WRC – Rovanperä victorious in tricky Chile

Kalle Rovanperä has won Rally Chile Biobío after he mastered dense fog and treacherous conditions for his victory of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.

Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, the Finn edged out his Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team-mate Elfyn Evans by 23.4s, conquering increasingly difficult and damp roads across Chile’s Biobío region.

Rovanperä, with Jonne Halttunen co-driving, made a cautious start to the 11th round of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t suit his driving style. Nevertheless, as the rally progressed, he found his rhythm and the turning point came on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating through thick fog high up the mountain stages to seize a 15.1s lead heading into the final day.

The two-time FIA WRC champion remained unflappable in equally difficult conditions today, outpacing Evans on all but one of the final four stages to secure the 15th victory of his WRC career.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak (below) completed the podium, trailing Evans by 20.5s in his i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Despite the Estonian’s podium, Hyundai lost ground in the Manufacturers’ championship with Toyota reducing the gap to just 17 points, courtesy of Rovanperä and Evans’ masterful performances and Sébastien Ogier’s crucial Super Sunday points haul.

“It feels really good,” said Rovanperä. “Big thanks to the team, the car and everything worked perfectly. The win actually feels like a good one – Friday did not feel so good and the conditions were really difficult all weekend so it feels really good.”

Championship leader Thierry Neuville enjoyed a relatively drama-free run to fourth, a result which moves him even closer to a maiden drivers’ title as he tops the standings by 29 points with just two rounds remaining.

Neuville can afford to lose a handful of points to both Evans and Ogier on next month’s Central European Rally and still lift the title there, providing he outscores team-mate Tänak.

While Ogier salvaged maximum points from Super Sunday, his hopes for a ninth WRC title now appear slim. The Frenchman, who had the speed to challenge for victory, retired his Toyota on Saturday with suspension damage after striking a rock.

Adrien Fourmaux (below) was M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s top finisher in fifth, trailing Neuville by 1m1.6s. The Frenchman’s result could have been even stronger had it not been for a one-minute penalty incurred for a late check-in on Friday while he made repeais to his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.

Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari impressed by finishing sixth on just his second Rally1 outing, while Fourmaux’s Puma team-mate Grégoire Munster followed closely behind in seventh.

Esapekka Lappi had been on course to finish eighth but was forced to retire on the penultimate stage after a spin damaged his Hyundai’s radiator. The retirement also marked the conclusion of co-driver Janne Ferm’s distinguished WRC career after 90 starts, two wins and 15 podiums.

With Lappi out, Citroën C3 Rally2 drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin were promoted to eighth and ninth overall, locking out the top two spots in FIA WRC2. Their results also secured the WRC2 Teams’ title for DG Sport Competition with Gryazin finishing as the best FIA WRC2 Challenger.

Gus Greensmith, another frontrunner in WRC2, rounded out the top 10 as Diego Domínguez won FIA WRC3 to take the Rally3-based title.

There was Chilean success in the FIA WRC Masters’ Cup with Eduardo Kovacs taking victory.

The Central European Rally is up next from October 17-20, the penultimate round of the season. Based out of the southeast German city of Bad Grießbach, the event will take crews across asphalt stages spanning Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic.