Elfyn Evans, who won the race won by home driver Kalle Rovanpera, reclaimed the World Rally Championship lead with a fourth-place finish at Rally Finland.
The Welshman struggled to maintain Rovanpera’s record-breaking pace, making Toyota the first car manufacturer to top five positions in a race since Lancia did so at Rally de Portugal in 1990.
Rovanpera, who had led since Friday morning, led by 39.2 seconds, achieved his best average speed in WRC history of 124.95 km/h (80.2) over the course of four days.
On Saturday, tyre problems scuppered 24-year-old Rovanpera as a result of Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
And Rovanpera is now three points behind in second place, despite Evans’ recent triumph at the top of the standings.
McErlean matches his best effort
Ott Tanak, the Estonian driver, finished 10th, dropping him to fourth in the title race and giving Evans the lead after the 2019 champion had been sacked in July.
Josh McErlean, a driver for Motorsport Ireland’s Rally Academy, equaled his best WRC result in Finland.
The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland, who was the best-ranked M-Sport Ford driver with the help of McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy, put together a strong performance.
McErlean, who is entering his first season in the WRC, said, “It’s such a special place to equal our best result for the season.”
The most incredible rally, the fastest, and most incredible experience are all present.
Aaron Johnston led Katsuta to second place, which was a positive weekend for Northern Irish and Irish crews.
related subjects
- Motorsport
Source: BBC
Leave a Reply