Kalle Rovanperä delivered a masterclass performance on the opening day of WRC Rally Islas Canarias, leading a remarkable clean sweep of the top five positions for Toyota Gazoo Racing. The reigning two-time world champion, navigated by co-driver Jonne Halttunen, proved untouchable across all six of Friday’s special stages. Their relentless pace built a commanding lead of 26.8 seconds over their closest rivals. The dominance of the Japanese manufacturer was further emphasized by the fact that all five of their GR Yaris Rally1 cars concluded the day ahead of the competition from Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford, showcasing an exceptional display of speed and reliability on the demanding asphalt stages of Gran Canaria.
Rovanperä’s stellar performance comes at a crucial time in the championship. After a relatively quiet start to the season, he entered this fourth round trailing the championship leader by a significant 57 points. However, his commanding lead on Friday suggests a potential shift in momentum, with the opportunity to significantly reduce that gap if his dominance continues throughout the weekend. While many drivers grappled with finding the optimal car setup and managing tire wear on the challenging tarmac roads that snaked through Gran Canaria’s mountainous terrain, Rovanperä appeared perfectly attuned to the conditions. The enthusiastic local fans, witnessing their island’s inaugural WRC event, lined the stages, adding to the electric atmosphere.
The only minor hiccup in an otherwise flawless day for the 24-year-old Finn was a brief moment of understeer during SS3, a stage he still managed to win despite the issue. Following him on the provisional podium were eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier and current championship leader Elfyn Evans, both driving fellow Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 cars. Completing Toyota’s impressive lockout of the top five were Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta in fourth and fifth places respectively, highlighting the sheer pace and consistency of the Toyota team.
“It feels quite good,” a smiling Rovanperä commented at the end of the day. “It’s surprisingly nice to have this kind of Tarmac rally – we haven’t had it in a long time. Now hopefully we know for tomorrow what to do with the car. We tested some small things here, so it should be quite okay.” The battle for second place saw a close contest between Ogier and Evans. Ogier managed to gain the upper hand after adjusting his tyre pressures following the opening stage, ending the day 9.6 seconds ahead of his Welsh teammate at the overnight halt in Las Palmas. Pajari, in only his second pure asphalt rally in a Rally1 car, impressed with a consistent string of top-four stage times, finishing Friday just 18.9 seconds behind Evans. Katsuta, whose confidence and commitment visibly grew as the day progressed, moved into fifth place on the penultimate stage, overtaking Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and trailing Pajari by a further 10.7 seconds.
It proved to be a frustrating day for the Hyundai Motorsport team and their drivers. Fourmaux ultimately dropped to eighth position on the final stage, falling behind his teammates Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak. All three Hyundai drivers struggled to find the optimal performance from the hard compound Hankook Ventus Z215 tyres. Setup issues left them over a minute adrift of Rovanperä’s leading time, forcing the team to work on finding solutions overnight. “I don’t know what to say,” a clearly disappointed Neuville reacted. “Obviously, days like this are really hard to swallow. But in the end, they are not the end of the world. I’m not sure we learned anything today. We know we have two more days to go, and we need to keep positive and continue working.”
The M-Sport Ford team also faced similar challenges with their drivers Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean. The duo collaborated on road sections between stages to make adjustments to their cars, but progress appeared limited. Munster finished the day in ninth overall, 56.3 seconds behind Fourmaux, while McErlean found himself further down the order in 11th place. In the WRC2 category, Frenchman Yohan Rossel established a significant 18.7-second lead, also placing him in the overall top ten. The Citroën C3 Rally2 driver led Alejandro Cachón, with Nikolay Gryazin holding third position in WRC2, a further 20.2 seconds behind Cachón. Saturday’s leg of Rally Islas Canarias presents the longest challenge of the event, featuring over 120 kilometers of competitive stages spread across seven tests. The day will conclude with a unique and fan-friendly stage held inside the Gran Canaria Arena, typically home to professional basketball games.
Friday’s Standings (after SS6 / 18):
- Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 1h 10m 31.8s
- Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +26.8s
- Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris +36.4s
- Sami Pajari / Enni Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +55.3s
- Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 6.0s
- Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 13.3s
Summary:
- Kalle Rovanperä led a Toyota top-five sweep on Friday at WRC Rally Islas Canarias.
- Rovanperä won all six of the day’s special stages.
- Elfyn Evans finished the day in second place, 26.8 seconds behind Rovanperä.
- Sébastien Ogier completed the provisional podium in third, a further 9.6 seconds back.
- Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the Toyota top five.
- Hyundai drivers Neuville, Tänak, and Fourmaux struggled with tyre performance and setup.
- Yohan Rossel led the WRC2 category.
- Saturday’s leg features the rally’s longest competitive distance.
Disclaimer: Results are provisional and based on the standings after Friday’s stages of WRC Rally Islas Canarias. Final results may vary. This report focuses on the events of the first day and does not predict the overall outcome of the rally.
Source: WRC
AI Assistance: Gemini
