Roope Hirvonen has been racing for a few years.
Mikko Hirvonen is sitting reading notes when the boy makes his debut in the Rengas Turku Rally. MATTI MATIKAINEN
Ford, Subaru and Citroen at the wheel of the rally in the World Championships in 2002-2014 Mikko Hirvonen son Roope16, will make his debut at the Rengas Turku Rally in Salo next weekend.
The race, which lasts four special stages, is Roope Hirvonen’s first rally. However, the young man has gained driving experience in the last couple of years in the every man class.
– Roope has been driving for a few years. He hasn’t driven a car in very many years anyway. There has been a bit of such a late wake-up call for motorsports. There seems to be enthusiasm now. I thought that if he wants to try once, then let’s go, but Father Hirvonen, who won 15 races in the World Rally Championship, tells Iltalehti.
– It would have been possible for him to drive before, but there was no enthusiasm, but now he is on fire. I still have time to shave.
The Finnish star of Toyota Kalle Rovanperä is the newest driver from Central Finland to the top of the rally world. Kalle’s father Harri Rovanperä drove himself in the World Championships in the past, but at least for the time being Mikko Hirvonen considers the expectations for his offspring to be moderate.
The second-time boy of the former WRC star after the 2003 World Championship is also currently running in the World Championships Petter Solberg son Oliver gasses in Hyundai’s stable.
– We don’t have to plan any “solbergs” or “rovanper” to do. As long as we have fun and drive. Let’s see how it starts to feel, Hirvonen sums up.
Get the basics right
Father Mikko works as his son’s map reader at the Rengas Turku Rally. Hirvonen, who reached silver at best in the World Series, admits that there is enough to learn. The deer leave the route in a Ford Focus V1600. Hirvonen, who is younger than driving experience, has a full zero kilometers of gravel in that one-way game.
– I like to learn how to use a time card, I have never used one to remember. For us, enough basic training is enough for the first rally. When Roope learns to read road books and I use a time card, it already has something to do with it, Hirvonen laughs.
– Roope hasn’t driven a meter on the dirt road in that car. So a lot is new. I’m still on a trip this week, so we won’t have time to train any before the race. There are still other new things out there that need to be learned, so take the rally through it.
“Weekend at a time”
Although the younger Hirvonen has started the rally, the plans for the father-son duo are still in their infancy.
– We have no plans. Let’s go to the weekend at a time. We will be racing every summer again, and if there is room for a rally somewhere, then we will drive. So let’s go by the mood.
The list of participants in the Rengas Turku rally contains many familiar names from the Finnish Championship series, as the Finnish Championship season also continues in the Turku region with the West Coast Rally two weeks from now.
Next weekend in Salo, people are looking for, among other things Aleksi Röyhkiö, Egon Kaur, Juha Salo, Teemu Asunmaa and Riku Tahko. The list of participants has a total of 139 pairs of competitors.