Despite this being the hottest July in Finland for 50 years, rain shortly before the start of the first Lankamaa stage this afternoon made for tricky driving conditions with a number of competitors reporting they were struggling for grip on the gravel roads.
However, there were no problems for Latvala, who made the most of a slightly compacted road surface to charge into a 2.6s lead ahead of Citroën driver Kris Meeke, with Ogier third quickest after what he described as a cautious run at the head of the 77-car field due to patches of standing water.
Latvala was fastest again in Jouhtikylä, back on the Neste Oil Rally Finland schedule for the first time in 22 years, to increase his margin to 5.3s over new second-place driver Ogier. The Frenchman demoted Meeke for the provisional runner-up spot heading to the repeat of Lankamaa, where Latvala and Ogier tied on time.
Thursday’s action concluded with the mainly Tarmac Harju stage in Jyväskylä where Ogier set the pace. He was 0.8s quicker than Latvala, who completed the stage with front-right bodywork damage caused by clipping a barrier on the final corner. The iconic street test has been absent from the itinerary since 1998 but its return, which was broadcast live on the new WRC+ service, attracted thousands of fans.
”It’s been a good day but it’s not been a perfect day,” said Latvala, who was also fastest in shakedown this morning. ”There were some places where I was too much sideways. I need to do better tomorrow and I know there is more to come.”
Juho Hänninen had been in a close battle with Meeke for third only to lose vital time on the rerun of Lankamaa, which had become heavily rutted in places. And there was more frustration for the Hyundai driver when he fell to fifth behind birthday boy and fellow Finn Mikko Hirvonen (M-Sport Ford Fiesta) through Harju.
Volkswagen’s Andreas Mikkelsen said he was too cautious early on before losing confidence in the ruts on stage three. He’s sixth overnight with Mads Østberg seventh but far from happy with the set-up of his Citroën. Thierry Neuville is eighth for Hyundai after losing time with pace note and set-up issues. Robert Kubica and Hayden Paddon complete the top 10 respectively. Kubica reported an engine misfire when shifting up gears in his Fiesta.
Henning Solberg was eighth after stage two but a front-left puncture nine kilometres from the start of the second Lankamaa test dropped him out of the top 10. Lankamaa also proved troublesome for Jarkko Nikara, who inflicted considerable damage to his Fiesta when he went off the road.
Finland’s Jari Ketomaa tops the WRC2 category after his closest rival, Ott Tänak, slipped out of contention on stage three when contact with a rock damaged his Fiesta’s power steering and punctured a tyre, which he had to stop to change.
Prior to Harju, Martin Koči held a comfortable advantage in WRC3 with AKK Sports prize winner Teemu Suninen an impressive third on his world championship debut. Max Vatanen was leading the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy after three stages.
Stage winners (Thursday)
SS1, Lankamaa 1 (23.44): Latvala/Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
SS2, Jouhtikylä (10.36): Latvala/Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
SS3, Lankamaa 2 (23.44): Ogier/Ingrassia and Latvala/Anttila (both Polo R WRC)
SS4, Harju 1 (2.27): Ogier/Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
Day one in numbers
0: Time gap between Jari-Matti Latvala and Sébastien Ogier on SS3
34: Mikko Hirvonen is celebrating turning 34 today
1998: The Harju stage was last used in 1998
1: Teemu Suninen is contesting his first WRC event
40: Max Vatanen is making his NORF debut 40 years after father Ari first took part
What’s coming up on day two?
Friday’s route is the longest of the rally with 134.47 timed kilometres over nine special stages in store. It begins with the Pihlajakoski test, last sampled by WRC competitors in 1987, from 09:18 local time. Päijälä, the rally’s most southerly stage, follows and includes a previously unused section. Another highlight is Kakaristo, effectively a trimmed down version of Ouninpohja complete with the famous Karkaristo junction, a popular viewing spot among Neste Oil Rally Finland fans. The day concludes with a rerun of Harju from 20:30. Sébastien Ogier will once again start first on the road followed by Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen.
