Kalle Rovanpera lost an elusive home win after he and his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans both crashed out on the penultimate stage of the 2024 Rally Finland.
In a stunning turn of events at the 2024 Rally Finland, reigning World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera and his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Elfyn Evans both crashed out during the penultimate stage, dramatically changing the landscape of the competition.
The separate incidents not only dashed the Finn’s hopes for a home victory but also watered down his teammate’s championship hopes as he left the event without any points.
Rovanpera, who was leading the rally and appeared poised to secure his first win in Finland, encountered a hidden rock in the line of a medium-speed left-hander during the final section of the 19th stage, Sahloinen-Moksi.
The 23-year old clipped the rock, causing his Toyota to veer off the road and crash into the trees. He described the moment as “unbelievable,” stating that he felt powerless to prevent the crash despite having delivered a perfect run up to that point.
Elfyn Evans faced his own misfortune shortly after Rovanpera’s crash as he lost control at the very first corner of the same stage, resulting in an immediate retirement from the rally.
The Welsh driver explained that he suffered understeer entering the corner, which led to over-correction that sent his car rolling into the trees. Fortunately Evans and his co-driver were unharmed in the incident and quickly exited the car to clear the road of debris.
The crash not only ended his chances of a strong finish but also complicated his bid for the World Rally Championship title, as he was already trailing series leader Thierry Neuville by 13 points prior to the incident.
The challenging event that had Evans trying to salvage only the 12 Super Sunday points came to an early end with the crash. Despite holding onto second place at the end of Friday, the Welshman’s chances of winning were eliminated on Saturday due to a driveshaft issue.
After that, Evans was forced to start the race 16 minutes later than planned due to a broken driveshaft that further damaged the vehicle and necessitated a lengthy repair which led to a 2 minutes and 40 seconds penalty, keeping him out of contention for Saturday points.
The crashes opened the door for Sebastien Ogier, who capitalized on the situation to take the lead. He now sits 42.5 seconds ahead of Neuville, positioning himself as the favorite to win as the competition comes to an end.
