Rovanperä’s weekend in Umeå went south on Friday when the champion crashed his Toyota into a snow bank. Rovanperä had to retire but was able to continue in the rally on Saturday.
Due to time penalties, Rovanperä had no chance of contending for the lead, yet he still managed to secure the fifth-highest points of the weekend – thanks to the new points system.
During the race, Rovanperä showed he had all the keys to victory. He clinched 11 points on Sunday’s race day, just one point shy of the maximum. The Finnish star gifted the first place of the ‘Super Sunday’ to his teammate Elfyn Evans by easing off the gas on the morning’s second stage, allowing the Welshman to collect as many points as possible for his championship bid.
Rovanperä, starting his World Championship season in Sweden, was not all smiles at the end of his effort.
“Of course, this is a huge disappointment, especially in a year when we’re not racing for points. It doesn’t offer much consolation, whatever else comes. The only good thing was that we managed to bring some points to the team,” Rovanperä stated.
“We did our job well after our race was ruined. It’s slightly better that we managed to bring something to the team.”
Rovanperä gave a stern verdict on his own performance.
“4/10. Four is the lowest,” the world champion declared.
Toyota’s only bright spot was Evans, who finished second in Umeå behind Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi and took home the highest points haul of the weekend. With 24 points, Evans strengthened his position in the championship battle.
Check out the World Rally Championship standings here!
In contrast, the retirements of Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta dimmed the race for Jari-Matti Latvala’s team. After Rovanperä’s incident, Katsuta was competing for first place against Lappi, but the Japanese driver eventually made a mistake as well.
“I’ve made mistakes myself, so I understand the situation. It’s disappointing from a points perspective, and a podium place would have been great for Taka’s confidence,” Latvala said.
“Looking ahead, I’d like us to reach a point with Taka where he can manage the situation, so the pressure doesn’t become too great, but he can control it.”
The World Rally Championship continues at the end of March with the Safari Rally in Kenya.
