The 20-year-old restarted this seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship with an 8.5sec advantage over the Irishman after Friday’s opening leg and stretched that to 35.7sec after four gravel tests near Tartu.
Rovanperä made a sensational start in his Toyota Yaris, winning the opening Peipsiääre speed test and distancing third-fastest Breen by 14.3sec.
Second fastest in Mustvee and Raanitsa widened the margin further before Breen regained a few tenths in the morning’s final Vastsemõisa test, as Rovanperä indicated the time had come for a more measured approach.
“I was a bit surprised [by the opening stage]. In the first parts it didn’t feel so quick, but after the first part I started driving properly and pushing a bit. We have so many kilometres left that you can’t really ease off, but after that I could be a bit more sensible.”
Breen was far from disheartened on only his third outing of the season in a Hyundai i20.
“That man is in the car a lot more often than I am,” said the Irishman. “I did everything I can and tried to push. On these narrow roads in the forests, that’s when a bit of seat time really helps. Kalle has been doing a fantastic job and I have to take my hat off to him.”
His efforts were enough to slightly extend his advantage to 46.3sec over i20 team-mate Thierry Neuville in third.
The Belgian remained embroiled in a duel with championship leader Sébastien Ogier. Neuville was desperate to protect his slender overnight advantage and traded times across the morning before returning to mid-leg service in Tartu with a 4.5sec lead.
Ogier was cautious through the new stages north of Tartu but his pace was sufficient to widen the gap to Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to 23.2sec. Evans was happier with his car’s balance but admitted he was still missing the edge to match the pace of those ahead.
Teemu Suninen survived a spin to hold sixth in his Ford Fiesta
Teemu Suninen retained sixth in his Ford Fiesta, despite an opening stage spin into the forest, with Pierre-Louis Loubet seventh in an i20.
Alexey Lukyanuk continued to extend his WRC3 advantage in eighth overall with WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen ninth. Mads Østberg was delayed after stopping at the scene of Nikolay Gryazin’s roll, but the Norwegian will regain the time to slot into 10th.