Kalle Rovanperä put himself hard after the World Rally Championship in Croatia – Esapekka Lappi, who finished third, sent an emotional thank you to his team

British driver Elfyn Evans drove to a comfortable victory for Toyota in the World Rally Championship in Croatia. by Thierry Neuville after driving out on Saturday, Toyota driver Evans took the top spot and held his position until the end.

At the same time, the 34-year-old driver took his first victory in almost two years. The last time Evans won the World Rally Championship was when he took first place in Finland.

Driving M-Sport’s Ford Ott Tänak was another. Neuville’s Hyundai teammate Esapekka Lappi was third. Last time Lappi was on the podium in the Belgian and Finnish World Cup rallies last year. Kalle Rovanperä was fourth.

Neuville led the rally on Saturday morning by more than 10 seconds, but the Belgian drove the EK11 out on the right-hand corner and wrecked his car. The back of the car first hit a concrete well and the front hit a tree.

– Probably the dirt just surprised me. Turned in a bit too early and had to fix it, but there was clay in it and the car wouldn’t turn anymore. Takakulma went skating, Urheilu’s expert Henri Haapamäki stated about Neuville’s drive out.

Haapamäki blamed the situation on the driver’s driving error. It was not the first time that the Belgian driver made a mistake while in a good position in the race.

– Yes, these pretty bad meltdowns have come from a leadership position quite a few times. You would think that little by little we would start to learn from them and things would be developed, Haapamäki said directly.

On Saturday afternoon Ott Tänak seemed to be challenging Evans for real, but Tänak’s pace froze as Saturday night progressed. Tänak had problems at least with his car’s handbrake, which hindered driving. On Sunday, there was no more struggle for victory, as the M-Sport driver settled for second place.

For the Finns, the rally became a source of joy Esapekka Lapin third place. Saturday in particular was difficult for Lapland. The Finn complained about the car’s poor grip and lack of confidence throughout the day.

– Self-confidence is lacking at the moment. When there is no traction, self-confidence disappears, Lappi said directly at Saturday’s daycare.

However, Lapland’s gap back was so big after Friday that on Sunday he was able to secure himself a place on the podium. The World Cup rally in Croatia was overshadowed by a Finnish teammate by Craig Breen death in pre-race tests.

– Huge thanks to the team. They gave a chance to get over the hump that might have come last week. They let themselves decide whether to drive. Sensible driving. The ride was maybe not what it should be, but we will try to drive harder in the next race, Lappi described at the end of the Power Stage.

Ogier and Rovanperä rally ruined on the opening day

Reigning World Champion Kalle Rovanperä had the second fastest pace on the Power Stage after Neuville.

The rally got Rovanperä and his teammate Sebastien Ogier’s regarding the minor winning start right away on Friday. Both Toyota drivers suffered a flat tire in the second special stage of the rally, at the same point of the model. Time was wasted changing tires and the gap to the top grew to more than two minutes for both.

Rovanperä’s tire change took a little longer than the Frenchman’s, but Ogier received a one-minute time penalty at the end of the day. The eight-time world champion took off before the driver’s seat belts were properly fastened, and the judges did not ignore this.

Rovanperä drove a total of six special stage bottom times in Croatia. The momentum seemed to be found especially on Saturday, but the gap to the top was too much after Friday. In addition to the flat tire, the Finnish champion was not satisfied with his car on the opening day.

– The car was not as I would have liked in the morning. We made changes in maintenance that worked as I expected, Rovanperä commented at the end of the day.

On Saturday, we saw the more familiar Rovanperä. This also pleased Haapamäki.

– Looks really good. Now I’ve got the joy and hunger of driving back, he assessed on Saturday after three o’clock in the morning in Rovanperä.

Before the Power Stage, Rovanperä did not believe that he could defeat Neuville in the battle for extra points. According to Suomalaistähte, Neuville managed to get through the section on a cleaner road. Rovanperä also pushed himself hard after the Power Stage.

– Difficult weekend. On my part, I have to prepare better for these games. You can’t waste time on Friday having to adjust the car, Rovanperä told the rally.