Finn triumphs at the final gravel round of 2024 as Thierry Neuville consolidates his championship lead.
Kalle Rovanperä secured victory at Rally Chile Bio Bío on Sunday, mastering dense fog and treacherous conditions to clinch his fourth win of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season.
Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID, the Finn edged out his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans by 23.4sec at the final gravel fixture of the year, which took place on gravel roads across Chile’s Bio Bío region.
Rovanperä made a cautious start to this 11th round of the season, admitting that the Chilean gravel didn’t suit his driving style. Nevertheless, as the rally progressed, he found his rhythm. The turning point came on Saturday afternoon when he overhauled Evans in near-zero visibility, navigating through thick fog high up the mountain stages to seize a 15.1-second lead heading into the final day.
The two-time WRC champion remained unflappable in equally difficult conditions today, outpacing Evans on all but one of the final four stages to secure the 15th victory of his WRC career.
Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak completed the podium, trailing Evans by 20.5sec in his i20 N Rally1 HYBRID. Despite the Estonian’s podium, Hyundai lost ground in the manufacturers’ championship with Toyota reducing the gap to just 17 points, courtesy of Rovanperä and Evans’ masterful performances and Sébastien Ogier’s crucial Super Sunday points haul.
"It feels really good," smiled Rovanperä. "Big thanks to the team, the car and everything worked perfectly. The win actually feels like a good one - Friday did not feel so good and the conditions were really difficult all weekend so it feels really good."
Championship leader Thierry Neuville enjoyed a relatively drama-free run to fourth, a result which moves him even closer to a maiden drivers’ title as he tops the standings by 29 points with just two rounds remaining. Neuville can afford to lose a handful of points to both Evans and Ogier at next month’s Central European Rally and still lift the title there, providing he outscores team-mate Tänak.
While Ogier salvaged maximum points from Super Sunday, his hopes for a ninth WRC title now appear slim. The Frenchman, who had the speed to challenge for victory, retired his Toyota on Saturday with suspension damage after striking a rock.
Adrien Fourmaux was M-Sport Ford’s top finisher in fifth, trailing Neuville by 1min 1.6sec. The Frenchman’s result could have been even stronger had it not been for a one-minute penalty incurred for a late check-in on Friday.
Toyota’s rising star Sami Pajari impressed by finishing sixth on just his second Rally1 outing, while Fourmaux’s Puma team-mate Grégoire Munster followed closely behind in seventh.
Esapekka Lappi had been on course to finish eighth but was forced to retire on the penultimate stage after a spin damaged his Hyundai’s radiator. The retirement also marked the conclusion of co-driver Janne Ferm’s distinguished WRC career after 90 starts, two wins and 15 podiums.
With Lappi out, Citroën C3 Rally2 drivers Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin were promoted to eighth and ninth overall, locking out the top two spots in WRC2. Their results also secured the WRC2 Teams’ title for DG Sport Competition. Gus Greensmith, another frontrunner in WRC2, rounded out the top 10.
The championship returns to Europe for the Central European Rally from 17 – 20 October, the penultimate round of the season. Based out of the south-East city of Bad Grießbach, the event will take crews across asphalt stages spanning Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Rally Classification:
1. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris 2h 58m 59.8s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +23.4s
3. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +43.9s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +1m 1.1s
5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +2m 2.7s
6. S Pajari / E Mälkönen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +2m 39.7s
FIA World Rally Championship (after round 11 of 13)
1. T Neuville 207pts
2. O Tänak 178pts
3. S Ogier 166pts
