Defending champion rolls out of competition while main his residence rally.
Elfyn Evans was catapulted into the lead of Secto Rally Finland when team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s golden streak got here to an abrupt halt throughout Friday’s opening leg.
Dwelling hero Rovanperä, who carried a commanding 55-point lead into this ninth FIA World Rally Championship spherical, reeled off 5 consecutive benchmark occasions in a Toyota GR Yaris and headed chasing colleague Evans by 5.7sec approaching the day’s seventh stage in Myhinpää.
However a uncommon mistake 11.1km after the beginning introduced a disastrous finish to the defending world champion’s day when he misplaced management of his GR Yaris and rolled end-over-end. Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen emerged from the wreckage unscathed regardless of the power of the impression being sturdy sufficient to tear a rear wheel from the automotive.
Evans, presently second within the factors, inherited the highest spot from his stranded team-mate and negotiated the remaining two levels error-free to move Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by a mere 6.9sec in a single day.
“Total it’s been an okay day,” mentioned Evans, who was annoyed to provide away 2.8sec to Neuville within the Harju finale. “We’re fairly completely happy total and clearly we’ve nonetheless bought numerous driving to do tomorrow.”
Errors have been punished brutally on central Finland’s superfast gravel roads and Rovanperä wasn’t the one victory contender to return unstuck. His Hyundai-driving compatriot Esapekka Lappi crashed right into a tree in SS4 while working fourth total.
Ott Tänak, chief after Thursday’s night’s tremendous particular stage in Jyväskylä metropolis centre, retired his Puma in SS3 with terminal engine failure and his M-Sport Ford associate Pierre-Louis Loubet crashed in the identical check.
Neuville’s day wasn’t with out drama, both. The Belgian reported a scarcity of rear traction early within the day and struggled for visibility beneath scattered rain showers on a number of events. He headed Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who received the opening stage, by 9.5sec at shut of play.
In fourth total and inside reaching distance of the rostrum was Teemu Suninen. The Finn is contesting his second rally aboard an i20 N Rally1 and trailed Katsuta by 12.4sec after constructing his pace all through the day.
Toyota workforce principal Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the highest 5 on his first WRC begin since 2020. Behind him was Jari Huttunen, who led WRC2 in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 after leapfrogging Sami Pajari when the teenager suffered tyre injury within the penultimate stage.
Nikolay Gryazin, Oliver Solberg and Adrien Fourmaux full the highest 10 going into Saturday, host to the rally’s longest leg with eight particular levels totalling 160.68km.
Main positions after Friday:
1. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris 51m 34.4s
2. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +6.9s
3. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +16.4s
4. T Suninen / M Markkula FIN Hyundai i20 N +28.8s
5. J-M Latvala / J Hänninen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 23.7s
6. J Huttunen / A Haapala FIN Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +3m 14.1s
