Kalle Rovanperä has received Rally Chile Biobío after he mastered dense fog and treacherous circumstances 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 more and more troublesome and damp roads throughout Chile’s Biobío area.
Rovanperä, with Jonne Halttunen co-driving, made a cautious begin to the eleventh spherical of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t swimsuit his driving model. Nonetheless, because the rally progressed, he discovered his rhythm and the turning level got here on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating by thick fog excessive up the mountain levels to grab a 15.1s lead heading into the ultimate day.
The 2-time FIA WRC champion remained unflappable in equally troublesome circumstances right this moment, outpacing Evans on all however one of many closing 4 levels to safe the fifteenth victory of his WRC profession.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Workforce’s Ott Tänak (beneath) accomplished the rostrum, trailing Evans by 20.5s in his i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Regardless of the Estonian’s podium, Hyundai misplaced floor within the Producers’ championship with Toyota decreasing the hole to simply 17 factors, courtesy of Rovanperä and Evans’ masterful performances and Sébastien Ogier’s essential Tremendous Sunday factors haul.
“It feels actually good,” mentioned Rovanperä. “Huge because of the staff, the automotive and all the pieces labored completely. The win truly appears like a superb one – Friday didn’t really feel so good and the circumstances had been actually troublesome all weekend so it feels actually good.”
Championship chief Thierry Neuville loved a comparatively drama-free run to fourth, a consequence which strikes him even nearer to a maiden drivers’ title as he tops the standings by 29 factors with simply two rounds remaining.
Neuville can afford to lose a handful of factors to each Evans and Ogier on subsequent month’s Central European Rally and nonetheless raise the title there, offering he outscores team-mate Tänak.
Whereas Ogier salvaged most factors from Tremendous Sunday, his hopes for a ninth WRC title now seem slim. The Frenchman, who had the pace to problem for victory, retired his Toyota on Saturday with suspension harm after hanging a rock.
Adrien Fourmaux (beneath) was M-Sport Ford World Rally Workforce’s high finisher in fifth, trailing Neuville by 1m1.6s. The Frenchman’s consequence may have been even stronger had it not been for a one-minute penalty incurred for a late check-in on Friday whereas he made repeais to his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.
Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari impressed by ending sixth on simply his second Rally1 outing, whereas Fourmaux’s Puma team-mate Grégoire Munster adopted carefully behind in seventh.
Esapekka Lappi had been on target to complete eighth however was pressured to retire on the penultimate stage after a spin broken his Hyundai’s radiator. The retirement additionally marked the conclusion of co-driver Janne Ferm’s distinguished WRC profession after 90 begins, two wins and 15 podiums.
With Lappi out, Citroën C3 Rally2 drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin had been promoted to eighth and ninth total, locking out the highest two spots in FIA WRC2. Their outcomes additionally secured the WRC2 Groups’ title for DG Sport Competitors with Gryazin ending as the most effective FIA WRC2 Challenger.
Gus Greensmith, one other frontrunner in WRC2, rounded out the highest 10 as Diego Domínguez received FIA WRC3 to take the Rally3-based title.
There was Chilean success within the FIA WRC Masters’ Cup with Eduardo Kovacs taking victory.
The Central European Rally is up subsequent from October 17-20, the penultimate spherical of the season. Based mostly out of the southeast German metropolis of Unhealthy Grießbach, the occasion will take crews throughout asphalt levels spanning Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic.
