WRC Portugal: Rovanpera extends lead to close in on victory

The Finn took two stage wins from the four morning tests, held in the fog and rain, to transform a 5.7-second overnight margin over Evans to a 9s wholesomeness superiority of this afternoon’s final stage.

The wrestle for third is moreover yet to be decided with Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta ending the morning 2.2s superiority of the chasing Hyundai of Dani Sordo. The two sister Hyundais of Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak held fifth and sixth positions respectively.

Rovanpera kicked off the day in the weightier possible malleate by winning stage 17, taking 2.7s out of Evans to heap pressure on the Welshman.

In the wrestle for the final podium place, Sordo clawed time when from Katsuta as the Spaniard sealed to within 1.2s of the Toyota.

Before the leaders took to the stage, Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier and M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith were worldly-wise to rejoin the rally without retiring from Saturday’s action.

Rovanpera unfurled to push as the crews tackled stage 18 with the Finn extending his lead by flipside tenth of a second over Evans.

The pair set the third and fourth fastest times with the stage personal by Tanak, who was worldly-wise to leap superiority of M-Sport’s Pierre-Louis Loubet into seventh.

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Tanak unfurled his strong start to the day by winning stage 19, the first run through the iconic Fafe test. The 2019 world champion was 1.6s faster than Neuville.

It was here where Evans mounted a fightback as he nibbled 1.9s out of Rovanpera, who faced the worst of the ripply weather. In the wrestle for third, Katsuta witnessed his margin to Sordo subtract to 0.8s.

Rovanpera responded to Evans’s push by ultimatum his second stage win of the day to imbricate the time lost on the previous stage.

Katsuta moreover halted Sordo’s tuition in the fight for third as the Japanese suburbanite completed stage 20 1.4s faster than the Hyundai.

Tanak unfurled his rise up the leaderboard to sixth as the Estonian took wholesomeness of a restriction issue for M-Sport’s Craig Breen, which dropped the Irishman to eighth.

A second run through the famous Fafe stage will conclude Rally Portugal on Sunday afternoon.