The two-time world champions have started full preparations for the new season. The two get support from Esapekka Lapi’s former karter Janne Fermi.
13.12. 23:58•Updated 0:09
Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen have started preparing for the new rally season in France. Rovanperä and Halttunen compete in a Toyota Rally1 car in the national competition.
The winter asphalt rally on the Alpine roads serves as an excellent test race for the first World Cup rally of the season, i.e. Monte Carlo. Rovanperä and Halttunen drove Monte Carlo for the last time in 2023, because this year they only drove part of the season.
The two-time world champions will get a good measure for the competition, having switched from M-Sport to Hyundai Adrien Fourmaux debuted in the rally with his new team’s Rally1 car.
Due to its conditions, Monte Carlo is a completely exceptional rally in the World Series. The race is run on asphalt, but often icy and even snowy conditions make the rally unpredictable. The test race will therefore come in handy for the rally stars.
Kartturi Halttunen celebrated his birthday on Friday. He shared to the Stories section of his Instagram account picture from the celebratory dinner. Pizza was also being enjoyed Esapekka Lapin former carter Janne Fermwhich will work in the future Juuso Nordgren’s with Rovanperä and Halttunen as the front car group in asphalt rallies.
Or so one can conclude from Halttunen’s publication.
– Birthday dinner with the new front car group, Halttunen wrote in connection with the photo.
Front cars are allowed in the asphalt rallies of the World Rally Championship. The front car group runs through the special tests well in advance of the competitors and in this case makes repairs to Rovanperä’s notes. Thus, in the special test itself, Halttunen is able to warn Rovanperä about places that have become, for example, icier or dirtier, thanks to the corrected sheet music.
Ferm said last season after the World Rally Championship in Chile that he would retire from World Championship-level karter work. Lapland does not yet have a driver’s contract for next season.