Ott Tänak secured victory in Finland's Sect Rally on Sunday afternoon to give Hyundai Motorsport their first victory at Jyväskylä with a perfect drive.
The Estonian driver led from the second stage of the rally to finish the four days of dirt road 6.8 seconds ahead of Toyota GR rival Yaris Kalle Rovanperä – taking his third victory in Finland.
Tänak found it difficult to be comfortable in his Hyundai i20 N from the start, but he was still able to produce the best times thanks to strength and determination.
On Friday's opener, Rovanperä wasn't as quick as expected, but he still managed five special victories on Saturday's stage to move up from fourth to second overall. And he finished the penultimate day with a delay of just 8.4 seconds after narrowing the deficit in unpredictable conditions.
Dry conditions ensured more action on Sunday, but Tänak was unwilling to compromise. He conceded just 1.8 seconds to his rival in all four stages and took the podium for the first time since the Rally Italy Sardegna in June."Os pilotos da Toyota me deram alguma ajuda na sexta-feira no início e desde então vimos uma chance - alguma luz no fim do túnel - e continuámos avançando a partir daí", disse Tänak.
"All I want to say in these difficult times is that it's all up to my wife. She's been so supportive and I'm so proud of her. I love you so much," he added, looking at the TV cameras.
Rovanperä all but relinquished a first home win after Ruuhimäki's first Sunday morning special, where he and Tänak set identical times. With a solid amount of points in his pocket, the 21-year-old was not willing to take unnecessary risks.
In Finland he extended his championship points lead to 94 after eight of the 13 rounds of WRC 2022, while his Toyota Gazoo Racing team finished 88 points clear in the constructors' standings with three Yaris in the top four.
Home hero Esapekka Lappi completed the podium 1min 13.9s below but was lucky to see the finish after rolling on SS21. He used epoxy resin to patch up a crack in the radiator of his Toyota Yaris before the last step and went on without the front windshield.
Elfyn Evans was 16.9 seconds behind and allowed time on Saturday afternoon. Like his team-mate, the Welshman also had to pick up tools and "repair" the damaged rear suspension using ratchet straps and jubilee clips.
It was not Thierry Neuville's weekend. Frustrations with the i20's set-up plagued the Hyundai driver, who was never in a position to fight the leading quartet. And he finished 40.4 seconds behind Evans in fifth overall, dropping to third in the championship behind teammate Tänak.
Toyota's Japanese Takamoto Katsuta finished 51.0 seconds behind, holding Gus Greensmith in the M-Sport Ford Puma in seventh overall.
Greensmith battled directly with teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet for most of the race, but the Frenchman retired with mechanical problems before the final stage. WRC2 leaders Teemu Suninen and Emil Lindholm secured positions in the top 10, while Ford Puma rookie Jari Huttunen overcame power steering issues to complete the 10+ leaderboard.
The championship is back on the asphalt in less than two weeks, when Belgium makes its second appearance in the WRC. Ypres Rally Belgium takes place from 18 to 21 August.
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