Roope Korhonen dominates opening day of WRC2 in Sweden

Roope Korhonen surged to the top of the WRC2 leaderboard on Friday at Rally Sweden, capitalizing on a stellar performance in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. After starting the morning in fifth position, the Finnish driver claimed the lead by the end of the opening stage and remained untouchable, securing four stage wins throughout the day to build a 10.2-second cushion.

Teemu Suninen, marking his return to the world stage, secured second place in his first outing with the GR Yaris. He finished ahead of fellow Finn Lauri Joona, who led the Škoda challenge in third. Tuuka Kauppinen rounded out a strong showing for the local drivers, placing fourth.

Australian debutant Taylor Gill impressed by securing fifth, finishing just ahead of 2024 Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgensson. While the leaders maintained a strong pace, the day was marked by several retirements, including Alejandro Cachón, who exited the rally after an incident on SS5, and Mikko Heikkilä, who lost significant time following an early off.