Borodin makes FIA Junior WRC history as Jürgenson crashes on Friday

The biggest shock came during SS6 at Laukaa when championship leader Romet Jürgenson, who had dominated the first three stages to build a 10.2sec lead, skidded off the road while trying to avoid a rock.

This rare error from the Estonian not only means that the title fight is now almost certain to go down to the wire at the season finale in Greece, but also provided his nearest rivals with a priceless opportunity.

Jürgenson’s fellow FIA Rally Star pilot Taylor Gill inherited the rally lead. The young Australian, who resides in Finland, led Petr Borodin by 5.0sec after SS6. However, misfortune struck on SS7 when mud clogged the radiator of his Ford Fiesta Rally3, causing it to overheat. Gill was forced to back off and consequently slipped down the order.

That opened the door for Borodin to claim the top spot, ending the day with a 23.5sec buffer over Gerardo Rosselot thanks to three benchmark times in the afternoon. Borodin's performance marks a historic moment, as he becomes the first Kazakhstani driver to lead a Junior WRC round.

Irishman Eamon Kelly, who competed in the ferocious Finnish forests last year in WRC2, used his experience to great effect. Navigating the muddy conditions better than most, Kelly climbed onto the podium and trailed Rosselot by just 9.7sec.

Turkish pilot Ali Turkkan maintained the momentum from his first Junior WRC podium in Sardinia. After securing a brace of Wolf Stage win points, he held fourth place at the end of the day. Gill settled for fifth, while Romania’s Norbert Maior completed the top six.

Max Smart, who scored a podium last time out, faced a tough day. Already struggling in 13th position, the 21-year-old South African's day ended prematurely with broken suspension on SS8.

Young Finn Leevi Lassila made his Junior WRC debut after winning the prestigious AKK Flying Finn Future Star award. Running in 12th this morning, his rally ended early in the afternoon due to a roll.