Kalle Rovanpera took the Rally Finland lead from his Toyota World Rally Championship teammate Elfyn Evans at the conclusion of a thrilling Friday morning, marked by Ott Tanak’s crash.
Rovanpera headed into the midday service with a slim 0.2s advantage over Evans, who showcased strong performance in challenging wet conditions as he aimed for his first victory of 2024.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier held the rally lead briefly after stage two but returned to service 3.0s behind in third place.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi led his team in fourth place [+9.7s], closely followed by championship leader Thierry Neuville [+14.1s]. M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux occupied the sixth position [+31.3s], while teammate Gregoire Munster trailed in seventh place [+1m08.3s].
Overnight rain lingered into the morning, creating slippery conditions for the drivers. The weather offered an advantage to those at the front of the road order, although the wet gravel proved to be particularly challenging.
Evans, starting second on the road, managed to navigate the tricky conditions in stage two [Laukaa, 17.96km] to secure the stage win by 0.4s over Ogier, despite admitting it was “difficult to gauge the grip.”
However, Ogier ultimately assumed the rally lead by a second over part-time entrant Rovanpera, who was the third fastest.
“It’s really slippery and quite muddy from the cuts; it’s good to be in front today,” said defending WRC champion Rovanpera.
Elfyn Evans, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Teammate Takamoto Katsuta also made it a Toyota 1-2-3-4 on the time charts, although he expressed clear frustration with his performance, calling it “pretty terrible.”
The fifth Toyota entry struggled even more as Rally1 debutant Sami Pajari experienced a dramatic spin before understeering into a ditch, causing damage to the rear wing and back of the vehicle. However, he managed to finish, albeit 17.8s behind.
“Extremely challenging,” Pajari commented. “I’m not sure where I stand. We can keep going; it’s okay.”
Overnight leader Neuville led Hyundai’s efforts, though he found himself four seconds behind after a run he deemed a “disaster.” His performance was still 0.6s faster than teammate Lappi, with Tanak trailing by 0.9s ahead of a cautious Fourmaux.
Munster, the Frenchman’s teammate, was last among the Rally1 competitors after suffering a stall.
The all-new stage three [Saarikas 15.93km] proved pivotal in the championship, marked by Tanak’s frightening high-speed crash that halted the stage for 19 minutes.
The three-time Rally Finland champion lost control of his i20 N mid-corner, resulting in the car rolling before crashing into a tree. Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja exited the vehicle, after which Jarveoja was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks.
When action resumed, Rovanpera recorded the fastest time on the slick gravel, allowing him to reclaim the overall rally lead.
He was 0.4s quicker than Evans, with Lappi ensuring three cars were separated by less than a second.
Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
Former rally leader Ogier acknowledged he was “lacking some commitment” and subsequently lost two seconds, dropping him to third behind Evans.
Neuville’s challenging start to the morning persisted as he miscalculated a corner, causing his i20 N to veer onto the grass and costing him 12 seconds. He was the only car to traverse the stage before the interruption due to Tanak’s crash.
The lead changed hands for the third time following stage four [Myhinpaa, 15.51km], with two-time Finland winner Evans ascending to the top of the leaderboard.
Drivers at the front benefited from variable weather as Neuville, Evans, and Ogier evaded a localized heavy rain shower that affected their competitors.
Evans clinched the stage victory by 0.8s over Neuville, allowing him to take a 1.2s lead over Rovanpera in the overall standings.
Rovanpera was among the first to confront the rain mid-stage but managed to finish only 0.8s slower than Ogier, who expressed frustration with the performance of his GR Yaris.
“I’m struggling with the car and making set-up adjustments for every stage, but this one was f****** awful,” said Rovanpera. “The car is oversteering so much that it’s impossible to go fast on the fast roads. I can’t do much more.”
Katsuta described parts of the stage as “impossible” due to the conditions, while Fourmaux, who entered the event without a pre-event test, labeled his run a “disaster,” placing him seventh overall.
The remaining Rally1 competitors made it through without significant issues, with Pajari being the slowest as he grappled with his GR Yaris’s damaged rear.
Sami Pajari, Enni Mälkönen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
The final stage of the morning [Ruuhimaki 7.76km] brought another turn of events as Katsuta lost fourth place after clipping a tree.
The impact damaged his right rear suspension and tore off a wheel, although he attempted to drive the car back to service.
Up front, Rovanpera won the stage by 0.6s to reclaim the rally lead from Evans.
The drivers will repeat the loop and tackle the Harju stage to conclude Friday’s activities.
