(Reuters) – Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera won Rally Estonia for the third year in a row on Sunday to stretch his world championship lead to 55 points.
The 22-year-old Finn beat Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by a comfortable 52.7 seconds after winning all four of Sunday’s stages and taking maximum bonus points from the final Power Stage.
Hyundai’s Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi completed the podium with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, second in the overall standings, fourth and Hyundai’s Teemu Suninen fifth.
Reigning champion Rovanpera also won all nine of Saturday’s stages on the fast gravel roads.
“For the championship it’s a really important place to get good points and the plan was this exactly. It’s my favourite event of the calendar so I knew we had to push here, and it went well,” he said.
Rovanpera’s win in 2021 made him the youngest driver to win a round of the world championship and he followed it up last year on his way to becoming the youngest champion.
Toyota now lead Hyundai in the manufacturers’ title by 57 points with five rounds remaining.
M-Sport Ford’s Ott Tanak had been the home favourite at the start of the week but collected a five minute penalty for an engine change before the opening stage in Tartu, leaving his hopes in tatters.
The Estonian finished eighth and now trails Rovanpera by 66 points.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
