Finland’s own Kalle Rovanperä delighted home crowds on Friday as he surged into the lead at the Rally of Finland, delivering a dominant performance on the event’s challenging second day.

Navigating the fast and unforgiving dirt and gravel trails, the reigning two-time world champion took control behind the wheel of his Toyota, winning three of the day’s nine demanding stages. His precision and pace paid off, giving him a 4.9-second advantage over defending world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), with Adrien Fourmaux trailing close behind at 7.7 seconds.

Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta holds fourth place, just ahead of Finnish compatriot Sami Pajari (Toyota), while legendary eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) sits in sixth, nearly 20 seconds off the lead.

Thursday’s action began with Estonian driver Ott Tänak winning the opening super special stage. However, his fortunes turned on Friday as he was tasked with opening the road—often a disadvantage on gravel—resulting in a significant time loss and a drop to eighth place, over a minute behind Rovanperä.

The rally continues with eight more special stages covering over 130km on Saturday. The event will conclude on Sunday with two final stages across a 24km course.