Toyota’s Ott Tanak posted the fastest time in superspecial stage one of Rally Finland, with the World Rally Championship leader Thierry Neuville finishing second.
Drivers faced the added complication of damp sections on the Harju stage with light rainfall during the opening runs.
Conditions had, however, improved by the time that the WRC field entered the stage. Tanak recorded a 1m49.2s to topple Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen from the top of the times.
Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville were the last two drivers to post times. Ogier ended up 0.8s adrift of Tanak’s benchmark, slotting into second place.
Neuville then edged the reigning champion by 0.1s to snatch the position away, despite a lock-up at the final braking zone of the stage.
Mikkelsen ended up fourth as a result, ahead of the 2017 Rally Finland winner Esapekka Lappi.
Lappi lost time during his run after taking too much grass on the entry into a tight chicane in the latter part of the stage. He avoided the barriers but finished in fifth place, 1.7s behind his team-mate Tanak.
Citroen’s Mads Ostberg was a further 0.1s behind in sixth having set an identical time to his team-mate Craig Breen.
Jari-Matti Latvala ended up 2.3s adrift of Tanak’s benchmark in eighth place. Elfyn Evans and Haydon Paddon rounded out the top 10 after posting identical times.
Teemu Suninen’s commitment on the stage was evidenced by several significant sideways moments. He lost time towards the end of his run and trailed Tanak by 2.8s in 11th place – he was the slowest of the WRC entries.
Skoda’s Kalle Rovanpera led the WRC2 field, with a 1.8s advantage over Jari Huttunen who finished second in class.
