Rovanperä set two fastest times in the morning and now leads the rally by 4.4 seconds ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux. Sami Pajari, who has been in sensational form, is 4.5 seconds behind his fellow Finn.
Rovanperä has found the rhythm that fans have been expecting for some time.
“The morning went pretty much according to plan. The gaps were small on those stages since they’re familiar to everyone. Everyone has memorised them so well that it’s hard for anyone to make a real difference. It’s good that we’ve been running up front,” Rovanperä said after the morning loop.
This season, Rovanperä has never lacked effort, but the rewards have often been missing — until now.
“Finally, it feels like pushing is actually making a difference. The feeling in the car still isn’t ideal, especially on the bigger roads. At times, it feels pretty wild. We’re kind of forcing it a bit, but it works for a while,” he admitted.
However, there’s no room to push any harder. For now, the current pace is more than enough.
“We’re definitely driving at the limit. It’s not really my kind of clean driving style, but it is what it is. We’re doing what we can, and at the moment that’s enough,” Rovanperä continued.
The Hankook tyres are also undergoing a new kind of test in Finland. Although Estonia already hosted a fast gravel rally, the road characteristics are slightly different in Finland. So far, Rovanperä has had no complaints about the rubber.
“Tyre wear is quite low. Surely in the second loop this afternoon they’ll wear a bit more, but we’ll see — it might rain too,” he said.
Rovanperä also predicted some surprises for the afternoon loop.
“Especially on the narrow road in Saarikka, surprises might crop up. There’ll be ruts, and from there, surprises can emerge,” Rovanperä forecasted.
