The time trial for the Taupo quadruple race was run late on Saturday evening Finnish time.
Kalle Rovanpärä (right) leaves the 15th grid for the main race of the weekend. Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand
Kalle Rovanperä faced a new challenge when Sunday dawned rainy in New Zealand.
At the Taupo speedway, it meant that the 15-minute time trial stretched much longer, as the drivers slipped their cars off the wet asphalt.
In the end, the red flags were left aside, so the time trial was completed.
Meteorologists promise that the rain should be over well before the main race scheduled for the afternoon. It meant that the bravest drivers could win the excellent starting position for the 23-lap Denny Hulmen for the commemorative competition.
Rovanperä has naturally driven thousands of kilometers on wet asphalt, but never in an open-wheel formula car.
The more laps the 19 drivers got under, the better the grip became. Rovanperä was at his best as high as fourth, but was no longer able to improve his time sufficiently when the track was at its best.
The Finn ended up in the 15th starting grid. He lost 1.617 seconds to the pole position winner To Jack Taylor.
It is only the 17-year-old Tasmanian’s first pole position.
First, the third race of the weekend will be run on the Taupo track, which starts at 1:40 a.m. Finnish time. The actual main race starts at 4:06.
