Toyota’s WRC team holds the top five positions in the standings after six special stages. The team’s Finnish ace Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time on every single stage of the day.
“A perfect day. Like I’ve said before, Kalle really knows what he’s doing. When the car setup and the feeling are spot on, it just looks easy,” Kankkunen told RallyJournal.com with delight.
Kankkunen was pleased with Toyota’s dominant performance, but in the same breath expressed surprise at the lacklustre pace from rivals Hyundai. The best-placed Hyundai driver, Thierry Neuville, sits in sixth place – more than a minute behind the leader, after the five Toyota drivers.
“The whole team drove really well today. I have to say, something’s happened, and Hyundai must have a major issue. Those boys haven’t lost their driving skills in a couple of weeks. There has to be something wrong with the car,” Kankkunen wondered.
“Usually six drivers fit within a minute. Now the best Hyundai is over a minute behind us. There must be a fundamental issue on their side.”
The situation looks brilliant for Kankkunen’s Toyota squad, but the four-time world champion is quick to remind how cruel rallying can be.
“All you can do is laugh – there’s not much else to say. A rally is never over until it’s Sunday and you’re on the podium. I know that from experience. Right now everything looks good. Tomorrow might be a bit tougher on the tyres, as the road surface will be slightly different,” Kankkunen noted.
“You can’t start backing off after just one day. Tomorrow is a normal day of racing and we’ll see what happens. Everyone is free to drive the way they want.”
Sami Pajari is impressively holding fourth place in the standings. Behind him are all three Hyundai drivers, as well as Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Kankkunen had high praise for the promising Finnish driver.
“Sami drove really well – solid performance. No mistakes, and he’s been improving all the time. Very good driving. In Monte he had a bit of a slip-up, but since then it’s gone well,” Kankkunen commended.
