Toyota’s team manager Jari-Matti Latvala could only praise the performance organized by Kalle Rovanperä in the Estonian World Rally Championship that ended on Sunday.
Jari-Matti Latvala had a smile on his face after the World Rally Championship in Estonia. Stock photo. EPA / AOP
Kalle Rovanperä organized a real show on Estonian gravel roads. Suomalaistahtih took over the top spot already on Friday, even though he had been cleaning the roads from loose gravel all day.
On Saturday and Sunday, there was no stopping Rovanpera, when the world champion was able to ride in a better starting position. A total of 13 special tests were run over the course of two days, the bottom time for each of which was recorded by Kalle Rovanperä from Finland.
For Rovanpera, the victory was the third in a row in the Estonian World Rally Championship.
– A truly phenomenal performance. For Kalle, this is like a home race and a rally, which she likes the most. Here he is at his absolute best. He has learned to drive in these conditions as a young boy, team boss Latvala pointed to the fact that Rovanperä’s rally career was built in the Baltics.
– Already on Friday, Kalle was able to drive hard and control the situation from the first starting position. Then we saw indications that the speed could be better at the starting point. And then he was able to dominate. A great performance from Kalle, praised the native of Tuuri.
Jyväskylä is more difficult
Rovanperä has already broken numerous records and quickly grabbed success in the World Rally Championship, even though the man is only 22 years old. But the Finn is still missing one big merit: the victory in the home competition in Jyväskylä.
He will have a chance to do that at the beginning of August, when the next race of the season will be held in Central Finland.
– Jyväskylä is a more difficult rally for Kalle to win than this race. Jyväskylä has a different surface and profile. In addition, there is also the pressure of the home court, although Kalle usually does not take a lot of pressure, Latvala punted.
– In that sense, it’s easy for Kalle to go there and drive when he doesn’t take pressure. But as a first car in Finland it can be more difficult than here.
at the top of the World Cup
Rovanperä and Toyota wipe well in the World Cup. Rovanperä leads the drivers’ World Cup battle with a 55-point gap ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evansand Toyota, on the other hand, has a 57-point lead over Hyundai in the manufacturers’ standings.
– In terms of points, we made great progress and we have to be very satisfied with that. But Hyundai has always developed and moved forward. They put us in a tight spot. In the future, we also have to maintain our own pace and activities in order to stay ahead, Latvala emphasized.