Evans’ woes leave Rovanperä clear in Finland

Rovanperä began this penultimate leg of the FIA World Rally Championship’s ninth round holding an 8.0sec lead over GR Yaris Rally1 colleague Evans. However, after extending that buffer into double figures on the first stage of the day, their tussle came to a head when Evans suffered a broken front-right driveshaft in the following Västilä test.

The Welshman had no choice but to limp his car through the remaining kilometres, which included the legendary Ouninpohja stage, in road mode. He tumbled to eightth place as a result, dropping more than six minutes.

Sébastien Ogier climbed to second in his similar Toyota but, after Rovanperä went fastest on all three of the morning’s superfast speed tests, trailed the Finn by 21.9sec at the day’s midpoint. Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Thierry Neuville filled the final podium spot, a further 36.4sec in arrears.

It was a good morning for Neuville’s championship hopes. Evans’ problems, coupled with the retirement of Ott Tänak on Friday, mean the Belgian is on course to extend his championship lead, which stood at just eight points before the rally.

Fourth went to Adrien Fourmaux, who ended the loop 28.1sec off the pace of Neuville. It was a frustrating morning for the Frenchman’s M-Sport Ford team-mate Grégoire Munster, however, who rolled his Puma Rally1 four kilometres into the first stage of the day.

Toyota debutant Sami Pajari was fifth ahead as WRC2 frontrunners Oliver Solberg and Jari Matti-Latvala. Evans was eighth while Robert Virves and Mikko Heikkilä completed the top 10.