After racking up 12 consecutive stage wins, Rovanperä leads the rally by 45.2 seconds over teammate Sebastien Ogier. On the short spectator stage that closed Saturday’s action, Rovanperä was 0.6 seconds slower than his other teammate, Elfyn Evans – bringing his remarkable streak to an end. Still, the two-time world champion was unfazed.
“It was great to see so many fans. We didn’t want to do anything silly on this one. The risks were too high,” Rovanperä commented.
“This was a stage where it would’ve been easy to make a dumb mistake. Tomorrow we need to be on it. I don’t mind not winning this particular one,” Ogier added.
Evans remains third overall, but his gap to the leader has grown to well over a minute. Toyota’s 1–2–3–4 is completed by Takamoto Katsuta. The best-placed Hyundai driver is Adrien Fourmaux, who is fifth.
Hyundai’s superstar duo, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, have struggled throughout the rally. Both drivers have been unhappy with the handling of their cars. Neuville sits sixth and Tänak seventh – both trailing the leader by more than two minutes.
The Rally Islas Canarias concludes on Sunday, with five more stages scheduled.
Rally Islas Canarias standings after SS13/18:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:22:17.3 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +45.2 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:08.1 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:43.9 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +2:09.6 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2:15.2 |
| 7. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +2:37.3 |
| 8. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +5:45.9 |
| 9. | Alejandro Cachon | Toyota | +6:04.7 |
| 10. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +6:12.3 |
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
