Rovanperä naturally benefitted from Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux dropping out due to a puncture, but the Finn’s own pace had clearly improved as well.
He succeeded in finding car settings that better suited his driving style, and his road position worked more to his advantage compared to Friday.
By the end of the morning loop, Rovanperä had climbed to third overall. The gap to the lead stands at 37.5 seconds. The Finn is no longer just taking part in the rally – he’s now genuinely fighting for top results.
“You could say that. I had a bit better starting point to work from this morning. The first loop went pretty well,” Rovanperä said.
“The last stage was difficult, but I think that was the case for everyone. The guys behind came through really fast. There was no defined line and no grip. There’s surprisingly much loose gravel again today, but we’ve still been able to set some decent times. That’s good,” he summed up.
Rovanperä’s start to the rally had been tough. Especially the Friday morning loop went poorly. But now, he’s back in the mix – even in contention for the win.
“From the start, it was clear I just needed to focus on being consistent. Others will make mistakes. If you don’t have the speed from the start, there’s no point in doing anything stupid. Eventually, it pays off,” Rovanperä reasoned.
In the afternoon, the morning’s stages will be repeated. Rovanperä predicted a difficult loop ahead.
“It’s definitely going to be tougher than yesterday. Already this morning, many sections felt rougher than on Friday. The main thing is to get through the afternoon without problems. There could be punctures and other issues,” he anticipated.
Still, Rovanperä isn’t planning to take a conservative approach.
“You’ve still got to push, but try to get through the roughest sections cleanly. There are a lot of loose rocks out there. You need a bit of luck too – that the worst bits don’t catch you out,” Rovanperä concluded.
