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Rovanpera Triumphs at Rally Poland Amidst Controversy
Elfyn Evans secured his third runner-up position of the season as Kalle Rovanpera claimed victory at Rally Poland, finishing a notable 28.3 seconds ahead of his fellow Toyota teammate. Rovanpera, the reigning 2023 world champion, made a surprising late entry into the rally, stepping in after Sebastien Ogier of Toyota suffered a crash during reconnaissance prior to the event.
During the rally weekend, Evans garnered 17 points, effectively narrowing his gap to the current World Rally Championship (WRC) leader, Thierry Neuville, who managed to finish in fourth place. Nevertheless, Evans’s quest to reduce the deficit further was thwarted by a puncture on the final stage, which also cost him the opportunity to secure powerstage bonus points.
“We hit a rock on the line in an entry to a corner; it was too late before we missed it, but there you go,” Evans expressed, visibly frustrated after the incident.
Neuville clinched victory in the powerstage, adding five points to his total, bringing his overall tally for the rally to 14 points. He now leads the championship by 15 points over Evans, who has ascended to second place, having commenced this round from third, sharing points with Ott Tanak.
In the wake of his performance, Rovanpera advanced to sixth place in the standings, having accrued 27 points in just his fourth rally appearance of the year. “It’s quite an amazing week. Not so normal,” Rovanpera reflected. “I have to say, we have been working quite hard, and I’m really feeling tired now. I think the best thing is we came here; it was not a bad idea to come. For sure, we helped the team a lot, and we took some really good points for the teams’ championship, so we didn’t waste our time.”
Evans faced additional challenges while striving for his first victory of the 2024 season. On stage 13, he lost valuable time due to a delaminated right-rear tire on his GR Yaris Rally1, which inflicted damage to the vehicle’s bodywork. However, he was not alone in his misfortunes during the event.
Ott Tanak, who had initially led the race, was forced to retire on Friday after an unexpected encounter with a deer, resulting in significant damage to the front of his Hyundai at a speed of 117 mph. Meanwhile, Andreas Mikkelsen from Hyundai saw his hopes for a first WRC victory in nearly eight years dashed by a puncture incurred when he clipped a bank in the opening stage on Sunday, while running in a strong second position ahead of Evans.
Adding to the woes, Ireland’s Josh McErlean faced difficulties in his WRC2 campaign after hitting a bale placed against a tree, leading to the right-rear wheel detaching from his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.
This year’s Rally Poland was reinstated in the championship after a seven-year absence due to safety protocol violations. Despite the excitement of the rally, it experienced some spectator safety issues; both stage three and stage seven were cancelled because fans were positioned in dangerous areas. Evans commented on the matter, stating: “It is very annoying, but I don’t also know what anybody can do. These stages are not thrown out for fun; it’s pretty serious to cancel a stage – but they also have a responsibility to us and to everybody watching.”
Looking ahead, round eight of the WRC will be held at Rally Latvia, scheduled for 18 to 21 July.
Source
www.bbc.com