Kalle Rovanpera fired up his challenge for a third world rally championship with a dominant win in the Canary Islands on Sunday.
The Finn led a Toyota sweep of the top four places, beating teammate and eight times world champion Sebastien Ogier by 53.5 seconds with championship leader Elfyn Evans completing the podium in third.
Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta finished a distant fourth.
The win on the asphalt roads of Gran Canaria was Rovanpera’s first since Chile seven months ago and lifted the double world champion from sixth to second overall after four rounds, 43 points behind Evans who has been in the top three in every rally.
Rovanpera won 15 of the 18 stages, including the first 12 in a row, and took a maximum 35 points from the Spanish rally, making its debut on the world championship stage.
“It has not been the best start of the season but… at least in these kinds of conditions we are back now,” said the Finn.
Toyota extended their lead over Hyundai to 51 points in the manufacturers’ standings.
Hyundai had Adrien Fourmaux finish fifth, two and a half minutes off the lead, with Ott Tanak and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville sixth and seventh.
Neuville dropped to third overall with Tanak fifth and Ogier sandwiched between the two.
