Repco Rally New Zealand has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä would fight off the chaos to emerge victorious.
SS14, Whitford Forest – Te Maraunga 1
Stage 14 would see Kalle Rovanperä take his fifth stage win of the event. Beating Toyota teammate Sebastian Ogier by 0.6 seconds. Ott Tänak would come in third 0.8 seconds behind Ogier. Craig Breen would place fourth on the stage, 0.6 seconds behind Tänak. Thierry Neuville would round out the top five coming 0.6 seconds behind Breen. The overall top five would remain the same.
SS15, Jacks Ridge Haunui 1
Stage 15 would see Ott Tänak take the stage win. Beating championship rival Kalle Rovanperä by 1.7 seconds. Sebastian Ogier would place third on the stage, 2.4 seconds behind Rovanperä. Craig Breen would place fourth on the stage, 1.8 seconds behind Ogier. Thierry Neuville would yet again round out the top five, finishing 1.5 seconds behind Breen.
SS16, Whitford Forest – Te Maraunga 2
Stage 16 would see Sebastian Ogier take the stage win. Beating Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanperä by 0.8 seconds. Ott Tänak would finish third on the stage, 1.8 seconds behind Rovanperä. Craig Breen would finish fourth on the stage, 3.2 seconds behind Tänak. Thierry Neuville would once again close out the top five, finishing the stage 0.2 seconds behind Breen.
SS17, Jacks Ridge Haunui 2, Power stage
Stage 17 would be the final stage of Repco Rally New Zealand, meaning it is also the Power stage. Kalle Rovanperä would take his sixth stage win of the event and take home the maximum 30 points from the event. Rovanperä would finish the stage 0.6 seconds ahead of Championship rival Ott Tänak. Sebastian Ogier would finish third on the stage, 2.8 seconds behind Tänak. Oliver Solberg would finish fourth on the stage, coming in 0.1 seconds behind Ogier. Solberg’s Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville would yet again round out the top five. Finishing the stage 0.3 seconds behind Solberg.
Another First
Oliver Solberg would return to the WRC after missing EKO Acropolis Rally Greece earlier this month. Solberg came into Repco Rally coming off a career-high fourth place finish at Ypres Rally Belgium last month. This time around Solberg would take home Power stage points for the first time in his WRC career. Solberg would finish fourth on the Powerstage granting him two extra championship points.
Repco Rally New Zealand Recaps
Three Drivers Receive Penalties
Hyundai Trio Receive Penalties
Rovanperä Wins 2022 WRC Championship
My name is Joe Moore. I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
