Rovanperä was in a league of his own at the first-ever WRC event held in the Canary Islands. The Finnish driver clocked fastest time after fastest time, eventually securing his first win of the season by nearly a full minute.
Led by Rovanperä, Toyota achieved a commanding 1-2-3-4 finish. Sébastien Ogier came second, Elfyn Evans third, and Takamoto Katsuta took fourth place.
Championship leader Evans reflected on the atmosphere in the Canaries while testing the Toyota Rally1 car for the upcoming Rally Portugal.
“Canaries was an amazing rally for the team as a whole. Of course, finishing 1-2-3-4 is very special for the team. But of course, being in the bottom half of that equation never leaves us fully happy,” Evans said.
“We tried our best and I think it was a reasonable effort, but can’t help but think that more was perhaps possible,” Evans admitted.
Evans is still in awe of the insane pace his teammate Rovanperä showed on the tarmac roads of Gran Canaria.
“Kalle was really in a league of his own. And he did an incredible job. So you have to put your hand up and accept sometimes that you’re beat. And that was definitely the case at that weekend,” Evans acknowledged.
“Still, it was important points for us. And I think we can be relatively satisfied, even if it’s not the best result of the season,” added Evans, who has claimed two victories so far this year.
Check out the latest WRC standings here!
The next round of the WRC season takes place next week in Portugal.
Watch the video below of Evans’ test ahead of Rally Portugal:
