Warren Nel

Just the final day of action and with 41km’s over four stages, the crews that were not in the top ten at the end of Saturday’s stages would now be eyeing up the points available for finishing in the top seven positions, plus the powerstage points.

First up was SS17 Sahloinen-Moksi 1 – 14.27 km Kalle was fastest from Elfyn and Esapekka in third. Just four tenths of a second separated the top two as well. Sami and Enni had a moment in the stage going off the road and surviving incredibly without any damage.

The shortest stage of the day followed SS18 Laajavuori 1 – 4.35 km and this would be the stage which would be the powerstage later but would not be the typical type of stage that would be normally part of the stages in Finland. Kalle would again be fastest from Seb this time and Thierry third. Elfyn could only manage the fourth fastest time.

Onto the penultimate stage then, SS19 Sahloinen-Moksi 2 – 14.27 km and first to complete was Takamoto, with Esapekka going second fastest. There was drama sadly for Elfyn and Scott as they entered the first corner they understeered wide, hit a tree. This pitched their Yaris sideways, spinning across the road and into the trees on the other side of the road. There were bodywork parts on the stage and after Elfyn realised that he was not going to be able to even complete the stage he jumped out and dealt with the debris so the stage could continue with no delays. Once the stage was back up and running Thierry was next to complete and went third fastest setting an identical time to Esapekka. There was even more drama to come though as Kalle and Jonne came towards the end of the stage and there was a rock right in the line on a left hander. This made the car kick up at the front and sent it offline and into the trees lining the road on the right-hand side. They were fine, but out from the lead, putting Seb into the lead, Thierry up to second and Adrien into third place.

The final stage then, SS20 Laajavuori 2[Power Stage] – 8.77 km and Takamoto was fastest from Thierry, Esapekka, Adrien and Seb. The French crew then had taken victory in somewhat remarkable circumstances from Thierry and Adrien took third.

Let’s take a look at the top ten positions and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Finland

1 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 2:25:41.9 2 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +40.1 3 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:14.1 4 S. Pajari E. Mälkönen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:54.5 5 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +8:15.5 6 J. Latvala J. Hänninen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +8:54.5 7 L. Joona J. Hussi Škoda Fabia RS +9:29.4 8 M. Heikkilä K. Temonen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +9:32.0 9 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Citroën C3 +9:51.2 10 G. Linnamäe J. Morgan Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +10:07.0

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“To win in Finland is always nice, even if this is not the way we would like to have taken it. The team provided an amazing car and dominated all weekend. Kalle and Jonne were in a different league than the rest and were very unlucky with this rock on the line. I feel for my team as we deserved a much better result. I lost a win in Sardinia earlier this season through luck and I have now gained one back here. I have been around long enough to experience many outcomes and emotions and I’ve been lucky to be on the right side of that equation most of the time – but not today. I would honestly have preferred to finish second, but motorsport is unfair sometimes.”

Sami Pajari

“I’m relieved to have finished my first event in a Rally1 car. What an emotional rollercoaster this week has been! It sounds nice to be the highest-placed Finn on Rally Finland and scoring fourth place on my first event – and scoring my first stage win – but there’s still plenty of room to improve. I was expecting a more consistent and relaxed event – I don’t remember a time the weather was so challenging on Rally Finland. It’s not been the perfect weekend for the team but I’m happy to find positives in my own performance. Huge thanks to Toyota and the whole team: it was a dream come true to drive on my home rally with the GR YARIS Rally1.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The car was working very well today after the changes we made yesterday. I had a good feeling on Sunday morning, and I was able to push: it’s great to have won the Power Stage and taken maximum points from there, plus scoring good points for Super Sunday by being equal-fastest on the last day. But I’m really sorry to the team for not being able to bring a result home: while the speed was good, the outcome could have been much better. Many people made mistakes this weekend, but the rally is a long weekend, not a sprint.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“We had a really good morning with everything under control and still fighting for Sunday points without taking any risks. On pretty much the last corner of the penultimate stage we were driving normally with a steady pace but in the middle of the corner, there was a huge loose stone which I could not avoid, and it threw us off the road. It’s quite an unreal feeling, considering there was nothing we could have done to change the situation. It’s quite tough to take but on the other hand, Jonne and I executed a perfect weekend until that point and couldn’t really have done anything differently.”

Elfyn Evans

“Unfortunately, we had an accident right at the beginning of the penultimate stage. I’d managed the corner OK on the first pass, but I had a bit of understeer in the ruts the second time around and ran out of road. We knew it was a tricky corner, but it was more down to the way the car reacted in the rut than the speed. It was a costly mistake on my part and a weekend that went from bad to worse – but this is motorsport, and these things happen. There are four rounds to go in the championship and everything is still open, so we’ll continue to give our all until the very end.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (WRC2)

“For myself and Juho it’s a really great feeling at the end of the rally. Our target was to finish in the top five of WRC2 and we’ve been in second place since almost the start of the rally and finished on the podium. It’s been a really enjoyable weekend behind the wheel, and I can be very satisfied with my own performance, it’s not been bad. At the same time, it’s been a hard Sunday for the team: it’s great to win here again, but to have two cars retire on Sunday is not good for the championship. But I know our team never gives up and we will put all our efforts into the coming events.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“A good, consistent drive throughout the day. Our increase in tempo on the last two stages made the difference with the retirement of Kalle. We were capable of reducing the gap on the Power Stage so Ogier would only leave Finland with one more point than us. This weekend has been a rollercoaster of emotions for everybody, like the stages. Lots of ups and downs and it was changing all the time. Greece is next – and it’s a challenging event. We will be on it and with a shift of focus to this surface we are hoping to take what we have done at these fast gravel rallies one step further.”

Esapekka Lappi

“When you retire from any rally you are disappointed, but Finland was the most important one for me personally. These risks are a part of motorsport, when you are constantly pushing the limit: you don’t do anything wrong and then you end up retiring. It was similar for Kalle today and I really felt for him, it’s a big shame. Today we did what we could, we brought home a good amount of Super Sunday points for the team, so I am very satisfied with how the day went.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“It has been a tricky weekend, I have struggled to find confidence in the car in the tough conditions, but once I knew it was going to be difficult to fight the top guys I wanted to do a sensible drive and so I worked on the car setup over the first two days and just made sure I didn’t make any mistakes. We found some good improvements and driving Ouninpohja in this car was just amazing.

“To end the rally with a podium is not necessarily what I was expecting, but a focused drive all weekend made sure we were there in case anything happened to the others and I can be really happy with my weekend and my fourth podium this year!

“Now I look forward to a few weeks off before Rally Greece and the rest of the season, where I want to be strong and keep challenging for the top spots.”

Grégoire Munster

“I think it was a tricky event, for our first time in Finland in a Rally1 car it for sure wasn’t easy, especially with these conditions. We can be happy with our first day on Friday. For the second day, yes it was disappointing, not just because of the off but also because we missed out on the kilometres in these tough conditions and the famous stage of Ouninpohja!

“The team did an amazing job to fix the car so we could continue on Sunday, to gain 40 crucial kilometres so we could finish on a good note before the next event. I was really glad to have the opportunity to drive again and finish the rally.”

William Creighton (WRC2)

“A difficult rally with quite inconsistent conditions with the rain showers. Unfortunately, we had to retire on Friday, but the team did a great job to get everything sorted so we could gain experience for the rest of the stages. The atmosphere has been incredible, and I hope we can return to these classic stages in the future! Thanks to everyone at M-Sport and MI Rally Academy for supporting us this weekend.”

Oliver Solberg (WRC2 winner)

“Honestly, I was hoping for a similar result to last year – but to go one better: to finish fifth overall instead of sixth and to win WRC2 is something very, very special. It’s been an unbelievable weekend for Elliott [co-driver] and me.

“First, I want to thank Elliott – as usual he has been perfect. This is a big week for both of us, the fastest rally of the season and such a complicated and fast event. I just couldn’t do it without him. It’s the same for the team, everybody is putting in so much work all of the time and this result is for those guys, it’s been amazing.

“The rally itself was really not too complicated. The biggest thing was the weather and the conditions through Friday; we had some rain then no rain, then it was drying, then it was raining again and all the time our main competition – Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota team principal and fellow WRC2 competitor) – was far behind us on the road and we didn’t know what the conditions were really like for him.

“I wasn’t pushing so hard through Friday, maybe 90%. I wanted to keep something in reserve and not to take the big risk. It was kind of the same on Saturday – but that day was all about Ouninpohja and the chance to get into that stage and drive in this incredible place. My father broke the record there 20 years ago, so it was actually quite emotional to drive the full length of stage again. It was incredible!

“For Sunday, it was about no mistakes and bringing the car home to take the points. The atmosphere in Laajavuori this morning was incredible – I don’t think I ever saw so many people spectating in Finland or so many Swedish and Norwegian flags.

“I have to say a big congratulations to Jari-Matti, he made a really nice fight. But for me, it’s a big relief and such an amazing feeling to have won this one. Winning in Finland is a really, really big thing and to do it two years in succession is fantastic. Tonight, we can celebrate and then we have to focus to try to finish the job and win this title.”

Summary

Well, what an incredible rally with a crazy outcome in the penultimate stage. Seb and Vincent took their second victory in Finland after their teammates crashed out. They have also moved into second in the championship!

A second-place finish for Thierry and Martijn has given the Belgian Hyundai crew an increased lead in the championship. Can they hold on to take the championship?

Finally, Adrien and Alex took a fourth podium for M-Sport Ford with a great drive. Earlier in the weekend the car was not handling so well, but with the crew and team working hard to get the car into the right place, they saw things improve and when Kalle and Jonne crashed out they found themselves on the podium.

The crews and teams have a break of sorts now till the next round in Greece from the 5^th to the 8^th of September. Whether we see Seb and Vincent in Greece is yet to be seen.

 

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 9

1	T. Neuville	168
2	S. Ogier	141
3	O. Tänak	137
4	E. Evans	132
5	A. Fourmaux	119
6	K. Rovanperä	86
7	T. Katsuta	76
8	E. Lappi	33
9	A. Mikkelsen	29
10	D. Sordo	27

 

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 9

1	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	395
2	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	375
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	207

Day two then dawned again with mixed conditions out on the stages. The crews had 144km over six stages including the return of Ouninpohja. Esapekka and Takamoto both returned to the action and the Japanese would open the road throughout the day.

First up though was SS11 Västilä 1 – 18.94 km and both Takamoto and Esapekka completed the stage with no problems. However, Gregoire and Louis unfortunately crashed out at around 5km’s into the stage and the first crew to come across the M-Sport crew was Sami and Enni and as they had to slow due to the red flag, later they were given a notional time which placed them fourth fastest. In terms of the M-Sport crew, both Gregoire and Louis were both fine after a slow roll. The top three fastest were Kalle, Elfyn and Seb.

Into SS12 Päijälä 1 – 20.19 km and Kalle was fastest from Esapekka and Takamoto. The rain brought the two first into the stage to the second and third fastest times and only Kalle was able to go faster. Unfortunately, Elfyn and Scott suffered a driveshaft failure in the stage and dropped a minute and a half to Kalle. They fell to fifth position and any hope of a third win in Finland went with that.

The first run of SS13 Ouninpohja 1 – 32.98 km and Kalle led a Toyota 1-2-3-4 with Seb and Takamoto going second and third fastest, plus Sami fourth in this legendary stage. Elfyn and Scott had attempted a fix on the road section between the stages but could not sort the problem out. They would lose a further four minutes and forty seconds in the stage and would drop a further three positions to eighth place. The other driver having a problem was Esapekka as he suffered a puncture and had to stop to change the wheel.

After the service break it was a return to SS14 Västilä 2 – 18.94 km and Kalle was fastest again from Seb and Thierry, with these three holding the top three overall positions as well. Elfyn was delayed in leaving service by sixteen minutes and would be given a penalty of two minutes and forty seconds, the result being they were now in sixteenth position.

Into SS15 Päijälä 2 – 20.19 km and Esapekka came to the line, setting the fastest time, which was not beaten, although Kalle came closest, just half a second behind his fellow Finn and Adrien finding some pace to go third. Elfyn and Scott were climbing the leaderboard going fourth fastest and gaining two positions to fourteenth.

The final stage then, SS16 Ouninpohja 2 – 32.98 km and Kalle was again fastest from Seb and Sami third. Esapekka also suffered a second tyre problem as the right front tyre delaminated, and incredible situation. Also further back, Elfyn was outside the top ten still, so the Toyota team retired the car, and they will return to the fray under the super rally rules.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the crews.

Classification after Day Two

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 2:03:53.8 2 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +44.2 3 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +1:23.8 4 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:49.7 5 S. Pajari E. Mälkönen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +2:19.2 6 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +7:32.4 7 J. Latvala J. Hänninen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +8:20.0 8 L. Joona J. Hussi Škoda Fabia RS +8:52.4 9 N. Gryazin K. Aleksandrov Citroën C3 +8:57.7 10 M. Heikkilä K. Temonen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +9:04.8

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It was quite a long and difficult day. In the morning we had a lot of rain and muddy conditions, but we kept pushing and our driving remained clean – that was the main thing. The 0.1s gap in Ouninpohja this morning between myself and Seb shows that both of us were driving quite fast and there was not much margin left! In the afternoon our setup was even better; I felt a bit more comfortable in the car and we could achieve even better stage times, so I was enjoying it quite a lot. Tomorrow will still be quite tricky, especially the Laajavuori Power Stage, but we’ll try to do our best and bring it home.”

Elfyn Evans

“This morning started off pretty OK but in the second stage, coming into a junction, we lost drive to one of the wheels and we spun around. From there on it was just a case of nursing the car back to service. The team did a good job to fix the car at lunchtime, but they had more work than anticipated and then the afternoon was just about trying to get through cleanly. It was too big a gap to close to get into the points positions, so now we need to try and salvage what we can from tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We tried to keep it safe today and confirm a one-two for the team. It was a difficult morning with the grip conditions, especially in the morning with some stages that were new to me, and I was lacking a little bit of confidence. Ouninpohja was amazing but the other two stages were still wet from rain showers and had slippery conditions. You can’t enjoy those sections so much, but we made it through those, did the job needed today and together with Kalle we’re on to bring maximum points for the team. Tomorrow’s target is simple: we have to push flat out, it’s the only way to fully benefit from our performance so far.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The stages today were really nice, especially Ouninpohja which we enjoyed very much. It wasn’t easy, especially on the second pass with the rain causing trickier conditions. It wasn’t the most comfortable drive, but the car was working well and we managed some good times on the morning loop. We just need to work on the feeling in the car further and target some good points on Sunday.”

Sami Pajari

“Today it’s been easier to learn about the car. The weather conditions have been much more consistent even with some rain, so I’ve been able to enjoy the stages, get a good feeling with the car and grow my confidence. Ouninpohja really lived up to expectations: the emotions were nice and I had a really nice run. But I can also see where the small gap to Kalle is. You always need to look for areas to improve and find something new; we only lost five seconds in 33 kilometres but we’re still working to make every corner perfect.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It was a little bit weather dependent on whether we would have a good or bad weekend, and in the end the weather somehow was on our side for the first day, so it was a good opener for the weekend. Today was a bit more challenging, the roads were a bit faster, we couldn’t find anything to improve our speed despite trying very hard to change around the car. The points are still there, and that is the positive from today. We need to maximise the points from tomorrow but also be careful not to throw everything away – a balance between taking risks and securing the points needs to be found. We know we are not the fastest here this weekend, but we know the Power Stage is atypical for this rally so anyone can win it.”

Esapekka Lappi

“We were testing different set-ups all day, on the first one it felt good and then we did some fine tuning across the middle of the day, and on the last stage it felt really good. I had found the grip that I hadn’t been able to before. On the final stage our tyre completely delaminated. I started to feel a small vibration, and a couple of seconds later pieces were flying in the air. It was a productive day despite the end result, and we are looking forward to taking part in Super Sunday at home.”

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

“This has been another good day. It’s been so cool to drive these roads in this car. I had a lot of fun today. This morning was tricky in places, so we were taking it a little bit careful, then we had a couple of big moments in Ouninpohja. I was flat in fifth gear with full sideways – it was a little bit scary for a second there!

“This afternoon was good and the second run through Ouninpohja was just amazing – that really is one hell of a stage. It helped that we were a bit more familiar with the roads and we had a bit more knowledge, but it was so, so much fun. That’s definitely one of the best stages I’ve ever done.

“Now, we need to focus on the finish. The gap is quite good now, so we will look to manage this for tomorrow.”

Sunday

The final day then of the ninth round of the championship beckons and will have 42km’s over four stages.

Let’s see what Elfyn and Scott do with those stages and see if they can take all the top points for Sunday’s stages.

The first full day beckoned for the crews on the fast gravel roads of this iconic rally. We had a short stage run on Thursday evening giving the following top three of Thierry, Takamoto and Ott.

Friday dawned and there was rain on the stages giving hope to the championship leaders Thierry and Martijn that they could be in the hunt for the top spot.

Into SS2 Laukaa 1 – 17.96 km then and Elfyn won the stage climbing five positions into third overall. His teammates were second and third. Top three overall was Seb, Kalle and Elfyn. With just 1.4 seconds covering the Toyota teammates.

Following the first stage came SS3 Saarikas 1 – 15.93 km and there was a mistake from Thierry as he went straight on at a left hander, losing a lot of time, ultimately going 13.5 seconds slower than the stage winner, Kalle. However, this only came later as the stage was stopped. The reason? Ott and Martin crashed their Hyundai around two kilometres into the stage. Both exited the car and later the Hyundai team announced that Martin had been taken to hospital for checks. Sadly, they will not return to the action. Top three was now Kalle, Elfyn and Seb who slipped from the lead.

Next up was SS4 Myhinpää 1 – 15.51 km and Elfyn was fastest from Thierry and Seb. The Welshman moved into the lead by 1.2 seconds over Kalle and Seb still held third.

The final morning stage then, SS5 Ruuhimäki 1 – 7.76 km and Kalle found some pace to go fastest from Thierry and Elfyn. The Finn retook the lead by just 2 tenths of a second and Seb was a further three seconds back still in third. Their teammate Takamoto however hit a tree and broke a wheel. The Japanese star dropped five positions to ninth overall.

After the lunchtime service SS6 Laukaa 2 – 17.96 km was next up. Kalle was again fastest from Sami this time and Elfyn was third and Kalle now led by 4.6 seconds over his teammate. Unfortunately, we lost Esapekka and Janne hit a tree, losing a wheel. They retired from the rally for the rest of the day.

SS7 Saarikas 2 – 15.93 km was next and Kalle was fastest again from Elfyn and Thierry third. Kalle opened up a further 3.1 seconds from his teammate in their fight for the lead. Meanwhile Sami and Enni were continuing to learn and setting good pace, just one tenth from fourth fastest Seb and Vincent.

Next up was SS8 Myhinpää 2 – 15.51 km and Thierry was fastest from Seb and Elfyn, whilst Kalle who was still in the lead saw a little over a second lost to Elfyn, the gap was now 6.5 seconds between the top two.

The final proper stage of the day before the short street stage was next, SS9 Ruuhimäki 2 – 7.76 km. Sami and Enni came through and took their first stage win by half a second from Seb, with Kalle third. Elfyn was fifth and the gap to Kalle in the lead grew to 8.3 seconds, with Seb a further 1.2 seconds back in third.

The short SS10 Harju 2 – 2.01 km was won by Seb from Thierry and Elfyn third.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the crews.

Classification after Day One

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 58:24.7 2 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +8.0 3 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +8.6 4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +25.5 5 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +48.5 6 S. Pajari E. Mälkönen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:31.0 7 G. Munster L. Louka Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:52.7 8 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +3:22.0 9 J. Latvala J. Hänninen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +3:46.1 10 R. Virves A. Lesk Škoda Fabia RS +3:53.3

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Kalle Rovanperä

“It was a really good day. The conditions were difficult for everyone and in the morning, I was struggling, so I tried to keep it steady. We also made some changes to the car setup with each stage and by the last one of the loop, we had found a better feeling. Then in the afternoon when the conditions were clearer, we could have better pace. Tomorrow will be difficult: long and difficult stages with a small gap, so nothing is decided. It’s always good to be fighting with team-mates as it means there are three Toyotas at the top!”

Elfyn Evans

“It was a day with changeable weather, so I’m happy to reach the end given how unpredictable the road conditions were. The grip was not too bad in some points but at other times it was quite tricky, and the cuts were quite muddy, so for once it was not a disadvantage to be running high in the road order. We managed to keep it mistake-free, and it’s been very close between the three of us so far in these difficult conditions. There are some amazing stages ahead tomorrow – but very demanding too. We have to enjoy them and try and get the most out of them.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m happy to be where we are in a podium place tonight. I think my performance level was not so bad after not doing this rally the last two years. This morning it was tricky to judge the grip in places. The conditions were more or less consistent, but there were still a couple of corners which were not easy to anticipate. This afternoon we lost a bit of ground to Kalle but we expected that and it’s been a positive day for the team overall. Everyone is looking forward to tomorrow as it features the best stages of this rally, including Ouninpohja. I haven’t done the first stage, Västilä, before so I’ll have to be on it against the others who did it last year.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning the conditions were very tricky and inconsistent. Some corners were slippery, some had good grip and it was very difficult to judge. But our loop was going quite well until the mistake I made at the beginning of the last stage. It was a very slippery corner, I went a bit wide and the rear snapped around and hit the tree on the outside. We tried to bring the car back to service but unfortunately the wheel didn’t stay attached and we had to stop. It’s disappointing because I wanted to push from the start and get a good result. Thanks to the team for fixing the car so we can drive again tomorrow: I will try to get back the feeling and do my best.”

Sami Pajari

“What a rollercoaster of emotions this day has been. The pace was good in the first stage this morning, but I made a silly mistake, damaging the rear of the car. But the afternoon loop was really good; on the first stage I was second-fastest behind Kalle and when the stages had conditions that I was used to and had experience of, then everything was coming to me quite naturally. I wasn’t chasing a stage win on Ruuhimäki, but it was a clean drive, and I was enjoying it. Even though the start of the day wasn’t so great, we didn’t give up; you need to refocus and keep going. It’s only my first day in a Rally1 car but it already feels like a long story! Thank you to everyone and to Toyota.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“I was fighting with the set-up in the morning, and I still was not completely satisfied with it in the afternoon. It was also difficult day for the team with us ending up being the only car left. We had to manage the risks we were taking with the championship and the struggle we had to find the right set-up. We lost 13 seconds today in the fight this morning: being first on the road with a blind corner, I braked far too early, and when I released the brakes and kept going it was a little too late. On some stages we had good grip, on others it was a disaster – it was constantly up and down today. Tomorrow, we return and hope to climb into the podium positions.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Of course, I am disappointed to end the day early, for both me and the team. I knew the ruts would be really deep, but I was not expecting to bounce back like that. I bottomed and the car then jumped out from the line, so I could not do anything more because we were already too close to the tree. We started to show good pace, and I think it would have been possible to fight with the Toyotas. Tomorrow I am hoping to get back out there and continue with the momentum we started to find.”

Ott Tänak

“Thankfully, both Martin and I are ok after the accident. We went wide, rolled over and hit a tree. I don’t think it was anything special – some rain, but all normal. Of course, it is a shame that we will leave scoring no points, but the most important thing is that we are fine following the accident. Martin will take some time to recover but the plan is to be in the car again in Greece.”

 

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a very good day. I’ve felt really comfortable with the car and quite confident in the driving. Of course, the conditions with the rain have made it quite tricky at times, but we’re here and here in a good place.

“I have been quite careful in places; we’ve been pushing at about 90%. OK, for sure, sometimes we’ve gone harder where you can be a bit more sure, for the grip, but mainly we have had a little bit in reserve. The biggest thing for us is the championship and we have to keep an eye on everybody who we are fighting.

“One thing which is quite tricky today is how spread out the WRC2 field is – some of the drivers we’re battling with are starting further down the field and they’re coming to the stages maybe half an hour after us. The conditions on the road can vary a lot in that time. Tomorrow we’ll all be a lot closer together, which will be more interesting.

“Tomorrow will be a really good day with Ouninpohja coming back. It’s the full-length stage that we’ve all be waiting for – I am very excited for that one. It’s one heck of a road!”

 

Saturday

The second day sees the crews tackle 144km’s over six stages. Who will be holding the top positions at the end of the second day?

It’s the third event in a row which is super-fast as the crews and teams head to what has been known as the gravel grand prix and also the rally of a thousand lakes.

Thierry and Martijn come again to this round as championship leaders as they have done all year with Ott and Martin now second in the championship seven points back and Elfyn and Scott third, thirteen points from the Belgian crew.

This is the ninth round of this season’s championship, and it is so close at the top in the fight for the drivers and manufactures titles. Just a single point separates Hyundai and Toyota as well.

Let’s take a look at the full championship standings as we come to this round.

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 8 (Latvia)

1	T. Neuville	145
2	O. Tänak	137
3	E. Evans	132
4	S. Ogier	117
5	A. Fourmaux	101
6	K. Rovanperä	86
7	T. Katsuta	65
8	A. Mikkelsen	29
9	D. Sordo	27
10	E. Lappi	23

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 8 (Latvia)

1	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	351
2	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	350
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	177

Let’s now hear from the drivers.

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Finland is a challenging but enjoyable rally. One of the most important things is a car you can trust in; you need grip and traction for the slower, narrow sections, but also good lateral grip and stability in the fast sections. Precision will also be key when going into the fast corners to ensure you position the car before you take off on the jumps. Of course, being on the podium here previously provides a confidence boost, however the cars and roads develop year-to-year, so the rally remains as challenging as ever. The target is still to defend our lead in both championships but also to enjoy this fast rally and really be in the game.”

Ott Tänak

“Rally Finland is one of my favourite events on the calendar. However, I know what a challenging and demanding event this can be and so I have a great respect for the unique characteristics of the rally’s profile. In order to be successful here you need two things: experience of the rally and confidence. I believe we have both of those elements going into this event and my aim is to try and take the maximum we can to consolidate the progress we made in Latvia.”

Esapekka Lappi

“It’s always exciting to be competing at a home event; the crowd brings excitement and at the same time pressure, both of which will motivate me to bring my best performance to this rally. The driving that we have done in Latvia will really support our setup here in Finland; the events are very similar, so everything we learnt will be brought into this event to help us take maximum points from our competitors. I was hoping for a podium in Latvia but unfortunately, we were far away from this target. Rally Finland provides an opportunity for redemption.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä  

“Every year, Rally Finland is quite a special occasion. Of course, it’s our home rally and one of the nicest events to do with lots of fans and family around. It’s always exciting and the stages are really nice but quite demanding also. Having legendary roads like Ouninpohja on the schedule this year will be amazing. Our approach and our target will be like on every rally we’ve done this year: try to do the best job we can to fight for the win and bring good points for the team. I haven’t managed to get the very best result on Rally Finland, but I don’t want to place any extra stress on achieving that. I just want to treat it like any other rally and try to do my best.”

Elfyn Evans

“Rally Finland is always a highlight on the calendar for me, and it’s going to be an important week for the team and for the championship. We’ve been strong there in the past and should have a reasonable base to work from, and with the testing we’re doing this week, we should be in a pretty good place to start the rally. The road cleaning effect is normally not as significant as we found in Latvia, so it’s usually possible to fight at the front, but we will have to wait and see how the weather conditions are in the days leading up to Friday. Overall, I’m looking forward to it like always: the roads are amazing to drive, and the best approach will be to enjoy it and see what comes.”

Sébastien Ogier

“Rally Finland is a unique event in the championship that I think every driver loves to drive. It’s also a difficult rally, where the local drivers have always been very strong, but this is the kind of challenge that I like, and it has been a rally that I really wanted to do again after a couple of years away. It’s also a home event for the team, of course, and I’m happy to be part of this strong line-up and I’ll try to bring everything I can to achieve the best team result. After a break from driving in really fast rallies, I think I had some good speed and a good weekend in Latvia and I hope to bring that to Finland.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Rally Finland is a rally that I always really look forward to. Having been living in Finland for many years, it is like a second home rally for me along with Rally Japan, and it was a really big thing for me to finish on the podium last year. I hope that I can fight for a similar result this year, but it will not be easy of course with so many strong drivers competing. The speed was there on the last rally in Latvia, and I had a really good feeling in the car, and I tried to build on this in my test day on Finnish roads earlier this week. So, I’m feeling fully confident for the rally and excited to push hard and enjoy it.”

Sami Pajari  

“I’ve been really looking forward to Rally Finland for a few weeks now. To make my Rally1 debut with TGR-WRT on my home event is going to be a really exciting moment. I’ve had some good test days with the team to help me get used to the car and prepare for the event, but it’s still going to be a big challenge: the stages in Finland can be really demanding with extremely high speeds and many tricky crests. The most important thing is to gain the experience and finish the rally. Of course, I’d like to show some pace as well, but it’s not so easy to set any target in terms of final result. The best approach is not to think about that, and just to learn and progress step by step.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“This will be my third time in Finland in a Rally1 car, it’s a rally I really like and shows the legacy of the championship. We’ve got a really famous stages back in the rally, Ouninpohja [32,98 KM], it’s going to be a big stage for the championship, and I’m pleased its back – it’ll be a new stage for me to do it at full-length! I’m just happy to be back in Finland and we’re hoping for another good result and to get back on the podium again.”

Grégoire Munster

“In terms of preparation for Finland, we’ve done some onboard comparisons with Adrien and Mārtiņš from the previous events, and it’s been valuable to learn the differences in driving style and the inputs in terms of braking in order carry to speed through these fast corners. So, we’ll try to use all that knowledge in Finland and look to get a good result.

“The thing with Finland is that we have some experience here and knowledge of the stages, there are always some new ones here, but we can prepare by watching the onboards, so we have some good insight heading into the recce and the rally itself.”

William Creighton

“I’m looking forward to experiencing my first Finland – it’s going to be a challenge on this type of event for our first time, but we’ll use the opportunity to work on making good pacenotes and build on our last event in Latvia.

“This is one of the most special events in the WRC and I have no doubt there will be lots of Irish support on the side of the roads this weekend!”

Skoda Motorsport / TokSport

Oliver Solberg

“This year is about the championship,” said Oliver. “Of course, we want to win rallies and if we keep doing that then the title will come, but at the same time we have to be clever. We took this approach in Poland; we didn’t make the final big risk and we took some good points for second place.

“Last time out [at Tet Rally Latvia] everything was just perfect – we were able to make some really good times and move into a good lead on the first day. After that we were managing the speed and the risk. That win was just what we needed. To win on those fast roads was good for the confidence coming to Finland.

“Last year was one of the most amazing results of my career in Finland. To finish sixth overall and to be setting the times Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and I were able to with the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 was incredible. We both loved that event so much, everything worked, and we were really flying – jumping in the lake on Sunday night was so cool!

“We start this rally looking for that same feeling again. If we can immediately get everything dialed and take the same speed, then I think we can have a good chance. But, like I said, the championship is the priority, and this is what we focus on.

“Finland is a place which is kind of crazy for the sport of rallying – it’s always such a pleasure to come and compete here, but it’s always such a big fight. This event always brings the fastest cars and crews and has some of the best roads in the world. It’s one of the highlights of the season.”

Summary

This is going to be very special as we have Ott and Elfyn who have won this rally in the most recent years. We also have the return of one of the most iconic stages with Ouninpohja returning to the stage lineup. Let’s take a look at the stages.

Rally Finland’s ceremonial start takes place in Jvyväskylä on Wednesday followed by Shakedown on Thursday and super special stage Harju.

On Friday the crews will tackle nine stages, with service splitting the 116.33km of competitive distance.

Saturday marks the longest day of the weekend, with six stages accounting for almost 50% of the rally’s total distance.

Extra bonus points are on offer to the seven fastest Sunday drivers, with four final stages set to be contested, including the Laajavuori Power Stage additionally rewarding the top five drivers.

Enjoy the rally!

The final day then of this incredibly fast rally. As with previous rounds the points for the final day would be given out based on the finishing positions from the first two days, and then the points handed out following the end of the results for Sunday.

The crews had 64km’s over four stages on the last day and the top three was Kalle, Seb and Martins, with Ott just a few seconds behind the Latvian.

First up then was SS17 Krogzemji 1 – 18.70 km and Seb was fastest from Kalle and Ott. Martins was just a couple of seconds behind the Estonian with the fourth best time and remained in third overall.

Into SS18 Mazilmāja 1 – 13.34 km and Ott was fastest in this one from Seb and Kalle. The rally leader was just managing his pace, but still very comfortable with a 40 second lead over Seb. Martins remained 12 seconds ahead of Ott and in third position.

Next up the penultimate stage, SS19 Krogzemji 2 – 18.70 km and Ott was fastest again from Kalle and Seb. The Estonian was now just 4.6 seconds behind Martins who was only ninth fastest following a missed junction.

Onto the final stage then, SS20 Mazilmāja 2[Power Stage] – 13.34 km and Ott was fastest from Seb, Thierry with Takamoto setting the same time as the Belgian and Elfyn fifth and taking the final power stage point. There was drama for Martins and Renars sadly as they suffered a problem with their transmission and they still had the full power in their Puma, just trying hard to get through the stage without losing too much time. Sadly, they dropped some much time they could only manage the slowest time, 33^rd and losing a minute 45 seconds to Ott as well. The Latvian crew fell to seventh overall but could definitely hold their heads high after a brilliant drive.

Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the crews.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Latvia

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	2:31:47.6
2	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+39.2
3	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:04.5
4	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+1:31.5
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+1:42.7
6	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+2:07.0
7	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+2:45.4
8	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+2:46.4
9	G. Munster	L. Louka	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+5:23.1
10	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Škoda Fabia RS	+8:37.9

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been a really great weekend for us and for the team. Latvia is a special place for me and my career and almost a home rally in a way so it’s really cool, to win the first WRC rally here. A big thank you to the team: I think we were very strong here, maybe more than we expected. Together with Seb finishing second, we took some more really important points for the team. Thanks also to Jonne: I think we did a good job the whole weekend. We will enjoy this result now and then look forward to Rally Finland which will be another challenge.”

Elfyn Evans

“Today was all about trying to get as many extra points as we could. On the whole it was not going too badly for most of the day, but to just fall short by a few tenths of a second in the Power Stage was annoying. At least it’s been a weekend where we gained some points, which is better than nothing. We always want to do better but it’s been a difficult weekend with the road cleaning, and we were always a bit on the back foot from there. Now we’ll look forward to Rally Finland which is always an enjoyable event.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m very pleased: a one-two was the target we wanted to achieve for the team this weekend. We’ve made a very positive step for the manufacturers’ championship. Unfortunately, today these two tenths didn’t go our way, a bit like in Sardinia, but I gave it my all and have no regrets. Kalle was untouchable this weekend, so very well done to him. On my side, I had a lot of fun in the car, and I’m pleased with my performance because it’s been almost three years since I’ve competed in this kind of very fast rally, and it looks like I still have some good speed.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This rally was hard until the very end. The stages were very nice to drive, and I really enjoyed the feeling in the car. But there were many new and different things to manage and unfortunately, I made the mistake in a chicane yesterday which cost us a lot of time. I’m still disappointed about that but I just need to forget about it and move on to the next one. At least the speed and the confidence was, there so it’s been good preparation for Rally Finland and I’m looking forward to that.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“We can at least say today was a good day. In the end, Saturday was not too bad pace wise. We managed to get back into a rhythm after a difficult Friday, where we definitely had the wrong tyre choice and were struggling with the set up. Losing the brakes on Friday’s final stage meant we didn’t have a good starting position on Saturday, so it felt like the cards were not in our favour, but we have managed to take the absolute maximum from today. Finland is next, and one of my favourite events – those roads are made for rallies. Toyota will be very fast again, but we will give it our all – we are always full attack.”

Thierry Neuville

“We weren’t surprised to be as hampered as we were this weekend; I don’t have anything to add but I want to thank the team for being resilient and supporting me this weekend, which was very important. We will continue to fight as we have done since the start of the season. We have another fast rally coming up in Finland, but it shouldn’t be as bad as this weekend as the repeated stages will be a big change to Latvia. I won’t give up and I will continue to fight, but eight gravel rallies in a row is very challenging, and three fast events back-to-back – which are not the ones I have been stronger at in the past – only adds to this.”

Esapekka Lappi

“Sadly, we suffered an engine failure on that final stage, but at least it happens now and not earlier in the weekend. Our settings on Friday were completely wrong on all three cars, but all of us were on much better form yesterday after we made changes. I think we were misled by Poland and my preparation rally, which had much sandier surfaces, and we went the wrong way with the set-up. I think we now have a good base to start from for Finland, and I certainly look forward to it.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“I think it’s been another strong result for us, we’ve been fighting with Elfyn, Taka and Ott throughout the weekend. We missed out on a bit of performance on Friday morning, which maybe also affected us on Saturday with our road position. But generally, we can be pleased with what we’ve done.

“Mārtiņš has shown some really good pace as well as us, and we have shown that the car is competitive on these fast roads. I wanted to get some more points on Sunday, but we had some issues with the aero which didn’t help us, but we tried our best and its still good preparation for Finland.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“This experience with M-Sport has been amazing, I was enjoying so much being here with the team. The team has become like a family now, we were really working shoulder to shoulder to get the result and I think we fit in well!”

Grégoire Munster

“Not the best event for us, we managed to show some pace on Friday afternoon, but from then on it became a bit more difficult. We wanted to change the set-up a bit for Saturday afternoon, but I damaged the aero on the landing of a jump, so that’s my bad.

“On Sunday we encountered some issues, which we’ll resolve for the next event. But it has been really good mileage which will hopefully help us on Rally Finland.”

William Creighton (Fifth WRC2)

“We’re super happy to get a strong result on our first fast gravel rally in the Fiesta Rally2. We have gained good experience this week and really enjoyed the sensation of these flat-out roads! Thanks to the MI Rally Academy for preparing me for the event, and M-Sport for all their hard work. We’re now looking ahead to Finland which is coming up very soon.”

Oliver Solberg (WRC2 Winner)

“This was a good result for us. We knew from the previous round in Poland that there are many fast drivers who like these quick gravel roads in WRC2 – I wanted to make a really strong start here to try to put a marker down.

“That started with a nice time on the Thursday night stage where we took 10 seconds from our nearest championship rival. Friday morning was tricky, it was so slippery in places with a lot of loose gravel around. We pushed and we pushed hard, and we were able to win the stages and make a good lead.

“Through Saturday and Sunday, we were trying to manage that gap and driving with a little bit in reserve. We had worked really hard to build this lead through the first day, we definitely didn’t want to throw it away with a mistake. It was a big relief to come through the final stage and take the win – it feels like quite a long time since our last maximum score in Sweden, so this one’s nice.

“The car was great, I have to say a big thanks to the whole team and to Elliott, who did his usual fantastic job.

“And, of course, I was happy to come back to Latvia. For me and my family it’s a special place to remember, this was where I started my career. It was cool to see some old friends and even remember some of the roads. I loved this one, it was a fun rally with some fantastic stages.

“With Poland and Latvia done, we’re now looking forward to the grandaddy of all the speed events and Finland in just over a week. I can’t wait.”

Summary

Well, what an incredible rally in Latvia, the 37^th country to hold a round of this championship. It was well organized, the fans behaved themselves and the stages were beautiful and quick!

In terms of the drive by Kalle and Jonne, their second win in a row is amazing. They made the most of their road position.

Seb and Vincent took second place, and some stage wins and in a strange way with the new points system scored more points than his winning teammate. The FIA and WRC will need to review this.

Ott and Martin had a number of problems on their way to third position – Brake problems and a banner across the stage on Saturday. They may have ultimately taken the position even without the problems with Martins Puma, and it was nice to hear his remarks at the end of the stage paying tribute to the Latvian crew.

Finally, Martins and Renars. What a fantastic drive by the Latvian crew, taking their first stage wins and almost taking a podium. I for one hope we shall see them again in a Puma soon!

Next round is the Grand Prix of Finland, Rally Finland!

The second full day of this rally got underway in bright sunshine just like the first day. Esapekka Lappi would open the road throughout the eight stages.

First up was SS9 Pilskalns – 18.87 km, the first of a number of stages that would only be run once. Kalle made the most of his start position and was fastest from Seb and Ott. The Estonian crews’ pace was impressive given their road position that put them ahead of the two crews that they were faster than. It just shows how good the 2019 world champions are at extracting pace from stages which are ‘sketchy’. They passed Adrien and Alex and were back into fifth overall.

Into SS10 Snēpele – 17.52 km and Kalle was again fastest from Ott and Elfyn. Ott was now just half a second behind Takamoto as well. Could they gain another position in the next stage? Elfyn and Scott were also closing on Adrien and Alex’s sixth place.

Next up was SS11 Īvande – 23.04 km and Ott’s pace took him and Martin to their first stage win of the weekend from Takamoto and Kalle. Martins was only seventh fastest and fell to third overall whilst Takamoto also dropped a position to fifth as Ott passed him.

The final morning stage, SS12 Vecpils 1 – 12.64 km would be the only stage run twice and Kalle was back to stage winning pace from Seb and Ott. Both Adrien and Elfyn gained a position on the leaderboard as Takamoto had a moment at one of the chicanes and nudged a tree on the exit. The result of this was that his Yaris suffered powersteering failure making it very hard to control the car and he dropped behind into seventh place.

After service SS13 Podnieki – 10.09 km was next up and Kalle was again fastest from Seb and Martins. This meant the Latvian crew would remain in third place as their closest challenger, Ott and Martin in their i20 would only be fifth fastest. Takamoto was back on the pace again and also faster than Thierry, just what Elfyn and the Toyota team needed now.

The second run of SS14 Vecpils 2 – 12.64 km would see some drama for two crews. First of all, Elfyn would run wide and take a stage side banner with him before finishing the stage. Next to finish was Ott, but then the stage was red flagged, and Ott had not finished the stage. It turned out that their Hyundai had come across a deflated arch in the road at the same point where Elfyn had gone off and this had become tangled up with the number eight Hyundai. Unsure how rally control had allowed this to happen and the three cars that had been affected with this in the stage were given notional times, those being Ott, Adrien and Takamoto. The stage was completed in the normal way with Kalle going fastest from Ott and Seb.

There was a stage win for Seb in SS15 Dinsdurbe – 6.64 km from Kalle and Takamoto. Further back, Adrien was driving well, making the most of his road position and edging away from Elfyn. Martins remained firmly in third overall and had a 6.3 second gap to Ott.

Just the short SS16 Liepāja City Stage – 2.56 km remained and Kalle was fastest from Takamoto and Thierry whilst Elfyn matched the time set by Thierry. There was more drama for Ott though as he could only manage the 29^th best time. The reason? Well on the jump in the stage something broke in the transmission and he lost around 14 seconds.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 1:58:55.6 2 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +42.5 3 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +47.2 4 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +1:08.0 5 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:16.4 6 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:34.3 7 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:46.0 8 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +2:33.9 9 E. Lappi J. Ferm Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +3:11.1 10 G. Munster L. Louka Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +3:40.9

 

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“I’m really happy, we need to be pleased with what we did today. The feeling in the car was quite good, and overall the day was more enjoyable than yesterday. We didn’t need to push so hard to be honest, and we had no moments or surprises, so it was quite a clean day. Together with Seb we are set to score some really good and important points for the team, and of course we will try to get more tomorrow. We have a good starting place so we need to try and use it the best we can. It’s not easy when you’re leading and you also need to secure the overall win, but we’ll try to keep a good pace and do a good job.”

Elfyn Evans

“Overall, I’m not so pleased with today. The morning was not bad but not perfect either, and then the afternoon didn’t go as well as we would have liked. We missed a bit of speed, and it didn’t feel so good behind the wheel. I just struggled for rhythm and also had a wide moment which cost us vital seconds. At least we’re on for some points from Saturday and now we’ll turn our focus to having a good run tomorrow. Based on the speed we’ve had so far with our road position it won’t be easy, but we have to give it a go and take what we can from it.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We didn’t have a perfect day today, but we can be happy to be in second place. This morning I was not happy with my performance. I didn’t push enough and made some mistakes which cost me time. The afternoon was quite short, but it went better, I think we had stronger pace, and a little setup change helped me. Kalle has been on another planet this weekend but by being in second place tonight we reached our target of a one-two for the team. Of course, Sunday will also now be important with the points available, but the second pass especially could be challenging with pretty rutted conditions.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning everything was working well, and we were able to fight and be close to the top times. Then in the last stage of the loop I made a stupid mistake in a chicane and did an overshoot. We could get back on the road but from the impact we lost the power steering and unfortunately, we lost quite a lot of time from this over the rest of the stage. It was not easy to go back out this afternoon with the same feeling, and the position at the end of the day is not what I wanted, but I’m enjoying and feeling confident with the car, and that’s important on these kind of roads.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“What a day. Probably after what happened in SS14, in the last stage we had a technical failure on landing, which seems to have broken the drive shaft and I couldn’t slow down anymore, but we were straight into a very slow corner – we had to use the hay bale to slow the car down. We definitely can’t say this is a very good weekend, as it had the potential to be so much better, but at least this part of the rally is done and tomorrow we start from scratch. We don’t need to focus on staying ahead but rather gaining as many points as possible from the event.”

Thierry Neuville

“We got through the day, making no mistakes, and managed to work on the car to see what we can improve. It was important to score those three points, which we need to secure tomorrow, but now we can take a bit more risk on Sunday as there is not much for us to lose. With only one repeated stage and lots of cleaning we did the best that we could today, and while it will still be challenging as third on the road tomorrow, we need to take everything we can from a weekend like this.”

Esapekka Lappi

“We discovered a lot of good things today – I would say it was definitely ten times better than yesterday, which was great for my confidence. I felt good inside the car, and it makes a difference to not feel uncertain all the time. We had much more grip than yesterday, so overall it has been a positive day. We have a base to work from now for both tomorrow and Finland, and I think we made some very interesting steps. Based on our experience today, having someone in front of us tomorrow will make a difference to our times on the stages.”

 

Oliver Solberg

“Today was about looking after the lead we made yesterday. The morning was tricky, the grip was changing quite a lot. If you were sliding too much or going off the line, it was fairly loose and abrasive and could use the tyres quickly. I was trying to drive a bit more conservatively.

“The stages were nice today, but you know me I would always like to be driving for longer! Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and I were sensible, and we know we have to do more of the same on Sunday. We want the points. It’s been nice to see the fans out there and the atmosphere around the event has been really enjoyable.

“I have good memories from competing in this country and I’m happy to be back.”

Sunday

The final day of action will see the crews tackle four stages and 64km’s. Can Martins and his co-driver Renars hang onto their podium, or will Ott come past them?

The first full day of action was fast and furious on these quick Latvian roads. The crews had seven stages to tackle, with three in the morning and four in the afternoon. Of course, Thierry and Martijn would open the road throughout the day. The interesting aspect of the day’s stages was that the afternoon would see two stages only run one time, making the Belgian’s task even more tricky as the championship leaders.

Of course, there was a stage run on Thursday evening and the top three after that stage was Kalle, Thierry and Seb.

Onto Friday’s action and first up was SS2 Milzkalne 1 – 4.99 km, a short sharp blast! Kalle was fastest from Seb and Takamoto. The top three overall was Kalle, Seb and Martins. Yep, the young Latvian in his Puma was on the pace and moved onto the podium positions.

What followed next in the longer SS3 Tukums 1 – 27.56 km will go down in history as the first stage win for Martins from Kalle and Ott. The Latvian crew were up into third overall, what an impressive drive! Ott was also on the move, gaining three positions and moving into fourth overall.

Next up was SS4 Andumi – 17.86 km and once again Martins was fastest from Kalle and Adrien. Further back, Gregoire passed Thierry and moved into ninth overall, whilst his championship challenger Elfyn was in sixth overall.

After the tyre fitting zone SS5 Milzkalne 2 – 4.99 km saw Seb take the stage from Takamoto and Kalle, with Martins setting the fifth fastest time. He remained in second overall, 3.7 seconds from Kalle. Adrien passed Elfyn in this one moving into sixth place, and he had his eye on the positions currently occupied by Takamoto and Ott.

Then it was back to SS6 Tukums 2 – 27.56 km and Kalle was fastest from Martins and Seb. Adrien was doing what he could to move further up the standings but was just being kept behind by Takamoto.

Into SS7 Strazde – 17.44 km and Kalle was again fastest from Martins and Seb, whilst Adrien was faster than Takamoto and edged a little closer to the Japanese driver, the gap just 1.6 seconds. Meanwhile Ott was having some technical problems with his brakes and was seventh quickest.

Time then for the final stage, SS8 Talsi – 20.52 km and Kalle was fastest from Takamoto and Gregoire. The Puma driver made a move up the leader board and into eighth place, whilst his teammate Adrien was up into fifth place as Ott continued to suffer with brake problems and both Takamoto and Adrien gained positions.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day One

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	1:08:44.5
2	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+15.7
3	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+21.6
4	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+33.2
5	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+38.5
6	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+38.8
7	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+52.7
8	G. Munster	L. Louka	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+1:10.2
9	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:23.3
10	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:27.4

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It was quite a good day. I didn’t have the perfect feeling, but we made no mistakes and I think we did a good job. This morning I wasn’t feeling so confident in the car, and the conditions were quite slippery. It was hard to change much with only a tyre-fitting zone and not a proper service, but we tried to improve the car and push more for the afternoon, and we found a bit of a better feeling. We kept it clean, didn’t push too much when the feeling wasn’t the best and still some good times came. The tyre strategy was also really good. We need to try and find something for tomorrow to have more of a consistent feeling but otherwise it’s been good.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been an OK day for us. The road evolution was quite clear with every car that passed: there was a lot of loose gravel, more than in Poland, and that’s made it harder to fight with the drivers starting behind us. There was not a lot we could do about it, so we just had to focus on doing the best we could, try to stay in touch and improve our road position for tomorrow. The feeling in the car was OK and the driving was not too bad, so I don’t think there was a lot more time left to be found. Our position will be a bit better for tomorrow, and every place helps, so let’s see what’s possible.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I enjoyed it a lot today, it was good fun in the car after a couple of years for me without doing this kind of fast event. I’m also happy with the performance. We’ve seen a massive cleaning effect today and although we were not in the worst position on the road, we only had three cars in front of us, so it was also slippery for us in some moments. I felt good in the car and the pacenotes were good. It’s positive to be where we are tonight, and it’s been a good day for the team. We’re not really in a fight with Kalle, but it’s an interesting fight for second and we will do our best to carry on like this tomorrow.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It went well today. The stages here in Latvia are nice and I’m enjoying them a lot. The roads all look quite similar and are hard to memorise, so I just needed to focus on the pacenotes, and they were working well. I enjoyed it in the car, it was feeling really good. This morning we tried a few things between the stages and found some positive steps: I just needed to be a bit more committed in my driving. In the afternoon it was difficult to manage the tyres over such a long loop, but still we were able to push in the final stage and gain a position which was good. So far it’s been much better than in Poland and I hope we can just continue like this.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Martins Sesks

“We’ve done a pretty good job, two stage wins: I didn’t expect that, we just have to keep the focus for the next two days. We have shown that we have the speed. It’s incredible, but we still have two days to go, and we are still learning. It’s faster with the hybrid, and we have started to understand. It’s really fun!”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“I was expecting to do better today, we were lacking speed quite a bit and we are not really where we expected to be at the end of the day. It was difficult to find a good balance; we have been trying to understand this all day, but we never found the sweet spot and that makes it hard to really nail it. We lost two places on that final stage so it will be tricky to fight for the podium, but those behind us are also quite close so we need to focus on managing the gap.”

Thierry Neuville

“A challenging day, but we weren’t expecting anything less before the rally started. We knew this was going to be our most difficult event of the season so far, and it is what it is. I tried to push hard, especially on that final stage, but I couldn’t do any more out there today.”

Esapekka Lappi

“A very difficult day. We struggled all day with no grip, I felt we were missing a lot of traction, and we were overheating the tyres because we were just spinning them around, causing a lot of tyre wear. I was trying so hard, but we had no speed. Let’s try to change something for tomorrow.”

 

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a good day. On the first loop in the morning, the road was quite loose and we were sliding in some places – in the long stage (SS3, Tukums 1, 27.56km) there were some quite big slides.

“I was pushing quite hard and taking some risks to try to build a lead and then for the afternoon it was about controlling the tyres and trying to take care of things. The driving has been good today and so has the feeling in the car. There was only a remote tyre zone, no proper service at lunchtime – sometimes you don’t take the full attack when it’s like this.

“We were a little bit careful in the last stage, there was some Tarmac in the beginning and I didn’t want to take any risks that could cost us all the work we have done so far.”

Saturday

The second full day of the rally will see eight stages and 104km’s, with six stages only run one time.

Who will occupy the podium positions at the end of the day?

Time for the eighth round of this season’s championship as the crews move onto the roads of Latvia. Still leading the way in the championship standings are Thierry and Martijn for Hyundai Motorsport.

Elfyn and Scott returned to second in the championship standings after the previous round in Poland following their podium finish and of course Ott and Martin had their problem with wildlife meaning they only scored points on Sunday and are third in the standings.

Let’s take a look at the stages and hear from the drivers.

Weekend at a Glance

Rally Latvia commences on Thursday morning with a Shakedown, followed by SS1 Bikernieki Track (11.13km) in the evening.

Friday, the longest day of the weekend, will feature eight stages, with only two remote tyre fitting zones splitting the 120.92km competitive distance.

Saturday will see crews tackle eight stages, six of which are contested only once, meaning crews will be venturing into the unknown for most of the day.

All eyes will be on the teams entering Sunday’s running, as the final service for the weekend will take place on Saturday evening, leaving a 64.08km distance to compete on the closing day of the event.

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Latvia is going to be another challenging rally, and it is always more difficult when you are first on the road and the first to discover the conditions. We know the surface of the event is very similar to Estonia, maybe even a bit faster, but Poland has helped us to prepare for a fast rally after a series of slower, more technical events. We’ve been watching a lot of onboard footage from other championships to learn the characteristics, the itinerary, and start to get a feel for tyre choices and set-up. I’m mainly focused on my two main championship rivals and trying to take more points from them, but it will be difficult – the cleaning will be massive, some stages aren’t repeated, and a lot of fast part-time drivers will be there, so while our expectations are not so high our motivation is to finish ahead of our rivals is strong.”

Ott Tänak

“I like driving these types of profiles, but while I have competed at this event in the past, I haven’t been there for over ten years. The roads are very similar to what we have seen in previous rounds such as Poland, where we had a very successful Sunday, and surface-wise it is comparable to our home event in Estonia. We weren’t able to demonstrate our full potential in Poland after our retirement on Friday, so hopefully Latvia will be a smoother ride. It is hard to say what to expect from the weekend, but we will try to extract the most out of Rally Latvia.”

Esapekka Lappi

“We competed at Rally Latvia in 2014, however it was a winter event at that time, so we won’t be able to transfer so much of our experience from so long ago. I’ve been studying a lot of videos and onboards from recent years, as well as discussing the characteristics and potential setup of the car with our engineer. Our Lithuanian rally will be very helpful, as seat time is crucial to get used to high-speed roads, and our last event was in Kenya – a very different rally to Latvia. We’re targeting the podium – everything is possible at an event like this.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“I’m looking forward to seeing what Rally Latvia is all about. On paper it could be quite similar in character to Rally Poland as another fast gravel event, but I’m sure that it will have its own specific challenges and we have to discover those and see the stages for ourselves when we get there. We had a pretty good feeling with the car in Poland and we hope to be able to carry that forward, and I believe we can still build upon what we learned that weekend. Hopefully we can continue our good momentum in the championship, enjoy the event and come away with some good points at the finish.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It was quite unfortunate what happened during our preparations in Poland. Now after some rest, and some good help from my medical team, I could recover pretty quickly and I’m looking forward to being back in a rally car in Latvia. The challenge of a new rally is generally something I like and that’s one of the reasons we added this event to our programme. The target for us will be to find the feeling for the very high-speed roads quickly after missing Poland, but I’m always excited for a new challenge and let’s see what we can do.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“I’m really looking forward to go back to Latvia. I have so many good memories from my early days there and I hope to see many friends and familiar faces next week. It will be a fast rally: a bit of a mix between Poland and Estonia in terms of character. I’m sure it will be really spectacular to watch and a big fight on the stages. It’s been seven years since I last drove in Latvia, so I don’t think that experience will count for much and I will be preparing for it like any new rally. Poland went well even in the strange circumstances we had, and I hope we can carry on the good feeling, and that with better preparation we can do a good job.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s going to be nice to go back to Latvia. My biggest memory from my last rally there is of probably the biggest crash of my career. It was one of my first ever rallies in Europe, so it was a long time ago and it will be a completely different story now. It’s going to be a totally new rally for most of the drivers, including myself, and I want to set a high target for the weekend. It will be a similarly fast rally to Poland, and I want to take the positives from there onto Latvia. We need to prepare as well as we can, and I’ve been looking at everything together with the team to improve and be better there.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“Latvia rally will be the second of the three fast gravel rallies this season, and I don’t really know what to expect! There aren’t as many jumps as in Poland, but it’s still a really fast rally with a loose surface on the top. After the great result we had in Poland, we want to try and match that and even better it if we can. It’s going to be interesting to see where we are when it’s a new rally for nearly everybody.”

Grégoire Munster

“I’m looking forward to Latvia as we found some good pace in Poland; the roads are quite similar here, just with a harder surface, but it’s still a very fast event in the fields and the forest. We will also have a good starting position, so we will try to benefit from that on the first day. I’m just excited to get started.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“After one day of testing, there’s still a lot to find out about what we can do with this extra speed of hybrid. We are well aware that on better-known roads, our attention to pacenote details has to be two times more. But it’s clear that our country’s first-ever WRC round is going to be a thrilling mix of speed and challenges – and that’s exactly what gets our hearts racing!”

William Creighton

“Latvia will provide a real change of pace from the first half of the season – our first proper fast gravel rally in a Rally2 car. The plan is to put the things we’ve learnt over the first half of the season to good use, but with a new profile of stages it will no doubt take a bit of learning from my side. All the prep is done now – I just want to approach the rally relaxed, enjoy it and get the best out of myself!”

 

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

“Latvia is where I started my career, I have some incredible memories from competing in this country when I was young and, of course, from the win in 2019. To make history like that, to become the youngest driver ever to win in ERC was something amazing for me back then – I never forget that one.

“Coming back to Latvia is really nice. The people and the support is very special here – and so are the roads. I remember having a lot of fun on these roads and I’m sure that’s going to be the same next week. Of course, everything is quite a bit more serious now, we are going to Liepāja chasing points in WRC2 and there’s a world championship to be won.

“I’m hoping we can settle in and find a good feeling straight away. The roads should give more support, I don’t think they will be so soft or rutted on the second pass. And, for sure, I think they will be as fast as the last round.

“Poland was tough, but we made second in the end. This time I really want to win. We have a pretty good record on these fast rallies and my win [among Rally2 cars] and sixth overall in Finland last year is definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. Another one of those would suit Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and me very well!”

Summary

It will be interesting to see who gets on the pace from the start. For the championship leaders it will be a case of damage limitation as they have to sweep the road throughout Friday’s stages.

Anyone of the top drivers could stand on the podium. Standby for action!

The final day then of this rally, the seventh round of this year championship. What would the stages bring to the results at the end of the rally and ultimately the championship standings?

Just 63 km’s over four remaining stages stood in the way for the crews to navigate. Of course, Ott and Martin returned to the action and were looking to fight for the maximum points available on the final day given the points structure.

First up then was SS16 Gmina Mrągowo 1 – 20.80 km and Ott was incredibly committed through this, setting such a fast time that even the later runners would not beat it. Kalle came closest but was still 1.2 off the time set by the Estonian crew, whilst Elfyn was third and moved into second overall as well. There was some drama for former rally leader Andreas as he took a hit on the rear right of his i20 when going through the narrow section of the stage, damaging the tyre and this led the bodywork to be damaged by the flailing rubber. He lost two positions, falling behind Adrien who was driving so well, the Frenchman was now into third overall.

Next was SS17 Mikołajki 1 – 10.73 km and Ott was fastest again from Adrien and Thierry, just nine tenths of a second covering the top three. The other news from this stage was that Thierry moved ahead of Andreas and the Belgian was now in fourth overall.

Onto the penultimate stage then, SS18 Gmina Mrągowo 2 – 20.80 km and this time it was rally leader Kalle that was fastest from Ott and Adrien third, again just 1.8 seconds covering the top three again. Andreas also dropped a further position, falling behind Martins, the Latvian now back into fifth place overall.

It was time then for the final stage, SS19 Mikołajki 2[Power Stage] – 10.73 km and Ott set the early pace before Thierry came through and beat his teammate’s time. Next to finish was Adrien who was ahead of Elfyn in the Sunday standings, and he would have a strong finish to the rally. Unfortunately, Elfyn had yet another puncture and after setting a good pace earlier in the stage there was a rock on the line which damaged the tyre on his GR Yaris. The Welshman lost more time and was only seventh fastest in the stage. The top five was Thierry, Ott, Kalle, Adrien and Takamoto.

Meanwhile Kalle and Jonne had taken victory for Toyota, their thirteen of their career, with Elfyn and Scott taking second position and Adrien with co-driver Alex was third for M-Sport Ford.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Poland

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	2:33:07.6
2	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+28.3
3	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+42.7
4	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+1:10.8
5	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1	+1:47.0
6	A. Mikkelsen	T. Eriksen	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+2:16.6
7	G. Munster	L. Louka	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+2:18.0
8	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+2:26.7
9	S. Pajari	E. Mälkönen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+7:50.7
10	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Škoda Fabia RS	+8:12.7

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“It has been an amazing week and quite a tough week: we have been working hard and I feel quite tired now! With the limited preparation we had, it was not so easy on this kind of fast rally where you need to keep pushing. I think we did everything we could, working all the time with the tight schedule that we had and keeping to our plan on the stages, and it all paid off in the end. Sunday was still an important day with many kilometres and technical stages. We tried to keep the pace we had yesterday, be safe enough to bring home the win but also grab some more points. At the finish we managed to bring quite a lot of points for the team, which was the aim for us when we got the call from the team on Tuesday, so I think it was a good idea to come!”

Elfyn Evans

“At the end of the rally our overall position is good. The Sunday points are almost just as important, and we tried to get as many as we could today. It was all going OK, but unfortunately, we had an issue in the Power Stage with a puncture: there was a rock on the line and there was not a lot I could do. We only lost a few seconds, but with this points system a small issue like that can penalise you a lot, so it was disappointing to finish the rally this way. Our speed this weekend was not bad: Friday was good with the road position we had and Saturday was also going well until the tyre issue. It’s definitely the case that the feeling in the car is much better than in the previous rallies. We need to carry that forward, build on what we learned here and look to do a good job in Latvia.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Congratulations Kalle, Jonne and the whole team for this result. For me, it has been a difficult rally. I was struggling a lot on Friday morning, and this cost me afterwards, with a more difficult starting position for Saturday and Sunday. It was hard to do much on this final day and get the good result we wanted for the team. At the same time, I was learning a lot about how to drive well in this kind of condition. We had some good sections and some good feelings, and we need to bring that to the next rally in Latvia, and also improve the things that were not so good so that we can be better there.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Mission accomplished. We knew this event would be difficult for us, but we kept the motivation high. There was no reason to push more than what we felt comfortable with considering we were first on the road on Friday and didn’t have great conditions on Saturday. There was no real chance for us to work on the set-up, so I just had to follow my gut and push hard for the Power Stage. We were balancing the risks we could take and the speed we needed to go, but in the end, we take home some good points and look forward to what is to come.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend. Had we not had the tyre off the rim, I think we could have kept the pressure on Kalle and be fighting for the podium. I felt we had a bit of bad luck as we had been using the banks tactically this rally to keep up the speed through the corners, but it is what it is. After that, it was just about getting the car to the finish to secure the points for the team.”

Ott Tänak

“We did everything we could today, but it is obviously a huge shame our weekend finished so early so we could not know where we could be. I’m sure we had the pace to compete, I had an OK feeling in the car and felt fine, so I am pretty sure the basis is there. Obviously, our road position for the past two days has made it difficult to make a conclusion; we need to carry on and hopefully improve a bit in between now and Latvia and see how we go there.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“For sure I have enjoyed my first time competing in Poland! The stages here are truly incredible, so unbelievably fast, and we can be really happy with the pace we’ve shown.

“It’s really encouraging to get a podium on the first of three fast gravel rallies, so I’m looking forward to Latvia and Finland. We’ve had three third places this year already, so now the goal is to reach for the top two positions.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“It was an incredible weekend. Every first time is very special, as I am so thankful for this opportunity to M-Sport, WRC Promoter, Rally Latvia, and our partners. We really did not expect to finish fifth. But I enjoyed every second of this active learning.”

Grégoire Munster

“We are quite satisfied with our pace, and we had our best stage result in stage four, being second fastest. The gap compared to the fastest has been reduced, so it is a step forward. We learned a lot this weekend that we can carry into Rally Latvia, where we will try to benefit from our start position and have a good result.

“We also managed to keep Takamoto Katsuta behind, who is a far more experienced driver and who is normally performing well on these types of rallies. We also missed out on a point on the Power Stage by a couple of seconds, but overall I’m happy about the weekend.”

 

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

““I’m happy with this result. Of course, you know me, I always want to win, but given the conditions and the place on the road and everything else, I think second here is as good as we could have hoped for and expected. “Running further up in the order on Friday, the road was quite dirty, and it was hard to find a clean line. Driving in those kind of conditions, there’s not so much grip around and it can be difficult to find confidence – especially when the roads are high-speed and narrow.

“Friday was a tough one. Saturday was better, the car was giving me a bit more confidence and things working more as we like it. We went into Saturday in fifth place and came out in second with some stage wins – I was happy with that.

“For the final day it was a little bit more of the same, the stages weren’t quite so fast – a bit more twisty and technical. We were around 30 seconds off the lead, and it wouldn’t have made sense to push all-out for the win. We came here needing some good points and we’ve done that. If I’m completely honest, I’m a bit disappointed. We won Royal Rally before this, and I was feeling good for the fast rallies.

“Rally Poland is definitely a little bit different to any event I’ve done before, with the soft surface and the ruts and it did take us a while to dial the car in. From here we go to Latvia for another fast event – I know those roads a little bit more, so I’m really looking forward to being back out in the Škoda in just over two weeks.”

 

Summary

Well, what a return to Poland. Let’s deal with the spectator problems first and this was the original reason this event was left off the calendar for the last seven years, with spectators standing in dangerous places in the last time this round was in the WRC in 2017. Sadly, on Friday and Saturday we did see a return of some people behaving in the same way and this led to some stages being red flagged, delayed and some crews being given notional times.

Let’s have a chat then about the top three.

First up Kalle and Jonne. What a drive from the champions. Receiving a call on Tuesday asking them to come and compete after the incident involving Seb and Vincent during recce and virtually zero preparation with special dispensation to complete a short recce after shakedown on Thursday, to then come through and take victory is incredibly amazing.

 

Next up their teammates Elfyn and Scott. They showed great pace all weekend, overcame two tyre failures to finish on the podium 28 seconds from the winner, who knows what would have happened? They have however closed the gap to Thierry and Martijn in the fight for this season’s championship, which is a good thing. They’ll hope that they can do the same thing in Latvia next time out.

 

It was another great drive from Adrien and Alex to a third podium of the season. They set a few top three times on a rally which they had never competed at before and delivered a consistent drive, avoiding any problems. It is fantastic to see the young crew really delivering and leading M-Sport Ford’s charge this year. Long may it continue.

 

Here’s the points standings –

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 7

1	T. Neuville	136
2	E. Evans	121
3	O. Tänak	115
4	S. Ogier	92
5	A. Fourmaux	91
6	K. Rovanperä	63
7	T. Katsuta	58
8	A. Mikkelsen	29
9	D. Sordo	27
10	E. Lappi	23

 

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 7

1	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	311
2	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	301
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	156

 

Next up is Rally Latvia taking place from the 18^th to the 21 of July, giving the teams and crews time to prepare. Look out for my preview ahead of that weekend.

The second full day of this rally would have 124km’s over seven stages. Could Andreas hold on to his lead or would the Toyota duo of Kalle and Elfyn move past the Hyundai crew? Of course, Ott and Martin would return to the action and open the road throughout the day.

Well, first up was SS9 Świętajno 1 – 18.50 km and Kalle was fastest from Elfyn and Andreas. The Finns pace brought the gap to Andreas down to just half a tenth of a second in their battle over the lead and amazingly Elfyn was only another 1.1 seconds back in third.

The slightly longer SS10 Gołdap 1 – 19.90 km was again won by Kalle from Elfyn this time, whilst the former leader Andreas fell to third place, 4.6 seconds behind the new leader. Thierry was third fastest in the stage and gained one place, moving into sixth overall.

Into SS11 Czarne 1 – 22.40 km, the longest stage of the day and Andreas hit back with the fastest time from Elfyn and Kalle and with the two crews behind the leader going faster, the lead which Kalle held was reduced to just 2.1 between them all.

The short SS12 Mikołajki Arena 3 – 2.50 km and Kalle was fastest from Thierry and Adrien. Elfyn was just four tenths of a second behind his teammate.

After the service break next was SS13 Świętajno 2 – 18.50 km and Kalle was fastest again from Andreas, whilst Elfyn had a rear tyre delaminate, losing all the tread but not fully exploding. The Welshman lost 7 seconds in the final sector of the stage and was now behind Andreas and in third.

Just two stages left then to decide the finishing positions at the end of Saturday and the first of these was SS14 Gołdap 2 – 19.90 km. Kalle was again fastest from Thierry this time and Andreas third. Elfyn still held third but was now 13.3 seconds from Kalle. Further back, Thierry, with his great pace was now just 2.4 seconds behind Martins who had driven brilliantly all day and was still holding fifth overall.

Time then for the final stage of the day, SS15 Czarne 2 – 22.40 km and Kalle made it six stage wins from seven, with Elfyn second fastest and Andreas third. The cool news was that Martins held off Thierry for fifth place at the end by just one tenth of a second. There were moments for both of the crews in this one meaning it could have gone either way.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

1 K. Rovanperä J. Halttunen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid 2:00:44.0 2 A. Mikkelsen T. Eriksen Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +9.4 3 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +16.1 4 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +37.0 5 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 +58.2 6 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid +58.3 7 G. Munster L. Louka Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid +1:24.5 8 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid +1:41.9 9 S. Pajari E. Mälkönen Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5:46.5 10 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Škoda Fabia RS +6:12.8

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä

“I tried my best the whole day. The morning loop was better than yesterday, but it was still tricky like expected for us with some small surprises. I would have wanted to be a bit faster there, but it was a good fight. The afternoons are definitely more enjoyable, as I know better what’s coming and can drive with more of a normal pace and feeling about the stages. Nothing is certain yet. The gap is small for tomorrow, which is still quite a long day with a different type of stages. I think it will be tougher than today, maybe the toughest day for me in terms of our preparation and pacenotes: we need to work a lot this evening and try to be quick tomorrow. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but we’ll keep trying our best.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a big fight out there today, especially this morning when it was all quite tight. It was a clean morning from our side, and we were feeling pretty good in the car. Unfortunately, we had a setback with the tyre issue in the first stage of the afternoon. It was very sudden, and I wasn’t sure what had happened at first. but we just lost the tread completely. We lost a bit of time, and when it’s this tight, that was pretty much the end of the fight for today. We tried what we could but couldn’t claw back the time. Still, overall, it’s been a better weekend for us up to this point. Tomorrow is a new day with a lot of points up for grabs. We’ve got to try and keep a good rhythm, keep doing what we’ve been doing all weekend, and see what that brings.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The feeling in the car today was much better than yesterday. The only frustrating thing is that the times were not so good, but I think this was coming from the conditions that we had with our road position. They were very difficult, especially during the second loop in the afternoon, running first on the road with a lot of cleaning. Even under braking it was difficult to know how much grip there was because there was a lot of sand in the ruts. When it was wide and high-speed without so many ruts, we could have similar split times to the leaders, but when it was narrow and rutted, I was losing a lot of time. Tomorrow I’ll try to do my best and improve my driving and try to find more confidence to push in the next two rallies.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Andreas Mikkelsen

“I think we have to be happy with our day, we drove really well today. Rovanperä is obviously very fast, so we have to take big risks. I took the risks I was willing to take knowing the car still has to finish for the points, so I was happy with the outcome. We used a slightly different strategy on the second loop with some more hard tyres, and on the first stage after service this looked like a good choice, but on the second and third stage the wear was not so high. Tomorrow, we need to keep the pressure on Rovanperä, there are 60 kilometres to do tomorrow so it’s a decent day with some tricky stages, so if we push it we can gain a lot of time. We will discuss it as a team and tomorrow we will see.”

Thierry Neuville

“We pushed hard across every stage today trying to catch the next two positions; we got Gregoire very quickly and we knew that if we wanted to catch Martins, we had to push more this afternoon. Considering there was still a lot of cleaning this afternoon, I think we have done a really good job. I am satisfied but really disappointed for that 0.1, I lost it in one corner and missed a few tenths there. We are struggling here a bit this weekend, but it is expected being first on the road, we knew it would be difficult being sixth overnight. The stages are really fast, they can be really fun when you are driving but then you look at the stage times and it’s not quite the same. Tomorrow we will push even harder and hope to close that 0.1 second gap to make it into the top five and bring home as many points as we can from Super Sunday.”

Ott Tänak

“Together with the team we decided to retire for the day after midday service in order to fully focus on tomorrow. Unfortunately, after yesterday we had to open the road today which is obviously pretty challenging here. We have still been trying to get into the rhythm for tomorrow where we can score ourselves some good points. Yesterday our running was very limited so our time on the stages this morning was important in understanding the speed and adjust to it so hopefully we can push for some Super Sunday points.”

 

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

“Generally, the day has been a little bit better today,” said the Monster energy athlete. “I think we’ve been in the top-three [WRC2] times all day, which has allowed us to climb back up a little bit.

“Tomorrow is going to be a big fight, with [Robert] Virves still quite close behind us. In the last stage today, me and Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] were just giving it everything. We were pushing like hell. We cannot do that all day tomorrow, but let’s see where we are and what the times are like.”

 

Summary

Well, what a day. Apart from a brief interruption with some spectators on the first stage just being in the wrong places.

What does Sunday hold for the crews then? Well, there are four stages with 63km’s before the end of the rally. Who will walk away with the top points from Sunday and can Kalle take the win, or will either Elfyn or Andreas move back up?