Reigning WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera and Elfyn Evans crash out of Rally Finland, handing the lead to Sebastien Ogier and boosting Thierry Neuville’s championship challenge. This dramatic turn of events has shaken up the WRC standings with four rallies remaining.
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Kalle Rovanpera, the two-time World Rally Championship (WRC) champion, has taken the rally world by storm at the prestigious Rally Finland. Rovanpera’s impressive performance on the legendary Ouninpohja stage has opened up a commanding lead, putting him on course for his first-ever Rally Finland victory.
Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen have taken a commanding lead on the opening day of the Secto Rally Finland, the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The Finnish duo ended Friday’s nine stages with an impressive eight-second advantage over their Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the rally over the weekend.
Sami Pajari, the young Finnish driver contending for the WRC2 title, has secured a remarkable maiden WRC stage win at the iconic Rally Finland, beating eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier in the process. This milestone achievement has firmly placed Pajari on the map as a rising star in the world of rallying.
Reigning World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera led a Toyota 1-2-3 at the grueling Rally Finland, making a strong start to his bid for a maiden WRC home win. Running a part-time program, the Finnish phenom tamed the challenging wet conditions to finish 8.3 seconds ahead of title contender and teammate Elfyn Evans.
In a major blow to Ott Tänak’s Dakar Rally title hopes, the Hyundai driver has been forced to retire from Rally Finland following a dramatic crash during Friday’s stage. The incident resulted in significant damage to Tänak’s car and left his co-driver requiring hospital observation, dealing a serious setback to the team’s championship ambitions.
M-Sport, the renowned rally car manufacturer, is hopeful that the impressive debut of its non-hybrid version of the Ford Puma World Rally Championship (WRC) car will help stimulate sales of its Rally1 vehicles. Rising star Martins Sesks put in an eye-catching performance in the non-hybrid Puma, finishing fifth overall and winning a stage, showcasing the car’s competitiveness despite the lack of a hybrid system.
In a revealing interview, former Formula 1 race winner and current AF Corse Ferrari Hypercar driver Robert Kubica has expressed his lingering affection for the World Rally Championship (WRC), while confirming that any potential return to the discipline would be for ‘fun’ rather than competition. Kubica’s focus remains firmly on his WEC commitments, where he has witnessed firsthand the recent surge in manufacturer interest, with nine marques now represented in the Hypercar/LMDh class.
In a dramatic turn of events, Ott Tanak, a top contender in the World Rally Championship (WRC), found himself involved in a high-speed crash during the Rally Estonia. Tanak and his co-driver Martin Jarveoja were driving a WRC-specification Hyundai i20 Rally1 car in the national class of the event, but their plans were derailed when Tanak lost control of his i20 N at high speed, leading to a dramatic roll before the car came to rest in a ditch. Fortunately, Tanak and Jarveoja were unharmed and are now preparing for the upcoming WRC rounds in Latvia and Finland.
In a major step towards inclusivity, the World Rally Championship (WRC) has announced an exciting new program to increase female participation in the sport’s top tiers. The ‘Beyond Rally’ initiative will offer a fully-funded drive in the 2025 Junior WRC championship to aspiring young female drivers, aiming to bridge the gap and see more women consistently competing at the highest levels of rally racing.