Kalle Rovanpera Extends Rally Latvia Lead, Toyota Dominates

Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera, a double world champion, significantly extended his lead in Rally Latvia. Rovanpera increased his advantage from 15.7 to 42.5 seconds over the second day, with teammate Sebastien Ogier in second place. Hyundai's Ott Tanak climbed to fourth, while Thierry Neuville leads the championship with 136 points.

Toyota's double world champion Kalle Rovanpera extended his Rally Latvia lead on the second full day on Saturday. The 23-year-old Finn, who began his rallying career in the Baltic country, pulled ahead of his competitors, increasing his advantage from an initial 15.7 seconds to an impressive 42.5 seconds.

Rovanpera's teammate Sebastien Ogier secured second place, making it a Toyota one-two finish thus far, while local driver Martins Sesks clinched third position. Estonian driver Ott Tanak made notable progress by moving up from sixth to fourth place in his Hyundai.

Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux of M-Sport Ford held steady in fifth, just 8.4 seconds behind Tanak but 17.9 seconds ahead of Briton Elfyn Evans of Toyota. Japan's Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota dropped to seventh, and current championship leader Thierry Neuville is eighth in his Hyundai. Esapekka Lappi and Gregoire Munster rounded out the top 10.

In the overall championship rankings, Neuville leads with 136 points, followed by Evans with 121 points and Tanak with 115. Hyundai leads the manufacturers' standings with 311 points, narrowly ahead of Toyota's 301 points. The final leg on Sunday includes two stages, each of which will be used twice, determining the ultimate rally victor.

(With inputs from agencies.)