Rovanperä set the fastest time on the Laajavuori ski resort stage, located near Jyväskylä. The Toyota driver was two-tenths of a second faster than his teammate Sébastien Ogier on the 4.35-kilometre special stage.
“This stage is really cool for the fans. Otherwise, this kind of Mickey Mouse stage is shit and not very fun to drive on a Sunday. I tried to enjoy it. It wasn’t too bad with the rally car, but the Power Stage will definitely be tough,” Rovanperä commented.
In the overall standings, Rovanperä’s lead is now 45.8 seconds ahead of Ogier. In the Super Sunday standings, Rovanperä is also in the lead, 1.2 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans. Ogier is third in the Sunday results, 1.6 seconds behind the Finn. Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi is fourth in the sprint competition, 2.5 seconds behind Rovanperä.
“This isn’t the most enjoyable stage. You have to adapt to it, although it’s very different from the other special stages of the weekend. The atmosphere is great, though. So far, it’s going well,” Ogier said.
Thierry Neuville, who is third overall, is trying to secure his position. Neuville is only sixth in the Super Sunday times, five seconds behind Rovanperä with two stages remaining.
“We lost grip at the rear at the start and went wide. It only cost us a couple of tenths. It’s a bit of a struggle all the time. The goal is to reach the finish safely and take a few extra points,” Neuville summarised.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari remains fifth in the rally, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux. In sixth place overall is Oliver Solberg, who leads the WRC2 class.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala is seventh overall and second in the WRC2 class, 38.6 seconds behind Solberg. Lauri Joona continues in third place in the WRC2 class.
There are two special stages left to run in the Rally Finland.
Rally Finland standings after SS18/20:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:13.07.8 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +45.8 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1:28.8 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1:56.8 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +2:37.4 |
| 6. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +8:15.5 |
| 7. | Jari-Matti Latvala | Toyota | +8:54.1 |
| 8. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +9:33.1 |
| 9. | Mikko Heikkilä | Toyota | +9:41.9 |
| 10. | Nikolai Grjazin | Citroen | +9:42.5 |
Super Sunday standings:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 9:14.0 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1.6 |
| 4. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +2.5 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +4.3 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +5.0 |
| 7. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +7.1 |
Rally Finland Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 1.8. 09.01 Shakedown: Ruuhimäki (4.12 km) 18.05 SS1: Harju 1 (3.48 km) Friday 2.8. 07.13 SS2: Laukaa 1 (17.96 km) 08.20 SS3: Saarikas 1 (15.93 km) 09.35 SS4: Myhinpää 1 (15.51 km) 11.05 SS5: Ruuhimäki 1 (7.76 km) 14.10 SS6: Laukaa 2 (17.96 km) 15.17 SS7: Saarikas 2 (15.93 km) 16.32 SS8: Myhinpää 2 (15.51 km) 18.05 SS9: Ruuhimäki 2 (7.76 km) 19.05 SS10: Harju 2 (2.01 km) Saturday 3.8. 08.05 SS11: Västilä 1 (18.94 km) 09.05 SS12: Päijälä 1 (20.19 km) 10.05 SS13: Ouninpohja 1 (32.98 km) 14.35 SS14: Västilä 2 (18.94 km) 15.35 SS15: Päijälä 2 (20.19 km) 16.35 SS16: Ouninpohja 2 (32.98 km) Sunday 4.8. 07.55 SS17: Sahloinen-Moksi 1 (14.27 km) 09.05 SS18: Laajavuori 1 (4.35 km) 10.17 SS19: Sahloinen-Moksi 2 (24.27 km) 12.15 SS20: Laajavuori 2 (8.77 km)* Power Stage
