Evans set the fastest time with a 0.8-second lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. The Welshman also climbed to the top spot, 1.2 seconds ahead of his teammate Kalle Rovanperä.
“The conditions are much better than I expected. Maybe I took a couple of places too cautiously. I’m not completely satisfied yet, but it went pretty well,” Evans said.
Rovanperä, caught in a sudden rain shower, struggled with his morning run, although he was only two seconds off the fastest time in Myhinpää.
“A heavy rain shower hit. The morning has also been difficult with the car. I’ve been fighting, but this stage was fucking awful. The car oversteered too much. It was pretty bad as the car was sliding too much. The rear was constantly sideways,” Rovanperä lamented.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier continues in third place, just 2.4 seconds off the lead. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta completes the team’s top four.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi was on track for the fastest time but got caught in the same downpour as Rovanperä. Lappi ended up 2.3 seconds behind Evans. In the overall standings, Lappi is fifth, 7.3 seconds off the lead.
“It was a pretty heavy rain. You couldn’t really see anything, and the car was constantly aquaplaning. It was quite slippery in places, but luckily that part was quite short. The wipers couldn’t keep up. I just had to stay on the road,” Lappi said.
Sami Pajari, who damaged the rear of his car in the morning, was over half a minute behind the fastest time in Myhinpää. The Finnish driver dropped to ninth place in the race, behind Ford driver Gregoire Munster. Another Ford driver, Adrien Fourmaux, is in sixth place.
There are still six special stages to be driven on Friday in the Rally Finland. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Results of Rally Finland after SS4/20:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | 25:55.9 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +2.4 |
| 4. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +6.8 |
| 5. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +7.3 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +14.7 |
| 7. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +29.3 |
| 8. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +59.2 |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:06.5 |
| 10. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +1:32.1 |
Rally Finland Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 1 August 09:01 Shakedown: Ruuhimäki (4.12 km) 18:05 SS1: Harju 1 (3.48 km) Friday 2 August 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 (3.48 km) Saturday 3 August 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 August 07:55 SS17: Sahloinen-Moksi 1 (14.27 km) 09:05 SS18: Laajavuori 1 (4.35 km) 10:17 SS19: Sahloinen-Moksi 2 (14.27 km) 12:15 SS20: Laajavuori 2 (8.77 km)
