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Kalle Rovanpera was the driver to beat in the 2022 Rally Estonia
Kalle Rovanperä took a giant step towards his fifth victory in six FIA World Rally Championship matches with a superlative in Rally Estonia on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Finn, who became the youngest event winner in history on the country’s roads 12 months ago, set seven consecutive fastest times to demoralize teammate and early leader Elfyn Evans.
Rovanperä relegated Evans to the night in Friday’s final speed test by 11.7 seconds. After conceding a handful of tenths to the Welshman in Saturday’s opening test, he was almost untouchable for the rest of the day to widen the gap to 29.1 seconds.
Showers and sunshine provided inconsistent grip on the super-fast gravel roads in the morning, while more rain and deep ruts presented a different challenge this afternoon. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver remained imperturbable, insisting his performance was ‘nothing special’.
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“I felt like we were riding well and pushing pretty hard all the time, but still managed the risk a little bit,” he said.
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Elyfn Evans has not been able to keep up with the pace of his teammate Kalle Rovanperä.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of pace left, but it’s not always going to the limit. I don’t have to push the car and the tires in the rough spots, we go all the way.”
Evans’ own run of five fastest times on Friday, which put him nearly 20 seconds ahead of his GR Yaris-riding colleague, was a distant memory and he admitted it would be a good chance to beat Rovanperä in Sunday’s final stage. overhaul.
“Realistically it’s a pretty big gap for a rally where you have to constantly chip in time,” he said.
“I had no answer this afternoon, all day to be honest. He’s been very, very good.”
Hyundai i20 N teammates Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville came in third and fourth after drama-free days. Tänak followed Evans by 42.4 seconds and had almost 70cseconds in hand over the Belgian, who inherited the position when Esapekka Lappi changed a wheel after a hard landing.
Neuville was not pressured by Takamoto Katsuta in fifth and tested several settings in the afternoon. Katsuta, driving another GR Yaris, relegated Adrien Fourmaux to sixth in the morning and was 10.9 seconds ahead of the Ford Puma man.
Sunday’s final stage is the shortest, but still has a healthy action of 77.98km. Two identical three-stage loops lie in wait for the podium ceremony in Tartu. The Kambja test at the end of the rally forms the Power Stage, with bonus points for the fastest crews.
Hayden Paddon’s involvement in Rally Estonia ended mid-Friday when he tested positive for Covid-19.