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Relive the second day of the Rally Finland with live commentary

Relive the second day of the Rally Finland, ninth round of the 2024 WRC season, live with commentary on AUTOhebdo.

Published on 03/08/2024 à 14:20

Dorian Grangier

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Relive the second day of the Rally Finland with live commentary

© Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

The fight for the title of world rally champion resumes this week on the emblematic roads of Rally from Finland. Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans are the three main players in the 2024 title race in WRC.

Based around the town of Jyväskylä, the Rally of Finland is the fastest event on the calendar and a jewel in the crown of WRC with its smooth gravel roads, breathtaking jumps, blind turns that wind through forests and around lakes. The competitors will have to face a new exercise this weekend, since on the Ouninpohja special stage, a virtual chicane will be installed to curb the pace.

Saturday August 3 (144,22 km)
8:05 – SS11: Västilä 1 – 18,94 km – Kalle Rovanpera
9:05 – SS12: Päijälä 1 – 20,19 km – Kalle Rovanpera
10:05 – SS13: Ouninpohja 1 – 32,98 km – Kalle Rovanpera
14:35 – SS14: Västilä 2 – 18,94 km – Kalle Rovanpera
15:35 – SS15: Päijälä 2 – 20,19 km – Esapekka Lappi
16:35 – SS16: Ouninpohja 2 – 32,98 km – Kalle Rovanpera

> You can follow the live evolution of the ranking via the official WRC Live Timing, available here.

Rally Finland
Relive the 2nd day live with commentary

17h09 – 👋 Thank you all for following us, see you tomorrow morning at 7:55 a.m. for the start of SS17 and the last day of rally !

Comfortable leader of Rally Finland, Kalle Rovanperä cruises to victory at home

17h08 – 🏁 But it was beaten by the man of the weekend, Kalle Rovanperä, in 14'32″6, a new record! The Finn had an almost perfect day with five stage victories out of six and is heading straight for a first victory at home! His lead before the last day? 44 seconds on Sébastien Ogier !

ES16 – Ranking

General ranking after ES16

17h06 – ⏱️🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier takes the best time – and therefore the record – on this 15th special in 14'37″4!

17h03 - Thierry Neuville concludes a day without scratch time, falling 5″4 behind Sami Pajari on this last special of the day. He is 3rd this evening overall.

16h59 – 🇫🇷 Adrien fourmaux all smiles at the finish of this legendary special: although the Frenchman conceded 5″2 to Sami Pajari, he took full advantage of this course and was 4th at the end of this second day. “What we did is crazy. The special is simply incredible. »

16h57 – ⏱️ Consequence of this puncture: Esapekka Lappi and Sami Pajari arrive almost at the same time! Best time for the driver Toyota in 14'38″1, while his compatriot lost 2'54 in his misadventure.

16h52 – ⚠️ Esapekka Lappi again victim of a puncture! Second puncture of the day for the Finn, who stopped briefly to change his wheel before setting off again. Its bodywork was also damaged since the tire suddenly delaminated.

16h50 – ⏱️ Takamoto Katsuta ends his day by setting a first reference time in 14'44″7, establishing a new record on this special! 

16h44 – The best time achieved this morning during the first pass: 14'52″6, by Kalle Rovanperä. Kris Meeke's record of 15'06''3, set in 2016, has therefore fallen!

16h39 – 🔎 This emblematic Ouninpohja special welcomes a big novelty: the virtual chicane! A dedicated 200 meter zone where drivers will have no choice but to reduce their speed to 60 km/h or risk being penalized. Arches are placed upstream (200m and 100m before), at the entrance and exit of the virtual chicane zone to guide the drivers.

If a vehicle is above 60 km/h, the crew will be given a penalty of two seconds per km/h exceeded. This penalty will be added to the timer at the end of the stage. For example, if a car only slows down to 63 km/h inside the zone, the unbeliever will see his time increase by 6''.

Chicane Finland

16h35 – 🟢 The last special of the day, the legendary Ouninpohja special, begins with the departure of Takamoto Katsuta.

16h24 – Elfyn Evans has just finished this 15th special with the 4th time, 4″7 behind Esapekka Lappi. He is still far from the Top 10, 1'17 behind Nikolay Gryazin, 10th.

16h06 – 🏁 He is not in control: Kalle Rovanperä continues to attack, and even if he fails for the first time of the day by finishing 0″5 behind Esapekka Lappi on this SS15, he is (almost) definitively placed at Sébastien Ogier's shelter in the lead. The gap climbs to 39″4 before the last special of the day, which will take place at 16:35 p.m.!

ES15 – Ranking

General ranking after ES15

16h00 – 🇫🇷 Management also for Sébastien Ogier, who will secure the points for 2nd place this Saturday evening. The Frenchman concluded this SS15 with the 6th provisional time, 11″3 behind Esapekka Lappi.

15h57 – Thierry Neuville also lost time at the end of the course: the Belgian finished 7″6 behind his teammate at Hyundai. The Belgian implicitly indicates that he is not pushing and that he is in management.

15h54 – 🇫🇷 Same story for Adrien Fourmaux: although ahead of the first intermediates, the Frenchman lost big seconds at the end of the special and crossed the line 3″3 behind Esapekka Lappi. Some intersections are very hollow and difficult to cross. “The conditions are completely different compared to this morning. It's really very difficult. I am happy with my driving and my special stage. »

15h51 – A difficult end to the special for Sami Pajari, who lost ground in the second part of the stage: the Finn conceded 8″3 to his compatriot at the finish.

15h48 – ⏱️ It was immediately beaten by Esapekka Lappi: 10″6 better than the Japanese in 9’46″7.

15h44 – ⏱️ Takamoto Katsuta, first on the road, suffered a few scares but he finished this special without any problems with a time of 9'57″6. It's much slower than this morning. 

15h38 – 🔎 9'37″5: this is the best time achieved this morning by Kalle Rovanperä, during the first visit to Päijälä.

15h35 – 🟢 We had barely finished the previous special before we left for another ride! Takamoto Katsuta sets off for the 15th special stage of this Rally of Finland!

15h20 – Elfyn Evans finished in 8th time and 14″1 behind Kalle Rovanperä’s time. The vice-world champion is now 1'49″2 from 10th place, synonymous with points this Saturday evening. Here is the updated general ranking.

15h17 – The rain intensifies and Elfyn Evans struggles as best he can: he loses time and is in provisional 8th place in the 5th intermediate…

15h12 – Elfyn Evans has just set off, his Toyota is repaired and the Welshman is driving at full speed: 4th provisional time at the first intermediate.

15h03 – 🏁 And as the rain returned, Kalle Rovanperä set the best time (again) in 8'18"9 - 6"7 better than his teammate - and continued his perfect day with a fourth scratch in four specials this Saturday! His lead now increases to 28″6 ahead of Sébastien Ogier! Arriving late to the score, Elfyn Evans had to start later.

ES14 – Ranking

General ranking after ES14

14h59 – 🇫🇷⏱️ The times are falling, and it's Sébastien Ogier's turn to take the best provisional time in 8'25″6! He increases his lead to 37″2 ahead of Thierry Neuville.

14h57 – 📺 Esapekka Lappi got a big scare in the special just now!

14h56 – ⏱️ Thierry Neuville finishes this Västilä special strongly and takes the best time! The Belgian, behind the first intermediates, finally signed an 8'26″4, seven tenths better than Sami Pajari.

14h53 – 🇫🇷 No improvement, however, for Adrien Fourmaux: the Frenchman fails 1″6 behind Sami Pajari at the finish of this 14th special.

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

14h50 – ⏱️ It's Sami Pajari's turn to take the lead with a time of 8'27″1!

14h47 – ⏱️ Esapekka Lappi takes the provisional best time in 8'27″9, which is 2″5 faster than the Japanese.

14h46 – ⚠️ Elfyn Evans receives a heavy penalty of 2'40 for leaving the service park 16 minutes late! This will greatly compromise his quest for points today: he is relegated to 2'32 from 10th place!

14h44 – ⏱️ First to cross the line, Takamoto Katsuta set a first time in 8'30″4.

14h40 – ☀️ Little weather update: the weather is nice in Finland! The track, on the other hand, still remains wet in certain places, particularly in the dense forest.

14h38 – 🔎 This morning, during the first pass, Kalle Rovanperä set the best time in 8'20″3.

14h35 – 🟢 Takamoto Katsuta takes the start, let's go for this second loop of the day in Finland!

14h32 – As a reminder, here is the starting order for the day.

1) Katsuta
2) Lappi
3) Pajari
4) Fourmaux
5) Neuville
6) Ogier
7) Evans
8) Rovanperä
9) Solberg (WRC2)
10) Latvala (WRC2)

14h28 – For Elfyn Evans precisely, his mission will be to save the furniture for the championship this afternoon: 8th in the general classification before the last three special stages of the day, the Welshman can legitimately aim for 6th place this evening, occupied by the leader of the WRC2 Oliver Solberg. The gap between the two men is 44″6. As a reminder, a first allocation of points will be made at the end of this day on Saturday (on condition of finishing the rally on Sunday).

14h25 – If Toyota only has two cars at the head of the Rally Finland due to the mechanical problem encountered by Elfyn Evans this morning, the Japanese firm continues to dominate the Finnish round with Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier.

14h22 – 🔎 Here is the current state of the general classification before the start of SS14.

14h20 – 👋 We're back for the second loop of the day! If you missed what happened this morning, here's the recap!

Rovanperä escapes at the head of Rally Finland, Ogier second after Evans' setbacks

10h54 – Meet at 14:35 p.m. for the restart with the start of SS14 (Västilä 2 – 18,94 km).

10h51 – 🏁 Kalle Rovanperä sets the best time in this legendary special, a tenth ahead of Sébastien Ogier! The Finn now has a 21″9 lead over the Frenchman! Elfyn Evans also finished the special, but with a significant delay of 4'40!

ES13 – Ranking

General ranking after ES13

10h43 – 🇫🇷⏱️ Sébastien Ogier's best time in 14'52″7 on this Ouninpohja special! « Unfortunately, I wasn't really at the limit, there were a lot of places where I could go faster, that's a bit of a summary of the morning. I'm still happy with my pace, but I could do better. »

10h42 – ⚠️ Information concerning Elfyn Evans: the Welshman started SS13, but he is currently driving slowly in the hope of joining the service this afternoon. Already 1'50 lost in the 4th intermediate.

10h40 – It is Thierry Neuville's turn to finish this long special, but the Belgian does not improve: 10″6 behind Takamoto Katsuta.

10h36 – 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux also discovers this legendary special in the premier category: the Frenchman crosses the line with a delay of 10″7 on the reference set by Takamoto Katsuta. “It’s amazing, so cool and intense. The grip was changing, there were so many crests and compressions to play with. It's art ! It's not my best performance, but it's incredible. »

10h31 – For his first time in Rally1 on this emblematic special, Sami Pajari only concedes 4″2 to Takamoto Katsuta.

10h30 – This Rally of Finland offers us incredible on-board cameras!

10h28 – Following his puncture during the special, Esapekka Lappi crossed the finish line 2'04″4 behind Takamoto Katsuta.

10h24 – 🔎 The Ouninpohja special, which has become legendary for its long jumps (including the famous jump in front of the yellow house), its high-speed passages and its hairpins, had not been used since 2016.

10h21 – ⏱️ 15'00″6: this is the first reference time for Takamoto Katsuta on this 13th special of the Rally Finland.

10h19 – 🟢 After changing his front-right wheel, the Finn can set off again! He lost more than a minute in his misadventure.

10h17 – ⚠️ Esapekka Lappi stopped and out of the car! Puncture for the Finn when landing a jump!

10h11 – The Japanese has just passed through the virtual chicane, he seems to have slowed down below the required 60 km/h.

10h09 – 🟢 Let's go for Takamoto Katsuta on this Ouninpohja special!

10h05 – 🔎 To find out more, we guide you to this article from our specialist WRC, Loïc Rocci.

Virtual chicane in Finland, how does it work?

10h03 – 🔎 This emblematic Ouninpohja special will feature a big new feature: the virtual chicane! A dedicated 200 meter zone where drivers will have no choice but to reduce their speed to 60 km/h or risk being penalized. Arches are placed upstream (200m and 100m before), at the entrance and exit of the virtual chicane zone to guide the drivers.

If a vehicle is above 60 km/h, the crew will be given a penalty of two seconds per km/h exceeded. This penalty will be added to the timer at the end of the stage. For example, if a car only slows down to 63 km/h inside the zone, the unbeliever will see his time increase by 6''.

Chicane Finland

9h50 – 🔎 Meet at 10:05 a.m. for the start of SS13 (Ouninpohja 1 – 32,98 km).

9h46 – 🏁 Kalle Rovanperä wasn't asking for that much: with the best time on this SS12 in 9'37″5, the Finn now has a 21-second lead over his new runner-up, Sébastien Ogier! Thierry Neuville is now 3rd overall.

ES12 – Ranking

General ranking after ES12

9h44 – ⚠️ Elfyn Evans painfully finishes this 12th special with a significant delay of 1'24″8! He drops to provisional 5th place overall, but it could be the end of the day for the Briton if the driveshaft is broken.

9h40 – 🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier completes the special 4″8 behind Esapekka Lappi. The Frenchman recovers 2nd place overall, since Elfyn Evans is still driving slowly. We suspect a problem with the driveshaft on the Welshman's Toyota.

9h38 – ⚠️ Head-to-spin for Elfyn Evans! The Welshman was able to leave, but he was driving slowly! It will suit Sébastien Ogier who will recover 2nd place overall, but it is a hard blow for the runner-up in the championship!

9h37 – No improvement for Thierry Neuville, who failed 2″8 behind his teammate at Hyundai.

9h33 – 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux takes the 3rd provisional time, 4″4 from the reference set by Esapekka Lappi. “I tried my best to be honest, but I struggled to make time and got quite frustrated. It's a demanding stage, but fun to drive. I fight. »

9h29 – Sami Pajari crossed the finish line 4″6 behind his compatriot. “It was really good, I really enjoyed it. There were still a few showers in the stage, so the grip was changing a bit. Others have done this special more often than me. I enjoyed it and everything went well. I'm looking forward to [Ouninpohja's special]. »

9h26 – 📺 Things are going fast in Finland, very, very quickly!

9h23 – ⏱️ On home soil, Esapekka Lappi improved the best time to 9'40″8. “There is a lot more mud, the grip is more irregular. It's very difficult in places. »

9h19 – ⏱️ First to leave, first to arrive: Takamoto Katsuta sets the first reference time in 9'41″6.

9h15 – 🌧️ We start to see a few drops of rain on Takamoto Katsuta’s windshield…

9h12 – 📺 Relive Grégoire Munster's accident in the previous special in replay.

9h09 – 🟢 After this slight postponement, Takamoto Katsuta takes the start of this 12th special, 20 kilometers long.

9:05 a.m. – ⚠️ The start of SS11 will finally be given at 9:09 a.m., as a result of the red flag displayed during SS11.

9h00 – ⚠️ Sami Pajari, who was unable to race SS11 at full speed due to the red flag, was credited with a standard time of 8'31"8, 11"5 slower than Kalle Rovanperä. Here is the updated general classification with his overall time after SS11.

8h55 – 🔎 Meet at 9:05 a.m. for the start of SS12 (Päijälä 1 – 20,19 km).

8h48 – 💬 Kalle Rovanperä: “It was surprisingly slippery, a little more than expected. I tried to have fun and push a little. We had a problem on the starting line, three seconds before the start the car stopped. We were lucky to be able to leave in time. »

8h45 – 🏁 The leader is already showing his muscles! Best time for Kalle Rovanperä who attacks this second day in the best possible way, with a time of 8'20″3! The Finn, looking for a first victory at home, increases his lead to 10″2 ahead of Elfyn Evans!

SS11 – Ranking*

General classification after SS11*

(*Sami Pajari will be credited with a fixed time).

8h42 – ⏱️ And Sébastien Ogier is right: Elfyn Evans is much faster on this SS11! The Welshman takes the best time in 8'22″5, which is 2″9 faster than the Frenchman. He opened up a lead of 3″5 for 2nd place.

8h39 – 🇫🇷⏱️ It was immediately beaten by Sébastien Ogier! The Frenchman, engaged in the fight for 2nd place against Elfyn Evans, recorded a time of 8'25″4. “We expected Elfyn to fly. The grip was low, I tried but it's not easy to find the limit. »

8h36 – ⏱️ Despite a difficult start to the special, Thierry Neuville set the new best time in 8'28″4.

8h33 – 🇫🇷 After waiting a few extra minutes on the starting line, Adrien Fourmaux finished this 11th special 2″4 behind Takamoto Katsuta. The Frenchman was not helped by colder tires at the start. “I’m really sorry about Grégoire. You know it can happen, the grip is low in some places and it's so fast you need to know the grip. We have to fight with the car, we have to improve it. She needs to wake up! »

8h27 – 🔎 Sami Pajari drove under a red flag and therefore finished with a time that was not at all significant. A fixed time will be granted to him after SS11. “It’s a shame because it’s my favorite stage and I was really looking forward to riding here,” regrets the Finn.

8h25 – 🟢 The race resumes with the departure of Adrien Fourmaux, who now wears the colors of M-Sport alone, already.

8h21 – 🔴 Sami Pajari is forced to slow down, since Grégoire Munster's damaged Ford is blocking the track. The marshals wave the red flag to clear the car. The spectators finally managed to bring the Belgian's Ford to safety. The Puma is destroyed. 

8h20 – Esapekka Lappi also makes his return to the track after his retirement the day before. Finland concedes 5″4 to Takamoto Katsuta.

8h19 – 🟡 The crew was able to get out of the damaged Ford without any worries, but from the on-board camera, the car appears to be quite damaged. Spectators try to throw him back on the track.

8h17 – ⚠️ Grégoire Munster leaves the track at the start of the special! The Belgian lost the rear of his mount in a fast left turn! 

8h16 – ⏱️ Takamoto Katsuta will have the thankless role of opening the road today. The Japanese is logically the first to arrive and set a time on this 11th special in 8'29″4.

8h14 – ❌ We also remind you that there are only two Hyundais at the start this Saturday morning, since Ott Tänak definitively retired in Finland following his big accident yesterday during SS3. His co-driver, Martin Järveoja, remained under observation in hospital yesterday, but both Estonians are doing well.

Hyundai provides news from Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja

8h10 – ☁️ Weather-wise, after yesterday's rain, the weather remains overcast over the Jyväskylä region, but the rain is no longer there. The track is still slightly wet in places, but it is much drier than yesterday.

8h07 – 🟢 The second day of this Rally Finland begins with the departure of Takamoto Katsuta on SS11! 

8h03 – 🇫🇮 The Finns are in good form at home: Kalle Rovanperä leads the way, Sami Pajari won his first WRC special victory yesterday during SS9 for his first rally in the premier category, and Jari-Matti Latvala is currently 2nd in the Rally2 category!

8h02 – The Rally1s leave the Jyväskylä service park and head towards the start of SS11.

7h59 – 🆕 And precisely, this emblematic Ouninpohja special will welcome a great novelty: the virtual chicane! A dedicated 200 meter zone where drivers will have no choice but to reduce their speed to 60 km/h or risk being penalized. We will have the opportunity to come back to this new feature shortly before the start of SS13.

Virtual chicane in Finland, how does it work?

7h57 – On the program today, 144 kilometers of races spread over six special stages, not least including the legendary 33-kilometer Ouninpohja course! A special awaited by everyone, like Sébastien Ogier!

7h54 – 🔎 And here is the starting order for this second day of racing. Note the return to the track of Takamoto Katsuta and Esapekka Lappi after their retirement yesterday.

1) Katsuta
2) Lappi
3) Munster
4) Pajari
5) Fourmaux
6) Neuville
7) Ogier
8) Evans
9) Rovanperä
10) Solberg (WRC2)
11) Latvala (WRC2)
12) Virves (WRC2)

7h52 – 🔎 Here is the general classification at the dawn of this second day of racing in Finland.

7h51 – If you missed yesterday, here is the summary with a large domination of the Toyotas and a sensational Sami Pajari at home!

Rovanperä leads Toyota hat-trick in Finland, Pajari impresses at home

7:50 a.m. – 👋 Hello everyone! Welcome to this live commentary to follow together the second day of the Rally Finland, ninth round of the 2024 WRC season. The start of SS11 (Västilä 1 – 18,94 km) will be given in a few minutes, at 8:05 a.m.!

Rovanperä Rally Finland WRC

© Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

ALSO READ > The 2024 Rally Finland program

Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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