Rovanperä was in strong form straight from the first run of the stage, where he beat the rest of the field convincingly. On his second run, he improved his benchmark by a further 3.6 seconds.
The shakedown performance is a promising sign for Rovanperä, who still has a theoretical chance of taking this year’s title. He would need to win in Saudi Arabia and collect strong points from Super Sunday as well, although even that would not guarantee the crown. At the same time, his team-mates Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier would need to hit trouble at the first-ever Saudi Arabian round.
Check the World Rally Championship standings here!
Rovanperä eventually beat his team-mate Takamoto Katsuta by 0.5 seconds on the shakedown. Championship leader Evans finished third, one second behind the Finn.
Among the drivers in the WRC’s top category, Rovanperä was the only one to run the shakedown stage twice. The other WRC stars opted to gain more feeling for the unique conditions by driving the stage at least three times.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux finished fourth in the shakedown. Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, Martins Sesks who returned to the M-Sport Ford seat, and Toyota’s Sami Pajari shared fifth place with identical times.
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville and Ogier, who is chasing his ninth title, did not show their full hand on the shakedown. Neuville was eighth in the gravel warm-up, just ahead of Ogier.
After reconnaissance, drivers predicted that the new rally on the WRC calendar would pose a formidable challenge. One thing seems certain – there will be plenty of punctures in the harsh conditions.
The opening super special stage of Rally Saudi Arabia will take place on Wednesday evening at 18:35 CET. The rally finishes on Saturday.
Rally Saudi Arabia shakedown results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 3:01.0 |
| 2. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +0.5 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1.0 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +2.2 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2.4 |
| 5. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +2.4 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2.4 |
| 8. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2.6 |
| 9. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +3.5 |
| 10. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +4.0 |
| 11. | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford | +4.2 |
| 12. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +9.1 |
Rally Saudi Arabia itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 26 November
09:01 Shakedown: Thabhan (4.56 km)
18:35 SS1: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 1 (5.22 km)
Thursday 27 November
06:08 SS2: Al Fasallyah 1 (19.36 km)
07:06 SS3: Moon Stage 1 (20.12 km)
08:04 SS4: Khulays 1 (11.33 km)
10:14 Service (40 min)
12:22 SS5: Al Fasallyah 2 (19.36 km)
13:20 SS6: Moon Stage 2 (20.12 km)
14:18 SS7: Khulays 2 (11.33 km)
17:28 Service (45 min)
18:31 SS8: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 (5.22 km)
Friday 28 November
06:26 SS9: Alghullah 1 (11.69 km)
07:19 SS10: Um Al Jerem 1 (30.58 km)
08:35 SS11: Wadi Almatwi 1 (24.90 km)
10:15 Service (40 min)
11:51 SS12: Alghullah 2 (11.69 km)
12:47 SS13: Um Al Jerem 2 (30.58 km)
14:05 SS14: Wadi Almatwi 2 (24.90 km)
Saturday 29 November
07:05 SS15: Thabhan 1 (16.29 km)
08:21 SS16: Asfan (33.28 km)
11:15 SS17: Thabhan 2 (16.29 km) *Power Stage
