Kalle Rovanperä overwhelming champion favorite – One rule change creates a headache

Although the World Rally Championship has seen better days, the situation is not as bad as the worst doomsday exorcists are trumpeting.

Of course, it could be better. The sport’s biggest problem is still the small number of participants.

We still start the season with interesting settings. Many things have changed since last year, and rally fans can expect an interesting season.

Return of the King

The most pleasing news is, of course, the return of Kalle Rovanperä as a touring driver for the entire World Series.

The third World Championship title of his career must be the only goal of the 24-year-old Finnish driver. That is what is expected of him. He also admits that himself.

It has become clear that it is not of Elfyn Evans be Rovanperä’s challenger. of Sebastien Ogier it would be, but the Frenchman drives selected rallies again.

Takamoto Katsuta is a good driver who can win the first World Cup race of his career this year. But he is not a challenger to his good friend Rovanperä in the World Cup battle.

Pajar’s school year

Toyota is a team of Finns. Rovanperä is the number one team, the team is managed from Finland by Finnish forces and also drives in the team ranks Sami Pajari.

The 23-year-old from Lahti drives the whole season. There is no pressure within the team for Finland’s next rally star, but expectations are still high.

Would we even see a career opening win? It wouldn’t be a surprise. During the season, Pajari will almost certainly win the prize ball many times.

Tänak challenges

Only Hyundai can offer resistance to the Japanese brand this year. It’s a shame, but on the other hand, both of them make for a fight.

Thierry Neuville finally managed to wash off the eternal number two stamp from his forehead. However, with the return of Rovanperä, renewing the championship will be very challenging for the 36-year-old Belgian.

Even though Neuville beat everyone last year, he has to be a teammate Ott Tänak still makes Hyundai the number one gun on paper.

Tänak is in a class of his own with Rovanperä (and Ogier) purely in terms of driving skills. If the car and the man avoid problems this season with a slightly better success rate than last year, Tänak will be the backbone of Toyota.

M-Sport’s destiny is to hang on again as a sympathetic extension of the crowd. by Adrien Fourmaux leaving for Hyundai weakened the team’s driver pack even more.

Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean are facing an undone place. Especially McErlean, who is making his debut in the Rally1 class, is in far too tough company.

Driving selected rallies Mārtiņš Sesks was last season’s happy surprise, but even he won’t take this rocket to the moon.

The point system is new

What will last season be remembered for? Many are responsible for the “confusing points system”. No one loved it.

For this season, the scoring was adjusted in a more reasonable direction.

The top ten of the overall competition get points according to the familiar formula 25–17–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1.

In addition, the five fastest on Sunday will receive points. And as the climax of the race, points are offered to the five fastest from the Power stage, which ends the rally and is televised. From both of Sunday’s extra point cavalcades, extra boys are offered with the formula 5–4–3–2–1.

A driver with a perfect weekend can therefore get 35 points. Simple.

Hybrids veks

What could threaten Rovanperä’s third world championship? The Finn himself brought up the biggest technical change of the season in an interview with MTV.

The Rally1 cars are 80 kilograms lighter this year than in 2024. Thanks to the removed hybrids.

Introduced in 2022, the technology was never popular with fans. The rally crowd also reacted positively to it.

Rally, which wanted to be relevant in terms of the modern automotive industry, desperately grabbed the hybrid car. It turned out to be an empty guess, now we can do without.

The Rally1 car is powered by a standard turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. Green values ​​are served with eco fuel.

The removal of the hybrid cabin changes the weight distribution of the cars. Rovanperä himself believes that the change will serve other drivers better. That remains to be seen.

Black, round, Hankook

Ogier was Pirelli’s PR nightmare for years. The all-conquering multi-champion didn’t spare his words when criticizing the Italian tire brand’s nicks.

Now Ogier can no longer sing this lament. Instead of Pirelli, the black round ones are supplied by Hankook.

The return of Kankkunen

Jari-Matti Latvala the flame for racing still burns. Toyota understands this and gives its team manager the opportunity to participate in the European Championship for Historic cars. Below is, of course, Toyota, the car model is the legendary Celica.

In Latvala’s absence, his replacement is Juha KankkunenToyota’s trusted man while Celica is the ruler of the rally world.

The duo’s role as team manager is to be more of the team’s face to the public and cheer on the drivers.

Toyota’s rally team is strong Kaj Lindström in the keys. Tom Fowler is, on the other hand, the manager responsible for technical matters.

Saudi money talks

Saudi Arabia’s oil money has conquered the sports world in recent years. The rally also finally gave in to the temptation (read: money) by signing a ten-year contract with the country to organize World Cup rallies.

In the terrain near Jeddah, it is curving at the end of November. It is the final competition of the season, of course. Saudi Arabia wants the World Cup title to be decided on its own soil. It guarantees a nice number of column millimeters and impressions.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, there are also two other new rallies. The World Series will be made international by taking my rally caravan to Paraguay in August.

Finns love rallying and the Canary Islands. What a coincidence, the World Rally Championship is being held on the island at the end of April. Let’s go!

Finnish rally fans should also mark the Estonian World Rally Championship in July in their calendars.

In central Finland, the gravel road grand prix, Secto Rally Finland, is held at the turn of July and August.