The Rally Islas Canarias started with a strong performance from Kalle Rovanperä. The Finnish driver impressed early, setting the fastest time on his first lap (4:13.1) and then going even quicker in his second, cutting 3.1 seconds off. This is his first proper tarmac rally since Rally Japan back in 2023, not counting the icy Monte Carlo Rally.
Close behind him was Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta. He clocked 4:12.5 on his third try. Ott Tänak was third with a time of 4:12.9, matching Thierry Neuville, who also clocked the same time, placing him fourth. Elfyn Evans came in next, 4.1 seconds behind Rovanperä — a big gap on such a short 6.26 km stage.
Traffic during the recce (pre-race practice runs) made note-taking tricky. Neuville mentioned, “The recce was very complicated with all the traffic, but now the fun part starts.”
Tires were another hot topic. This is the first time Hankook tires are being used on asphalt in the WRC. French driver Adrien Fourmaux, who finished seventh with a 4:14.7, pointed out how important it is to manage tire temperature on the warm, twisting Gran Canarian roads.
In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin was quickest, with a single run of 4:20.4. He was followed by Spanish Supercampeón Alejandro Cachón (4:21.2). The Rossel brothers, Yohan and Léo, came in third and fourth with times of 4:21.9 and 4:22.4 in their Citroën C3s.
In WRC3, Mattéo Chatillon led with 4:40.6, ahead of Nataniel Bruun (4:43.9) and Takumi Matsushita (4:47.4).
Today, the action continues with the ceremonial start at Plaza de Santa Ana in Las Palmas at 9:00 PM, right after the autograph session at 8:00 PM.