Finnish Star Claims Maiden Gran Canaria Victory: Kalle Rovanperä emphatically reignited his quest for a third FIA World Rally Championship title with a dominant victory at the debut Rally Islas Canarias. Arriving at this fourth round nearly 60 points adrift in the standings, the Toyota GAZOO Racing driver showcased an unmatched rhythm on the Gran Canaria asphalt, catapulting himself and co-driver Jonne Halttunen from sixth to second in the championship. The technical asphalt roads and challenging mountain passes of Gran Canaria proved to be a unique test, but Rovanperä mastered them, winning an impressive 15 of the rally’s 18 stages across the weekend. His stellar performance on Super Sunday, including the bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage, secured him the maximum 35 points on offer.
Near-Clean Sweep on Saturday Sets Up Victory: Rovanperä’s dominance was evident from Saturday’s stages, where he strengthened his overnight lead with a near-flawless drive. Winning six of the day’s seven asphalt stages, he almost doubled his advantage from Friday. Only a late push from teammate Elfyn Evans in the evening’s super special prevented a clean sweep for the young Finn. Nevertheless, by the end of Saturday, Rovanperä had claimed victory on 12 of the 13 stages run, establishing a commanding 45.2-second lead over the rest of the field, which was an all-Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 top four at that point.
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Quartet Leads the Pack: Behind the dominant Rovanperä, his Toyota GAZOO Racing teammates filled the subsequent positions for much of the rally. Sébastien Ogier, who had conceded his victory hopes early, focused on securing second place, successfully widening the gap to Elfyn Evans throughout Saturday. Evans ultimately finished third, 23.6 seconds behind Ogier, further extending his lead in the drivers’ championship despite not challenging Rovanperä for the win. Takamoto Katsuta completed a strong showing for Toyota, rounding out the top four, finishing 45.8 seconds behind Evans. Toyota’s strong team performance throughout the weekend saw their lead in the manufacturers’ championship extend significantly over Hyundai Motorsport.
Hyundai Struggles on Gran Canaria Asphalt: Rally Islas Canarias proved to be a challenging event for the Hyundai Motorsport team, with all three of their i20 N Rally1 drivers struggling to find a competitive edge on the unfamiliar asphalt. Handling issues, reportedly linked to differential settings, hampered Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak, and Adrien Fourmaux throughout the rally. Despite benefiting from Sami Pajari’s Saturday retirement, Fourmaux finished as Hyundai’s top driver in fifth place, a significant 2 minutes and 31 seconds behind the winner Rovanperä. Neuville and Tänak followed in sixth and seventh respectively, a disappointing result for the Korean manufacturer whose drivers had occupied second and third in the championship standings before this event. Tänak’s weekend was further complicated by a Saturday night engine change, completed against the clock with a minimal time penalty.
WRC2 Contenders Round Out Top Ten: Amidst the Rally1 battles, the WRC2 category provided its own compelling storylines. Yohan Rossel, Alejandro Cachón, and Nikolay Gryazin, all competing in the second-tier class, impressively rounded out the overall top ten, showcasing the talent and speed within the WRC support categories. Grégoire Munster, driving an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, managed to recover to 11th place after an off-road excursion on Saturday. Unfortunately, his teammate Josh McErlean was unable to finish the rally after crashing out on Sunday’s opening stage.
Rovanperä’s Resurgence Sets Stage for Portugal: Kalle Rovanperä’s dominant victory on the asphalt of Rally Islas Canarias marks a significant turning point in his 2025 championship campaign. Having slashed his points deficit, he now sits in a strong second position heading into the next round. The FIA World Rally Championship now transitions from the smooth tarmac of Gran Canaria to the gravel stages of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, scheduled to take place from 14 to 19 May in the north-western city of Matosinhos. This change in surface will present a new set of challenges for the drivers and teams as the season continues to unfold.
Final Overall Classification:
- Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen (FIN) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: 2h 54m 38.9s
- Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (FRA) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: +53.5s
- Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: +1m 17.1s
- Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston (JPN/IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1: +2m 02.9s
- Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (FRA) Hyundai i20 N Rally1: +2m 31.0s
- Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (EST) Hyundai i20 N Rally1: +3m 11.5s
- Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) Hyundai i20 N Rally1: +3m 57.9s
- Yohan Rossel / Arnaud Dunand (FRA) Citroën C3 Rally2: +6m 43.8s
- Alejandro Cachón / Borja Rozada (ESP) Toyota GR Yaris Rally2: +7m 58.4s
- Nikolay Gryazin / Konstantin Aleksandrov (ANA) Škoda Fabia RS Rally2: +8m 13.5s
Disclaimer: Results and information are based on available reports and may be subject to final confirmation.
Source: WRC
AI Assistance: Gemini
