The situation at the top of the leaderboard is extremely tight. Toyota driver Rovanperä is in the lead by just 0.4 seconds over his teammate Elfyn Evans. Behind the Toyota duo is Hyundai driver Andreas Mikkelsen, who is only 2.7 seconds off the lead.
Rovanperä set the fastest time by a slim margin of 0.1 seconds on the Mikolajki super special stage, which concluded the morning loop.
“It’s very tight at the moment. The morning was very difficult, as we expected. I tried to win this stage because my mechanic in Finland said I need to win this one. So, he will send me a picture of my drift car’s livery. Let’s hope I am the fastest so I can see the car,” Rovanperä said, and his wish was ultimately fulfilled.
There is a lot at stake in the second loop on Saturday, as the so-called big conditional points are awarded based on the evening’s standings. Currently, Toyota is in a strong position, but Mikkelsen is not giving up.
“We are in the fight, so it will be an interesting afternoon. It will be rougher. Yesterday, I lost a little bit in the rough, but hopefully, we will be better this time,” Mikkelsen commented.
M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux remains fourth in the competition, 15.9 seconds off the lead. The next positions are held by Martins Sesks (+30.7), Thierry Neuville (+46.5), Gregoire Munster (+56.2), and Takamoto Katsuta (+1:06.8).
Finnish driver Sami Pajari leads the WRC2 class with a margin of over half a minute ahead of Estonian Robert Virves. In the overall standings, he continues in ninth place.
Rally Poland will feature three more special stages on Saturday. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally Poland Standings after SS12/19:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 1:31:18.3 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +0.4 |
| 3. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai | +2.7 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +15.9 |
| 5. | Martin Sesks | Ford | +30.7 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +46.5 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +56.2 |
| 8. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:06.8 |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +3:57.5 |
| 10. | Robert Virves | Skoda | +4:30.1 |
Rally Poland Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 27.6. 10:01 Shakedown: Lubiewo (5.10 km) 19:05 SS1: Mikołajki Arena 1 (2.50 km) Friday 28.6. 08:45 SS2: Stańczyki 1 (29.40 km) 10:20 SS3: Wieliczki 1 (12.90 km) *CANCELLED 11:10 SS4: Olecko 1 (13.20 km) 14:05 SS5: Stańczyki 2 (29.40 km) 15:40 SS6: Wieliczki 2 (12.90 km) 16:30 SS7: Olecko 2 (13.20 km) 19:00 SS8: Mikołajki Arena 2 (2.50 km) Saturday 29.6. 08:30 SS9: Świętajno 1 (18.50 km) 09:45 SS10: Gołdap 1 (19.90 km) 10:35 SS11: Czarne 1 (22.40 km) 13:25 SS12: Mikołajki Arena 3 (2.50 km) 16:00 SS13: Świętajno 2 (18.50 km) 17:15 SS14: Gołdap 2 (19.90 km) 18:05 SS15: Czarne 2 (22.40 km) Sunday 30.6. 09:00 SS16: Gmina Mrągowo 1 (20.80 km) 10:05 SS17: Mikołajki 1 (10.73 km) 12:20 SS18: Gmina Mrągowo 2 (20.80 km) 14:15 SS19: Mikołajki 2 (10.73 km) *Power Stage
