Rally Finland 2021
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And here are the general classifications for Manufacturers, Drivers and the Rally of Finland! Thank you for having followed us !
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The Scandinavians were unable to do anything against the flying Welshman, Elfyn Evans (Toyota). The 2020 World Rally Championship (WRC) runner-up became the second Briton to put his name on the list of winners of the legendary Rally Finland this Sunday, October 3, thanks to error-free driving.
" That feels good ! I had a lot of trouble in Estonia. We made a lot of changes to the car afterwards during private testing, and it benefited me. I took advantage of my advantageous road position during the first stage. I immediately felt confident.
My goal is to achieve the best possible result in all the rounds at the end of the season. We will try to do the same thing in Catalonia. »
Hyundai must be content with the other two places on the podium. Ott Tänak kept in touch until the start of the last stage, and never completely caught up with Elfyn Evans. As for Craig Breen, leader on the evening of the first stage, his racing pace dropped significantly on Saturday; pragmatic, he focused on securing his third position against a supercharged Esapekka Lappi for his first WRC rally with a Rally 1 (4th).
Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) could cherish the dream of being crowned in Finland, but the Frenchman will have to wait at least until Catalonia. The Gapençais was never in contention for the win, and a one-minute penalty for an unfastened helmet took away any hope of finishing better than fifth. Finally, the small hope of scoring points during the Power Stage quickly disappeared, the fault of an engine shutdown.
Adrien Fourmaux, for his part, sees the arrival of his first Rally Finland with the Ford Fiesta WRC and his new co-driver Alexandre Coria. With the added bonus of a perfectly executed 68 meter jump! “The goal was to finish this rally. I took in as much new information as possible for me. I'm happy not to have made a big mistake and to bring the car back in good condition. »
In WRC2, Teemu Suninen (Volkswagen) achieved undeniable success. The Finn, down one floor and behind the wheel of a private car, is smiling again after leaving M-Sport Ford at the end of the Ypres Rally this summer. " I am happy ! I changed a lot of things for this rally, the team and the car. It's good to win here, I gave everything to achieve this result. I will return to WRC2 at the Rally de Catalunya in two weeks with Hyundai Motorsport. » Mads Ostberg (Citroën) finished second.
Final general ranking to come.
Find in the next AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the WRC in Finland by our special correspondent.
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Elfyn Evans wins the Rally Finland and has the luxury of winning the Power Stage! That's 30 points for the Welshman, who becomes the second Briton to register his name in the Scandinavian event!
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Ott Tänak pockets the points for second place in the final and sets the provisional best time by 1″2 ahead of Lappi. “I had a lot of fun. I hope that next year, when we come back with hybrid cars, we will be more efficient. »
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Leading the race on Friday evening, Craig Breen slowed down on Saturday. The Irishman still finished third! “I'm very proud, it's my third consecutive podium! I would have loved to fight for victory but I am still in a much more pleasant position than a few years ago. »
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Esapekka Lappi obtains the best provisional time and should finish the rally in 4th position. Not bad for an independent driver who was competing in his first round with a WRC this year! “It’s a good result. We didn't make any repairs all weekend. What a pleasure to return to the championship! »
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Sébastien Ogier is the victim of a mechanical problem. Without having made a driving error, he finished 4″1 behind Katsuta and should not score any points in this Power Stage. “The engine stopped. The power wasn't there. It's part of the game. Elfyn did a good job this weekend. »
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Takamoto Katsuta keeps the best time after the passage of Gus Greensmith. Sébastien Ogier is at 2″5 halfway!
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Adrien Fourmaux sees the arrival of his first Rally Finland with the Ford Fiesta WRC and his new co-driver Alexandre Coria. With the added bonus of a perfectly executed 68 meter jump! “The goal was to finish this rally. I took in as much new information as possible for me. I'm happy not to have made a big mistake and to bring the car back in good condition. »
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Now it's time for Rally1. Quite logically, Takamoto Katsuta takes the best provisional time from Teemu Suninen. “My new teammate Aaron Johnston did a good job but I made a mistake yesterday, it's a shame. “
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In WRC2, Teemu Suninen (Volkswagen) achieved undeniable success. The Finn, down one floor and behind the wheel of a private car, is smiling again after leaving M-Sport Ford at the end of the Ypres Rally this summer. " I am happy ! I changed a lot of things for this rally, the team and the car. It's good to win here, I gave everything to achieve this result. I will return to WRC2 at the Rally de Catalunya in two weeks with Hyundai Motorsport. »
Mads Ostberg (Citroën) finished second.
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The order of departures is reversed for this particular special stage. The WRC3 competitors open the ball before WRC2 and finally the Toyota Yaris WRC of Takamoto Katsuta and Kalle Rovanperä (who did not finish Saturday's stage) and the other Rally1s.
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The Power Stage reserves points for the five fastest drivers in this special. We can expect to see Sébastien Ogier attack to glean a few units for the world championship, in order to approach Catalonia with the hope of being crowned.
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Here is the Power Stage, the last special stage of the 2021 Rally Finland! This is the second passage in Ruuhimäki (11,12 km), famous for its jumps. It has punctuated the route of the Rally Finland on numerous occasions, like here in 1992, the year when Didier Auriol and Bernard Occelli beat the Scandinavians aboard the Lancia Delta HF Integrale:
