Eamonn Kelly claimed victory in FIA Junior WRC Secto Rally Finland on Sunday, holding off a charging Taylor Gill to win by 8.3sec in a dramatic finale to the penultimate round.
The 26-year-old Irishman had inherited the lead on Saturday after Gill faced tyre troubles and held his nerve through back-to-back runs of the iconic Ouninpohja stage to secure his first win in the M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo series.
"Finland is the place of speed and one of the most iconic rallies in the world, so it's a really special event to win," Kelly said. "From the start we were in the mix and it's been so enjoyable to be battling it out on these roads."
Championship leader Gill mounted an impressive fightback on Sunday's opening stage, snatching second place from Ali Türkkan to limit the damage from his Saturday setback. The Australian's recovery drive wasn't quite enough to catch Kelly but means he will carry a 14-point lead over Mille Johansson into the season finale at Central European Rally in October.
Türkkan completed the podium 13.4sec behind Gill in third, while Finnish teenager Aatu Hakalehto delivered a standout debut performance to claim fourth after collecting two stage wins on home soil.
Turkey's Kerem Kazaz secured fifth place and his fourth consecutive top-five finish this season, holding off a late surge from Johansson. The Swedish driver won seven of the rally's 20 stages but was ultimately ruled out of podium contention by a costly Saturday puncture.
Diego Dominguez and Max Smart finished sixth and seventh respectively, while Claire Schönborn and Thomas Martens completed the leaderboard.
