The Toyota star scored his tenth consecutive stage win on Saturday afternoon. Rovanperä said he had already started to ease off a little, yet still managed to top the stage by 1.2 seconds over teammate Sebastien Ogier.
In the overall classification, Rovanperä leads Ogier by 38.1 seconds. The stage win was even more impressive considering that Rovanperä reported an intercom issue at the stage finish.
“I’m just trying to manage the situation. I know Seb is pushing hard. We had a problem with the intercom on the stage, so we need to go and check what’s wrong,” Rovanperä said.
Ogier has done his best to end Rovanperä’s run of stage wins, but has yet to succeed. When the French champion heard the Finn’s split times on Saturday afternoon’s opening test, he could only react with amazement.
“That’s a surprise! I drove a good stage and I’m happy with my car. It has improved,” Ogier admitted.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans continues to hold third place in the rally. He is now trailing Rovanperä by just over a minute. Sami Pajari set the third-fastest time on stage 10 with his Toyota. He is currently fourth overall, with teammate Takamoto Katsuta lurking just ten seconds behind.
“I’m pretty happy. I didn’t take any bigger risks than before. Everything was under control, and I knew where I could take time,” Pajari explained.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux sits sixth in the standings. He is exactly 15 seconds behind Katsuta. Thierry Neuville holds seventh place ahead of Ott Tänak.
Three more stages remain to be run on Saturday at the Canary Islands WRC rally. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Islas Canarias standings after SS9/18:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:00:09.2 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +38.1 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:01.8 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:22.4 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:32.7 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:47.7 |
| 7. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2:00.1 |
| 8. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2:19.0 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +3:37.6 |
Rally Islas Canarias itinerary (CET):
Thursday 24 April
10:01 SS1 Shakedown: Santa Brígida (6.26 km)
Friday 25 April
09:03 SS1 Valsequillo - Telde 1 (26.32 km)
10:49 SS2 Velleseco - Artenara 1 (15.27 km)
12:25 SS3 La Aldea - Mogán 1 (17.83 km)
14:35 Service
16:18 SS4 Valsequillo - Telde 2 (26.32 km)
18:04 SS5 Velleseco - Artenara 2 (15.27 km)
19:40 SS6 La Aldea - Mogán 2 (17.83 km)
Saturday 26 April
09:05 SS7 Moya - Gáldar 1 (24.09 km)
10:48 SS8 Arucas - Firgas - Teror 1 (13.75 km)
11:58 SS9 Tejeda - San Mateo 1 (23.30 km)
13:40 Service
16:05 SS10 Moya - Gáldar 2 (24.09 km)
17:48 SS11 Arucas - Firgas - Teror 2 (13.75 km)
18:58 SS12 Tejeda - San Mateo 2 (23.30 km)
21:35 SS13 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (1.80 km)
Sunday 27 April
09:10 SS14 Agüimes - Santa Lucía 1 (14.97 km)
10:05 SS15 Maspalomas 1 (13.47 km)
11:35 SS16 Costa Canaria (1.50 km)
12:21 SS17 Agüimes - Santa Lucía 2 (14.97 km)
14:15 SS18 Maspalomas 2 (13.47 km) *Power Stage
