1. Rovanpera’s brilliance, resilience and lucky “buckaroo” moment
Kalle Rovanpera may have inherited the rally lead after Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier suffered suspension failures, but the reigning world champion thoroughly deserved his third win of 2023.
The stats again outline what a special drive this was from the 22-year-old Toyota driver. Despite facing the disadvantage of starting first on the road, Rovanpera won eight of the 15 stages, but more importantly avoided any punctures or mechanical issues triggered by Greece’s unforgiving rough gravel roads.
But Rovanpera did ride his luck on Friday when a compression, caused by the deluge of water that ran through stage three earlier in the week, almost toppled his GR Yaris.
First to encounter the bump Rovanpera had to be alert to wrestle the car back after it was almost pitched into an end-over-end roll. As ever, the cool and calm Finn brushed off the moment and went on to win the stage. Team-mate Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi were almost caught out by the same compression.
“You never really know what is going to happen in those moments," said Rovanpera. “Everything happens quite quickly and I was just hoping that the car wouldn’t go over.”
2. Championship fight a two horse race as luck deserts Neuville
Source: Autosport