three victories so far this season, compared with Greensmith’s two, earned him the title on countback. Regardless of his result at Rally Japan next month, the 34-year-old can no longer be beaten.

The 2023 WRC season comes to a close in Asia next month at Rally Japan. Another all-asphalt event, the rally runs on the tight, twisty roads around Aichi, Nov. 16-19.

WRC Central European Rally, final positions after Leg Three, SS18
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h52m39.9s
2 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +57.6s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m52.8s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m08.6s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m48.3s
6 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +3m06.3s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m22.3s
8 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – RC2, non-points) +11m35.8s
9 Nicolas Ciamin/Yannick Roche (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +11m53.1s
10 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Puma Rally1) +12m04.3s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 12 rounds
1 Rovanpera 235 points (2023 champion)
2 Evans 191
3 Neuville 184
4 Tanak 162
5 Sebastien Ogier 114

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 12 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 504 points (2023 champion)
2 Hyundai Motorsport 399
3 M-Sport Ford 271

Rovanpera on verge of WRC crown as Evans exits Central European Rally

Just four stages stand between Kalle Rovanpera (above) and back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship crowns after his only remaining title rival, Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans, crashed out of the Central European Rally on Saturday. Having …

Having dominated Thursday’s treacherous stages, run over muddy asphalt in the Czech Republic, to build a commanding lead on the WRC’s newest event, 23-year-old Rovanpera was already doing more than enough to successfully defend his 2022 drivers’ crown.

With the action moving to Austria and Germany for Saturday, a spin on the morning’s second stage allowed Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville to slash the Finn’s advantage by more than half. But the dynamic completely changed later in the morning when Evans, who’d been sitting third overall in his GR Yaris Rally1, crashed out of contention.

Evans needed to outscore his teammate by at least one point on this penultimate round to keep the fight going to the WRC’s Japan finale next month, but he came unstuck on a slippery right-hand bend and slid into a wooden barn (see video below), damaging the left-rear suspension and going no further.

The Welshman will restart on Sunday in a desperate bid to salvage bonus points from the Wolf Power Stage. But even then, Rovanpera would need to post a non-finish — a seemingly unlikely scenario as things stand — for Evans’ long-shot title bid to continue.

Sacrificing his chances of the outright rally win to focus on his championship prospects, Rovanpera dialed back his speed following Evans’ exit. Neuville, as a result, was left to build a 26.2s lead in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 at the conclusion of the penultimate leg of the all-asphalt counter.

“It’s good to be at the finish of the day,” said Rovanpera, who simply needs a drama-free run through the closing stages to clinch the title. “It’s tough out there. I think these are the most tough [asphalt] rally conditions I have ever seen.”

Neuville, who’s in line to become the first ever Central European Rally winner, added: “All afternoon we tried to manage the gap and I am happy to finish the day in the lead of the rally. We are following our target.”

With Kalle Rovanpera easing off, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville looks set for victory on the inaugural Central European Rally. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ott Tanak ensured that all three Rally1 manufacturers ended the day on the provisional podium, bringing his M-Sport Ford Puma to the overnight halt in a lonely third overall. A non-functioning handbrake caused the Estonian some frustrations in the day’s final stage and he trails Rovanpera by more than one minute, with Sebastien Ogier’s GR Yaris another 31.1s behind in fourth.

The battle for fifth place continues to rage between Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen. Katsuta struggled to feel confident on the greasy asphalt roads in the morning, but upped his pace in the afternoon to claim the overnight position by 10.9s.

Completing the Rally1 runners, M-Sport young gun hotshot Gregoire Munster was seventh overall, ahead of the similar Puma of Pierre-Louis Loubet.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, M-Sport Fiesta driver Adrien Fourmaux is the leading runner in Rally 2-spec equipment, holding ninth overall, but isn’t registered for WRC2 championship points this weekend. Instead, one place behind the Frenchman, Emil Lindholm’s Hyundai i20 N leads the class.

Emil Lindholm’s Hyundai i20 N continues to lead in WRC2. Behind him, the title drama is building… McKlein/Motorsport Images)

Behind Lindholm — as in, way behind — Andreas Mikkelsen is within touching distance of clinching the WRC2 title, despite trailing the class leader by more than 13 minutes after Saturday’s stages.

Mikkelsen’s weekend on the all-new, all-asphalt event has not gone to plan so far. The Norwegian driver languishes 16th overall among the WRC2 runners after pitching his Skoda Fabia RS into the undergrowth on Friday morning.

He then suffered another time-consuming spin on Saturday morning, but the demise of Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel and Gus Greensmith’s current standing of fifth in class means that Mikkelsen can still wrap up the title on Sunday. As it stands, he must outscore fellow Skoda driver Greensmith in the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage to seal the deal.

Should Greensmith climb to fourth, it gets more complicated. Mikkelsen would then need to win the Power Stage, at the same time being reliant on Greensmith not scoring any bonus points. And, if Greensmith makes it inside the top three, the title will be decided in Japan next month.

Sunday’s final leg consists of two stages, each run twice, across two countries. Bohmerwald in Austria is first up, before the cars cross the border for Passauer Land in Germany, the second pass of which forms the Wolf Power Stage.

WRC Central European Rally, positions after Leg Two, SS14
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h18m34.5s
2 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +26.2s
3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m49.1s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m20.2s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m47.9s
6 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m58.8s
7 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m52.2s
8 Pierre-Louis Loubet/Benjamin Veillas (Ford Puma Rally1) +9m05.8s
9 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Fiesta MkII – RC2, non-points) +9m12.3s
10 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Hyundai i20 N – WRC2 leader) +9m18.8s

Rovanpera tops treacherous Friday at WRC Central European Rally

Kalle Rovanpera appeared oblivious to Friday’s punishing conditions on the WRC’s Central European Rally as he stormed to a commanding 36.4s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. The 23-year-old Finn (above) sits on the verge of claiming his second …

Kalle Rovanpera appeared oblivious to Friday’s punishing conditions on the WRC’s Central European Rally as he stormed to a commanding 36.4s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville.

The 23-year-old Finn (above) sits on the verge of claiming his second consecutive FIA World Rally Championship, with Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans the only other driver still mathematically in contention.

If Rovanpera matches or betters Evans’ score at this 12th and penultimate round, title number two is guaranteed — and after Friday’s wet-weather masterclass, who’d bet against him?

A brand-new event for 2023, the all-asphalt Central European Rally includes stages spread across three countries — Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, with the latter taking center stage on Friday.

Heavy rain and perilous mud thrown on to the road by corner-cutting cars challenged the crews as they tackled six special stages on the rally’s first full day.

Running first on the road courtesy of his WRC points lead, Rovanpera took full advantage of the less polluted surface offered by his starting position. He reached the mid-leg tire-fitting zone 29.2s clear of the field after winning all three of the morning’s treacherously slippy tests in his GR Yaris Rally1.

His domination continued into the repeated afternoon loop when, in conditions more consistent for drivers throughout the field — as in, everyone now had to contend with the mud thrown on the roads during the morning loop — he widened the gap further.

As it stands, Rovanpera is poised to claim the title unless he makes a major error during the remaining two days, or Evans, who languishes 47.2s behind him in third overall, can stage a remarkable comeback.

Sitting third overall, Elfyn Evans will need to ramp it up to keep his WRC title hopes alive. Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool

“It has been super tricky today,” Rovanpera said. “Luckily, the weather was on our side for once with the starting position — it was good to be the first car on the road. We can be happy with our day.”

Neuville initially led after Thursday’s pair of short super special stages, but fell to third on Friday morning after struggling with his car’s setup. The Belgian felt his i20 N Rally1 would have benefited from softer suspension springs but, with no opportunity for service between loops, changes were not possible.

Nevertheless, he maintained the pressure on Evans and, after passing the Welshman to claim the runner-up spot in the final stage, ended the day 10.8s in front.

Also feeling at odds with his car’s handling was M-Sport Ford Puma driver Ott Tanak, who ended the leg a lonely fourth overall — 43.2s adrift of Evans, but with 56.4s in hand over fifth-placed Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta.

M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak, who won last time out in Chile, sits in a lonely fourth position. M-Sport photo

Sebastien Ogier’s hopes of winning his “home” rally disintegrated early in the day when the Munich-based Frenchman limped through the opening stage with tire damage caused by a broken wheel. The eight-time WRC champ, who is running a limited schedule with Toyota this season, fought back to hold an overnight sixth, just 3.2s ahead of Teemu Suninen’s Hyundai.

Aside from Neuville, Suninen was the only other Hyundai Rally1 driver remaining after fellow Finn Esapekka Lappi crashed heavily from third overall on the day’s third stage. Suninen, starting his first asphalt rally in the i20 N Rally1, placed seventh overall ahead of M-Sport Puma youngster Gregoire Munster.

Also having his patience tested was Pierre-Louis Loubet, who dropped more than five minutes on the day’s final stage when he went off the road and picked up wheel damage on his Puma.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Emil Lindholm topped the standings after Friday’s action — but there was trouble for all three of the main title protagonists.

Current WRC2 points leader Andreas Mikkelsen began this rally with a realistic opportunity to wrap up the title, and all was going well for the Norwegian driver as he led after Friday’s opener at Vlachovo Brezi.

But he plummeted down the order after going off the road in the very next test, losing more than 10 minutes as spectators desperately tried to free his Skoda Fabia RS from the Czech undergrowth. His problems handed Hyundai i20 N Rally2 driver Lindholm the rally lead and also means that the title will most likely be decided at next month’s season finale in Japan.

Things started well for WRC2 points leader Andreas Mikkelsen, but quickly went downhill. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Yohan Rossel, second in the points before this round, saw his victory hopes shattered when he crashed his Citroen C3 Rally2 into trees in the day’s first stage, while Gus Greensmith, another driver locked into the title fight, languished down in eighth in class after struggling with his Skoda’s setup.

Saturday’s action begins with two stages in Austria, before a quick hop across the border for the Knaus Tabbert Bayerischer Wald stage in Germany. After service in Passau, Germany, the cars head back to Austria and the loop is repeated once more.

WRC Central European Rally, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h13m05.1s
2 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +36.4s
3 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +47.2s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m30.4s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m26.8s
6 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m35.9s
7 Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m39.1s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m59.1s
9 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Hyundai i20 N – WRC2 leader) +5m36.3s
10 Erik Cais/Daniel Trunkat (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +5m51.2s

Rovanpera wins Rally Acropolis to tighten grip on WRC title defense

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera (above) took his third victory of the season at Acropolis Rally Greece on Sunday to tighten his grip on this year’s FIA World Rally Championship. The 22-year-old reigning champ had looked set for only a third-place finish on …

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera (above) took his third victory of the season at Acropolis Rally Greece on Sunday to tighten his grip on this year’s FIA World Rally Championship.

The 22-year-old reigning champ had looked set for only a third-place finish on the 2023 WRC season’s 10th round, but found himself topping the leaderboard by more than two minutes after Saturday’s penultimate leg when former leaders Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier retired.

Both were sidelined by central Greece’s unforgiving rock-strewn mountain roads, with Neuville’s Hyundai i20 N Rally1 sustaining front suspension damage before Ogier hit a rock in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in Saturday’s final stage. Despite his best efforts to make temporary repairs at the end of the stage, the Frenchman retired with rear suspension failure on the road section before the overnight halt.

Rovanpera could afford to relax through Sunday’s three-stage final leg in his GR Yaris, but still sealed a near-perfect weekend with one final push that added the maximum five bonus points for winning the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage to the 25 he earned for the overall victory. He headed Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans, his closest challenger in the championship standings, by 1m31.7s at the finish — the biggest winning margin in his 11 WRC rally wins — and extended his points over the Welshman to 33 with just three rounds remaining and a maximum 90 points available.

“Of course, it’s a big relief,” said Rovanpera, whose victory also helped extend Toyota’s manufacturers’ championship lead to 91 points over Hyundai. “After a difficult rally in Finland, we needed to come back now. A strong performance, starting first car on the road and finishing first is quite nice. We had a clever drive and still a good push here at the end [in the Wolf Power Stage].”

Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen celebrate their third win of the 2023 WRC season.

Evans lost more than one minute on Saturday as a result of his Toyota overheating, but fought back to finish second overall after battling with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo until the very last stage.

Sordo had held the upper hand overnight, but a sluggish run through Sunday’s opening Tarzan stage cost him the position. The Spaniard, contesting his first event since Safari Rally Kenya in June, lost out by just 4.2s, but secured his second podium of the season.

Ott Tanak incurred 3m40s in time penalties when a water pump failure meant he was late to leave Friday’s tire fitting zone and was playing catch up after that. But the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver enjoyed a relatively clean run from then on and climbed to an impressive fourth overall, albeit almost three minutes off the final podium spot.

Ott Tanak’s hopes of a win were dashed early, but the M-Sport Ford driver fought back to finish fourth overall. @World/Red Bull Content Pool

Esapekka Lappi was fifth after a glitch-filled event in his Hyundai, Takamoto Katsuta’s GR Yaris sixth, and a restarting Ogier, loaded up with two minutes of time penalties, 10th overall.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Andreas Mikkelsen overtook Gus Greensmith in Sunday’s penultimate stage to secure an important class victory.

Mikkelsen, who suffered tire damage on three separate occasions during Friday’s opening leg, delivered a no-holds-barred comeback drive on Saturday to climb from 12th to first in class in his Skoda Fabia RS.

However, an updated notional time issued by the rally organizers on Sunday morning dropped the Norwegian back behind Greensmith by 12.0s with just three stages remaining.

But drama would be just around the corner for Greensmith, with the British driver reporting a transmission issue on his similar Toksport-run Skoda. Although he was able to make it back to the final service, Mikkelsen had overtaken him in the penultimate stage and won the class by 10.3s, as well as finishing seventh overall.

“This is a special one,” said Mikkelsen after extending his WRC2 championship lead to 16 points over Yohan Rossel, who completed the podium 1m15.7s behind Greensmith in a Citroen C3. “After Friday, everything looked so dark and we decided we had nothing to lose. We drove the fastest we could on every corner the whole rally.”

Andreas Mikkelsen looked down and out after tire issues on the opening leg, but charged back for the WRC2 win. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

The championship heads to South America later this month for round 11. Rally Chile returns to the WRC calendar from Sept. 28-Oct. 1. Based out of the city of Concepcion, the gravel road event could be a last roll of the dice for Elfyn Evans in his chase of points leader Kalle Rovanpera.

WRC Acropolis Rally Greece, final positions after Day Three, SS15

1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h00m16.7s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m31.7s
3 Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m35.9s
4 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m28.4s
5 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +6m22.3s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +7m20.9s
7 Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +9m41.0s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +9m51.3s
9 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2) +11m07.0s
10 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +11m43.4s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 10 rounds
1 Rovanpera 200 points
2 Evans 167
3 Neuville 134
4 Tanak 119
5 Ogier 99

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 10 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing 430 points
2 Hyundai Motorsport 339
3 M-Sport Ford 220