WRC
Jari-Matti Latvala: “Kalle Rovanperä is a miraculous kid! »
Jari-Matti Latvala (left) was delighted with Kalle Rovanperä's victory in Croatia (Photo Nikos Katikis / DPPI)
You seemed particularly happy!
We really believed that this victory had escaped us. At the start of 3e stage, everything was going well and the rain arrived. Ott Tänak a signé un super temps et s’est emparé de la tête. C’est à ce moment-là que nous nous sommes dit que nous avions perdu parce que nous savions que ce serait aussi mouillé dans la Power Stage. En voyant sur l’écran toute la boue qu’il y avait au début de cette ultime ES, j’ai pris une feuille et commencé à faire des calculs avec les points pour évaluer ce que nous allions concéder à Hyundai. Comme il y avait des pilotes de WRC2 dans le Top 5, cela ne voulait rien dire. Il y avait trop de « peut-être », de « si »… Alors, après quelques minutes, j’ai jeté mon papier. C’était la bonne décision ! Quand le premier chrono intermédiaire de Kalle et Jonne s’est affiché, cela a été un choc.
Why ?
Ott Tänak was supposed to have the ideal choice of tires to win this special and Kalle theoretically had no chance. How did he do it? Where had he gone to get this speed, this confidence to move like that? His pace was so fast, how did he manage his Hard tires? For me, this is Kalle's best performance behind the wheel. He's a miraculous kid!
He gives the impression of not feeling any pressure at all...
In my career, I worked alongside Sébastien Loeb et Sébastien Ogier. They were two very special guys and Kalle has something new because he doesn't take pressure and never appears nervous. Even in the most tense situations, he is perfectly relaxed.
How can you explain this tire choice error? Hyundai had information you didn't have?
Je ne crois pas qu’ils avaient des données plus correctes, mais je pense surtout qu’ils ont été joueurs. Et cela a payé. Avec M-Sport, nous nous sommes basés sur le fait qu’il y avait des nuages, mais qu’il ne pleuvrait pas. Je suis donc content que Kalle se soit montré le plus rapide et que ce soit lui qui ait gagné, car il le méritait.
Should we consider him a title contender?
Absolutely. He showed that he has what it takes to fight for the championship this year.
Kalle was efficient and reliable, but he was greatly helped by the efficiency of your cars…
It is true that we have not experienced any alerts on our four Yaris. The hybrid system also worked perfectly.
ALSO READ > Kalle Rovanperä, already legendary
Loïc ROCCI
Journalist specializing in rallying past, present and future... and with a southern accent
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