WRC
Ogier strengthens Finland lead as team-mate Evans rolls
Sébastien Ogier reached Saturday’s midday service at Secto Rally Finland with a 22.7sec lead after closest rival Elfyn Evans rolled on the final stage of the morning loop.
Evans had applied sustained pressure throughout Saturday’s opening three tests, cutting Ogier’s overnight advantage from 16.3sec to 11.6sec. But his challenge unravelled on Leustu when his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 left the road on the penultimate corner and rolled.
Spectators helped Evans and co-driver Scott Martin return to the stage, although they lost more than 1min 40sec and completed the test with significant damage. The championship leader slipped from second to fifth overall, 2min 00.6sec behind Ogier.
Sami Pajari inherited second place after another impressive display on his home roads. The Estonia winner claimed back-to-back stage victories on Päijälä and Västilä and now trails Ogier by 22.7sec, with Oliver Solberg third and 1min 01.5sec back.
Evans began the morning in determined fashion, beating Pajari by 0.6sec and Ogier by 3.3sec on Parkkola to reduce the deficit at the head of the rally to 13.0sec. Ogier had welcomed the emerging contest, responding: “I like him to try and catch me. I like fights.”
Pajari then set the pace through the shortened and reversed Päijälä test, edging Ogier by 0.8sec and Evans by 1.6sec. The youngster was even more impressive on Västilä, beating Evans by just one-tenth and Ogier by 2.3sec. That performance brought him within 9.3sec of Evans while reducing Ogier’s advantage to 11.6sec.
But the rally was ultimately transformed on Leustu. Mārtiņš Sesks, who had started the stage fifth overall, rolled his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 after 2.3km. Both he and co-driver Renars Francis were unharmed, but the incident ended the Latvian’s morning.
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Evans then went off at speed later in the test, leaving Ogier to complete the stage with the fastest time and suddenly hold a significantly more comfortable lead.
“I had the ditch marked,” Ogier explained after learning of Evans’ accident. “We are on the edge all the time. I knew they would push hard and I wanted this battle to happen because that is how it is fun. I always kept a little margin and the plan is working.”
Solberg retained third despite struggling for confidence after passing Sesks’ accident scene, while Adrien Fourmaux’s clean morning promoted him to fourth, 47.7sec behind the Swede.
Takamoto Katsuta climbed to sixth after reporting a much-improved feeling compared with Friday. Josh McErlean holds seventh, only 9.3sec ahead of Thierry Neuville, while WRC2 leader Robert Virves and Jari-Matti Latvala complete the top 10.
Saturday afternoon repeats Parkkola, Päijälä, Västilä and Leustu, with Toyota’s mechanics facing a major task to repair Evans’ car before the second loop.
