Toyota’s team manager Jari-Matti Latvala is confident that Kalle Rovanperä will hit hard in the last two races of the World Rally Championship season.
Recent world champion Kalle Rovanperä was a popular person at San Marino’s Rallylegend event. ZUMAwire/MVphotos
Kalle Rovanperä there is no personal stake anymore in the Catalunya World Rally Championship or November’s Japan Rally, as the Finnish star already secured the world championship in the previous round in New Zealand.
– Kalle has so much hunger to win that I don’t think there is any problem with motivation. He will definitely want to win these last two races. It’s clear, Jari-Matti Latvala told Iltalehte before the Catalan Asphalt Race, which starts on Friday morning.
– He likes driving, that’s his thing. If there were more championships and more years behind, then the situation could be different.
Team boss Latvala witnessed from the sidelines how hard Rovanperä ended up after receiving his seal of approval for the World Championship title. Last weekend, Latvala and Rovanperä participated in the Rallylegend event in San Marino, where a huge audience was admiring the ride of the new champion.
Rovanperä did not get a moment’s peace during the event.
– No matter where Kalle went, people kept asking Kalle for pictures and pictures from him, Latvala said.
Rovanperä is enough to export even at the end of the year. Before the final race of the season, there is a longer trip to Japan, where the Finnish ace will participate in several promotional events. Rovanperä’s hometown in Jyväskylä will hold a folk festival in December in honor of the championship.
The success achieved at a young age has put many athletes to the test, but Latvala believes that Rovanperä can handle the situation.
There are still two races left in the rally season. In the beginning weekend, there will be a race in Catalonia. ZUMAwire/MVphotos
– Fortunately, Kalle is pretty cool. He doesn’t want or need that attention, but he takes it very neutrally. He doesn’t need attention to boost his self-esteem. I have no worries about this, Latvala underlined.
Rovanperä returned the World Rally Championship title to Finland after a 20-year wait. Latvala estimates that Rovanperä has increased the sport’s popularity, especially among young people. At the same time, the native of Puuppo has become a world-class star.
– The championship has raised his profile and awareness of him. When Kalle drove in San Marino, people were very excited and cheered and shouted at him. It was amazing to see.