The view upon entering the central Finnish garage is surprising. Inside, he is lounging on the leather couch right next to the door Kalle Rovanperä in his overalls, scrolling through his phone. This is apparently what it looks like when an athlete is in control, so to speak.
It’s the Toyota team’s test day for the Chile World Rally and the reigning world champion is having a little siesta after the lunch break. After a while, people come from the front door to shout to him that the car is ready to drive again after the adjustment procedures.
Since official testing for World Series distance races is prohibited, Rovanperä and kartturi Jonne Halttunen strive to find suitable race adjustments in Toyota’s own test area free of restrictions. The WC rally caravan has previously visited next weekend’s race scene in Chile only once. In the competition run in the 2019 season, Rovanperä won the WRC2 class.
– It’s already been four years since the last competition in Chile, and there have been new clips, so I approach it as if I were going to a new competition. After all, it brings its own challenge, that the tests of the long-distance race have to be run in their own test area. This is not the same as Chilean gravel, but it is probably the best alternative that could easily be found, Rovanperä says.
The future of the sport is telling
In the World Series, the moments of resolution are approaching, but the future prospects of the sport have been discussed in the public more recently than competitive issues. For example, attracting new car manufacturers to the main category may remain wishful thinking in the future, if the technical rules for the next generation of rally cars cannot be locked in soon.
Rovanperä has no sage’s stone to offer for the right car concept of the future, but he would like to air out the format of the World Cup competitions. He considers it a positive signal that the drivers and carters have now been included in the ideation for the first time.
– Yes, the competition format definitely needs to be changed. The format is a bit old fashioned. Although it is in the rally’s DNA to run long races, where sometimes endurance is needed, from the point of view of the spectators and the show, it would be necessary to make the weekend more compact, says Rovanperä.
– The event should be made easier for people to watch, faster-paced and more interesting to follow. From the driver’s point of view, there are many things happening in the race all the time, but it is a long time to follow the race from start to finish. Many times there are also those situations where there is hardly any racing.
The World Series is hanging on by a very thin thread, when the factory teams are only Toyota and Hyundai, the private team M-Sport perseveres with the partial support of Ford.
Rally manager Timo Jouhki already admitted to Urheilu last year that the uncertainty regarding the future of the sport is not an ideal situation in terms of driver contracts either. The issue is quite topical while waiting for Rovanperä’s contract news. Jouhki has negotiated the first contract for his protégé Rovanpera with the status of world champion, and according to estimates, it is going to be very lucrative. But what will happen in the future if the threatening images hovering over the World Series come true?
Kalle Rovanperä himself is not worried about the situation.
– It hasn’t really mattered to my own plans. Let’s go forward a year, a couple at a time, depending on what kind of contracts are made. There is no need to think beyond that here, at least in my opinion.
Where will the world champion continue?
Kalle Rovanperä’s next season’s employer has not yet been announced, but it will most likely still be Toyota. The car has been competitive and Rovanperä has had the opportunity to compete actively in drifting as well. A surprise transfer to Hyundai is considered possible only if the team’s contract offer is significantly higher than Toyota’s.
Which has weighed more on your scales during contract negotiations, drifting or a squishy account bag?
– That’s a good question. I can’t answer. Drifting is also a lot of fun, Rovanperä muses at the end of a small inch break.
Rovanperä leads the World Series with a difference of 33 points, teammate to Elfyn Evans and gets the first chance to secure the World Cup title in the Chilean competition. However, that would require an almost full point pot from the Finn and a complete failure for Evans.
In theory, they are also still involved in the championship fight Thierry Neuville mixed Ott Tänakbut in practice Evans is Rovanperä’s only threat before the last three races.
In the races at the end of the season, Rovanperä relies on the same recipe as in the victorious Akropolis rally, i.e. a strong basic pace and avoiding unnecessary risks.
– My tactics are the same in Chile as well. Let’s start our own drive and see what the situation is. Then let’s make game moves according to where Elfyn goes.