Rovanpera keeps Rally of Croatia lead despite Tanak charge
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Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera stayed on course for victory in the Rally of Croatia
ZAGREB (AFP) - Championship leader Kalle Rovanpera stayed on course for victory in the Rally of Croatia on Saturday after a dramatic day which saw one stage cancelled and another cut short in deteriorating weather conditions.
Toyota driver Rovanpera, 21, who won last time out in Sweden, has a 20-second lead over 2019 world champion Ott Tanak of Estonia in a Hyundai.
However, he had led overnight by 90 seconds before a puncture and a Tanak fightback cut his advantage.
"You have to be lucky with punctures in a rally like this," said Rovanpera. "And you also have to score big points on Sunday."
The ninth stage was neutralised in the morning following an off-road excursion by Oliver Solberg in a Hyundai. Neither Solberg nor his co-driver Elliott Edmondson were hurt.
The 15th stage was abandoned at the end of the afternoon "for safety reasons" as visibility worsened.
"In these conditions you don t care about the time, you re just happy to make it through. It was like a different place in the world. This afternoon I didn t have a good feeling to really push to the limits," said Tanak.
Belgium s Thierry Neuville, in another Hyundai, was penalised one minute for speeding, during a late meeting of the stewards.
He dropped from second to fourth place in the standings.
