Rally Finland 2018

18h

The final stage of Rally Finland will feature two stages completed twice. The day will start at 7:38 a.m. with the 11,74km from Laukaa.

18h

The WRC 2 rankings have seen quite a few upheavals. It is now Eerik Pietarinen (Skoda) who occupies the lead ahead of his compatriot Jari Huttunen (Hyundai), while Gus Greensmith (Ford) completes the provisional podium. Kalle Rovanperä saw his left-front suspension go through the hood. After announcing his retirement, the 17-year-old Finn got back behind the wheel to finish 4th in the category.

18h

Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) took another 3 seconds from Mads Ostberg (Citroën) by finishing 2''5 behind his teammate Esapekka Lappi, author of the benchmark in 6'50''4 at the end of the 14,9, 8km from Pihlajakoski. Ott Tänak (Toyota) was closest to the scratch, XNUMX tenths behind.

Ott Tänak has a 39-second lead over Mads Ostberg. The Norwegian now only has a 5”4 lead over Jari-Matti Latvala on the evening of the second stage.

18h

Tänak ensures by finishing only 8 tenths behind his teammate Lappi and gaining more than 4s from Ostberg. The front bumper of his Toyota is crushed. " I do not know where it comes from. We were able to improve the power steering. I remained much more cautious because I have a good lead. »

18h

Rovanperä encounters a new difficulty since the hood has opened and blocks his view.

18h

Ostberg drops another 3s to Latvala. The Finn is only 5″4 from 2nd position. “I'm happy that Jari-Matti said he scared himself because I myself was scared because my pace was very slow. I had to manage my tires while keeping the advantage over Jari but we have to find a solution for tomorrow. »

18h
18h

After announcing his retirement, Rovanperä presents himself at the start of the last ES of the day. The Finn sets off in slow motion.

18h

Latvala continues to hold on, 2″5 behind his teammate Lappi despite completely finished rear tires. The Finn still has Ostberg's 2nd place in his sights. “I really gave it my all. It was a beautiful afternoon. I want to stay on this good trend. »

18h

Paddon finished 1″7 behind Lappi and now finds himself 9s from 4th position.

18h

Suninen sets the 4th fastest time, almost 6s behind the benchmark. The M-Sport driver is in 6th place.

18h

Ogier is closest to Lappi with 3″2 behind. The M-Sport driver takes more than 5 seconds from his teammate Evans who is now around ten seconds behind the reigning champion. “It looked more like a big test session this weekend with the aero developments. It hasn't worked very well so far. »

18h

Evans finished 8″5 behind Lappi. The M-Sport driver still occupies 8th place. “I remained careful with my tires. »

18h

Lappi improves the reference with 4″5 ahead of Neuville. The Toyota driver is still fighting to take 5th position from Suninen. “It was a risk not to take 2 wheels, I wore out my tires well. I was able to reach the finish line without any major problems. »

18h

Breen ranks almost 3s behind Neuville. The Citroën driver is still in 9th place.

18h

Neuville improves the performance of his teammate Mikkelsen by 16″5. The Belgian still occupies 10th position. “I rode well even if I didn't take any risks since I couldn't gain any place. We accept the situation. »

18h

Mikkelsen reached the finish line with a time of 7'11″4, around 8s better than the benchmark set this morning by Tänak despite going off the road. “I lost the rear. I accelerated to try to get it back on the road but had to brake to reduce the speed. »

17h

The JWRC standings after SS18:

 

17h

Mikkelsen went off the road in the first meters but was able to quickly resume the stage.

17h

The WRC 2 ranking has further evolved with Veiby's exit from the road which leaves 3rd place to Huttunen.

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