The Toyota driver set the fastest time on the second run of the Tukums stage, extending his lead by 3.5 seconds over M-Sport Ford’s Martins Sesks.
Rovanperä doubled his overall lead, with Sesks now trailing the Finn by 7.2 seconds.
“I tried to take care of the soft tyres at the rear. Hopefully, they are still in good condition so we can get through the whole loop with good tyres. That would be a good thing,” Rovanperä commented.
“I made a few mistakes, but otherwise, it was okay. I was taking care of my tyres,” Sesks said.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier remains third in the fast gravel rally, now 10.9 seconds behind Rovanperä.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak was fourth on the 27-kilometre Tukums stage, 3.7 seconds behind Rovanperä. Tänak, who is fourth overall, has struggled somewhat with his starting position compared to the rally leaders. The Estonian star is now 18.9 seconds off the top spot.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta is in fifth place, ahead of M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. Esapekka Lappi, in eighth place, has not found confidence in his Hyundai, and the gap to the lead has now stretched to 48.3 seconds.
WRC standings leader Thierry Neuville has been unable to match the pace at the front as he has been sweeping the loose gravel on Friday’s stages. The Belgian star is now nearly a minute behind Rovanperä.
Two more special stages will be run on Friday in the Rally Latvia. The competition will conclude on Sunday.
Rally Latvia standings after SS6/20:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 48:51.8 |
| 2. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +7.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +10.9 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +18.9 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +22.6 |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +27.3 |
| 7. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +29.5 |
| 8. | Esapekka Lappi | Hyundai | +48.3 |
| 9. | Greigoire Munster | Ford | +56.8 |
| 10. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +57.0 |
| 11. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +2:17.9 |
| 12. | Mikko Heikkilä | Toyota | +2:44.3 |
Rally Latvia Itinerary (CET)
Thursday 18.7. 06:31 Shakedown: Cimdenieki (3.58 km) 19:05 SS1: Bikernieki Track (11.13 km) Friday 19.7. 09:00 SS2: Milzkalne 1 (4.99 km) 09:45 SS3: Tukums 1 (27.56 km) 11:00 SS4: Andumi (17.86 km) 12:50 Tyre fitting zone 13:30 SS5: Milzkalne 2 (4.99 km) 14:15 SS6: Tukums 2 (27.56 km) 15:30 SS7: Strazde (17.44 km) 16:20 SS8: Talsi (20.52 km) Saturday 20.7. 07:20 SS9: Pilskalns (18.87 km) 08:35 SS10: Snepele (17.52 km) 10:30 SS11: Ivande (23.04 km) 12:05 SS12: Vecpils 1 (12.64 km) 13:30 Service (40 min) 15:15 SS13: Podnieki (10.09 km) 16:05 SS14: Vecpils 2 (12.64 km) 18:00 SS15: Dinsdurbe (6.64 km) 19:15 SS16: Liepaja City Stage (2.56 km) Sunday 21.7. 07:55 SS17: Krogzemji 1 (18.70 km) 09:05 SS18: Mazilmaja 1 (13.34 km) 10:55 SS19: Krogzemji 2 (18.70 km) 13:15 SS20: Mazilmaja 2 (13.34 km) *Power Stage
