Kalle Rovanpera leads WRC Rally Paraguay after demanding opening day

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera is the overnight leader of the World Rally Championship’s inaugural Rally del Paraguay after a demanding opening day at the event. 

Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool

The two-time world champion, Rovanpera, has snatched the rally lead from Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux after the Frenchman suffered a puncture on the penultimate test of the day, on SS7. 

It followed a demanding day for the teams and drivers as they all endured hard hits and troubled times thanks to Paraguay’s compressions and surface conditions. 

Joshua McErlean’s co-driver at M-Sport Ford, Eoin Treacy, dropped his pacenotes mid-stage as the Irish duo hit the ground, whilst his teammate Gregoire Munster spun at a left-hand corner on the first stage of Paraguay’s debut. 

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Punctures were the order of the day as Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was hit with one on the first stage, losing over 45 seconds. On the following stage, eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier also picked up a puncture. 

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak complained of sore backs due to the harsh conditions, but the Estonian also had car problems, as the conditions broke his windscreen wipers. 

Munster also lost key downforce to his Rally1 Puma as the Luxembourg driver lost his front splitter and the rear wing. It turned his gritty, competitive Rally1 Puma into something that resembled the normal Puma roadcar that you would see on your commute. 

Heading into the second day of the event, Rovanpera holds a slender lead over second-placed Fourmaux, with 7.1 seconds separating the two drivers. Tanak completed the top three.

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How did the first day end?

1. Kalle Rovanpera, Toyota
2. Adrien Fourmaux, Hyundai
3. Ott Tanak, Hyundai
4. Sebastien Ogier, Toyota
5. Elfyn Evans, Toyota
6. Thierry Neuville, Hyundai
7. Joshua McErlean, M-Sport Ford
8. Sami Pajari, Toyota

Katsuta currently occupies 31st on the overall leaderboards, despite crashing out on the penultimate stage of the day, whilst M-Sport’s Munster sits 37th.

Read more WRC here:

• Takamoto Katsuta crashes on penultimate stage of Rally Paraguay
• Rally del Paraguay: the schedule and times
• Elfyn Evans expects challenge to keep lead at WRC Rally Paraguay
• Rally Paraguay: Weather Forecast and Updates
• FIA confirm tender process for new WRC rights holder
• WRC Rally Chile Bio Bio: Entry list revealed

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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.

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.