🏁 FIA World Rally Championship 2025 Stop 09 – Jyväskylä, Finland: Rovanperä Shatters Records in Historic Home Win

Record-breaking Rovanperä Powers to Secto Rally Finland Glory

Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen delivered a sensational home performance at Stop 09 of the FIA World Rally Championship 2025 in Jyväskylä, Finland. The Finnish duo ended the country’s eight-year drought at Secto Rally Finland, powering to victory in record-breaking fashion with an average speed of 129.95kph—the fastest in WRC history.

Rovanperä seized control from the first stage on Friday and never looked back, ultimately claiming the win by a dominant 39.2 seconds. It marked a landmark achievement not only for the 24-year-old Finn, who now sits second in the championship standings, but also for Toyota Gazoo Racing, which accomplished an incredible 1-2-3-4-5 finish—a feat only previously matched by Lancia at Rally de Portugal in 1990.

“It’s quite an amazing feeling. We’ve been close here a few times. I really needed this one, and we pushed hard for it. Huge thanks to the team for giving us such a great car.”

said Rovanperä

Final Rally Finland 2025 Top 5 Results:

1. K. Rovanperä / J. Halttunen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris – 2h 21m 51.4s
2. T. Katsuta / A. Johnston (JPN) – Toyota GR Yaris – +39.2s
3. S. Ogier / V. Landais (FRA) – Toyota GR Yaris – +45.1s
4. E. Evans / S. Martin (GBR) – Toyota GR Yaris – +48.1s
5. S. Pajari / M. Salminen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris – +1m 18.8s

A tyre deflation drama on Saturday sidelined Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, clearing the way for Toyota’s domination. Despite an intense final-day push, Sébastien Ogier edged out Elfyn Evans for third, while Takamoto Katsuta celebrated his best finish since Rally Sweden with second.

Hyundai’s Neuville eventually finished sixth, and M-Sport Ford rounded out the top ten, with Josh McErlean leading teammates Mārtinš Sesks and Grégoire Munster.

Drivers’ Championship Standings After Round 9 of 14:

1. Elfyn Evans – 176 pts
2. Kalle Rovanperä – 173 pts
3. Sébastien Ogier – 163 pts

The WRC now heads to South America for the inaugural Rally del Paraguay, based in Encarnación, from 28 – 31 August 2025.