The rally took a dramatic turn on special stage 12, when Toyota’s Sami Pajari made a mistake and crashed hard into a guardrail. As a result, the front wheel folded completely under the car – and that was the end of the road.
Pajari had been on a fantastic pace and was set to post a very competitive time, but pushed too hard into the corner where he eventually went off. Before the crash, he had been running fourth overall.
Despite the setback, Finnish rally fans still had plenty to cheer about. Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä took his twelfth consecutive stage win – and in doing so, moved within reach of his own modern-era record. Rovanperä set the benchmark of 13 consecutive stage wins at Rally Estonia in 2023.
This time, Rovanperä was 4.8 seconds quicker than teammate Elfyn Evans. Sebastien Ogier trailed the Finn by 5.6 seconds.
“It’s been a great day so far. We’ll try to get through the spectator stage as well, but I won’t do anything crazy there – just get it done,” Rovanperä summed up.
In the overall standings, Rovanperä’s lead over Ogier has now stretched to 45.7 seconds. Evans is over a minute behind the leader.
Even with Pajari out, Toyota still holds a commanding position. Takamoto Katsuta has moved into fourth place, giving Toyota a 1–2–3–4 at the end of stage 12.
One short spectator stage remains on Saturday at the Rally Islas Canarias. The rally will conclude on Sunday.
Rally Islas Canarias standings after SS12/18:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:20:43.4 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +45.7 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:08.7 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:42.3 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +2:05.1 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2:15.1 |
| 7. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2:04.5 |
| 8. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +6:06.7 |
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
