There were some surprises at the World Rally Championship in Sardinia on Friday. Kalle Rovanperä ran into a cow in the middle of the road.
Kalle Rovanperä22, was involved in an extraordinary dangerous situation on Friday in the World Rally Championship in Sardinia.
Cows unexpectedly appeared in front of the world champion’s car during the fourth special stage of the race.
Rovanperä saved the situation with his sharp reactions and was able to continue the race. Rovanperä had to dodge cows on the outside of the road.
Together however, he crashed into the cows, as the Finnish driver had only a short time to react. He tried to avoid the cows by turning into the ditch on the left side of the road, but he could not avoid being hit.
“There was a situation right at the beginning of the long segment. There were big rocks in the ditch, so you couldn’t go right away from the side that you went through. I dropped the car in that ditch at speed and one cow got under it.”
“It was lucky that the wart (radiator) didn’t break or that it didn’t fly into that windshield. It did hit it quite hard.”
The cow hit the right front corner of the car. With this information, Rovanperä is able to continue the rally normally, even though the car had at least external damage.
Rovanperä has also suffered from the role of road cleaner, as he is the first driver on the route and “plows” the track from the slippery loose gravel.
After four special tests, he is eighth on the results sheet. Rovanperä has lost 49.5 seconds to his Toyota teammate, who is leading the race Sebastien Ogierille.
Rovanperä admitted that because of the collision, his concentration was a bit off when he had to check that the car was OK.
“It affects a few kilometers. I have to see if the engine heats up and if the car has broken down. But it doesn’t really affect the driving rhythm terribly, but of course you have to take a moment to check if there was any damage.”
Rovanperä didn’t know exactly what happened to the cow.
“You can’t stay and watch. That he died.”
Rovanperä’s second driver Jonne Halttunen estimate that the animal is euthanized if it is badly injured.
“Isn’t that how it goes? It is unlikely to be left to languish.”
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Kalle Rovanperä’s Toyota pictured after a collision with a cow.