Kalle Rovanperä will not have time to visit Finland for a long time. The championship is now in the back pocket, but there is still work to be done.
A recent pair of world champions Kalle Rovanperä–Jonne Halttunen caught in the crossfire of the media with tired eyes.
The reason was not so much the long night, but the timing of the interview. The media event started comfortably for European journalists, but at seven o’clock in the morning New Zealand time.
– I don’t know about Jonne, but I didn’t get much sleep myself. Just because of this media event, Rovanperä stated.
– But the championship was celebrated, Rovanperä grinned.
What about John?
– Yes, a bit of intermediate gas on Hervanta’s highway, the champion karter described his own night.
It had clearly been fun, but there’s no time for more fun in Kiwiland. The champion duo from the other side of the world are quickly heading towards Europe.
– Jonne has a day for the plane to take off, I have a little less. Let’s see if Jonne will ever make it on the flight, Rovanperä joked at his friend’s expense.
Halttunen will return to Finland before the next World Rally Championship in Catalonia. According to his own words, Rovanperä, who lives abroad, will not visit Finland for a long time.
– There is still so much time for that (Finland’s visit) that it probably won’t even be remembered that he is world champion, the good-natured driver blurted out.
Job half done
Jonne Halttunen and Kalle Rovanperä secured the first rally world championships of their careers far away on the other side of the world. PDO
The two now have individual championships in their back pockets, but the job is only half done.
– We are trying to get back to the same feeling as in previous games. Fortunately, there is a small break before Catalonia, so you have time to reset your mind and start concentrating properly. The manufacturer’s world championship is still at stake, and we always go to every race to get the best possible result, Rovanperä commented.
– We work at Toyota. All the investment is now in winning the team championship as well, Halttunen agrees.
The first thought of the driver woken up by the media on the morning when he wakes up as world champion for the first time was not planning the championship party.
– Let’s finish the season first, then we’ll look at these things, Rovanperä stated.
There are still two races left in the World Rally Championship. The season ends in Japan on November 13.