Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen ended the first full day of WRC Secto Rally Finland with a 4.9 second lead over Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Those are the bare facts but do not tell the spectacular story.

In a rally where stages are won by tenths of a second, or even tied in a dead heat, 4.9 seconds is considered a decent lead, as the double world champion fights for his first ever victory on his home event.

After winning the opening superspecial stage on Thursday evening around the streets of Jyväskylä. Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja slithered down the order on Friday as they opened the road in the Hyundai i20 N.

Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen won the opening stage from Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston by 0.1 seconds with Rovanperä a further 0.3 behind.

The Japanese and Finn drivers shared the early overall leaderboard before Rovanperä went on the rampage, setting spectacular stage times as he won stages three and four and took the rally lead which he stretched out over the course of the day as he added stage seven to his tally, but it was still super close with the top four separated by eight seconds.

The fight for second was breathtaking; 3.2 seconds covered Neuville in second, Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria in third and Katsuta.

The defending world champion won stage nine and finished three stages with a top three time as he came on song in the afternoon loop, which saw rain turn the stages into damp and muddy roads.

Fourmaux won stage eight, which he tied with Rovanperä, and stage ten to cement his provisional podium place which he took off Katsuta after stage nine.

Katsuta had his strongest morning since the Safari Rally with two second fastest times and held second position overall but after the midday service, his driving became more flawed on the wet stages and slid down to fourth, despite winning stage six.

Pajari took stage five but in the first wet stage after lunch, he was overcautious and with the eighth fastest time on the board, he dropped to fifth overall.

Sebastian Ogier and Vincent Landais, winners in Finland last year, were strangely off the pace in their Toyota GR Yaris and found themselves in sixth overnight with a mountain to climb over the remaining stages. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were also off the leading pace, running second on the road all day.

Martins Sesks and Renārs Francis were the leading M-Sport Ford runners as expected in eighth with Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy holding ninth ahead of the 2019 champions Tanak and Jarveoja.

The Estonian, who took the championship lead after Rally Estonia two weeks ago, suffered from running first on the road and his situation worsened when he did a bit of logging in the forest after understeering into a tree in stage seven. The damage appeared to be cosmetic, and he completed stage eight with a flapping bonnet and a second-hand sounding engine, but the Hyundai made it back to service.

Gregoire Munster and Louis Louka were disappointing in their Puma. Munster had a huge slide in a fast right hander and dropped 22 seconds in stage two and had a full spin in stage four after out braking himself and ended up at the bottom of the Rally1 runners.

Roope Korhonen leads WRC2 from Robert Virves with Georg Linnamäe holding third from Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala.

Oliver Solberg went from hero to zero after rolling out of the rally in stage seven; the car understeered at speed into a ditch which pitched car over. And out.

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Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the 12^th and penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the unique Central European Rally after overnight leader Sebastian Ogier made a rare mistake in the day’s opening stage, losing 10 seconds and the lead of the rally.

“Let’s see for the championship, obviously what happened to Seb [Ogier]…it is always difficult to fight a friend and then something like this happens so it is difficult to find feelings. Everything changed, especially in the manufactures’ championship. We took care to have a clean stage and bring the points home,’ said the 2019 champion.

Tänak now trails Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville by 26 points with 30 available from the final round.

Ogier, on a mission to regain the lead he’d lost earlier in the morning, crashed out in the penultimate stage when he understeered off the road and into an electricity pole

“Another example that the gravel crew are doing a crucial job for us, the only stage of the weekend where they were not allowed to go through, we did not have the notes on the evolution of the stage.

This first corner, this long corner under the trees, people were cutting more than anticipated and the corner became very muddy and greasy and I couldn’t turn, so I understeered and hit the trees at the side.

I feel angry with myself at the moment, very sorry for my team. I tried my best and I repeat I that I tried my best to meet my target. I think we’re doing a good job so far, but that’s three weekends in a row it is not going my way. Tough times,” Ogier said afterwards.

Elfyn Evans brought his Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris home in second overall, much to his delight, while Neuville completed the podium, ahead of Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston, who topped the Super Sunday standings.

Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka equaled their personal best result, bringing their M-Sport Ford Puma home in fifth.

Nikolay Gryazin dominated WRC2 and ended sixth overall, ahead of the non-points scoring Oliver Solberg/Elliot Edmonson.

Miko Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk took second ahead of Filip Mares/Radovan Bucha

Read the full report in Motorsport Monday tomorrow

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Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen ended Friday’s nine stages of Secto Rally Finland with an eight-second lead over teammate Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin who in turn is  a slender 0.6 seconds ahead of Sébastian Ogier and Vincent Landais in a Toyota 1-2-3.

The morning loop saw Ogier lead after the day’s opening stage before Rovanperä snatched first place on the following stage then Evans took the lead after stage four. Rovanperä re-took first place in the final stage of the loop and held it for the rest of the day.  Evans kept hold of second place ahead of his illustrious teammate but saw his lead whittled away over the course of the afternoon.

What was a Toyota 1-2-3-4  heading into the final stage of the morning loop saw the ‘4’ drop away as Takamoto Katsuta hit a tree which removed the right-rear corner of his car. Despite frantic roadside repairs, the team was unable to get back to the service park in Jyväskylä.

The leading Hyundai – the only surviving i20 N – belongs to championship leader Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe after Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja crashed heavily in stage three. “Basically, we went wide, rolled over and hit a tree”, said Tänak. Järveoja remains in hospital under observation. Hyundai’s statement read: “While competing at Rally Finland, round nine of the FIA World Rally Championship season, Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were involved in a crash on Friday morning during SS3 Saarikas 1.

 Their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid slid off the road at high speed in tricky and slippery conditions just over 2km in stage. The car subsequently rolled and hit a tree. After the accident, Tänak and Järveoja exited the car themselves without assistance and the stage was immediately red flagged to allow medical services to attend the scene.

Both Tänak and Järveoja were quickly attended to by the medical team, with Järveoja taken to hospital by helicopter for further examination. While both driver and co-driver are well, Järveoja will need to remain in hospital overnight for observation as a precaution. As a result, the #8 crew will not return for the remainder of the Rally Finland weekend.”

Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria were fifth in their M-Sport Ford Puma after a sensible drive in the changeable conditions.

With wet and muddy stages the order of the day, local lad Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen made their Rally1 debut in a fifth Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris and in the day’s opening stage, went off the road and removed the rear wing. With limited downforce, Pajari drove sensibly until they returned to service.

In the first stage after service, Pajari set the second fastest time and went on to claim a maiden Rally1 stage win in SS9, beating Ogier’s time by 0.5 seconds. They hold sixth overall, some 20 seconds ahead of the second M-Sport Puma of Gregoire Munster and Louis Louka.

Stage six saw Esapekka Lappi retire his Hyundai after it bounced out of deep ruts and hit a tree, causing terminal damage.

Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson made WRC2 their own, leading in their Toksport-run Skoda Fabia RS from Thursday’s opening Super Special stage until returning to service. The fight over second place raged between Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Principal Jari Mati Latvala was fierce, with Latvala taking second before the service break and holding his position ahead of the Skoda of Robert Virves

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In a final twist of fate, Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveloja won WRC Rally Italia Sardegna by 0.2 seconds after long time rally leader Sebastian Ogier picked up a puncture with a couple of kilometres of the Wolf Power Stage remaining.

Ogier held a 6.2 second lead before the fateful 7.1km final stage.

“Puncture. Not much I can do. It’s not rally, it’s like cross-country. Not much I can do. That’s life, I think we deserved more than that but at least but at least Ott has done a good rally as well,” said the phlegmatic Ogier.

Dani Sordo took the final podium position giving Hyundai a 1-3 leaving Toyota with a two-four.

Tanak is now level with Evans in second place on the championship points table.

A full report will be in Motorsport Monday tomorrow.

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