Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä navigated the famous jumps of Ruuhimäki at the fastest pace, clocking in 0.6 seconds ahead of Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. Despite not being satisfied with his car’s setup on Friday morning, Rovanperä still holds a narrow lead in the race.
“We made some small changes to the car, and now it felt better. The morning loop was difficult, and we definitely need to improve for the afternoon. Hopefully, we can find some improvements,” Rovanperä said.
In the overall standings, Rovanperä is in the lead, with a slim 0.2-second gap over his teammate Elfyn Evans. Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier completes the top three, trailing by three seconds.
“It didn’t go very well, but it was okay. I was a bit clumsy in some places. I didn’t get the best out of either myself or the car,” Evans commented.
Toyota also received some bad news in Ruuhimäki when Takamoto Katsuta, who was in fourth place, damaged his car’s rear suspension. The Japanese driver’s tough season continued as his Toyota went wide, causing the right rear wheel to bend. Katsuta managed to limp to the finish line of the stage but will most likely have to retire from the race.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi moved up to fourth place in the rally. The Finnish driver’s gap to the lead is 9.7 seconds. In fifth place is another Hyundai driver, Thierry Neuville, who is only 4.4 seconds behind Lappi.
In sixth place is M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux, ahead of his teammate Gregoire Munster. Toyota’s Sami Pajari, making his debut in a Rally1 car, had a difficult morning as the car’s rear end took a hit right at the start. Pajari had to drive with a damaged car, which was reflected in his times.
There are still five special stages to be driven on Friday after the service break. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Result of Rally Finland after SS5/20:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 29:49.9 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +0.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +3.0 |
| 4. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +9.7 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +14.1 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +31.3 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +1:08.3 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:16.3 |
| 9. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:40.5 |
| 10. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +1:47.0 |
Rally Finland Itinerary:
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)
