Hey, so get this – Kalle Rovanperä is like, on this insane mission in Finland right now. He’s totally leading the way for Toyota Gazoo Racing, and the guy might just snag a historic home win. Seriously, it’s like they’re sweeping the top spots or something. But okay, let’s backtrack a bit.
So, picture this: Rovanperä’s got a comfy 34.6-second lead after Saturday’s drama-filled day. Meanwhile, Hyundai’s top guys, Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, both got nailed by the same freak tire disaster. Talk about bad luck, right? It’s like they hit a cursed patch or something, tumbling from the podium straight into frustration.
Earlier in the day, Rovanperä had his own tire misadventure. But, he just shrugged it off and kept his cool, at least well enough to stay ahead by 14.7 seconds by lunchtime. Then boom! The afternoon chaos took a wild turn. Neuville and Fourmaux got hit again, dropping them into the sixth and seventh spots. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up.
Sunday might just be his day for that first home win, but Kalle’s not celebrating yet. Dude knows he’s gotta survive the super tricky Ouninpohja stage—twice! He remembers last year’s disaster all too well. “It’s gonna be a big day,” he said, probably with fingers crossed.
Takamoto Katsuta, now unexpectedly in second because of Hyundai’s mishaps, is grinning a bit brighter. But hey, Ogier’s just breathing down his neck, chasing at a mere 6.8 seconds back. Elfyn Evans isn’t far behind Ogier either—there’s barely a second and a half there. It’s like a suspense thriller, and Toyota’s owning that storyline.
Evans is eyeing the championship; meanwhile, Ott Tänak’s kinda out of the picture thanks to a five-minute WTF moment on Friday. No joke, Tänak’s down in the dumps—but you know, still plotting to snatch something during the Wolf Power Stage.
Neuville and Fourmaux? Yeah, just damage control down there, lagging behind Pajari by a minute, with just 24 seconds between their simmering frustration.
Oh, and there’s Mārtinš Sesks from M-Sport Ford, who had this bizarre situation with rain fogging up his windshield. So yeah, he had to pull over and fiddle with that for like, two minutes. There goes his place in the top ten. Life, huh?
Tomorrow everything wraps up with the legendary Ouninpohja stage—twice. And some action at the famous Kakaristo area where all the festivities are going down, regrouping, podium shots—the whole shebang. It’s gonna be epic, or a complete train wreck. Kinda can’t wait to find out which.
