Dust buster: Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen in action in Rally Latvia on Saturday
Gints Ivuskans
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Kalle Rovanpera strengthened his grip on Rally Latvia on Saturday, opening up a commanding lead of more than 40 seconds on eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier.
Latvian rookie Martins Sesks, of M-Sport Ford, was in third place behind the two Toyota drivers going into Sunday’s final day.
Ott Tanak, the 2019 world champion, was fourth after a late problem while series leader Thierry Neuville of Hyundai was eighth, more than two minutes 30 seconds off the lead held by defending champion Rovanpera.
British driver Elfyn Evans suffered a bizarre incident on the 14th stage when his Toyota collided with an inflatable advertising arch.
The structure then got caught in the wheels of Tanak’s Hyundai, leaving the Estonian annoyed that he had not been warned by officials of the hindrance.
“They were certainly having a good meal and a good wine when, from the camera, they could see that the road was blocked and that a car was coming,” said Tanak who managed to remove the arch himself.
Four final stages will be contested on the rally on Sunday.
Standings:
1. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota) 1:58:55.6, 2. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (FRA/Toyota) at 42.5 sec, 3. Martins Sesks/Renars Francis (LVA/Ford M-Sport) 47.2, 4. Ott Tanak/Martin Järveoja (EST/Hyundai) 1:08.0, 5. Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (FRA/M-Sport Ford) 1:16.4, 6. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) 1:34.3, 7. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) 1:46.0, 8. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 2:33.9
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