Rovanperä set the fastest time on all six special stages of the day. After Friday’s leg, his lead stands at 26.8 seconds over multiple world champion Sebastien Ogier.
“Feels pretty good. It’s great to have a clean asphalt rally like this. It’s been a while. We tested a few things as well, so everything should be fine for tomorrow,” Rovanperä said.
“Kalle is driving better. It was a tough day. We improved the car during the day, but Kalle was on a different pace,” Ogier admitted.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans sits third in the standings, 36.4 seconds off the lead. Finnish talent Sami Pajari holds fourth place, with Takamoto Katsuta completing a Toyota top five.
“It hasn’t gone badly. It was quite an enjoyable day. I haven’t been pushing, but I’ve been building up the driving rhythm stage by stage. I just need to keep it clean. If you push too hard, you’ll just kill the tyres,” Pajari summed up.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville is in sixth place. The defending world champion has struggled with the car’s handling, just like the other Hyundai drivers. Ott Tänak is seventh ahead of teammate Adrien Fourmaux. The Hyundai trio is covered by just 1.5 seconds.
All Hyundai drivers have already lost over a minute to rally leader Rovanperä.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if we’ve learned anything, but we need to stay positive. It’s not the end of the world, but it is of course frustrating,” Neuville lamented.
The Canary Islands Rally continues on Saturday with seven special stages scheduled. The event concludes on Sunday.
Rally Islas Canarias standings after SS6/18:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 1:10:31.8 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +26.8 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +36.4 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +55.3 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:06.0 |
| 6. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1:13.3 |
| 7. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1:14.1 |
| 8. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +1:14.8 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:11.1 |
| 10. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +2:26.8 |
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
