Evans reclaims WRC lead as Rovanpera sets record
Elfyn Evans has five more 2025 WRC rallies remaining in which to defend his lead
- Published
Elfyn Evans reclaimed the World Rally Championship lead as he finished fourth at Rally Finland in a race won by home driver Kalle Rovanpera.
The Welshman could not keep up with Rovanpera's record-breaking pace as Toyota became the first manufacturer to fill the top five places in a race since Lancia did so at Rally de Portugal in 1990.
Rovanpera's average speed of 129.95km/h (80.2mph) over the four days was the fastest in WRC history as he won by 39.2 seconds, having led since Friday morning.
Hyundai's Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux were scuppered by tyre problems on Saturday to take the pressure off 24-year-old Rovanpera.
And while Evans can celebrate returning to the top of the standings, Rovanpera is now lying three points behind in second.
A mere 6.6secs separated Japan's Takamoto Katsuta, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier and Evans at the finish as they came in second, third and fourth respectively with Finn Sami Pajari completing the Toyota top five.
McErlean matches best effort
Estonia's Ott Tanak finished 10th as he dropped to fourth in the title race while conceding top spot to Evans, who had been knocked off top spot by the 2019 champion at Rally Estonia in July.
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean matched his best WRC result in Finland, finishing seventh.
It was a strong performance by the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland, who blended flashes of speed with consistency, as McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy were the best-ranked M-Sport Ford driver.
"It's such a special place to equal our best result for the season," said McErlean, who is his first season in the WRC.
"It's the most incredible rally, the most incredible speeds and most incredible experience".
It was a strong weekend for Northern Irish and Irish crews, as Aaron Johnston navigated Katsuta to second.
In the Junior WRC, Donegal's Eamonn Kelly and co-driver Conor Mohan claimed their first victory of the season ahead of championship leader Taylor Gill.