Jonne Halttunen has been Kalle Rovanperä’s trusted man for five years.
Jonne Halttunen (left) works as Kalle Rovanperä’s karter. PDO
Kalle Rovanperän and Jonne Halttunen the common sky got its biggest crown on Sunday, when Toyota’s Finnish duo won the world rally championship in New Zealand.
Success in the rally also requires an excellent map reader. The word map reader is a bit misleading in itself, because the job description of the so-called second coach includes a lot, so really a lot, more than just reciting notes from notes.
The map reader enables the driver to focus solely on his own performance, i.e. driving. Halttunen travels to the competition venues a couple of days before Rovanperä to explore the surroundings. Together, the pair make notes for the rallies before the races and think about where they could make decisive differences.
The kartturi also makes sure that the driver is always in the right place at the right time. Delays result in a time penalty.
Halttu has often been described as Rovanperä’s big brother. Halttunen himself told Iltalehte after the Swedish World Rally Championship in winter that it is a matter of close cooperation, which today works seamlessly.
This season, this cooperation has been superior compared to other pairs of drivers.
– It is wonderful to do this work with Kalle. He is not only a good driver but also a good guy. That’s why this is enjoyable, Halttunen described after securing the championship.
Halttus and Rovanperä had more at stake in the New Zealand World Rally Championship than ever before. They were in a clear lead before the last day of competition and close to the World Championship title, but neither of them got the punt.
The emotions were unleashed only after the last special exam.
– We both had a pretty relaxed feeling, but at the same time we had to focus on what we were doing. A party awaited at the finish line if all went well. Otherwise, nothing would have been left of this.
Rovanperä’s talent as a driver has been talked about for years. It has also been known for a long time that Halttunen is among the best kart drivers in the world.
And right now he is the best in the world, the world champion.
– Maybe I’m morbidly precise and too much of a perfectionist in certain things, but in some things I’m a bit of a painter and I do freehand. Maybe it’s a combination of them that I’ve gotten to this point.