NESTE Rally Finland: ŠKODA privateer Pietarinen wins WRC 2, ŠKODA junior Rovanperä fourth

Jyväskylä, 29 July 2018 – For the best part of three days of NESTE Rally Finland ŠKODA’s 17 years old Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) and co-driver Jonne Halttunen (FIN) looked like the dominant winners of the WRC 2 category. But during Saturday’s penultimate stage the left front suspension broke when the car hit a rock under braking. After roadside emergency repairs, the two Finns managed to finish the day in fourth position. With a stunning race to catch up, they set all fastest times in WRC 2 during the last leg and finally missed the podium by just 1.9 seconds. While Rovanperä’s factory teammates Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjaermœn (NOR/NOR) had to retire after an accident on Saturday, local ŠKODA privateers Eerik Pietarinen/Juhana Raitanen (FIN/FIN) won the WRC 2 category with an impressive performance.