october 30, 2023 - WRC Fia World Rally Championship
Rovanperä puts one hand on WRC crown as Evans crashes on Saturday
Just four stages stand between Kalle Rovanperä and back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship crowns after his only remaining title rival Elfyn Evans crashed out of Central European Rally on Saturday.
Having dominated Thursday's treacherous tests in the Czech Republic to build a commanding rally lead, 23-year-old Rovanperä was already doing more than enough to successfully defend his 2022 WRC drivers' crown.
A spin on Saturday's second stage allowed Thierry Neuville to slash the Finn's advantage by more than half, but the dynamic completely changed later in the morning when Rovanperä's Toyota GR Yaris team-mate Evans, who had been sitting third overall, crashed out of contention.
Evans needed to outscore his colleague by at least one point at this penultimate round to keep the fight going, but he came unstuck on a slippery right-hand bend and slid into a barn. The Welshman will restart on Sunday in a desperate bid to salvage bonus points from the Wolf Power Stage.
Sacrificing his chances of the outright rally win to focus on his championship prospects, Rovanperä dialled back his speed. Neuville, as a result, was left to build a 26.2-second overnight lead in his Hyundai i20 N.
"It's good to be at the finish of the day," said Rovanperä, who simply needs a drama-free run through the closing stages to clinch the title. "It's tough out there. I think these are the most tough Tarmac rally conditions I have ever seen."
Neuville, who is in line to become the first-ever Central European Rally winner, added: "All afternoon we tried to manage the gap and I am happy to finish the day in the lead of the rally. We are following our target."
Ott Tänak ensured that all three top-line manufacturers ended the day on the podium, bringing his Ford Puma to the end in a lonely third overall. A non-functioning handbrake caused the M-Sport man some frustrations in SS14, and he trailed Rovanperä by over one minute with Sébastien Ogier 31.1sec behind.
The battle for fifth place was raging between Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai's Teemu Suninen. Katsuta struggled to find confidence on the greasy asphalt roads in the morning but upped his pace in the afternoon to claim the position by 10.9sec.
Puma hotshot Grégoire Munster was seventh overall ahead of Pierre-Louis Loubet. Adrien Fourmaux and Emil Lindholm, leader of the WRC2 category in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, completed the leaderboard.
Sunday's finale boasts two stages, each traversed twice, across two countries. Böhmerwald in Austria is first up before Passauer Land in Germany, the second pass of which forms the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage.
Leading positions after Saturday:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 2h 18m 34.5s
2. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +26.2s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Ford Puma +1m 49.1s
4. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +2m 20.2s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 47.9s
6. T Suninen / M Markkula FIN Hyundai i20 N +2m 58.8s
SI202310271424 hires jpeg 24bit rgb
5217x3478, 16MB
SI202310280563 hires jpeg 24bit rgb
3840x2560, 2MB
Related news |
||
|
|
|
march 25, 2024
|
february 18, 2024
|
january 27, 2024
|
|
Safari Rally Kenya launches with up-close wildlife encounters in the breathtaking Maasai Mara.The legendary Safari Rally Kenya beg... |
Esapekka Lappi lapped up the praise and bagged the points with a clean run through Rally Sweden’s second leg today (Saturday) as h... |
Thierry Neuville has set up the perfect Sunday showdown at Rallye Monte-Carlo after dethroning Sébastien Ogier in Saturday’s final... |
Download all 
You might be interested in |
||
|
|
|
january 26, 2024
|
november 19, 2023
|
october 30, 2023
|
|
The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship started in spectacular fashion on Thursday evening (25 January) as tens of thousands of fans... |
Elfyn Evans secured a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday at FORUM8 Rally Japan as his Toyota Gazoo Racing team locked out the top th... |
Kalle Rovanperä has become a two-time WRC champion, clinching the title on Sunday after finishing second overall at Central Europe... |
Download all 
Share
Share via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Technology
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness