Rovanperä has been chasing a home WRC win for a long time. Last year, he came close, but a single loose rock sent the Finn off the road on the penultimate stage. This time, Rovanperä controlled Rally Finland from start to finish and sealed the deal in style on Sunday by setting the fastest time on the Ouninpohja Power Stage and also winning the Super Sunday. Rovanperä also became the youngest-ever winner of Rally Finland at world championship level.
Toyota, as a team, pulled off an incredible feat. The team claimed a 1-2-3-4-5 finish at their home rally – something that has only happened once before in history. The previous time was at the 1990 Rally Portugal, when Lancia secured the top five positions.
Rovanperä will surely be warmed by the fact that his good friend Takamoto Katsuta finished second. Katsuta ended up 39.2 seconds behind Rovanperä. Last year’s winner Sébastien Ogier finished third, 45.1 seconds down. At the end of the stage, Ogier confirmed that he will also be competing in Rally Paraguay.
Elfyn Evans was fourth and Sami Pajari a fine fifth.
“A pretty incredible feeling. We’ve been close quite a few times. I felt like this year we just had to do it,” Rovanperä summed up.
Rovanperä also moved up to second place in the drivers’ standings and is now just three points behind Elfyn Evans, who has returned to the lead.
“The fight is definitely on now. We just have to keep going like this,” Rovanperä said.
Katsuta also showed strong pace on the Power Stage. He was two seconds slower than Rovanperä.
“I just hope Kalle makes it to the finish. We promised each other we’d be on the podium together in Finland,” Katsuta smiled emotionally.
Hyundai had a nightmare weekend. Thierry Neuville was the top Hyundai driver in sixth. Ott Tänak only managed tenth. Adrien Fourmaux suffered a puncture on the Power Stage and retired.
“I didn’t enjoy this at all. We were driving on the absolute limit,” Neuville summed up.
Sami Pajari, on the other hand, performed well. Last year he finished fourth, and now he was fifth.
“A really good weekend for us, and a couple of stage wins. A 1-2-3-4-5 for Toyota is on the way – let’s hope it all holds together until the end. Huge thanks to all of you who’ve been cheering us on. You’re the ones who make this all worthwhile,” Pajari said.
In WRC2, Roope Korhonen claimed victory ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala. The gap between the two was just 1.1 seconds.
Rally Finland results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:21:51.4 |
| 2. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +39.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +45.1 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +48.1 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:18.8 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2:01.5 |
| 7. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +4:07.4 |
| 8. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +5:17.2 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +5:24.9 |
| 10. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +7:38.4 |
| 11. | Roope Korhonen | Toyota | +7:56.4 |
| 12. | Jari-Matti Latvala | Toyota | +7:57.5 |
| 13. | Robert Virves | Toyota | +8:39.5 |
Super Sunday results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 20:22.6 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +2.2 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +3.1 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3.7 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +6.8 |
Rally Finland itinerary (CET):
Thursday, 31 July
08.01 Shakedown: Ruuhimäki (4.12 km)
18.05 SS1: Harju 1 (2.58 km)
Friday, 1 August
07.03 SS2: Laukaa 1 (17.96 km)
08.03 SS3: Saarikas 1 (15.78 km)
09.23 SS4: Myhinpää 1 (14.47 km)
10.51 SS5: Ruuhimäki 1 (7.76 km)
12.01 Service (40 min)
13.44 SS6: Laukaa 2 (17.96 km)
14.44 SS7: Saarikas 2 (15.78 km)
16.04 SS8: Myhinpää 2 (14.47 km)
17.35 SS9: Ruuhimäki 2 (7.76 km)
18.30 SS10: Harju 2 (2.58 km)
Saturday, 2 August
07.01 SS11: Parkkola 1 (15.51 km)
08.42 SS12: Västilä 1 (18.94 km)
09.36 SS13: Päijälä 1 (20.19 km)
11.05 SS14: Leustu 1 (16.44 km)
12.35 Service (40 min)
14.01 SS15: Parkkola 2 (15.51 km)
15.42 SS16: Västilä 2 (18.94 km)
16.36 SS17: Päijälä 2 (20.19 km)
18.05 SS18: Leustu 2 (16.44 km)
Sunday, 3 August
09.35 SS19: Ouninpohja 1 (23.98 km)
12.15 SS20: Ouninpohja 2 (23.98 km) *Power Stage
