Kalle Rovanperä drove to one of the most convincing World Rally victories of his career in Estonia. The reigning world champion defeated the runner-up by Thierry Neuville With 52.6 seconds, the third driver Esapekka Lapin With 59.5 seconds and in addition, Rovanperä throttled to an overwhelming victory on the Power Stage that ended the race.
Rovanperä was the fastest on the Power Stage by two seconds ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans.
– This was an important competition. In terms of the championship, it was important to get good points. The plan was this. Estonia is my favorite race in the World Cup. I knew we had to push here. It went well, Rovanperä, who captured the lead in the World Series, said.
Rovanperä now won the Estonian World Rally Championship for the third time in a row, but the competition will not be included in the World Series next year. Instead, the World Rally Championship is held in Latvia in the Baltics.
– I love this country. A big thank you to the fans, Finns and Estonians. Estonians also support me. I love this rally. Organizers and all. It is a pity that the rally will not be included next year, Rovanperä said emotionally.
The Estonian who has been called Rovanperä’s toughest challenger Ott Tänak lost his chance even before the race got into full swing. Tänak’s engine was changed and he received a five-minute time penalty.
– It’s a pity that we couldn’t fight with Otti now. I believe he will show his speed in Finland, Rovanperä pointed to the next World Rally Championship race on the gravel roads of Central Finland.
Rovanperä won a total of 15 special tests out of 21 possible in Estonia. There were no less than 13 consecutive bottom times. In the 21st century, only one of the biggest legends of the sport, a nine-time world champion, has been able to achieve a harder performance than this Sébastien Loeb.
In his career, he caught 14 consecutive bottom times in one rally. Loeb did the trick in the Cyprus World Rally in 2005. However, two of the bottom times came as a calculation, so to speak, when the special test was stopped after a competitor’s car caught fire.
Loeb also won thirteen special stages in a row in the 2008 German World Rally Championship and twelve in the 2005 Corsica World Rally Championship.
The victory was Rovanpera’s tenth career in the WRC class. The master driver’s self-confidence was reflected in the interview after Sunday’s second half-time, in which the driver quoted a Finnish rally legend Markku Alenia.
– If I want to ride the soles, I ride the soles, Rovanperä piped up after Kambja 1, changing the language in the middle of everything from English to Finnish.
The expert ran out of words on Saturday
On Friday, Rovanperä did a guaranteed job as the first car in the special tests. In the role of a ploughman, Rovanperä drove hard enough, but especially surely. ‘s expert Henri Haapamäki emphasized the 22-year-old driver’s ability to adjust his speed according to the situation in the middle of the rally. Rovanperä is certainly driving in difficult conditions, but he accelerates his pace at the right moments.
– It is by no means easy. The risks and the possibility of failure increase a lot, says Haapamäki.
Rovanperä scored a decisive blow on Saturday, when he won every special test of the day. He took full advantage of the better starting position he had on Friday.
Before Saturday, the gap to Neuville was three seconds in favor of the Finn, but by the end of the day the gap had widened to as much as 34.9 seconds. Neuville suffered a small flat tire in the 12th special stage, but the slowly deflated tire probably did not gain more than a few seconds.
– I’m running out of praise verbs and adjectives, there are no words. An unfathomable performance, Haapamäki made Rovanperä glow in the middle of Saturday’s driving day.
Saturday’s superiority was illustrated by Rovanperä’s performance at the Otepää special test known for its hard jumps. Several drivers managed violent jumps and descents after the special test. Rovanperä set a record time of more than four seconds for the 11 km special test and smiled at the finish interview.
– The time looks pretty good. To be honest, I f*lvetly tried the whole special exam. This is enjoyable. The jumps are violent, but they are entertaining for the fans, he painted after Otepää 2.
As a cherry on top of the cake, Rovanperä also took the short and technical public special test that ended the day. And again it was time for an interview that stuck in the mind of rally fans.
– I oiled the filter before the special test, but it was so sandy that I had to change it almost halfway through, Rovanperä elaborated.
Emotional thanks to Hyundai from Suni, also remembered Craig Breen
On the final day, Rovanperä continued where he left off on Saturday. The gap to Neuville increased by more than ten seconds in the first three special stages of the day. Rovanperä emphasized in the interviews that you don’t have to put everything in the game, but you can drive completely your own way and enjoy.
Esapekka Lappi seemed to be seriously challenging Neuville for the second place, but in the second special test of the day, Neuville beat his teammate and the gap grew to almost ten seconds. However, Lapland was able to keep its fourth place by Elfyn Evans also almost ten seconds away.
– Of course, this has been a strong weekend from the team. We have been closer to Toyota than we all expected. We are still too far. Gotta keep working. Thanks to the team. Only (at the beginning of the race) the hybrid failure, which was my own fault, Lappi said at the end of the rally.
Teemu Suninen drove his first rally with Hyundai’s Rally1 hybrid. Suninen’s work was certain throughout the weekend. He was a fine Fifth in the final results and was able to cover the Toyota Takamoto Katsuta like M-Sport by Pierre-Louis Loubet. Suninen joined Hyundai’s number one team in a Rally1 car after the team’s third car Dani Sordon shared with Craig Breen died in the tests of the World Rally Championship in Croatia.
– It has been a really special feeling. I’m sure Craig has been following me all weekend. It would have been great to have a podium finish for Craig. I didn’t succeed in that, but I’ve tried my best. This has been a really emotional rally. A big thank you to Hyundai and all the team employees. It has been a wonderful working environment, praised Suninen.
in the WRC2 class Sami Pajari drove a great rally and was second by Andreas Mikkelsen double cloth. Emil Lindholm was the third fastest in the class Oliver Solberg wrecked his car on Saturday. This is how he lost his chance for the top positions, even though he drove numerous bottom times after this.
1. Kalle Rovanperä Toyota 2.36.03,2 2. Thierry Neuville Hyundai + 52.6
3. Esapekka Lappi Hyundai + 59.5
4. Elfyn Evans Toyota + 1.06,7
5. Teemu Suninen Hyundai + 2.21,0
6. Pierre-Louis Loubet M-Sport + 3.09,9
7. Takamoto Katsuta Toyota + 3.10,2
8. Ott Tänak M-Sport + 6.25,5
9. Andreas Mikkelsen’s Skoda* + 9.54,1
10. Sami Pajari Skoda* +10.03,8
*) WRC2 class driver
The Rally World Series continues in Jyväskylä in a week and a half. Ralliradio follows the events of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship live from start to finish. In the app and Urheilu’s website, you can see all the highlights of the race fresh.