The first-ever WRC event in Latvia ended with a victory for Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä. Rovanperä led the competition from the first special stage and secured his third win of the season with a clear margin ahead of teammate Sebastien Ogier.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak moved up to third place in the rally on the final special stage when the sensational performance of Martins Sesks was thwarted by technical problems on the Power Stage.
RallyJournal.com’s journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen rated each main class driver’s performance on a scale where 10 is the highest and 4 is the lowest grade.
Toni Heinonen
Kalle Rovanperä 10- (position 1.)
Did exactly what was expected of him. The reigning champion mentioned beforehand that he didn’t feel very confident with the car, but it didn’t show in the times. Especially on Saturday, Rovanperä delivered a convincing performance, setting fastest times in quick succession and leaving others behind. The only small minus comes from not maintaining the same pace on Sunday, and for example, he finished outside the points in the Power Stage.
Sebastien Ogier 9½ (position 2.)
Toyota’s other part-time driver also performed excellently over the weekend. Ogier secured a one-two finish for the team and, moreover, collected the highest points haul for the weekend. This time he didn’t settle for a safe finish on Sunday but went all out against Tänak. In theory, Ogier is still in the title fight this season, being only 28 points behind the championship leader Neuville. Is a ninth title tempting?
Ott Tänak 9+ (position 3.)
Dropped out of the battle for victory on Friday due to a less favourable starting position, but on Sunday the Estonian was on fire again. The battle against Ogier ended in Tänak’s favour by a margin of 0.2 seconds, bringing important points for the championship fight. Tänak has collected the most points among the title contenders since spring, and if this pace continues, he might lead the championship after Rally Finland.
Adrien Fourmaux 8+ (position 4.)
Consistently performed well behind the very top but didn’t have the pace to fight for podiums this time. The Frenchman’s basic level has improved tremendously this year, allowing him to secure good positions throughout the season. It says a lot about Fourmaux’s pace that he kept Evans, who is in the championship fight, behind him all weekend.
Elfyn Evans 7+ (position 5.)
Didn’t quite get going. He had to pay a high price for his second starting position on Friday, but his pace never really picked up. Evans had a good chance to close the gap to the top of the championship, but he only gained two points on Neuville. Evans needs to step up significantly for the rest of the season if he wants to fight for the title.
Takamoto Katsuta 7- (position 6.)
A mixed weekend for the Japanese driver. Katsuta was practically in a waiting position just behind the top three until mid-rally, but then a small mistake in a chicane cost him his position. On Sunday, Katsuta tried to take points from Neuville but didn’t succeed.
Martins Sesks 9½ (position 7.)
A sensational performance was extremely close, but despite a transmission issue on the final stage, Sesks was amazing throughout the weekend. It was known that the Latvian had the speed on his home gravel roads. However, it was still a surprise that he could seriously challenge the champions like Rovanperä, Ogier, and Tänak. He couldn’t keep up with Rovanperä and Ogier, but Tänak moved ahead due to the Latvian’s technical issue. This Cinderella story deserved a happy ending, but it didn’t end badly. His potential (in fast gravel rallies) is now known!
Thierry Neuville 7
Neuville was expected to have a difficult weekend, and it turned out that way. Friday’s poor starting position didn’t improve much over the next days. The Belgian’s real potential remained unseen in the Latvian gravel corridors. He managed to scrape together some consolation points, but Tänak has now come dangerously close.
Gregoire Munster 6-
Didn’t impress but didn’t fail either. Drove at his own pace behind the other Rally1 drivers. It would be nice to see some positive spark from Munster in gravel rallies on Fridays when he has an advantage with his starting position. In Latvia, he didn’t succeed in that.
Esapekka Lappi 5- (retirement)
The weekend went badly wrong for the Finn. Lappi had strong confidence that the longer driving break wouldn’t be an issue. But the return didn’t go smoothly. The pace was missing, and the setups were wrong. Such a combination usually results in failure. If there is anything positive to be taken, the Finn showed good team spirit by sacrificing himself for Neuville as a sweeper on Saturday.
Aki Hietavala
Kalle Rovanperä 9½
Nothing less was expected from Rovanperä than a victory, and the champion delivered with style. It seemed that Kalle didn’t need to push too hard at any point. He set a total of 11 fastest times effortlessly. Taking off half a point for not delivering a super performance on Sunday. However, with such a lead, it’s tough to push hard.
Sebastien Ogier 9+
Ogier had the chance to compete in a fast gravel rally from a decent starting position for the first time in a while. The multi-champion showed he still has speed. An excellent performance from the French ace. He narrowly lost out to Tänak by two-tenths of a second on Sunday. Those two-tenths might still haunt the team at the end of the season.
Ott Tänak 8+
Poor pace on Friday, good performance on Saturday, and excellent on Sunday. Tänak made up for a lot on Sunday after what was frankly a failed start to the weekend. Twelve points on Sunday have already brought Tänak very close to Thierry Neuville in the championship fight.
Adrien Fourmaux 8-
Fourmaux continues to deliver good performances. Fourth place overall, although benefiting from a teammate’s unfortunate issue, is always a solid result for an inexperienced driver. The speed still fluctuates a bit.
Elfyn Evans 7
It didn’t work out for Evans. Latvia seemed to be very punishing in terms of starting positions. Somehow, after a more positive rally in Poland, Evans’ performance left a bland taste. In Finland, he’ll be the third car on the road, so he’ll need to deliver a top result there!
Takamoto Katsuta 6
It feels harsh to give the sympathetic Japanese driver a low grade again. Still, a personal mistake ruined it. Katsuta was fighting for podium early on Saturday, but a small mistake, and that was it. Too often this season, he’s slipped up when actually competing against others.
Martins Sesks 10-
An incredible performance from Sesks. His first rally in a full-fledged Rally1 car will go down in history with a result of seventh place. Terrible bad luck on the last stage with a technical fault knocked him off the podium. It would have been great if the Ford had lasted to the finish. Despite knowing the rally like the back of his hand, he still had to drive the car! He proved he’s in the right place in the top class of the WRC. He also handled the pressure well with all of Latvia watching.
Thierry Neuville 6
Reached the finish line and got nine WRC points. Let’s give it a six for that. Neuville’s complaints about starting positions are starting to get annoying. In Latvia, it had a huge impact, but several champions have overcome those challenges. If he wants to be a champion, he needs to learn to drive from the first starting positions too. Are energies being misdirected again, and will someone else come alongside and pass him at the end of the season? This pattern has happened with Neuville before.
Gregoire Munster 6
Who? Not much to take away from this weekend either.
Esapekka Lappi 5
Hard to say what went wrong. There was a driving break, but normally Lappi isn’t fazed by such things. The car didn’t suit him either, but he still got to drive a test rally the previous weekend. The pace just wasn’t there. What saves him from a failing grade is the Finn’s great attitude despite a miserable weekend.
Ville Hirvonen
Kalle Rovanperä 10
Rovanperä had another impressive weekend. Dominated the competition from start to finish and pulled away decisively on Saturday. Running out of superlatives for the Finn again. Won in Poland with inadequate preparation and then followed it up with a convincing win in another fast gravel rally. Next up is Finland. Is it finally Kalle’s time to conquer his home rally? All the elements are in place for it.
Sebastien Ogier 9
Jari-Matti Latvala would have been satisfied with a top-five finish, but Ogier went even better. Couldn’t match Rovanperä’s pace but still brought a hefty points haul for the team with a good drive. Ogier’s performance value is heightened by the fact that his last fast gravel rally was quite a while ago.
Ott Tänak 8
Suffered terrible luck for the second weekend in a row, colliding with a Toyota advertising banner on Saturday. Struggled on Friday and Saturday but impressed again on Sunday. Tänak has fully grasped the new points system. The Estonian hasn’t thrown in the towel after early difficulties or bad luck, understanding the importance of Sunday points. That’s why he’s still in the championship fight.
Adrien Fourmaux 9
The Frenchman is doing a consistent job. Didn’t dazzle in Latvia but secured another good position and good points for his team. Made no mistakes and drove cleanly. An excellent performance in a challenging and fast rally.
Elfyn Evans 6
The same story seems to repeat with Evans. He’s a consistent performer but hasn’t matched the top pace this season except for brief moments. Evans was expected to fight for the championship this season, but it doesn’t look that way now.
Takamoto Katsuta 7
Katsuta’s rise to the absolute top of the sport has been awaited for a while, but this season has been difficult. Was in good pace early in the rally but then overshot a corner. In the same incident, the Toyota’s power steering failed. After that, it was really tough.
Martins Sesks 10
The second career competition in the top class and a perfect performance. Set his first career stage wins and would have taken his first podium if not for the technical issues at the end of the rally. A brilliant performance in front of the home crowd!
Thierry Neuville 6
The Belgian suffered from his starting position and spent the rally just driving through. Neuville was clearly frustrated with his situation and started complaining early in the race. Instead of complaining, he could have focused more on driving. Neuville is right that the WRC leader’s role as a sweeper is too harsh in gravel rallies, but complaining doesn’t change anything.
Gregoire Munster 6
Gained experience, but that’s about it. Munster’s performance suggests he simply isn’t at the right level.
Esapekka Lappi 6
A very tough rally. Couldn’t find a good pace at the start, then came technical issues at the end, which were beyond his control. Returning to the WRC after a long break surely had an impact. The positive side is that Lappi found good settings for his car at the end of the rally. Everything is now set for a good performance in Finland. Hyundai admitted after the race that they made a mistake with Lappi’s schedule. On the other hand, Lappi himself had agreed with the team in advance that he would skip Poland and return in Latvia.
