The Finn damaged his Toyota on the second stage of the morning loop when the rear-left corner hit a guardrail. A broken suspension arm cost him a significant amount of time.
Rovanperä managed to nurse the car to the end of the loop, but he dropped more than five minutes behind the leaders, effectively ending his chances of fighting for the top positions in the Japanese asphalt rally.
His goal for the weekend was to strengthen his position in the championship fight. Rovanperä currently shares second place in the standings with his Toyota teammate Sébastien Ogier, both trailing leader Elfyn Evans by 13 points.
Ogier leads Rally Japan after four stages, with Evans one second behind in second place. If both Toyota drivers complete the rally without problems, Rovanperä’s title chances will become even slimmer heading into the final round.
Ogier, however, stressed that the fight is not over yet for Rovanperä.
“It’s a setback for him, for sure. But there’s a long way to go still this weekend with very tricky conditions expected until the end, maybe on Sunday with the rain. So, you know, many things can still happen, but, of course, it’s not a positive start for him,” Ogier said.
“On my side, honestly, I always prefer to fight directly on the stages, and I’d never wish any trouble to anybody. So in that sense, it’s a shame. But first of all, we need to focus on ourselves and try to make the best of it,” added the Frenchman, who is chasing his ninth world title.
Ogier remains locked in a fierce battle with Evans. Any mistake could prove costly – as Rovanperä’s morning demonstrated.
The Frenchman has never won Toyota’s home event in Japan, but if he takes victory this weekend, he will strengthen his position in the title fight against Evans.
“The fight is very intense, but that’s the way we like it. So we have to carry on like this, keep doing our best. And we have a clear plan – we need to win this rally,” Ogier underlined.
