FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Kalle Rovanpera of Finland (Toyota Yaris WRC) poses for a photo. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN.
(Reuters) -Toyota's double world champion Kalle Rovanpera continued his domination of the Canary Islands rally on Saturday with a 10th stage win out of 10 to extend his overall lead to 38.1 seconds.
The Finn had started the penultimate day 26.8 seconds clear of teammate Sebastien Ogier after winning all six stages on Friday and he won the next four with three more to come in the evening.
Eight times world champion Ogier kept up over the day's first two stages on abrasive asphalt but Rovanpera gained 8.4 seconds on the third.
"On these kinds of roads, it's not about pushing, it's about having the flow," said Rovanperä. "It seems that everything is working well."
Toyota continued to fill the top five places with championship leader Elfyn Evans third, but more than a minute off Rovanpera's pace, and ahead of Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta.
Hyundai filled the next three placings with Adrien Fourmaux moving up to sixth, ahead of defending world champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak.
"We're trying really to put the car as far as we can to make it work well, but I'm on the limit of what I can do," said Neuville.
The rally on the Spanish islands off the coast of Morocco is making its world championship debut as round four of the season and finishes on Sunday.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
