Rovanperä Leads Toyota’s Record-Breaking Sweep at Fastest Rally in WRC History

Finland finally has a home winner again. After an eight-year wait, Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen delivered an unforgettable performance to win Secto Rally Finland on Sunday, spearheading an extraordinary 1-2-3-4-5 Toyota sweep and rewriting the history books in the process.

Rovanperä’s dominant drive wasn’t just a hometown victory—it came with a record-breaking twist. Clocking an average speed of 129.95kph, the 2025 edition became the fastest rally in FIA World Rally Championship history. From the opening stage on Friday morning, the Finnish driver never looked threatened, building and managing a lead that would grow to 39.2 seconds by the final time control.

“This is quite an amazing feeling,” Rovanperä said after the finish. “We’ve been close a few times here, but we really needed to do it this year. The team gave me a perfect car, and I was pushing really hard all weekend. We needed these points—it was good at the end.”

The win also catapults the 24-year-old back into the championship picture. With five rounds remaining, Rovanperä now sits just three points behind leader Elfyn Evans, who finished fourth in Finland after a tense final-day battle.

Toyota Writes WRC History

While Rovanperä’s victory made headlines, the bigger story may be what happened behind him. Toyota Gazoo Racing achieved only the second top-five lockout in WRC history, matching Lancia’s 1-2-3-4-5 finish at Rally de Portugal in 1990. It was a full-circle moment for Juha Kankkunen, a driver in that iconic Lancia team and now the deputy team principal at Toyota’s Jyväskylä-based outfit.

Second place went to Takamoto Katsuta, who held his nerve in the closing stages to secure his best result since Rally Sweden in February. He finished 5.9 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier, who managed to fend off Elfyn Evans by just 3.0 seconds in a gripping scrap for the final podium spot.

Sami Pajari rounded out the historic Toyota sweep in fifth, giving local fans even more reason to celebrate.

Hyundai’s Challenge Falters

It was a weekend to forget for Hyundai. Both Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux suffered identical tyre deflations on Saturday, ending their fight for the front and giving Rovanperä critical breathing space at a pivotal point in the rally. Fourmaux later retired his car less than a kilometre from the finish, while Neuville salvaged sixth.

Ott Tänak, meanwhile, saw his title hopes take a hit. After leading briefly on Friday, he crashed and picked up five minutes of penalties due to accident damage. He finished 10th overall, falling to fourth in the championship standings.

M-Sport Fill Out the Top 10

With Hyundai’s troubles and Tänak out of contention, M-Sport Ford drivers took full advantage. Josh McErlean led the charge for the British squad, finishing seventh ahead of Mārtinš Sesks and Grégoire Munster, giving M-Sport a solid points haul to build on heading into the South American rounds.

What’s Next in WRC?

The championship now heads across the Atlantic for a brand-new challenge—Rally del Paraguay, which makes its debut on the WRC calendar from August 28–31. The gravel-based event, based in Encarnación, promises another high-speed test just as the title fight enters a critical phase.

With Elfyn Evans (176 points) just ahead of Kalle Rovanperä (173 points) and Sébastien Ogier (163 points), the final five rallies of the season are poised to deliver one of the most closely fought championship battles in years.