After early retirements of many competitors, Elfyn Evans wins Rally Finland 2023 clearly ahead of Thierry Neuville – More tension in the WRC battle again
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) won Rally Finland, round nine of the 2023 World Rally Championship (WRC), on Sunday. After several competitors – WRC leader Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), Ott Tänak (Ford) and Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) – had retired on Friday, the Welshman prevailed against Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and celebrated a commanding victory in the end.
At the finish of the fast gravel rally, which was particularly challenging this year due to changeable weather conditions with recurring rain showers, Evans had a 39.1 second lead over Neuville after 22 special stages (SS) over a total distance of 320.56 kilometres. Third place went to Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota, +1:36,7 minutes).
The Japanese driver narrowly edged out Teemu Suninen (Hyundai) in a thrilling battle for the final podium spot, beating Katsuta by 4.3 seconds in the end. Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala finished a good fifth on his comeback in the racing cockpit.
More excitement again in the WRC battle
Sixth place went to Oliver Solberg (Skoda) in the fastest Rally2 car. However, the Swede was not entered in the WRC2 class in Finland, so the class win went to overall seventh-placed Sami Pajari (Skoda). With Adrien Fourmaux (Ford), Nikolai Gryasin and Andreas Mikkelsen (both Skoda) three more WRC2 drivers completed the top 10.
For Evans, it was his second victory at the Rally Finland after 2021 and his seventh overall in the World Rally Championship. With his second win of the season, the Powerstage win and Rovanperä’s zero, the fight for the WRC title has become a little more exciting again. With four rounds to go, Evans reduced his gap from 55 points previously to 25 now.
“It was a pretty good weekend,” says Evans. “Obviously it’s a shame that Kalle retired at the start, but after that it was really fantastic to drive this car – it’s so much fun to be behind the wheel on these roads and we’re really happy with this car. There was a fantastic atmosphere and it was great to have the support behind us. In terms of the championship, obviously it’s not bad either and we’re closing the gap. “
Early exit for Tänak, Lappi and Rovanperä
On Friday, the Rally Finland resembled the death of the favourites. Already on the third special stage, Tänak was hit. The Estonian’s Ford Puma hit the ground hard in a compression, damaged the engine and caused a fire due to leaking oil. This brought the rally to an early end for him. After the time penalty at his home rally in Estonia, the 2019 world champion suffered another setback.
For his team M-Sport, the third special stage turned into a nightmare as team-mate Pierre-Louis Loubet also retired with suspension damage. The Frenchman was able to start again on Saturday, but had no more chance of scoring WRC points.
On the fifth special stage, Lappi was the first local hero to be hit. The Finn had indicated a right-hand bend a little too optimistically in the description, left the road and crashed into a tree with full force. This also ended his rally.
Evans quickly pulls the wool over Neuville’s eyes
On the eighth special stage, reigning world champion Rovanperä made a rare driving mistake. In a right-hand bend, the Finn got his car stuck either in a rut or on a stone and rolled over. This damaged his car so badly that a restart was impossible for him as well.
After that, the way seemed clear for a duel between Evans and Neuville. But that did not happen on Saturday. After starting the day with a lead of only 6.9 seconds over Neuville, Evans extended it to 32.1 seconds with a dominant performance and seven SS wins in a row. The Welshman only had to manage this cushion on the final day.
Neuville had to settle for second place, as he did in Estonia, but was quite satisfied with his exploits in the two fast gravel rallies. “It’s a big relief to be back on the podium in Finland after struggling for ten years. It shows that together with the team and the ongoing changes, we are on the right track,” he said.
Latvala shows he can still do it
There was also great joy for Katsuta, who stood on the podium in his adopted country for the fourth time in his World Cup career. “My first podium in Europe, I didn’t expect this in Finland! I’m very happy, thank you for all the support – especially my family. Akio-san is here this weekend and this is very special for me because he has supported me from the beginning,” Katsuta thanked former Toyota Group boss Akio Toyoda, who represented Latvala in Finland in the role of team boss.
Latvala, competing in his first WRC rally since February 2020 and making his debut in a Rally1 car with Toyota test driver Juho Hänninen as co-driver, scored a strong fifth-place result on his 210th WRC start and was all smiles at the finish. “It was an incredible amount of fun. Many thanks to Toyota for giving me this great opportunity,” he said.
In the drivers’ standings, Rovanperä still leads with 170 points after nine of 13 WRC rounds, but Evans (145) and Neuville (134) were able to close the gap. In the manufacturers’ standings, Toyota extended its lead to 378 points. Hyundai (311) is already 67 points behind, M-Sport is a distant third with 205 points.
The World Rally Championship continues in five weeks (7 to 10 September) with the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
