The points system in the World Rally Championship was revamped for this season. The new system has made it possible that the overall winner of the competition does not necessarily grab the most points for the whole weekend.
However, this was not the case in the fast gravel rally of Poland, where Rovanperä was not initially supposed to compete. Rovanperä adapted excellently to the exceptional situation and drove to a magnificent victory.
Rovanperä was the second fastest driver on Super Sunday, in addition to clocking the third fastest time in the Power Stage that concluded the rally. Thus, the Finnish star collected a total of 27 points from the rally.
The second biggest points haul of the weekend was collected by Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux, both of whom received 17 points. Andreas Mikkelsen, who showed good speed in a Hyundai, secured 15 points for his second place on Saturday evening.
Thierry Neuville, who leads the WRC standings, took 14 points, and another Hyundai star, Ott Tänak, took 11 points, even though he retired from the race twice over the weekend. Tänak was in excellent form on Sunday, which meant he did not have to concede too much to Neuville in the championship battle.
Martins Sesks, who debuted in the main class of the WRC, was rewarded with nine points at the end of the rally. The Latvian finished fifth in the competition, even though his Ford Puma Rally1 car did not have a hybrid unit.
In the WRC standings, Evans gained slightly on Neuville, but the Belgian still has a 15-point lead. Tänak, on the other hand, is 21 points behind his teammate.
In the manufacturers’ standings, Toyota gained three points on Hyundai. Hyundai now has a ten-point lead over Toyota in the WRC.
Check out the full WRC points standings here.
The WRC season continues after mid-July in Latvia.
