WRC
Rovanperä fires first shot as WRC showdown begins on Saudi shakedown
Kalle Rovanperä opened Rally Saudi Arabia with the fastest time on Wednesday’s Thabhan shakedown, setting the tone for a three-way title decider on brand-new desert gravel.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver posted a time of 3min 1.0sec on his second pass of the 4.56km warm-up test north of Jeddah, edging team-mate Takamoto Katsuta by 0.5sec. Championship leader Elfyn Evans followed in third, 1.0sec back, on a morning defined by dry, sandy tracks, 34°C heat and a pronounced cleaning effect.
Rovanperä, beginning what will be his final WRC rally before taking a sabbatical, struck an early balance between pace and caution on roads he described as “full of stones” and likely to evolve significantly across the weekend.
“It will likely be an emotional weekend for me and Jonne,” he said. “The rally is really difficult and interesting. There are a lot of big stones and any car can bring more onto the road, so I think we will need a bit of luck this weekend as well.”
Evans’ morning provided a clear snapshot of the challenge ahead. Ninth on his opening run while sweeping, the Welshman faces a full day of road-opening on Thursday as he defends a three-point lead at the top of the standings.
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“I think the road's going to evolve so much that it's going to be difficult to fight with the guys behind, but of course we're going to do what we can,” the Welshman admitted. “The championship is very open and ultimately anything can happen this weekend.”
Ogier, chasing a record-equalling ninth world crown, ended the session ninth overall and 3.5sec from the benchmark after a steady programme aimed at reading the roads rather than chasing outright speed.
“I think you've heard it from everybody already, so it’s no surprise to say that it's going to be a tough weekend for everyone,” he said. “We just need to focus on what we can control and do the best with that. On this rally, if you go flat out, you definitely don’t go very far. It’s going to be a mixed approach for sure, a bit clever - but even doing that, there are a lot of elements you will not have in your control this weekend.”
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Adrien Fourmaux led Hyundai Motorsport’s charge in fourth, 1.2sec back from Rovanperä, while Ott Tänak followed in fifth as he also begins his final WRC outing before stepping back from the sport’s top level.
M-Sport Ford’s Martins Sesks impressed with sixth on his Saudi debut, matched on time by Toyota’s Sami Pajari. Thierry Neuville ended eighth ahead of Ogier, with M-Sport trio Josh McErlean, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Grégoire Munster rounding out the top 12.
Rally Saudi Arabia begins in earnest later today with the Jameel Motorsport Super Special Stage at 20.35 local time.
