WRC Central Europe: An Error from Evans Gifts Rovanpera the Championship

Elfyn Evans went into the inaugural Central European Rally with a simple task: outscore Kalle Rovanpera or the championship returns to Finland. The damp roads would prove tricky to all the drivers, with a number of drivers making mistakes, but the result would be critical for the championship.

Elfyn Evans at Shakedown for the Central European Rally - Photo by Toyota Racing

Day 1/2

The Toyota pair of Evans and Rovanpera seemed to take the first stage cautiously, finishing in 9th and 11th, while Ott Tanak won the stage. However, on Thursday’s evening stage Evans overshot a junction which cost him time to his championship rival, and the Welshman would find himself ending the day in 8th, 4 places adrift of his teammate. Thierry Neuville ended Thursday on top, ahead of Tanak and the returning Sebastian Ogier.

Ott Tanak on Thursday's evening stage - Photo by Red Bull Content Pool

Friday would see Rovanpera really kick into gear. The Finn won the opening stage of the day and took the rally lead by the end of stage 4, overturning a 5.9 second deficit at the start of Friday’s first stage to a 36 second advantage by the end of the day. Neuville hung onto second from a charging Evans, who was seeing the championship move further and further out of his reach with every stage Rovanpera won. Meanwhile, Ogier had a dismal day, citing a lack of motivation as the reason for a lack of pace which left him languishing in 6th, 2 minutes and 35 seconds behind Rovanpera.

Day 3

Having built up a massive gap on Friday, Rovanpera could afford to take some caution on Saturday and he did just that, giving up 25 seconds on the first 2 stages to Neuville. On the other hand, Evans did not have the same luxury and started the day as he meant to go on, winning the first stage and taking second in the next. However, stage 11 of the rally would seal the fate of the championship.

The aftermath of Evans' crash - Photo by DirtFish

On slippery roads, Evans slid off and hit a barn, effectively ending his chances at the rally and the championship. This effectively gifted Rovanpera the championship provided he could finish in the points, and having heard of Evans’ fate before his run at the stage, Rovanpera decided to play it ultra cautiously. He gave up a further 22 seconds and the rally lead to Neuville, but would hold a comfortable second place at the end of the day. Ogier rediscovered his motivation to take the win in stages 12 and 13, ending the day in fourth, with Tanak doing a solid job for Ford to hold third.

Day 4

With the championship all but wrapped up, Rovanpera focused on getting to the end of the rally. He dropped 27 seconds to Neuville, but with a comfortable buffer to Tanak in third, he claimed the World Rally Championship with a round to spare. Neuville won the rally by 57 seconds from Rovanpera with Tanak in third, meaning that all 3 manufacturers were represented on the podium. Ogier finished fourth in front of Katsuta in fifth, but Evans was able to participate in the final day of the rally and won the powerstage to claim a precious 5 points in the fight for second place.

Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen celebrate their second championship together - Photo by Red Bull Content Pool

Rovanpera’s title was the 23 year old’s second of his career, with the first coming in 2022. The previous record for the youngest WRC champion was Colin McRae at 27 years old, demonstrating how Rovanpera has been impressive beyond his age. In comparison, Sebastian Loeb won his first WRC title at 30 years old, and he went on to win the next 8 before retiring with a record of 9 championships. Could Rovanpera equal or even surpass the Frenchman’s domination?