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    Kalle Rovanperä Dominates Opening Day of Secto Rally Finland in WRC Thriller

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    Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen Dominate Day One of Secto Rally Finland

    Secto Rally Finland, the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), saw Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen take a commanding lead on the opening day. The Finnish duo ended Friday’s nine stages with an impressive eight-second advantage over their Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who in turn hold a slender 0.6-second gap over the experienced Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais.

    Morning Loop Sees Ogier and Rovanperä Battle for the Lead

    The morning loop saw Ogier take an early lead after the day’s opening stage, but Rovanperä swiftly reclaimed the top spot on the following stage. Evans then went on to lead after stage four, only for Rovanperä to reassert his authority in the final stage of the loop and maintain his position for the rest of the day.

    Toyota Dominates, but Katsuta Retires After Crash

    Despite Evans’ best efforts to keep his teammate at bay, Rovanperä’s relentless pace saw the gap whittled away over the course of the afternoon. The Toyota 1-2-3 formation heading into the final stage of the morning loop was disrupted when Takamoto Katsuta’s car suffered terminal damage after hitting a tree, forcing the Japanese driver to retire.

    Tänak and Järveoja Crash Out of the Rally

    The sole surviving Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid belongs to championship leader Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, after a heavy crash involving Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja in stage three. Tänak reported that they “went wide, rolled over and hit a tree,” with Järveoja remaining in the hospital for observation.

    Solberg and Edmondson Dominate WRC2 Category

    In the WRC2 category, Oliver Solberg and Elliot Edmondson in their Toksport-run Skoda Fabia RS have dominated the proceedings since the opening Super Special stage on Thursday. The battle for second place in the class has been fierce, with Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala currently holding the position ahead of the Skoda of Robert Virves.

    “With nine stages completed on the fast and challenging Finnish roads, the scene is set for an exciting conclusion to the Secto Rally Finland over the weekend. Stay tuned for more updates as the action unfolds.”

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