Rovanperä has already set two impressive fastest times on Friday morning and leads the rally after two completed stages.
Rovanperä looks like a man reborn. His driving has appeared effortless, and the Finn has been in a completely different league from everyone else. His goal is to get his season back on track this weekend, and this is certainly the best way to do it. On the second stage of the morning, Rovanperä once again set a commanding fastest time, beating his teammate Sébastien Ogier by 6.7 seconds.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans fell even further behind. The Welshman was 9.8 seconds slower than Kalle. Gaps like these are already quite significant in this kind of asphalt rally.
“Good feeling. The pace notes are good. Especially the safety notes are very precise,” Rovanperä said at the stage finish.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux was once again the fastest driver from his team, but the Frenchman still lost 11.8 seconds to Rovanperä’s benchmark. Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, on the other hand, continued to struggle heavily.
“It didn’t surprise me, to be honest. I don’t know what’s going on,” admitted a completely lost Neuville.
Both Tänak and Neuville were again well off Rovanperä’s pace. Tänak dropped 14.6 seconds and Neuville 15.3 seconds.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari was also faster than Hyundai’s star duo, losing 12.4 seconds to Rovanperä.
In the overall standings, Toyota still holds a 1-2-3 lead. Ogier has now moved ahead of Evans into second place, trailing rally leader Rovanperä by 15.8 seconds. Evans, now in third, is 16.3 seconds off the lead. Fourmaux remains in fourth, 24.6 seconds behind.
Pajari has now climbed to fifth in the standings. The Finn is just under half a minute behind the leader. He has now overtaken both Tänak and Neuville overall.
There are still four special stages to be run on Friday in Rally Canary Islands. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally Islas Canarias standings after SS2/18:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 24:42.5 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +15.8 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +16.3 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +24.6 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +29.9 |
| 6. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +31.6 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +32.7 |
| 8. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +34.9 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +52.1 |
| 10. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +1.16.6. |
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
