Tension reached its peak on the final stages as Roope Korhonen fought valiantly to secure a dramatic WRC2 class victory. Starting the final day with what appeared to be a comfortable 19.6-second advantage, the Finnish driver faced massive hurdles in the closing loop of the rally. Sunday's itinerary featured two special stages, each run twice by the competing crews.
Kicking off the morning well, the Laukaa driver managed to extend his lead by an additional three seconds over his pursuers. However, the situation shifted on the subsequent test when Gus Greensmith struck back with formidable pace. The British driver set the second-fastest time to cut the gap down to 17.6 seconds, leaving two tense stages remaining before the finish line.
Real drama unfolded for the leader when he suffered a puncture on the penultimate stage. To compound his misery, a suspension arm was also damaged and he completely lost his brakes. Driving a hobbled machine without rear stopping power, Roope Korhonen had to summon all his resilience to protect his dwindling advantage.
Fortunately for the leader, Gus Greensmith also ran into trouble, allowing Estonian driver Robert Virves—who had already secured the class title—to climb into second place. The gap between the leading pair before the final stage narrowed to just 6.8 seconds, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown.
Displaying fierce determination behind the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Roope Korhonen pushed all the way to the finish to seal class victory by a razor-thin 0.7 seconds over Robert Virves. Meanwhile, Gus Greensmith completed the podium in third, finishing 51.8 seconds behind the winner.
Alongside celebrating the race victory, Roope Korhonen also clinched the championship runner-up spot. Speaking to RallyJournal after the grueling rally, the Finnish contender admitted his profound sense of relief.
"It feels good and I’m relieved. We drove this final stage without one of the rear brakes, but fortunately it was enough," Roope Korhonen stated regarding the frantic final moments.
Drawing on wisdom and experience gained from the previous season, the driver managed his rally intelligently rather than relying purely on all-out speed. He understood the importance of keeping the bigger championship picture in mind.
"There were plenty of places in this rally where we could have driven faster, but you have to think about the bigger picture," Roope Korhonen stressed.
While his ultimate pre-season goal was to capture the championship title, those aspirations took a heavy blow when he retired from his home rally and walked away empty-handed. Nevertheless, the championship runner-up finish offered ample satisfaction for what was an impressive maiden full campaign in WRC2.
"Finishing runner-up in the championship feels pretty good too, and we have developed enormously over the course of the season, even though this was only our first full campaign in WRC2. This season has taught us a lot. The goal was to win the championship, so we’re not completely satisfied with second place," he explained.
"There has still been a lot of good in the season. We had the pace at many rallies and on every different surface. We’ve learned a lot and gained plenty of experience, and this gives us a good platform to move forward," Roope Korhonen concluded.
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