Rovanperä and his teammates Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier entered Saturday’s special stages in a tight situation. Rovanperä had only about an eight-second lead over both Evans and Ogier.
Evans dropped out of the fight for victory due to a technical issue on Saturday’s second special stage. Rovanperä’s pace, on the other hand, did not falter as he set the fastest time on five out of the six stages of the day.
Rovanperä holds a solid 44-second lead over Ogier going into Sunday’s four special stages.
“We had some good times. We drove flawlessly in very difficult conditions, so it was a good day,” Rovanperä summarized for RallyJournal.com.
“The conditions were really tough. The morning loop was quite slippery with many surprises. The afternoon was also challenging, especially in Päijälä, where we had a downpour. Everything was muddy. Grip was constantly changing, and there were surprises that you usually don’t want.”
Rovanperä was also crowned the king of the Ouninpohja special stage on Saturday, as he won the legendary stage both times it was run.
“It feels really good, but it’s not that big of a deal for me. Of course, the stage is difficult, and it’s nice to succeed both times,” Rovanperä said modestly.
By finishing first on Saturday evening, Rovanperä secured the biggest conditional haul of 18 points, which he will keep if he completes the rally on Sunday. There are more points up for grabs on Sunday, but Rovanperä does not plan any special attacks. This would be a significant concession to his teammates.
Rovanperä is not in the hunt for this year’s championship, but Evans, who suffered technical issues on Saturday, and Ogier could benefit from additional points.
“I reckon the other team drivers need the points more than I do and will try to go for them. Hopefully, they have the speed to get points so we can drive smartly to the finish,” said Rovanperä, who is aiming for his first win in his home rally.
