Elfyn Evans reclaimed the World Rally Championship lead after finishing fourth at Rally Finland, where home hero Kalle Rovanpera delivered a record-breaking performance to take victory.
Rovanpera, 24, dominated from Friday morning and never looked back, completing the four-day event with an unprecedented average speed of 129.95 km/h (80.2 mph) — the fastest in WRC history. He crossed the finish 39.2 seconds clear, securing Toyota a historic sweep of the top five positions, a feat not seen since Lancia at Rally de Portugal in 1990.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux saw their challenges fade after tyre troubles on Saturday, giving Rovanpera breathing room to seal his third Rally Finland crown.
The battle for the remaining podium spots came down to just 6.6 seconds, with Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta taking second, France’s Sebastien Ogier third, and Evans narrowly behind in fourth. Finnish driver Sami Pajari rounded out Toyota’s flawless top-five lockout.
While Evans celebrated retaking the championship lead, Rovanpera’s win moved him to within just three points in the standings.
Elsewhere, Northern Ireland’s Josh McErlean matched his best WRC finish with seventh, showing strong pace and consistency as the highest-ranked M-Sport Ford driver. Irish navigator Aaron Johnston also shone, guiding Katsuta to second place, while Donegal’s Eamonn Kelly and co-driver Conor Mohan claimed their first Junior WRC victory of the season.
With the title race heating up and Rovanpera closing in, the WRC heads into its final stretch with everything still to play for.
