Rally Finland: Rovanperä to reconnect with tradition

55 Finnish victories in 69 editions, the Scandinavians are almost untouchable on their land. For this 70th rally birthday, Kalle Rovanperä dreams of being the 21st Finn to raise his arms in his country. The pressure on the young man's shoulders is great since he arrives in the land of Mille Lacs with two victories in the last three rallies, contested in Estonia and Greece. Considered the future star of WRC, the pilot Toyota doit gérer ce nouveau statut à l’aube du départ de son premier rallye de Finlande en WRC. 

Over the last 9 editions of the rally, only two drivers have enjoyed success at home, namely Jari-Matti Latvala (2014 and 2015) and Esapekka Lappi (2017). The two men attempted to revive the tradition of Finnish victories at home, after both Sebastien and Kris Meeke had somewhat thwarted the home side's plans in recent years. Rovanperä will therefore be responsible for making Finland win again at home, after two straight victories for the Estonian Ott Tänak. The responsibility is all the heavier as very few non-Finns have managed to add their name to the winners of the event in the past.

Mikkola, Grönholm, Alén, Latvala… Win the Finnish Rally, the country's great drivers did it

Between 1951 and 1988 for example, victory escaped the Finns only three small times, with the victories of the Swedes Erik Carlsson (1957), Gunnar Callbo (1959) and Stig Blomqvist (1971). A period during which the locals Hannu Mikkola (7 victories), Markku Alén (6 successes) and Timo Mäkinen (4 rallies won) wrote the legend of the event, and their own at the same time. The period 1993-2007 was also very prolific, since only the Estonian Markko Märtin (winner in 2003) deprived, among others, Tommi Mäkinen (5 victories) and Marcus Grönholm (7 successes) of maintaining the hegemony of the Finns.

Marcus Grönholm co-holds the record for victories in Finland with 7 victories. ©DPPI.

So here is Kalle Rovanperä's challenge: to revive the Finns' domination at home. The Toyota driver seems to be best equipped to offer victory to his country. His compatriot Esapekka Lappi, a freelancer in the Japanese team, will discover the car for the first time this season and should have difficulty being in contact with the leaders. A victory on home soil in the WRC and Kalle Rovanperä could completely change his status and thus go from little prodigy to driver recognized by all.

Esapekka Lappi won his only WRC rally in Finland. ©DPPI.

Winning in Finland, Rovanperä knows how to do it

Although this is the first time he is participating in his national rally in the premier category, Kalle Rovanperä has already raced on Finnish soil. In the WRC, Harri's son finished 2nd in the Arctic Rally in 2021, which was moved from Sweden to Finland due to the pandemic. He also took the opportunity to take the controls of the general classification on an icy and snowy surface. 

Kalle Rovanperä fell just 17″8 short of victory during the Arctic Rally. ©DPPI.

Although he will discover the event in the premier category, Rovanperä has nevertheless already participated in this rally renowned as being the fastest on the calendar. On the traditional Mille Lacs special stages, the “Flying Finn” won the event in WRC2 in 2019, even finishing 9th overall. The prodigy will have to ignore local pressure to concentrate on his goal. Motivated and in good shape, he arrives home with more certainty than his main rivals. 

Less prominent opponents, the path to victory?

In the last events, Kalle Rovanperä is the strong man in the championship. Distanced from the title race after 3 failed rallies in Croatia (off the track), Portugal and Sardinia (mechanical breakdowns), the native of Jyväskylä came back like a bullet, to the point of not yet having completely buried his title dreams. He is even more in contention than ever for the podium. Able to manage the special stages on which he feels less comfortable, but also to widen the gap when he has performance, the prodigy impresses with his maturity, particularly in the construction of his last rallies. 

This weekend again, he is the one who has the least to lose in the championship and can therefore ride with a freer mind. His teammate Sébastien Ogier will surely limit risk-taking in an attempt to consolidate her 44-point lead over Elfyn Evans and thus take another step towards her 8th world crown. His British teammate has been in more difficulty in recent weeks with a few errors and a bit of bad luck. However, the Welshman will have to attack and take risks to prevent Thierry Neuville and Kalle Rovanperä to steal his 2nd place, since he is only six points ahead of the Belgian and seven over the Finn. 

Everything therefore seems conducive to a victory for the local stage on its national rally. On roads that he knows very well, Kalle Rovanperä has the advantage of terrain and dynamics. The Toyota driver could achieve a double victory by winning the event and coming back strong to the championship. More than ever, the “Flying Finn” intends to follow in the footsteps of his glorious elders, and thus take his place in history along the Mille Lacs route.