A top result was expected from Rovanperä in the first-ever Latvian WRC gravel rally, and the Finnish driver delivered. The reigning world champion took the lead from the first special stage and never relinquished it.
Rovanperä pulled away decisively from his teammate Sebastien Ogier and M-Sport Ford’s Martins Sesks on Saturday, setting six fastest times. The Finnish star’s winning margin was ultimately 39.2 seconds over his teammate Ogier.
Competing in only his second rally with Rally1 machinery, Sesks fought for the final podium place until the end. However, on the last special stage, the young Latvian encountered technical issues that cost him nearly two minutes. His dream of a podium finish turned into a seventh-place result.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak moved up to third place after Sesks’s problems, finishing ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. Championship leader Thierry Neuville suffered significantly from his first starting position on Friday, forcing him to settle for eighth place, just ahead of his teammate Esapekka Lappi.
There was an intense battle for the points on Super Sunday, culminating in the Power Stage. Tänak, who is fighting for the drivers’ championship, was the fastest on the final day and also secured the full five extra points for winning the Power Stage.
As a result, Tänak collected an impressive 22 points from Latvia and leapt to second in the championship, just eight points behind Neuville. Tänak ultimately earned just one point less than the rally winner Rovanperä. However, the weekend’s top scorer was Ogier, with a total of 25 points.
Evans is third in the championship, five points behind Tänak. The top three are now within 13 points of each other.
See the full WRC standings here.
The next round of the WRC season will take place in Finland at the beginning of August.
The results of Rally Latvia after SS20/20:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2.31.47,6 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +39,2 |
| 3. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1.04,5 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1.31,5 |
| 5. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1.42,7 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2.07,0 |
| 7. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +2.45,4 |
| 8. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2.46,4 |
| 9. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +5.12,4 |
| 10. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +5.23,1 |
| 11. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +8.37,9 |
| 12. | Mikko Heikkilä | Toyota | +9.15,3 |
| 13. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +9.22,7 |
Super Sunday results:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 32:48.5 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +0.2 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +3.5 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +11.9 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +16.0 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +18.6 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +24.5 |
Rally Latvia Itinerary (CET)
Thursday 18.7. 06:31 Shakedown: Cimdenieki (3.58 km) 19:05 SS1: Bikernieki Track (11.13 km) Friday 19.7. 09:00 SS2: Milzkalne 1 (4.99 km) 09:45 SS3: Tukums 1 (27.56 km) 11:00 SS4: Andumi (17.86 km) 12:50 Tyre fitting zone 13:30 SS5: Milzkalne 2 (4.99 km) 14:15 SS6: Tukums 2 (27.56 km) 15:30 SS7: Strazde (17.44 km) 16:20 SS8: Talsi (20.52 km) Saturday 20.7. 07:20 SS9: Pilskalns (18.87 km) 08:35 SS10: Snepele (17.52 km) 10:30 SS11: Ivande (23.04 km) 12:05 SS12: Vecpils 1 (12.64 km) 13:30 Service (40 min) 15:15 SS13: Podnieki (10.09 km) 16:05 SS14: Vecpils 2 (12.64 km) 18:00 SS15: Dinsdurbe (6.64 km) 19:15 SS16: Liepaja City Stage (2.56 km) Sunday 21.7. 07:55 SS17: Krogzemji 1 (18.70 km) 09:05 SS18: Mazilmaja 1 (13.34 km) 10:55 SS19: Krogzemji 2 (18.70 km) 13:15 SS20: Mazilmaja 2 (13.34 km) *Power Stage
