Kalle Rovanperä’s championship hunt continues this weekend at the World Rally Championship in Japan.
There are only two races left in the World Rally Championship season, and Kalle Rovanperä is tied for second place in the World Championship points with his teammate Sebastien Ogier’s with. At the top is Toyota’s Elfyn Evans 13 points ahead of his teammates.
Rovanperä is one of the favorites in the World Rally Championship in Japan, which started on Thursday with a short special test. In the opening stretch, Rovanperä clocked one tenth of a second behind the standard time To Ott Tänak.
The Asphalt Race gets underway properly on Friday, when the program includes six special tests.
You can no longer afford to make sure when the stake is the world championship. Rovanperä promised that now the gas will stay at the bottom.
Kalle Rovanperä is thirsty for a world championship in his farewell season. ZUMAwire/MVphotos
– The sections of this rally are not quite in my comfort zone in terms of driving style, but that doesn’t matter. We have to try to get a decent result. We have a big fight so we need good points. The first plan is to get more of them than Elfyn and Seb, Rovanperä said.
– There are two more rallies left, so now there is no need to save anywhere, the Finnish star underlined.
New sheet music
Rovanperä missed the Japanese asphalt race a year ago. Two years ago, he finished third in Toyota’s home race.
Now he should be able to beat his teammates Evans and Ogier, who have strong displays from Japan. Evans won the Japanese event in 2023 and 2024, and Ogier has second-place finishes from the same events.
Rovanperä estimates that he will give his competitors a bit of a handicap, because he was not involved in Japan last season.
– During this year, I have had to make new notes for several clips, while they used them last year. If you have driven all the corners at least twice before, then you have a clearer idea of what the corner is like.
– But now the situation is this, and we have to go with it. It can be difficult in some sections, but it’s okay, Rovanperä summed up.
Big in Japan
In Japan, you drive in beautiful autumn landscapes. Routes are not Kalle Rovanperä’s big favorites. ZUMAwire/MVphotos
Japanese rally fans have adopted Rovanperä as their own in recent years. Rovanperä, who has represented Toyota since 2020, will say goodbye to the World Rally Championship at the end of the current season, so this weekend’s race is also special for him in that sense.
Before the rally, Rovanperä has once again experienced how dedicated the Japanese supporters are.
– They go to great lengths to see you. If you do something special in your life, they know it – they really follow you. They have even given gifts to my dog. So they are special and give a lot of support, praised Rovanperä.