VIDEO – Kalle Rovanperä loses five minutes on the third stage of the Rally Japan

He was almost certainly aiming for victory after his successful start in the first special stage. Despite the fact that it was less than three kilometers long – thus creating minimal gaps – Kalle Rovanperä seemed destined for another very strong performance. Unfortunately for him, one of the first images of this Rally Japan's mistake was an error on his part. Hitting a barrier with the rear right of his car, the Finn lost almost five full minutes on the overall lead.

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Conversely, a three-way battle began to emerge between Takamoto Katsuta, Elfyn Evans, and Sébastien OgierWith the Frenchman currently holding a full second lead over his Welsh competitor, the situation remains very open before the start of the fifth special stage of this Rally Japan.

SS3 was not kind to Rovanperä 😳#WRC | #RallyJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/w1mTrFKDJM

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) November 7, 2025