Toyota driver Rovanperä was not satisfied with his performance in the Friday morning stages, even though he clocked times close to the lead. Rovanperä is driving in the gravel rally in third place, just 3.3 seconds behind his teammate and rally leader, Takamoto Katsuta.
Rovanperä’s tyre strategy was not completely successful.
“The morning was not as strong as we expected. We are missing a bit of feeling and pace with the car,” Rovanperä summarised.
“I can’t really drive the way I want to. Also, it was a bit more damp in the morning, so I think three hard tyres were a bit too much,” the Finn added.
The same special stages will be run again in the Friday afternoon. Sections may be in rough condition, which increases the risk of tyre damage.
“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be tougher. It seems, at least in the recce, that the roads can hold up a bit better than in previous years. But we have to see what the condition will be,” Rovanperä said.
Toyota driver Katsuta leads the competition by 2.9 seconds over Thierry Neuville before the afternoon loop. The situation is extremely tight, as the top six are within less than ten seconds of each other.
