Korhonen puts one hand on the WRC3 crown

Korhonen began Sunday with a 56.5sec advantage over Laurent Pellier in the all-Ford Fiesta Rally3 class. It was a buffer that allowed the young Finn to take a risk-free approach to the remaining four stages, cruising to the finish to win by 34.6sec.

The 24-year-old has scored a perfect 100 points from his four starts so far this year and, with WRC3 drivers able to count their best four scores from up to five rallies, he can now only be matched but not beaten. It means that, in the event of a new entrant equalling his efforts over the remaining rounds, the champion would be decided by tiebreak.

Frenchman Pellier completed the weekend ahead of third-placed Toni Herranen with the result for the latter marking his first WRC3 podium this year. For Pellier, the 18 points secured for second position catapulted the reigning Junior ERC champion from eighth to fourth in the championship standings.

Coming home fourth, but more than two minutes behind Herranen, was Turkey’s Ali Türkkan.