Secto Rally Finland: Rovanperä Leads Toyota 1-2-3 Ahead of WRC 2023 Season
Rovanperä Dominates Day One in Finland
Friday’s nine stages of Secto Rally Finland have come to a close, with Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen holding an eight-second lead over teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. The Finnish duo’s Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris has proven to be the car to beat, with Sébastian Ogier and Vincent Landais rounding out the top three in another Toyota.
The morning loop saw a thrilling battle for the top spot, with Ogier initially leading after the day’s opening stage. Rovanperä quickly snatched first place on the following stage, only for Evans to take the lead after stage four. However, Rovanperä re-took first place in the final stage of the loop and held it for the rest of the day.
“It’s been a really good day for us,” said Rovanperä. “The car has been working well, and we’ve managed to find a good rhythm.”
Evans kept hold of second place ahead of his illustrious teammate, but saw his lead whittled away over the course of the afternoon. What was initially a Toyota 1-2-3-4 heading into the final stage of the morning loop saw the ‘4’ drop away, as Takamoto Katsuta hit a tree, removing the right-rear corner of his car. Despite frantic roadside repairs, the team was unable to get back to the service park in Jyväskylä.
Hyundai’s Troubles Continue
Championship leader Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe are the top Hyundai runners, piloting the only surviving i20 N. This comes after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja‘s heavy crash in stage three, which left Järveoja hospitalized for observation. Hyundai issued a statement confirming the incident, stating that Tänak and Järveoja were involved in a crash on Friday morning during SS3 Saarikas 1, and were attended to by the medical team. While both driver and co-driver are well, Järveoja will need to remain in hospital overnight for observation as a precaution.
Other Highlights
Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria completed the day in fifth place in their M-Sport Ford Puma, after a sensible drive in the changeable conditions. Meanwhile, local lad Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen made their Rally1 debut in a fifth Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris. Despite an early off-road excursion that removed the rear wing, Pajari drove sensibly until they returned to service. In the first stage after service, Pajari set the second-fastest time and went on to claim a maiden Rally1 stage win in SS9, beating Ogier’s time by 0.5 seconds. They hold sixth overall, some 20 seconds ahead of the second M-Sport Puma of Gregoire Munster and Louis Louka.
In other news, Esapekka Lappi retired his Hyundai after it bounced out of deep ruts and hit a tree in stage six, causing terminal damage. Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson dominated WRC2 in their Toksport-run Skoda Fabia RS, leading from Thursday’s opening Super Special stage until returning to service. The fight over second place raged between Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Principal Jari Mati Latvala, with Latvala taking second before the service break and holding his position ahead of the Skoda of Robert Virves.
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