Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) won the Secto Rally Finland after Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) crashed in the penultimate stage. The French driver is now firmly in the fight for his ninth world title, while Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) minimized his losses with a second-place finish in Finland.
The WRC season continues to deliver Hitchcock-worthy moments, with Kalle Rovanperä taking center stage this time. The two-time World Champion was dominating the ninth round of the championship, his 'home' Rally Finland, entering the penultimate stage with a 45.8-second lead over second-placed Sébastien Ogier. However, a rock on the racing line sent the Finn's Toyota off the road, allowing Ogier to secure his third victory in six rallies this year, his 61st WRC win!
This result puts Ogier and Vincent Landais in an unlikely battle for the world title, given that the eight-time World Champion had planned a 'part-time' season with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
"It's hard to smile under these circumstances. A win in Finland is always pleasant, but we didn't want to achieve it this way. I feel sad for Kalle and Jonne, who had an incredible pace all weekend. We were unfortunate in Sardinia, where we lost a win on the last stage. This is motorsport. And it seems that now we will have to complete the season," stated the record holder of wins at the Vodafone Rally of Portugal.
Neuville extends lead
With Ott Tänak (Hyundai) and Elfyn Evans (Toyota) dropping out too early, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) finished second and made a good move in the championship, which he continues to lead, now with Ogier in second place, 27 points behind the Belgian.
Adrien Fourmaux also took advantage of Rovanperä's mishap to achieve his fourth podium of the season and his career in the WRC, further validating M-Sport Ford's investment with a third-place finish.
Making his debut with a Rally1, Sami Pajari seized the opportunity to shine, winning a stage overall with the official Toyota Yaris GR and finishing in a promising fourth place. Following in the footsteps of Latvian Martins Sesks, another young talent is knocking on the WRC's door...
In WRC2, Oliver Solberg (Skoda) dominated proceedings and strengthened his bid for the world title, finishing ahead of veteran Jari-Matti Latvala, who returned to experience the thrills of Rally Finland behind the wheel of a Yaris GR Rally2.
Finn Jesse Kallio (Ford) triumphed in WRC3, while young Australian Gill Taylor did the same in Junior WRC.
The Acropolis Rally of Greece is the tenth round of the championship, taking place from September 5 to 8.