Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala, who is returning to the Jyväskylä World Rally as a driver, should not expect help from Kalle Rovanpera, who dominates the World Series.
Aino Paloniemi,
Jussi Jäkälä
The Jyväskylä World Cup Rally will be held on the 3rd-6th. August. follows the Finnish World Cup competition closely on Ralliradio and on its website.
Looking for the first victory of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship Kalle Rovanperä basically don’t believe in the saying third time is true.
– I’m not terribly superstitious, but yes, you could say that this year. It wouldn’t hurt at all, Rovanperä anticipates.
Rovanperä, which leads the World Series with 55 points, has its third home competition in the World Series ahead of it. He has not yet won in Jyväskylä. Last year, Rovanperä was second in Jyväskylä, when Estonia celebrated the victory Ott Tänak.
According to Rovanperä, a home victory requires a different kind of attack.
– Hopefully we can find momentum and be able to respond from the first starting place on Friday so that we can stay in the fight for victory. But it’s certainly not an easy situation. That’s how many fast drivers leave from there.
He brings his own spice to the World Cup rally Jari-Matti Latvala a momentary return to being a driver as he fulfills his dream behind the wheel of a Rally1 car. However, Rovanperä is not going to give any lead to team manager Latvala.
– Yes, I keep all the information to myself. It can’t be helped that it just drives too hard, Rovanperä loads.
In the role of a plowman until Friday
In an ideal situation, Rovanperä would prepare for his home competition by riding a side slide with his friends.
– Then I would go to the cabin in the sauna and go boating and go to the music.
However, this will not happen, because the last week before the World Rally Championship has been spent mostly with test drives and competition.
On the opening day, Friday, Rovanperä is again offered the role of plowman. Rovanperä has usually started modeling for the locker place during the first race evening.
A year ago, Rovanperä’s situation was complicated by the cancellation of Lankamaa’s second special test due to the disobedience of the spectators.
This year, the program of the opening day also includes the Myhinpää special stage, which will be run twice. Known as a fast and challenging section, Myhinpää was run last time in 2015
How much of Lankamaa 2 and Myhinpää 2, which are driven on Friday afternoon, are already spinning in your mind?
– Not terribly. Of course, I don’t even know what kind of piece it is from Myhinpää, but I hear it’s great, so it’s interesting to see.
– Let’s hope that the situation is not so bad. Of course, you don’t know what to expect yet, but there is probably quite a lot of plowing going on. On the second run, you have to try to attack back.
Read more: keeps you up to date on the events of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship – see the schedules and broadcast times here
Overall competition in mind
A week ago, Rovanperä, who overwhelmingly won the Estonian World Rally Championship, collected words of praise after his performance, and Urheilu’s expert Henri Haapamäki even crowned him ruler of Estonia. However, Rovanperä admits that winning the home race is every Finnish driver’s dream.
– For a Finnish driver, it is the only race he wants to win the most. It would be interesting, so to speak.
However, the driver’s sights are on the overall competition of the World Series and the second world championship of his career.
Points are counted at the end of the season, and Rovanperä does not want to lose a single point to his challengers in the championship.
– Maybe it’s necessary in front of the home crowd to give Napsu more will to win and more effort, but if the win isn’t coming, then I won’t run away to get it, just like I didn’t go last year.