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Kalle Rovanpera leads Rally Finland with a strong performance poised to secure his first home victory ahead of Sébastien Ogier.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera is poised to finally break his Rally Finland victory duck following a dominant performance on Saturday that left him well clear of the competition.
The Finnish driver, piloting a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, clinched five stage wins in a flawless display culminating in a comfortable 44.2-second lead over his teammate Sebastien Ogier as they head into the final day.
Rovanpera’s stellar run began early in the morning and showed no signs of slowing down despite a range of challenging weather conditions.
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17:43 - 02.08.2024
FIA WRC 2024: Esapekka Lappi out of Rally Finland after hitting tree in treacherous stage
Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm retired from Rally Finland after their car hit a tree on a rutted stage.
The Welshman, also in a Toyota, suffered a front right driveshaft failure during the blisteringly fast Päijälä test.
The mechanical issue forced him to traverse nearly 40 kilometers of special stages in road mode, costing him valuable time and effectively eliminating him from contention.
"In the morning there was a good fight and we kept pushing today. We did some quite strong times without taking any huge risks, so that is quite positive," said Rovanpera.
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07:45 - 01.08.2024
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Ogier, a seasoned eight-time world champion, admitted that he was not prepared to take the necessary risks to challenge Rovanpera, particularly after not having competed in Finland since 2021.
"The commitment needs to be at 100 percent. 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," he said.
Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville, the championship leader, made strides in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 after struggling on Friday.
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20:16 - 23.07.2024
Why Martiņs Sesks is the name on everyone's lips after Rally Latvia
The 24-year-old M-Sport driver impressed at Tet Rally Latvia winning stages and earning accolades for his performance despite a late mechanical issue.
Ending the day 39.2 seconds behind Ogier in third, Neuville has positioned himself to earn crucial championship points.
His rivals, such as Evans and Ott Tänak, who was forced to retire after a crash on Friday, have faltered, giving the Belgian driver an opportunity to strengthen his title bid.
In the battle further down the leaderboard, M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1’s Adrien Fourmaux trailed Neuville by 25.9 seconds after a solid but unspectacular run.
His teammate, Grégoire Munster, faced an early exit from the competition after rolling his car just four kilometers into the day's opening stage.
A bright spot for Finnish fans has been the performance of Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen, who are on course for a top-five finish in their GR Yaris Rally1 debut.
They sit 29.5 seconds behind Fourmaux showcasing impressive form against more experienced competitors.
In WRC2 Oliver Solberg leads the category and holds sixth overall ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala.
Follow us on X (Twitter) for more updates.
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