The Finnish driver suffered a puncture and dropped far from the front in the Super Saturday classification. The puncture was effectively the final blow to Rovanperä’s title hopes, as his team-mates Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans are still in the fight.
“A lot of fucking shit happened,” Rovanperä cursed.
Rovanperä tried to limp to the finish but was forced to change the tyre three kilometres before the end. Ogier, meanwhile, delivered a stunning performance on the 33-kilometre Asfan special stage and climbed onto the provisional podium. Most importantly, Ogier was 7.9 seconds faster than his biggest championship rival, Elfyn Evans. Ogier is now one stage away from the title, provided he gets through the season-ending Power Stage with a good time.
“That was some good pushing. There were definitely too many straights on this stage. I was maybe a bit on the limit at times,” Ogier summed up.
“I didn’t drive very well. I’ve had problems on the sandy sections all weekend, and this time was no different,” Evans said.
There was also major drama in the battle for the rally victory, as Latvian sensation Martins Sesks — who had been fighting for the win — was forced into tyre-changing duties just like Rovanperä. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, meanwhile, rolled his car but managed to continue, although he lost over a minute to the fastest time.
“I went wide on soft sand and rolled my car,” Katsuta explained.
Sesks eventually lost a second tyre on the stage as well, which meant his brilliant rally slipped away. On top of all the drama, Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux also ran into trouble, as he had to drive for a long time in the dust kicked up by Sesks. This dropped the Frenchman from the rally lead to third, but he will likely receive a time correction.
All the events ultimately played into Ogier’s hands, as he climbed to second place. Rally leader Thierry Neuville of Hyundai holds an advantage of over a minute over Ogier. Fourmaux is now third ahead of Toyota’s Sami Pajari, Katsuta, Evans and Rovanperä.
Only one special stage remains in Rally Saudi Arabia. The Power Stage, which concludes both the rally and the season, starts at 12:15 Finnish time.
Standings in Rally Saudi Arabia after SS16/17:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 3:10:07.6 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1:10.9 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:29.9 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:47.2 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2:02.4 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3:58.7 |
| 7. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +5:36.4 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +7:04.6 |
| 9. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +7:42.8 |
| 10. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +8:24.8 |
Super Sunday Standings:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 26:44.1 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1.5 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +9.5 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +15.8 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +31.6 |
Rally Saudi Arabia itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 26 November
09:01 Shakedown: Thahban (4.56 km)
18:35 SS1: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 1 (5.22 km)
Thursday 27 November
06:08 SS2: Al Faisaliyah 1 (19.36 km)
07:06 SS3: Moon Stage 1 (20.12 km)
08:04 SS4: Khulais 1 (11.33 km)
10:14 Service (40 min)
12:22 SS5: Al Faisaliyah 2 (19.36 km)
13:20 SS6: Moon Stage 2 (20.12 km)
14:18 SS7: Khulais 2 (11.33 km)
17:28 Service (45 min)
18:31 SS8: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 (5.22 km)
Friday 28 November
06:26 SS9: Alghulah 1 (11.69 km)
07:19 SS10: Um Al Jerem 1 (30.58 km)
08:35 SS11: Wadi Almatwi 1 (24.90 km)
10:15 Service (40 min)
11:51 SS12: Alghulah 2 (11.69 km)
12:47 SS13: Um Al Jerem 2 (30.58 km)
14:05 SS14: Wadi Almatwi 2 (24.90 km)
Saturday 29 November
07:05 SS15: Thahban 1 (16.29 km)
08:21 SS16: Asfan (33.28 km)
11:15 SS17: Thahban 2 (16.29 km) *Power Stage
