Stage Flash SS18 Montim 1

Rovanperä beats Evans by 0.1 seconds; Stage winner Tänak up to seventh

A single pass through the 8.69km of the Montim stage was next on the itinerary. The damp surface meant that dust was not an issue: Tänak topped the times and moved ahead of Loubet and into seventh overall.

Sordo beat Katsuta by 0.3 seconds and whittled the Japanese’s hold on third down to just 0.9 seconds, but Evans was unable to make in-roads into Rovanperä’s lead and dropped another one-tenth of a second the flying Finn.

Car 69. ROVANPERÄ/HALTTUNEN

Extended his outright lead to 8.5 seconds by beating Evans by 0.1.

Car 8. TÄNAK/JÄRVEOJA

A time of 5min 34.3sec enabled the Estonian to overhaul Loubet and take seventh overall. He also closed to within 25.4 seconds of sixth-placed Breen.

Car 1. OGIER/VEILLAS

First on the road and a target time of 5min 40.9sec.

Car 6. SORDO/CARRERA

Closes to within 0.9 seconds of Katsuta in third place.