Kalle Rovanperä’s change of sport is like turning a runner into a skier, says ex-kart player

Rallimies Jonne Halttunen has followed his former rival couple with interest Kalle Rovanperän excerpts from track driving.

Rovanperä, 25, a two-time world champion of rally drivers, switched to a full-time track car driver this season with the support of the Japanese manufacturer Toyota.

Rovanperä competed in the Oceania formula series at the beginning of the year. For him, it was preparation for the Super Formula season starting in the spring in Japan.

Rovanperä’s best individual finish in the Oceania formula series was third place in the rain event.

“I think Kalle has started well. Taking the podium was probably more than anyone could expect from him at this stage, Rovanperä’s former rally karter Halttunen, 40”, inches.

“Just be patient when the crowd follows Kalle’s change of sport. This is a bit like turning a good runner into a good skier. You have to remember that Kalle’s background is in rallying and these other drivers have been doing track work since they were kids,” Halttunen continues.

On Wednesday In the Japanese Super Formula tests at Suzuka, Rovanperä was the slowest in the first test session. In the second driving period, his ranking among 24 drivers was 19th. The track was wet with rain.

In the first driving period, eight laps were recorded at Rovanperä. At that time, his driver was in the stall of the KCMG team for a long time.

In the second driving period, 24 laps were recorded for Rovanperä. He was the top man in his fastest lap by almost 3.5 seconds Ren Sato slower. A stable mate Kenta Yamashitalle accumulated a loss of about 2.5 seconds.

At the end of the second race, Rovanperä spun his car and got stuck outside the track on the grass.

“The conditions were difficult, it was raining and there were outdoor races. Maybe it wasn’t the easiest conditions to learn such cars. However, these are the second fastest formula cars in the world,” Halttunen stated.

I wouldn’t be terribly critical of Kalle’s results this year. The most important thing is that you can see development from race to race.

Tests continue on Thursday. Especially for Rovanpera, the tests are extremely important because of his limited track driving experience.

“This is going to take some time before Kalle’s level on the track becomes clear. Now it’s all about studying – and it’s brutal to study track work at such a high level,” said Halttunen.

The competition season of the Japanese Super Formula class starts in April at the Motegi circuit.

“I wouldn’t be terribly critical of Kalle’s results this year. The most important thing is that you can see development from race to race.”

Rovanperä has previously said that he is preparing to drive in the F2 series in the 2027 season. The F2 racing series is generally considered a stepping stone to F1, the royal class of motor sports.

Halttunen himself was recently chosen as the head of Toyota’s American Rally Association ARA project.

Possessed currently also drives himself in the F-Cup rally series.

Recently, Halttunen has also worked as a sports expert on television, and a television series is being filmed about him.