Rovanpera sets unbeaten SS1 time in WRC Rally Sweden
9th February 2023Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera topped the timing sheets to get his Rally Sweden weekend off to a good start, 1.6 seconds ahead of former championship rival, M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak.
The first stage of the weekend consisted of a 5.16km sprint to the finish line, starting out in the woods and ending at the spectator park, Umea’s Red Barn Arena.
Despite the cars being equipped with the same tyre across the board, Pirelli’s studded tyre: Sottozero Ice, many of the drivers struggled to get a decent launch off the line as they curled off into the immediate right-hand corner.
Toyota’s reigning world champion, Kalle Rovanpera, was the first driver to venture out onto the 5.16km stage. Despite the studded Pirelli rubber, the Finn seemed to start the event in a very calm and safe manner but, last years winner in Sweden, managed finish the opening stage in one piece – setting the benchmark time of 3:23.3.
This time, despite being taken in a slow and calm manner, remained unbeaten.
M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak finished the opening stage in second place, 1.6 seconds off Rovanpera’s pace. The Estonian had a fairly okay run through the night stage until the final corner where he brushed up against the snowbank at the final left-hand corner.
However, Tanak separated the two Toyota’s to prevent the defending manfacturer from taking home a 1-2 finish after the first stage. Toyota’s Eflyn Evans finished SS1 in third place, 3.1 seconds off the benchmark time.
Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi went perilously close to ruining his event from the get-go as he ran too deep into a tight right hander. The Finn lost some time as he had trouble braking into the corner before his car stalled which forced the Hyundai to restart the car out on track. Lappi managed to rub up against the snow bank and continue on with minimal issues.
By the end of the stage, Lappi clocked the fourth fastest time, 3.9 seconds away from Rovanpera.
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai, managed to return for the opening stage of the main event after he saw his shakedown come to an abrupt end due to illness. The Belgian was the second driver out on the track and the car looked to squirm and slip into the corners as the Pirelli rubber tried to bite into the loose snow – in a similar manner to Rovanpera before him.
By the end of the sprint, Neuville was 5 seconds adrift of Rovanpera’s time – in fifth.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, in the third point-scoring Yaris, headed the bottom half of the top 10, in sixth place, ahead of Hyundai’s Craig Breen (P7) and M-Sport Ford’s Pierre-Louis Loubet (P8). WRC2 contenders Jari Huttunen and Ole Christian Veiby rounded out the top 10.
The final Rally1 driver in the running, Toyota’s Lorenzo Bertelli, finished in P18 – 14.2 seconds off the pace.
That’s all for the article; Rovanpera sets unbeaten SS1 time in WRC Rally Sweden!
What did you think of the opening stage? Let us know in the comments!
Read more WRC here:
- Rovanpera tops Rally Sweden Shakedown
- 2023 WRC Rally Sweden Preview
- Rossel secures victory in Monte-Carlo after Gryazin penalty
- Rallye Monte-Carlo: Ogier remains ahead after Rovanpera attack
- Rallye Monte-Carlo: Ogier maintains WRC lead on Friday
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
