Shop
FIA World Rally Championship leader Thierry Neuville was third behind Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak.
With the one-two finish, Toyota narrowed the gap in the manufacturers’ championship to 17 points.
“This win feels really good for us,” said Rovanpera.
“It was a tough weekend and it always feels good when you’ve really had to fight for a victory. It wasn’t easy at any point with all of the weather and everything, but we did a good job.
“On Friday I wasn’t feeling so comfortable, but we made it through without any big mistakes and when conditions became difficult we could make some big gaps.
“It was important to push today as well and together with our team-mates we scored really important points for the manufacturers’ championship and we can be very happy with that.
“A big thanks to the team: the car was really strong this weekend.”
Evans led Tanak at the end of day one by a meagre three seconds but by Stage 11 lost the lead of the rally when Rovanpera turned a 13.6-second deficit into a 5.5-second lead.
Slippery roads and foggy conditions made for a tough rally. Despite that, there was little change in the pecking order on day three.
Rovanpera wound up 23.4 seconds clear of Evans for his fourth rally win of the year.
For Tanak, it was a dogged run to the end of the rally.
“It is difficult to take many positives from this weekend,” said Tanak.
“We were a bit lucky that Ogier hit trouble on Friday but other than that, there was nothing we could do to take the fight to the Toyotas.
“We gave Rally Chile our maximum and scored everything we could. Now we go to two tarmac rallies and in normal circumstances our road position should be good for us.
“The fight for the manufacturers’ title is not over yet, but we need to work hard for it.”
It was not the weekend we were hoping for but it’s nice to end this #RallyChile on a positive note, taking maximum points on Super Sunday and helping @TGR_WRC to bring the manufacturers’ championship back alive. I’ve had a lot of fun in the car on these roads so thank you to the… pic.twitter.com/Oo55fsdpU3
— Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) September 29, 2024
With just two rounds remaining, Neuville leads the drivers’ championship by 29 points over Tanak.
“A tough weekend for us, made more challenging by the weather conditions,” said Neuville.
“Since Saturday, things started to go a bit better for us in terms of set-up and the profile of the stages, which gave us a bit more confidence and a decent rhythm.
“There was no need to take big risks, we just managed our result.
“We tried to push a bit more in the Power Stage but we had fog for a couple of corners that cost us important seconds and a few points but at the end of the day, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala heaped praise on his team’s efforts.
“This is a great result for our team. A perfect Sunday for the first time this season feels really good, especially after the devastating blows we felt on the final days of the past two events,” he said.
“Our drivers did a magnificent job today pushing until the end of the last stage. This result will boost the whole team and give them extra motivation for the two remaining events.
“Kalle and Elfyn both drove really well the whole weekend and either would have deserved to win the rally.
“Seb did really quick times on every stage he did and thanks to his speed and his fighting spirit today, we take away really important points for the manufacturers’ championship.
“Lastly, Sami [Pajari] did exactly what we were looking for this weekend, driving consistently and bringing the car home with a really mature performance, gaining more and more experience. So, all in all, it has been a really positive rally for us.”
The FIA World Rally Championship continues on October 17-20 with the Central European Rally across Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
