Ogier masters Friday chaos to lead Finland by 16.3sec

Sébastien Ogier delivered a near-faultless performance through wildly changeable conditions to end Friday at Secto Rally Finland with a 16.3sec advantage over championship leader Elfyn Evans.

Ogier and returning co-driver Julien Ingrassia won three of the morning’s four forest stages, then negotiated torrential rain, standing water and rapidly deteriorating visibility during an extraordinary afternoon loop around Jyväskylä.

Evans rose from fifth to second as the weather shuffled the order, while home favourite Sami Pajari completed the overnight podium positions, 26.7sec behind his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate.

Ogier began Friday 1.2sec behind overnight leader Adrien Fourmaux but immediately took control with a commanding run through Laukaa. He added further victories on Sydänmaa and Hoho to reach midday service 5.3sec clear of Fourmaux, with Pajari only 2.7sec further back.

The afternoon initially appeared set to produce a close three-way fight. Pajari won the second pass of Laukaa to cut Ogier’s lead to 5.4sec, but the complexion of the rally changed dramatically when heavy rain arrived on Saarikas.

Evans, running first on the road, escaped the worst of the downpour and set the fastest time. Conditions deteriorated sharply for those behind, with Fourmaux losing almost 90 seconds and Solberg surrendering 55.6sec as water poured into his Toyota.

Ogier limited his loss to just 6.5sec and, crucially, dropped only 2.1sec to nearest rival Pajari.

“Bad luck, but that is the way it is with the weather,” Ogier said. “Compared to Sami, we did a good job.”

The following Sydänmaa test brought further drama. Ogier survived a wild slide into a ditch but was still 30.2sec quicker than Pajari, whose windscreen had misted after the car’s blower stopped working.

Ogier carried a comfortable advantage through the final forest stage and Thursday evening’s Harju super special, completing a day in which he had combined outright pace with measured risk.

“It’s been a very good day,” he reflected. “It was very tricky this afternoon and probably not so enjoyable for anybody, but it’s good that we managed to come out of it.”

Evans’ second place represented a strong return from a difficult road position. The Welshman had opened the stages throughout the day and briefly visited the bushes on the first pass of Hoho, but capitalised on the conditions to move ahead of Pajari.

“The morning wasn’t bad from our side, but the afternoon was a bit of a lottery,” Evans said. “We had it better on the second stage of the loop, but then probably had the worst of it on the next. I’m happy to get through it.”

Pajari remained firmly in podium contention but admitted his hopes of fighting for victory had taken a significant blow.

“We lost the game for the win on that one stage,” he explained. “The blower wasn’t working and we didn’t realise it, so we had full mist on the windscreen. It’s a big shame, but we are still fighting for the podium.”

Oliver Solberg ended fourth, 41.3sec from the lead, after recovering his confidence during the afternoon. He is 14.6sec behind Pajari and 23.6sec ahead of Mārtiņš Sesks, who emerged from the chaos as the highest-placed M-Sport Ford driver in fifth.

Fourmaux fell from second to sixth after being caught in the worst of the rain, while Josh McErlean reached the overnight halt seventh despite also battling a heavily misted windscreen.

Takamoto Katsuta endured what he described as a “disaster day” and sits eighth, narrowly ahead of Thierry Neuville. The Belgian lost almost three minutes after striking a hidden rock and damaging his Hyundai’s front-left suspension on the morning pass of Hoho.

Esapekka Lappi and Jon Armstrong were Friday’s major retirements. Lappi will not restart after his Hyundai sustained roll cage damage in a crash on Sydänmaa, while Armstrong’s Ford Puma Rally1 became stranded in a ditch on Saarikas.

Saturday features two passes each of Parkola, Päijälä, Västilä and Leustu, with 123.3 competitive kilometres still to be negotiated.

Standings after Friday (SS10 /20):
1. S Ogier / J Ingrassia FRA Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1:03:47.4
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +16.3s
3. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +26.7s
4. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +41.3s
5. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ford Puma Rally1 +1m 04.9s
6. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1m 24.0s

- Advertisement -