Rovanperä was in an overwhelming lead in his home competition before the Sahloinen-Moksi special stage. A loose stone on the road proved to be Rovanperä’s downfall.
Rovanperä was driving at high speed into a left-hand turn, where the stone was directly in the Toyota’s driving line. Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen’s car hit the stone directly and veered off the road. The Toyota Rally1 car eventually crashed into the forest.
Halttunen informed the team via radio communication that both were okay after the crash.
Rovanperä’s retirement was a significant setback for the driver pair and for Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship fight. Rovanperä was set to receive 18 provisional championship points from Saturday night, but Sunday’s retirement meant he would not bring points to his team.
Moments earlier, Rovanperä’s teammate had crashed at the beginning of the special stage. Evans lost control of his car, and the Toyota ended up hitting a tree. Evans’s journey ended there.
The setback is enormous for Evans’s championship hopes. If Sebastien Ogier finishes Rally Finland, the Frenchman will overtake Evans in the championship standings.
Evans had already retired on Saturday and did not receive any provisional championship points. Sunday’s crash ensured that Evans would have his first zero-point race of the season in Finland.
Ogier is now Toyota’s top contender in the championship fight. Toyota is likely considering having Ogier compete in all remaining races of the season. This scenario was possible even before Evans’s crash, but now the likelihood has significantly increased.
Ogier now leads Rally Finland before the final Power Stage special stage. Championship leader, Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, is in second place, 42.5 seconds behind the Frenchman. Adrien Fourmaux has moved up to third place, and Sami Pajari is in fourth.
Rally Finland standings after SS19/20:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sébastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:20.26.3 |
| 2. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +42.5 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +1:15.4 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:54.1 |
| 5. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +7:59.1 |
| 6. | Jari-Matti Latvala | Toyota | +8:15.5 |
| 7. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +9:12.4 |
| 8. | Mikko Heikkilä | Toyota | +9:19.3 |
Super Sunday standings:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sébastien Ogier | Toyota | 15:48.3 |
| 2. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +0.4 |
| 3. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1.6 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +2.9 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +9.9 |
| 6. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +19.1 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +35.4 |
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
