Toyota’s Finnish star Kalle Rovanperä is locked in the second consecutive World Rally Championship.
Kalle Rovanperä there will be popular fast gravel roads in Chile, when the Rally World Series continues from Friday to Sunday in Chile.
The Finnish ace of the sport goes into the season’s third and final competition with a 33-point lead ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evansia.
If Rovanperä manages to win and also grabs a few points from the power stage special test that ends the race, the championship can already be secured in South America. Even Evans’ possible suspension can smooth Rovanperä’s path to becoming a champion already in Chile.
“Let’s go for a normal race. Of course, you shouldn’t do anything stupid. You have to drive smart,” says Rovanperä.
There has only been one World Cup points race in Chile before, in 2019. At that time, Rovanperä was still competing in the Rally2 classification with a Skoda.
“Even though I’ve already raced there once, it’s kind of a new race for all of us. Clips have changed a lot,” says Rovanperä.
“We got an important victory in Greece, and the World Cup situation looks good now. However, you have to maintain your concentration, because the rally will certainly be difficult. The conditions can be difficult and the grip can vary a lot,” Rovanperä points out.
Last in Rovanperä secured the first World Championship title of his career also on the other side of the globe, when the young rally star drove to victory in New Zealand.
Toyota’s Sports Director And Lindström find a lot of similarities to last fall.
“In Chile, the roads remain in good condition with the second layers of traffic. The nature of the race is a bit like that of Finland and New Zealand. At least for Kalle, New Zealand seemed like a good fit, so there’s nothing to worry about in that sense,” Lindström smiles.
On the same lines, there is also someone returning to the role of team manager after two races Jari-Matti Latvala.
“From our point of view, the situation looks good in both series, but there is still work to be done. The race in Chile should suit our team very well. I believe that all our cars are up there”, Latvala says.
Korean team No less than two Finns will be seen at Hyundai, when Esapekka Lappi and Teemu Suninen aiming for prize positions.
“This race is not particularly difficult for the car, so there is no need to save on it. However, self-confidence is required if you want to be fast. Our goal is definitely to be on the podium at the end of the weekend,” Lappi threatens.
“The most important thing is to focus only on what you’re doing. The goal is to increase the pace from the two previous races (driven in a Rally1 car) and be as high as possible in the final results,” adds Suninen, who finished fourth in the Finnish World Rally Championship.
In the WRC2 class in Chile, Skoda drivers compete against Finns Emil Lindholm and Sami Pajari.