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Kalle Rovanperä in Sweden: “Not the easiest place to open the road”

First on the road throughout Friday in the absence of championship leader Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä remains positive, but he expects a complicated first day.

Published on 09/02/2023 à 16:32

Loïc ROCCI

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Kalle Rovanperä in Sweden: “Not the easiest place to open the road”

© DPPI

Can history repeat itself? Last year, although first to start during the first stage of the Rally du Sweden, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) managed to win at the end of the weekend. Sébastien Ogier having preferred to stay warm with his family instead of coming to Umeå, it is the young Finn who will have the difficult mission of launching the debates.

« We had a good start to the championship, he explained. It was good to score these important points in Monte-Carlo. Like last year, here we are again in the position of openers... and it's not the best place to do it. » No SS having been contested, the world champion was still smiling when he said this, but he was expecting a complicated start.

« This is going to be more difficult than I thought., he admits. This is particularly true for the first special of the Friday loop (SS2: Brattby 10,76 km Editor’s note) in which conditions will not be easy. There are already holes, bumps and a lot of powder in our track. I believe that the two passages there will not be in our favor. The rest of the day will also be to our disadvantage with a lot of sweeping to be done.

The new sections were made by building the road through the forest, so we have no idea of ​​the composition of the soil. It seemed very soft during the reconnaissance and it's never good to be the first to set off when it's this soft. »

With the talented Finn, it is often risky to make predictions and he proved last year that he is capable of raising his level in the face of adversity. In 2022, despite his position as a sweeper, he took the lead after SS8 and no one saw him again. Will he be able to reproduce the same performance this season?

Loïc ROCCI

Journalist specializing in rallying past, present and future... and with a southern accent

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